During one of my many periods of inactivity here on the blog during the spring session and opening week (um, sorry?), I came to a personal realization. Well, that's not exactly the truth. I've known it all along. I suspect many of you have as well.
I'm just not very good at this blogging business.
Now, hold up. I already know what you're thinking (because we're tight around here, friends). This isn't a pity party, it's not a troll for supportive comments, and it's not a #humblebrag. Allow me to support with facts & revelations:
I am not good with statistical analysis. While I've embraced the catch-all OPS, I suspect that's already been abandoned by the advanced statistical community. Like, seriously, don't ask me to explain VORP or UZR, because it would be a lesson in fail. I want to get better.... but thus far I have not succeeded. This despite me carving out a living pushing around numbers. Go figure.
I cannot fully comprehend Pitch FX and Charts and the like. Maybe that's an overstatement, but when dudes pull out the charts showing break and pitch speed and what that means about actual performance vs results.... I'm the kid in the class asking again.
I do not possess the ability to seduce you with magical powers over the written word. Oh, I can get my point across in layman's terms, sure. But I don't think I'll ever be asked to write the foreword of too many books. Which makes me somewhat of an odd fit with our gracious host here, no? That dude can write.
I don't have it in me to be overly critical of the home team, and I don't intentionally court controversy. I just don't, what more can I say? I suppose I live in a sort of fantasy world whereby I think "maybe Jesse Litsch does read this blog, and who am I to tell him there are better options for the rotation" (totally not what I think, Jesse). I mean.... I'm sure I do come across dickish (magical powers of verbage!) from time to time, but that's just going to happen. I don't mean to be a prick, I swear!
I could never "do my own thing", because I'm tapped out after a few posts per week. As if you couldn't already tell. In other news, earth is round.
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.
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..... and yet, I enjoy doing this. It's like a purging of my baseball soul when I can open up and let 'er go in discussing this team and this game with those of you gracious enough to read. It's fun and it's liberating, and I'm glad the Tao hasn't locked me out yet. Given the paucity of hard-core baseball fans around my parts, it gives me the pleasure of discussing the game with a collection of folks as passionate as I am. Regardless of differences of opinion - and isn't that what makes it fun anyway? As long as you're not being, er, dickish, of course.
(but as an FYI, Tao can put the kibosh on my stay here, guilt-free and at his own discretion. We've had the discussion.)
All of this to say..... you're stuck with me for another season. Until further notice, anyway. Hell, I might even give you an actual Blue Jay-related post this weekend. Wild, right?
11 comments:
I'll join you in the advance metrics universe. I can't grasp them either. But I do enjoy your writing. Don't know if I buy Shawn Camp = Jim Acker though.
Oh Ack, you had us at hello.
Your layman's act is great complement to the Tao's highbrow ways. I still don't have a clue about the break/spin parts of those PitchFX charts either.
Ack, you and Tao are great. Both you and he have compelling voices to add to the Jays blogosphere- this blog is probably my favourite stop, both weekdays AND weekends. It's a great middle ground between DJF's monkey army and Drew's sharp statistical analysis on GROF.
I think the Jays blogosphere as a whole has some incredibly talented writers, who've gone and forced the mainstream media like Sportsnet to step up their game in their Jays' coverage.
Keep adding your voices, gents, and we'll keep coming back.
What Dave C said.
Especially since it's called a 'foreword'... sorry, just being dickish. lol
I try, try, try to understand the new metrics, and can even now understand what a good WAR is, and that you need to be a plus UZR to be good, but if someone asked for an explanation...
We non-nerds - or maybe newly-reformed is a better word - need your voice Ack. You love baseball, like we do. You don't dig in your heels like the old MSM dinosaurs and try to beat down advanced metrics, so your analysis isn't outdated, it's just easier to understand!
I agree with the other posters - this blog is a great in-between GROF and DJF (although I enjoy both immensely as well), and Parkes' mainstream gig at Getting Blanked is really good too (who knew he could still write without all the 'fucks' and 'cunts'?). lol
Us Jays fans without the knowledge or time to blog are lucky to have such a strong, smart, non-rose coloured glasses wearing, funny, talented blogosphere. Imagine being a Red Sox fan... *shudder*
Keep 'er going boys.
I do not possess the ability to seduce you with magical powers over the written word.
As long as your not being, er, dickish, of course.
i believed the first statement, but i also appreciate that you felt the need to confirm it with the second.
i like the change of style and pronouns on the weekend. keep it up.
Oh Jesus, errors corrected.
Strength - amendable to correction.
I read this site, GROF, and Getting Blanked daily and love them all, but I have noticed lately that the greater Blue Jays internet intelligentsia has been a bit more cynical than normal, at least superficially (i.e. everybody acts like they have something against Brett Lawrie, which, as far as I can tell, is just an unfortunate response to how annoyed they were by the hundreds of silly people who demanded that he break camp with the team). I'm a huge fan of the interesting analysis and statistical talk that we get during the week, but that contrast is also what makes your stuff so good. These weekend posts are fun, and I like them.
"Strength - amendable to correction."
Shouldn't that be amenable?
You've got a niche that your filling Ack. Most people don't want to bother with that new stat crap anyway.
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