MLB Newbie and Theory Thread: Rick and Tony take your calls

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Sports Argument Stadium > MLB Newbie and Theory Thread: Rick and Tony take your calls

Peanut President: Nov 5, 2008; by Athanatos
(and can't post for 7 days!)

E4C85D38 posted:

Okay, new question: I don't think I quite "get" balks. I read through the rules, but then I see videos like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEmmenaEjOM and don't think I understand it in practice. I've seen a lot of pitchers delivering from the stretch just twitch their front leg like that before delivery and can't figure out when that's okay and when that's a balk. (Maybe it's just a bad angle to see movement towards home?) What sort of movement is disallowed in practice?

Watch his right foot, he picks it up and sets it twice. If I'm right, that's the balk.

# ¿ Mar 23, 2017 05:46

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 22:31

Peanut President: Nov 5, 2008; by Athanatos
(and can't post for 7 days!)

Balks are good.

# ¿ Mar 29, 2017 16:30

Peanut President: Nov 5, 2008; by Athanatos
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He didn't pitch so why would it?

# ¿ Apr 26, 2017 10:15

Peanut President: Nov 5, 2008; by Athanatos
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If you're watching it on TV you're making a mistake. Going to a live game you can let your mind wander and watch the guys in the on deck circle and other stuff so it's not just a static picture of a pitcher dicking around for 20 minutes each pitch. You don't even need a major league team, if you live in the US I'm sure there's a minor league team farting around.

# ¿ Jun 3, 2017 01:53

Peanut President: Nov 5, 2008; by Athanatos
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Ammat The Ankh posted:

No the most unlikely thing to happen in sports is Atlanta winning a championship.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etf9rcbhfTM
?

Also is it remotely possible to have a more racist nickname matchup in a championship in the modern day? Maybe if the NFL adds another team with a slur?

# ¿ Jun 18, 2017 21:40

Peanut President: Nov 5, 2008; by Athanatos
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Dr. Angela Ziegler posted:

OK so this is more a newbie discussion topic than a question, but: What stats are the best to look at to get a holistic view of a player, specificially, which stats do you think have the most predictive (signal how the player will perform in the future) value?

Is it OBP? Homers? fielding-independent ERA? what one thing could you point at on a player's baseball card and go "based on the last three years of <<this>>, player X will do great next year, barring injury or acute steve blass disease?

Wins and BA obviously.

Honest answer is there isn't a good one. Like there have been so many players that have gone to garbage in short order or have become really good when simple things like "they ate 2 biscuits for breakfast instead of 1" or whatever that stats are never predictive.

# ¿ Aug 10, 2017 02:22

Peanut President: Nov 5, 2008; by Athanatos
(and can't post for 7 days!)

Dr. Angela Ziegler posted:

then why are there scouts? and stats guys?

Fundamentals and settling dumb arguments, mostly.

# ¿ Aug 10, 2017 03:45

Peanut President: Nov 5, 2008; by Athanatos
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John Smoltz is still the best pitcher in the major leagues even though he's been retired for 5 years or however long.

# ¿ Sep 9, 2017 16:38

Peanut President: Nov 5, 2008; by Athanatos
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And Closer you forgot Closer

edit: also Setup

# ¿ Sep 9, 2017 18:45

Peanut President: Nov 5, 2008; by Athanatos
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8wQ5KZmbv4

# ¿ Sep 14, 2017 16:31

Peanut President: Nov 5, 2008; by Athanatos
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Elizabeth Mills posted:

The rules should be changed so that runs that reach on a pitcher's fielding error are credited to that pitcher. Change my view.

It's not an Earned Run. Therefore it shouldn't show up on the Earned Run Average.

Peanut President fucked around with this message at 19:41 on Oct 24, 2017

# ¿ Oct 24, 2017 19:34

Peanut President: Nov 5, 2008; by Athanatos
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Elizabeth Mills posted:

Home plate, as laid out by the rules, cannot physically exist.

Per rule 2.02:

If you do the math and remove the 17x8 rectangular portion, leaving only the triangle, then if the point of the triangle closest to the catcher is a 90 degree angle, then per the pythagorean theorem, the rules delineate an impossible triangle.

122 + 122 = 288

root of 288 = 16.97"

So either home plate should be 16.97" wide instead of 17" or the two sides that form the tip of the plate should be 12.02" instead of 12".

Now, you may ask: "Is this based off the angle of the tip being 90 degrees? Because, what if its not? Woah"

Whoa indeed. So to show that it would, in fact, have to be 90 degrees, I went to the rulebook again. Per rule 2.01:

(1.04) The infield shall be a 90-foot square.

Since the 12-inch edges have to coincide with the first and third base lines, this would mandate a 90 degree angle.

When location of home base is determined, with a steel tape measure 127 feet, 3 3/8 inches in desired direction to establish second base. From home base, measure 90 feet toward first base; from second base, measure 90 feet toward first base; the intersection of these lines establishes first base. From home base, measure 90 feet toward third base; from second base, measure 90 feet toward third base; the intersection of these lines establishes third base. The distance between first base and third base is 127 feet, 3 3⁄8 inches. All measurements from home base shall be taken from the point where the first and third base lines intersect.

Innocent enough, right?

NO.

Let's turn to the Pythagorean theorem again.

902 + 902 = 16,200 = c2

c = 127.279220613578554'. But the rules mandate that c should be 127', 3 3/8", which is 127.28125'.

We're looking at a difference between 127', 3 3/8" (per the rule) and 127 3 7/20". Meaning that second base, if the diamond is in fact a true square, is 0.024352637 inches TOO CLOSE to home plate to coincide with the rules.

So what if we just adjust the 90' distances to align second base up with the 127.28125' requirement?

127.281252 = 16200.5166015625 = a2 + b2

8100.25830078125 = a2

90.0014349929 = a, meaning the basepaths should be 90' and 14/10000th of an inch.

Our baseball lives are lies. As it is, there cannot physically exist a perfectly square infield consisting of 90' basepaths and a distance of 127' 3 3/8" between home and second and first and third.

agreed on all points

# ¿ Jan 4, 2018 11:32

Peanut President: Nov 5, 2008; by Athanatos
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Charles 2 of Spain posted:

Bear with me since I only started really understanding baseball a few years ago, but I've never understood why people like the idea of a designated hitter. It hides a guy in the field and protects a pitcher who can't bat. Why would you want to discourage all-round skills?

As someone who loathes DH I think the idea is to a) protect the pitcher b) score runs since pitchers usually are bad batsmen anyway.

# ¿ Jan 5, 2018 14:41

Peanut President: Nov 5, 2008; by Athanatos
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Charles 2 of Spain posted:

OK, that makes sense if you consider that match ups should be about players doing what they do best, although I'd argue that it's no different to batters needing a fielding skillset. I guess I just like the idea that a spud with a .200 average can come in and hit a game-winning RBI off Kershaw or something.

Thankfully the NL still exists
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YpHt6t_C68

# ¿ Jan 5, 2018 17:07

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 22:31

Peanut President: Nov 5, 2008; by Athanatos
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I hate the DH but I also think football shouldn't allow substitutions. Make Tom Brady kick the field goals!! :bahgawd:

# ¿ Jan 5, 2018 23:20

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Sports Argument Stadium > MLB Newbie and Theory Thread: Rick and Tony take your calls