Category Archives: Baseball

BOCCE AND BASEBALL—FATHER AND SONS.

Posted on January 24, 2019 by Philip

BOCCE AND BASEBALL—FATHER AND SONS. Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio had two brothers who also had distinguished careers in major league baseball—-Dom and Vince. It was said that their father regretted that they had not taken up a real sport, … Continue reading →

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AN ACTUAL EXPERIENCE WITH A FIVE MAN INFIELD.

Posted on January 10, 2019 by Philip

AN ACTUAL EXPERIENCE WITH A FIVE MAN INFIELD. Tracy Ringolsby tells a story in the current Baseball America (January 11-February 5, 2019) about a time when Gene Mauch ( a very underrated manager) used a five man defense in the … Continue reading →

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ONE OF BILLY MARTIN’S RULES FOR MANAGING.

Posted on January 9, 2019 by Philip

ONE OF BILLY MARTIN’S RULES FOR MANAGING. Lindbergh and Miller cite one study of team chemistry by an assistant professor of group dynamics at the University of Santa Clara which found that for good team chemistry you have to avoid … Continue reading →

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“FEEL” FOR THE UNWRITTEN RULES (COMMENT).

Posted on January 8, 2019 by Philip

“FEEL” FOR THE UNWRITTEN RULES (COMMENT). Annalisa commented here that she was taken aback that reporters would lose access to players if they wrote about team chemistry issues. She posed the hypothetical: “What if “the team chemistry has anything to … Continue reading →

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EVERYBODY IN THE INFIELD (REVISITED).

Posted on January 7, 2019 by Philip

EVERYBODY IN THE INFIELD (REVISITED). The five man infield reminds of the time when we suggested to a friend who was coaching a team of little kids at a summer camp (think Bad News Bears) that he put all his … Continue reading →

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THE FIVE MAN INFIELD.

Posted on January 6, 2019 by Philip

THE FIVE MAN INFIELD. Lindbergh and Miller write early in the book about their desire to experiment with a five man infield and two man outfield. They tried it finally in a series of games against the best hitter in … Continue reading →

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RANDOMIZING PITCH SEQUENCES.

Posted on January 5, 2019 by Philip

RANDOMIZING PITCH SEQUENCES. One experiment that Lindbergh and Miller had envisioned trying was to use a random number device to determine the sequence of pitches that their pitcher would throw. They would do so by determining beforehand what percentage of … Continue reading →

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THE ONLY RULE IS IT HAS TO WORK.

Posted on January 4, 2019 by Philip

THE ONLY RULE IS IT HAS TO WORK. My first book of 2019 is THE ONLY RULE IS IT HAS TO WORK by Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller. Lindbergh and Miller are two sabermatricians (think Moneyball) who were given the … Continue reading →

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INCREASED DEFENSIVE SHIFTING IS CHANGING BASEBALL FOR THE BETTER.

Posted on September 3, 2018 by Philip

INCREASED DEFENSIVE SHIFTING IS CHANGING BASEBALL FOR THE BETTER. Shifting opens up a range of tactical questions which fans can think about and discuss from batter to batter in the course of a game. Where exactly should fielders be placed? … Continue reading →

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INCREASED DEFENSIVE SHIFTING IS CHANGING BASEBALL.

Posted on September 2, 2018 by Philip

INCREASED DEFENSIVE SHIFTING IS CHANGING BASEBALL. Recently there has a marked increase in the use of defensive shifts in the major leagues. Sam Miller in the second half of this article on the ESPN website shoots down Baseball Commissioner Rob … Continue reading →

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