Category Archives: Conventional Wisdom

The Problem of the Pick-off Throw

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Patrick

The first time I really thought about the pickoff move was in 1995.  My beloved and beleaguered Seattle Mariners had finally reached the postseason, and in the second game they faced a young, unspellable left-hander by the name of Andy … Continue reading →

Posted in Conventional Wisdom | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Celebrate Different

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Eric

Last night I was talking with Eric Freeman about No Hitters. By talking I mean agreeing that it’s pointless and purposefully joyless to whine during and immediately after a no-hitter that the game isn’t as “well-pitched” as other games that … Continue reading →

Posted in Conventional Wisdom, Stats, Talking Baseball | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Bill James, Sigh

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Eric

Bill James writes an interesting but extremely flawed article about why we’re so good at developing baseball players, but so lousy at developing writers in Slate. Since the piece is called “Shakespeare and Verlander,” and our site is called Pitchers … Continue reading →

Posted in Conventional Wisdom, Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Seeing Things New

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Ted

Is it a cliche that every time you watch a baseball game you will see something that you’ve never seen before? I am putting this old rhubarb to the test, in any event, as I have already watched more baseball … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball Culture, Conventional Wisdom | 1 Comment

On Sabermetric Transparency

Posted on April 3, 2010 by Eric

Over at Walkoff Walk, 310toJoba (somebody get this guy a first name), writes about the mega-awesome-super news that Bill Simmons, the internet voice of the Sports Media Industrial Complex has officially embraced sabermetrics. This is a major (if inevitable coup) … Continue reading →

Posted in Conventional Wisdom, Media, Stats, Thinking, Walkoff Walk | 3 Comments

PnP Fantasy Baseball: Now with Actual Strategy!

Posted on March 10, 2010 by Ted

On Eric’s recommendation, I just read Sam Walker’s book Fantasyland, about his madcap pursuit of victory in a league of fantasy baseball experts. On his heroic journey, Walker works to find a balance between the cold, hard numbers and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Conventional Wisdom, fantasy baseball | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rally Caps Ain’t The Way…Or Are They?

Posted on October 6, 2009 by Eric

Today’s Situational Essay comes from Kenneth Morgan, a Mariner fan, and (at least compared to Ted and I) mathematical genius. His essay, in a lot of ways, gets at the essence of Pitchers and Poets. How do we reconcile what … Continue reading →

Posted in Conventional Wisdom, Situational Essay | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Minor League Prospects in Person: Perception, Reality, or Dizzy Bat Races?

Posted on September 3, 2009 by Ted

I’m headed to a minor league game tonight between the Everett Aquasox and the Vancouver Canadians, a Northwest League short season A-ball match-up. A ritual that I like to go through before hitting a minor league park–aside from donning my … Continue reading →

Posted in Conventional Wisdom | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

When Life Throws You Curveballs, You Take Them The Other Way

Posted on August 31, 2009 by Eric

In a literary sense, I sort of like clichés. Before they become hackneyed and mundane, they are tight exceptional metaphors and similes. The first time somebody compared his lover’s eyes to a glowing moon, or her beauty to a red … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball the Teacher, Conventional Wisdom, Meta, Thinking | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

An Open Letter to Jim Tracy

Posted on August 24, 2009 by Eric

Dear Spaghetti Arms, I try not to engage in criticism. That is, I try to avoid using this blog as a platform to shout about why a certain player should bat in a certain place, or why Joe Scouting Director … Continue reading →

Posted in Conventional Wisdom, Meta | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment