Baseball
How to Hit a Baseball
I’ve been playing recreational ball for a long time now, and I am naturally an analytical pain-in-the-ass, so I like to think that I know something about hitting a baseball. (more…)
Baseball
Prospecting
Back in the early 90’s, when I was collecting baseball cards and trying to find the next superstar, I started getting into stats and number-crunching. That’s how I learned to use Excel. (more…)
Baseball
Which Players Would Benefit Most from Steroids?
While watching the Giants GameCast today, watching Bonds inch closer to the home run record, I started wondering if there were any OTHER players who could theoretically benefit MORE from using steroids than Barry Bonds has. I’m not just talking home runs, but overall hitting. Bonds is/was certainly one of the game’s best hitters, but are there any other players who may be able to improve their game more than Bonds did by using steroids? I’ve never seen any kind of analysis attempting to answer this question, so I went for it. (more…)
Baseball
Which Type of Sim League Owner Are You?
I’ve made no secret of my frustrations trading in the baseball simulation league I play in. This afternoon, I tried to categorize the trading styles of all of the owners I’ve dealt with since joining the HOFL in 1995. (more…)
Baseball
The Birth of Home Run Derby
My friend Rob and I played on our high school varsity baseball team. “Played” might be a stretch—we mostly rode the bench all season. One humid summer evening in Houston, desperate for our baseball fix, we grabbed a plastic bat and ball and started, headed out to the street in front of my house, and started pitching to each other. We made a game of hitting the ball over a light pole. And just like that, Home Run Derby was born. (more…)