| Posted by Phil Allard on March 28, 2008 at 5:08 PM |
Ken Rosenthal’s article today was so strange, I feel compelled to comment.
Ken’s prediction that the Braves will emerge as World Champs isn’t what got to me. He backs it up with reasonable enough analysis and, yes, the Braves do have an interesting mix of veterans and youngsters. (If you don’t have Yunel Escobar on your fantasy baseball team, go get him.)
I fully expect the Braves and Phillies to claw it out for the NL East Title, with the over-hyped Mets finishing a distant third. The Mets have so many holes, even the drones on WFAN can see them.
What I find so interesting about Rosenthal’s article is how the sabermetric community has clearing gotten under his skin. I will not excerpt him here, because I don’t want to take his comments out of context and you can decide for yourself. I’ve provided the link below.
One thing is clear: the “mainstream media” used to claim ignorance of the sabermetric community – now they seem to be running scared. There is no question in my mind that “mainstream media” now gets ideas from websites like NYYFANS , U.S.S. Mariner, SonsOfSamHorn and from the kind of saber-inclined writers you read at Baseball Think Factory, Baseball Musings, waswatching, and RLYW.
The conventional press reads what more intellectually engaged people are writing and this fuels their columns. Don’t ask these folks to admit that, however.
I firmly believe that the time will come when the dinosaurs die out and newer, innovative blood will work their way into the newspapers, radio stations, and major websites. It’s already happening with the likes of Max Kellerman, Alex Belth and Jon Weisman, among many others.
The morons like Chris Russo will be a distant memory.
There was a time when the importance of On Base Percentage was a radical idea.
There was a time when “maybe it’s not a good idea to run ourselves out of an inning” was a far-reaching concept.
There was a time when Strikeout pitchers were frowned upon. (Sorry, Mel, but you ruined Dwight Gooden as much as drugs did.)
Maybe guys like Rosenthal are looking over their shoulders at something they don't have the capacity to defend themselves against. It sure seems that way.
For the full text of Rosenthal’s bizarre confession, here you go:
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7951230/Braves-have-the-goods-to-be-October-surprise?CMP=OTC-K9B140813162&ATT=49
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Comments coming soon!