1) In baseball, why is the ball that gets crushed, but caught at the right center field wall, 385 feet away, treated statistically the same way as a bunt when a runner scores from 3rd base as its result and then called a “sacrifice fly ball out”?
Really? Really? Where was the batter’s sacrifice? Do you mean to argue that the batter preferred that outcome to the one he more apparently almost got, had the fly ball kept going another foot and over those nearby fences?
2) In football, why is a team not penalized for “intentional grounding” whenever the quarterback takes the ball from center and slams it to the turf in front of him to stop the clock?
Really? Really? It looks like a completely intentional act to me. – Maybe some teams have ants in the grass that function as wide receivers! From the rules on grounding that now stand, it’s obviously OK to ground the ball to stop the loss of time. You simply can’t ground the ball to stop the loss of space (or yardage, if you please).
3) In baseball, why should a pitcher who enters a 0-0 game in the top of the 9th, and then gives up 2 runs, get the “win” after his home club scores 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th?
Really? Really? Well, how about the pitcher who worked the first 8 innings and gave up no runs? Doesn’t he really deserve more credit than the pitcher who gave up 2 runs in one inning and still got the win? Under today’s rules, that starter simply gets improved ERA stats, but no part in the “W” decision.
The Pecan Park Eagle 
December 9, 2013 at 6:42 pm |
I’m with you 100% on number three! It has always irritated me when a reliever blows a game, gets bailed out by his offense, and then receives the win that should have gone to the starter.
December 9, 2013 at 8:25 pm |
1) I agree the drive to the wall doesn’t seem to have much ‘sacrifice’ in its character. I’ve never understood why the batter wasn’t charged with an at-bat in that situation. At least that would be his ‘sacrifice.’ The batter who advances a runner from 2nd to 3rd with a similarly hit ball just makes an out.
Along those same lines is the box score item: “Runners left in scoring position, 2 out.” Why are these batters essentially being called out? What about the batters who with less than 2 outs left runners in scoring position but had ‘productive outs’ available to them in addition to base hits to help them move the runners but didn’t?
To their credit it appears that Baseball-Reference doesn’t keep this in their box scores.
3) Too many pitching records are at least as tainted or imaginary as defensive records. A 3-run save vs. a 1-run save? A hold? A quality start? The situation you presented? In the immortal words of Chuck Berry, “too much monkey business.”
2) Who cares? It’s football – a (usually) weekend event that’s at the core of a lot of social activity. Rules? We don’t need no stinkin’ rules. We’ll just change ’em next year if the TV networks tell us to. We’ll change the position of the goal posts, change the position of the hash marks, change the value of extra points. (BTW, what other game has ‘extra’ points, anyway — often delegated to someone ‘extra’ who has no other relation to the game?) hmmm – sounds a lot like the designated hitter, doesn’t it?
December 10, 2013 at 1:17 am |
An extreme (true) version of #3: Vern Law in _This Side of Cooperstown_ wrote about an 18-inning 2-2 tie he pitched at home. Someone pinch hits for him in the 19th. Score still tied, Bob Friend comes in and gives up a run. The Pirates score two in the bottom of the 19th. Law went 18 IP, 9 H, 12 K, 2 W, 2 R. No win. Four days later he won a 13 inning game. No they just don’t build ’em like that anymore.
To take a tangental journey…my favorite “sac fly” was during an exhibition game between the River City Rascals and the Gateway Grizzlies (Ind.). Vlad Frias on 3rd w/one out. Pop-up about 30′ in front of the catcher, Charlie Lisk, who calls everyone off & takes it. Vlad sprints home before the defense realize no one is covering. It might not be the shortest sac fly but it was a heck of a head’s up one.