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Thursday, July 24, 2008

Inside The Book: The Science of Fielding a Century Ago

I love these old articles, and I mean really old articles, that shows how little we’ve come.

What is great about this article is that it gives you a true model. Not all the mathematical gymnastics that gives sabermetrics a (much deserved) black eye. No. The author watches the baseball game like a baseball fan, or baseball expert. SME, or subject matter expert, in the real business world. He observes, and he tries to construct a model around those observations. Once you have that, you can try to construct, and deconstruct, a real-life baseball world.

The article itself is extracted from this book, co-authored by Johnny Evers and Hugh Fullerton. The entire book is a fascinating read; McFarland issued a reprint in 2004. Many of the observations are still valid today.

Mike Emeigh Posted: July 24, 2008 at 04:09 PM | 6 comment(s)
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1. Moscow In The Bleachers Posted: July 24, 2008 at 04:50 PM (#2871756)

Touching Second is the best book of the deadball era, bar none.

And the best part of the book is Evers' description of a vaporized Tigers' rally in the fourth game of the 1908 World Series. Facing a two on, nobody out situation with Ty Cobb at the plate, the Cubs worked out a pre-arranged set of signals that resulted in a forceout at third on a Cobb bunt, a pickoff of the runner at second by the catcher on the next pitch, and a putout of Cobb when he tried to steal second. It may have been the greatest sequence of defensive plays in the history of baseball, and Evers describes it perfectly.

This was 100 years ago. How far the mighty have fallen.

2. Mike Emeigh Posted: July 25, 2008 at 10:42 AM (#2872694)

Facing a two on, nobody out situation with Ty Cobb at the plate, the Cubs worked out a pre-arranged set of signals that resulted in a forceout at third on a Cobb bunt, a pickoff of the runner at second by the catcher on the next pitch, and a putout of Cobb when he tried to steal second.

That's not quite how it happened, though it's close. From Retrosheet:

TIGERS 4TH: O'Leary singled to left; Crawford singled to right [O'Leary to second]; On a bunt Cobb forced O'Leary (pitcher to third) [Crawford to second]; Crawford was picked off second (catcher to shortstop); Rossman struck out; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Cubs 2, Tigers 0.

According to the newspaper accounts of the inning:

-- Cobb WAS trying to steal second as Rossman fanned.
-- The conference at the mound prior to Cobb's AB did not include Evers - just Chance, Tinker, and Brown.
-- Kling's throw to pick off Crawford at second was described as "an unusually fine throw".

-- MWE

3. Mike Emeigh Posted: July 25, 2008 at 10:49 AM (#2872716)

This is a direct quote from the newspaper account:

"He (Crawford) chose this occasion to refresh himself with the traditional 'forty winks'. This was some thirty-five winks too many. Kling observed the runner's somnolent expression and the violent effort of Joseph Tinker to attract attention without making a noise. The Chicago back stop swung his arm powerfully and the ball shot down to Tinker, rudely disturbing the rest of Mr. Crawford"

Also, Cobb WAS called out on the steal attempt on the third strike to Rossman.

-- MWE

4. Slinger Francisco Barrios (Dr. Memory) Posted: July 25, 2008 at 11:28 AM (#2872805)

"He (Crawford) chose this occasion to refresh himself with the traditional 'forty winks'. This was some thirty-five winks too many. Kling observed the runner's somnolent expression and the violent effort of Joseph Tinker to attract attention without making a noise. The Chicago back stop swung his arm powerfully and the ball shot down to Tinker, rudely disturbing the rest of Mr. Crawford"

I love this kind of writing.

5. Hack Wilson Posted: July 25, 2008 at 11:53 AM (#2872833)

Were Tinker and Evers yalking to each other at this point?

6. Mike Emeigh Posted: July 25, 2008 at 12:57 PM (#2872926)

Were Tinker and Evers talking to each other at this point?

I thought the silent treatment began in 1909. I really need to do a tracer on that story.

-- MWE

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Thursday, July 24, 2008

Inside The Book: The Science of Fielding a Century Ago

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