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Ahead of the curve : inside the baseball revolution / Brian Kenny.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York, NY : Simon & Schuster, 2016Copyright date: ©2016Edition: First Simon & Schuster hardcover editionDescription: viii, 353 pages : illustrations ; 24 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781501106330
  • 1501106333
Subject(s): Genre/Form:
Contents:
The herd -- Good looking beats good pitching -- The will to (not) win -- The epiphany -- The Godfather -- The tyranny of the batting average -- Kill the win -- Kill the save too -- Bullpenning -- When bad contracts happen to good people -- Hall of Fame -- Triple Crown -- a love story -- The mis-education of the voting sportswriter -- The 1941 MVP -- blind squirrels find nut -- Department of Decision Sciences -- The year of getting smart.
Summary: MLB Network host and commentator Brian Kenny uses stories from baseball's present and past to examine why we sometimes choose ignorance over information, and how tradition can trump logic, even when directly contradicted by evidence.Summary: Emmy Award-winning sportscaster Brian Kenny wants to reshape the way we think about baseball. The biggest proponent of sports analytics in the mainstream media, Kenny says that groupthink and tradition are standing in the way of smarter, better baseball. Ready to go to the next level? Try the following: Kill the win: It's a team statistic, not a pitching statistic; Ignore errors: they are a vestige of 19th-century baseball with almost no effect on today's game; Forget starting pitchers: "bullpenning" is the best way to use your pitching staff; The sacrifice bunt is good strategy--if you like scoring fewer runs; If your closer is your best pitcher, use him when needed, regardless of inning; Stop hiring managers based on their looks; Don't ever sign a big-money free agent. Kenny shows why blind spots and biases cause us to cling to strategies that belong in the nostalgia bin. Digging deep into baseball history, he explains how the game has evolved and why it's time to ditch outmoded thinking and herd mentality. Ahead of the Curve points the way to the future of baseball.--Dust jacket.
Fiction notes: Click to open in new window
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Dr. James Carlson Library NonFiction 796.357 K36 Available 33111008176246
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 796.357 K36 Available 33111008429173
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"A delight for baseball lovers" ( Kirkus Reviews ) and "one of the most significant baseball books of the year" (Bob Costas) Ahead of the Curve uses stories from baseball's present and past to examine why we sometimes choose ignorance over information, and how tradition can trump logic.

Forget batting average. Kill the "Win." Say goodbye to starting pitchers. And please, please stop bunting. MLB Network anchor and commentator Brian Kenny provides "an excellent, entertaining read for the all-around baseball fan" ( Library Journal ) and shows how baseball has been revolutionized--not destroyed--by analytical thinking.

Most people who resist logical thought in baseball preach "tradition" and "respecting the game." But many of baseball's traditions go back to the nineteenth century, when the pitcher's job was to provide the batter with a ball he could hit and fielders played without gloves. Instead of fearing change, Brian Kenny wants fans to think critically, reject outmoded groupthink, and embrace the changes that have come with the sabermetric era. In his entertaining and enlightening book, Kenny discusses why the pitching win-loss record, the Triple Crown, fielding errors, and so-called battling titles should be ignored. He also points out how fossilized sportswriters have been electing the wrong MVP's and ignoring legitimate candidates for the Hall of Fame; why managers are hired based on their looks; and how the most important position in baseball may just be "Director of Decision Sciences."

"Prepare to have your brain and your assumptions challenged. Guided by data and a deep love of the game, Brian Kenny takes a cutting-edge look at where baseball is and where it is going" (Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated ). Illustrated with unique anecdotes from those who have reshaped the game, Ahead of the Curve is "a great story about the game in the age of information and technology" (Billy Beane).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The herd -- Good looking beats good pitching -- The will to (not) win -- The epiphany -- The Godfather -- The tyranny of the batting average -- Kill the win -- Kill the save too -- Bullpenning -- When bad contracts happen to good people -- Hall of Fame -- Triple Crown -- a love story -- The mis-education of the voting sportswriter -- The 1941 MVP -- blind squirrels find nut -- Department of Decision Sciences -- The year of getting smart.

MLB Network host and commentator Brian Kenny uses stories from baseball's present and past to examine why we sometimes choose ignorance over information, and how tradition can trump logic, even when directly contradicted by evidence.

Emmy Award-winning sportscaster Brian Kenny wants to reshape the way we think about baseball. The biggest proponent of sports analytics in the mainstream media, Kenny says that groupthink and tradition are standing in the way of smarter, better baseball. Ready to go to the next level? Try the following: Kill the win: It's a team statistic, not a pitching statistic; Ignore errors: they are a vestige of 19th-century baseball with almost no effect on today's game; Forget starting pitchers: "bullpenning" is the best way to use your pitching staff; The sacrifice bunt is good strategy--if you like scoring fewer runs; If your closer is your best pitcher, use him when needed, regardless of inning; Stop hiring managers based on their looks; Don't ever sign a big-money free agent. Kenny shows why blind spots and biases cause us to cling to strategies that belong in the nostalgia bin. Digging deep into baseball history, he explains how the game has evolved and why it's time to ditch outmoded thinking and herd mentality. Ahead of the Curve points the way to the future of baseball.--Dust jacket.

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