Activity Log

somehow saved a league-high 45 games […] despite a 5.07 ERA

Michael Wolf — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:53:28 +0000

The home run, which followed a bloop single by the prodigal DH, David Ortiz, came on the first pitch Ramírez saw from Joe Borowski, who somehow saved a league-high 45 games last season despite a 5.07 ERA but isn’t fooling anyone so far this season.

Well, duh. You can come in with a three run lead, give up “only” two runs, and still record the save. I won’t go so far as to say that I could hold on to a three run lead pitching against major league batters, but most major league pitchers could, most of the time. Saves are a bad measure of a pitcher’s skill.

New York Yankees unearth jersey to ease fears of baseball curse

Michael Wolf — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:57:54 +0000

New York Yankees unearth jersey to ease fears of baseball curse.

That’s pretty silly. But baseball is full of people who think that wins and saves recorded by pitchers are a good measure of their skill, and that ERA in general is a good measure of a pitcher’s skill [*]. They think that batting average is a pretty complete measure of a batter’s skill qua batter. They even think that “manufacturing runs” is sound tactically [**].

Wanting to unearth (”unconcrete”?) a piece of cloth dyed red or blue isn’t all that unreasonable by comparison.

[*] Its heart is in the right place, so to speak, but it’s of limited utility. Better ways to rate a pitcher’s effectiveness exist.

[**] It sometimes is, but more often is not.

I do not like this

Michael Wolf — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 22:36:36 +0000

Representative tries to put the fear of God in atheist.

That’s terrible.

I do wish the article at the Tribune had more details, though.

(HT to The Agitator.)

Brains!

Michael Wolf — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 19:27:38 +0000

It’s pretty cool that people who probably have never met each other can collaborate on an article about zombies in Latin.

Too bad I can’t really read it.

Another side of the fence, but not of the story

Michael Wolf — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 00:44:40 +0000

Department of Homeland Security will Waive Laws to Build Border Fence.

How terrible.

Welcome to the 80s

Michael Wolf — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:50:49 +0000

The Boston Globe finally includes cumulative On Base Percentage and Slugging Average in box scores. This is an example. Although it appears that they’re not the original source of the numbers, it’s quite the improvement.

About time.

I want a Dr Pepper

Michael Wolf — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:10:36 +0000

If Guns N’ Roses manages to release their album, Chinese Democracy, everyone in America will get a free Dr Pepper.

First a free taco, now a free soda—clearly living as an expat has its disadvantages!

but the alternative was to be a Democrat

Michael Wolf — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 03:36:55 +0000

Some time ago I was talking to a friend about an Argentine writer. He said (something like) “pity he was a fascist, though.”

I responded (something like) “but the only real alternative was to be a Peronist.”

“Yeah…”

If we’re lucky, in 40 years time people will talk similarly about, say, Kurt Vonnegut:

“He was a great author, but he voted Democrat!”

“Yeah, but the only realistic alternative was to be a Republican.”

“Oh yeah…”

not Pure Evil ™

Michael Wolf — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:28:59 +0000

Of all the plausible next presidents of the USA, I am vaguely pulling for Obama, because I think he is merely wrong on many issues, whereas I think all of the other plausible candidates are Pure Evil ™.

However, I freely acknowledge that he may have me duped on that front.

tyranny of the mob vs tyranny of the drooling editor

Michael Wolf — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 14:08:34 +0000

“I try not to paint Digg as my arch-nemesis. The Digg method and Digg community are a wider audience than Slashdot,” he said. “But with sites like Digg, it’s the wisdom of the crowds or the tyranny of the mob. You never know what you’re going to get.”

That’s true, but the alternative is — or the alternatives are — sites with strict editorial control. It works OK when you have good editors, but Slashdot is an exemplar of not having good editing.