Note To Seattle Baseball Writers

Dave · March 23, 2009 at 12:12 pm · Filed Under Mariners 

Baker’s current post: Bill James on Morrow, M’s

Stone’s current post: Bill James on the M’s

LaRue’s current post: Bill James offers his thoughts on the Mariners

They’re all just summing up a press release sent out by BIS pitching James’ book. And, you know, nothing against James, but the topics aren’t exactly newsflashes to anyone who has read USSM for any length of time.

Maybe you guys should look into a system where you call dibs or something.

Comments

22 Responses to “Note To Seattle Baseball Writers”

  1. gag harbor on March 23rd, 2009 12:24 pm

    USSM is not exactly the source the Seattle writers care to reference unless it’s in a derogatory “those in the blogosphere” or “statheads” vein. I’ve been immensely impressed with the information and perspective you’ve provided fans of baseball and especially this team. I’m equally amazed at unwillingness to positively engage USSM for what it is in the Seattle sports scene.

    And by the way, the Fangraphs site has been a lot of fun to read too. I understand this sport so much more clearly now than when I was reading the sports section of a newspaper as a kid growing up.

  2. Dave on March 23rd, 2009 12:30 pm

    I don’t really think that’s true. Baker, Stone, Brock, Andriesen, and Divish have all cited USSM in their print columns. We get links from all of them on their blogs all the time.

    I think there’s been significant interaction between the blogosphere and the local media.

  3. Mere Tantalisers on March 23rd, 2009 12:43 pm

    Maybe if some of them would think before blogging instead of just blog blog blog or whatever it was LaRue said.

  4. Mike Snow on March 23rd, 2009 12:44 pm

    the topics aren’t exactly newsflashes to anyone who has read USSM for any length of time

    On the contrary, I had no idea that Brandon Morrow was not Tim Lincecum.

  5. terry on March 23rd, 2009 1:13 pm

    I don’t get this dogged fascination by some in the media with the imagined controversy over the role the Ms envision for Morrow.

  6. terry on March 23rd, 2009 1:17 pm

    BTW, we’ve seen this kind of thing routinely during the last political cycle. I guess occasionally even sportswriters like to take a day off from their dream jobs. Just don’t make it a habit fellas… 🙂

  7. Paul B on March 23rd, 2009 1:21 pm

    but the topics aren’t exactly newsflashes to anyone who has read USSM for any length of time.

    That’s what I thought. For example,
    Beltre = good
    Yuni = bad
    Morrow = good
    Mariner offense = bad

  8. Typical Idiot Fan on March 23rd, 2009 1:21 pm

    As silly as it is for them all to grab the same story, at least it’s a story that’s worth overexposing. I mean, yeah, it’s old hat to us, but the more the typical idiot fan gets to know these new concepts the better, right?

  9. terry on March 23rd, 2009 1:23 pm

    As silly as it is for them all to grab the same story, at least it’s a story that’s worth overexposing. I mean, yeah, it’s old hat to us, but the more the typical idiot fan gets to know these new concepts the better, right?

    Are you making fun of Rickey?

  10. Luc on March 23rd, 2009 1:44 pm

    This is Rickey calling on behalf of Rickey, Rickey wants to face Morrow.

  11. msb on March 23rd, 2009 1:51 pm

    On the contrary, I had no idea that Brandon Morrow was not Tim Lincecum.

    He’s taller.

  12. vj on March 23rd, 2009 2:01 pm

    When I read Stone’s piece earlier today, I thought its a good thing his audience gets exposed to Bill James’ ideas.

  13. ThundaPC on March 23rd, 2009 2:07 pm

    I’m just happy the media is working on getting caught up with modern statistical analysis.

  14. Breadbaker on March 23rd, 2009 4:02 pm

    In classic print journalism, this wouldn’t happen because an editor would say “Larry, don’t write on this because I’ve assigned it to Geoff”, or “Geoff, you handle the straight factual piece and Larry, you do the opinion piece.” Or the editor might combine the three stories into one.

    Blogs are blogs, they’re not edited, and so you can end up with three bloggers for the same company blogging on the same issue unless they coordinate.

    The sadder thing is that the Bill James stuff, which isn’t really news to anyone, is “news” because of Bill James’s name and reputation in the more general (i.e., non-statistics-based) sports community, while a more interesting or unique approach from a Tom Tango gets publicity only here.

  15. DMZ on March 23rd, 2009 4:07 pm

    Yeah, that’s been the case for years. Bill James comes out with x, people note that x was already figured out two years ago by these other people and James actually has x wrong, James tells everyone (again) that he doesn’t read anyone else’s research (why this is acceptable is beyond me), repeat cycle. It’s really frustrating.

  16. Slurve on March 23rd, 2009 4:17 pm

    I’m equally amazed at unwillingness to positively engage USSM for what it is in the Seattle sports scene.

    Maybe it’s because of Dave’s anti-mariner bias and his pessimism…

    I used to think he was wrong because of it while we’re celebreting the Bedard trade he was calling for the head of Bavasi and it wasn’t until this past season that I realized goddammit he’s right and has been all along…

  17. Steve T on March 23rd, 2009 5:18 pm

    Getting all excited about Bill James in 2008 is about as sensible as getting all excited about Def Leppard in 2008. James was an important pioneer, and his old Abstracts were classics, but he hasn’t really contributed anything of value in twenty years. The world’s moved on. Tom Tango is light-years out in front of James, frinstance.

  18. joser on March 23rd, 2009 6:34 pm

    Dude, don’t be dissing Def Leppard! I almost lost my virginity while they were on the cassette deck. (Damn button-fly pegged-leg acid-washed Levis….)

    😉

    Actually, seriously: they’re touring with Cheap Trick this summer.
    And (oh ack) Poison. But nevermind that, I mean, c’mon… Cheap Trick!

  19. Steve T on March 23rd, 2009 6:59 pm

    Yeah, but do you want to hear their new album? Didn’t think so. Just play the hits, dudes.

  20. Jimmie the Geek on March 24th, 2009 7:25 am

    Yeah, but do you want to hear their new album? Didn’t think so. Just play the hits, dudes.

    The first three albums, in order please. 🙂

    at Budokan got played a LOT at my house back in the day… but hey, I was only 14 so cut me some slack!

  21. msb on March 24th, 2009 7:29 am

    Do we need a Note to National Baseball Writers, for the idiocy that is Jorge Arangure’s Ichiro piece in ESPN?

  22. ThundaPC on March 24th, 2009 10:34 am

    Speaking of which, Geoff Baker apparently has a special feature prepared for the Sunday paper that delves deeper into statistical analysis.

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