March 05, 2007
The Speed Game
Peter Kreutzer donated $50 to the Baseball Musings Pledge Drive and dedicates this post to the Nonviolent Peaceforce.
The Soul of Baseball looks at the fastest runners in the game, although Joe doesn't let us in on his speed formula. The table at the top of the post is very interesting, as it shows the influence of sabermetrics over the years. The total amount of stolen base attempts declined over the years, but the success rate increased. That's exactly what you'd like to see, teams running when they have a 70% chance of success or better.
Posnanski also offers an amusing story about Willy Taveras:
When Buck O'Neil first saw Willy Taveras, he said: "This guy looks like a young Willie Mays." The funny thing is: He meant it literally. Buck thought Taveras resembled Mays in the face. He didn't think Taveras bore any resemblance at all to Mays as a player, with the possible exception that they both tended to wear caps on the field. Even there, Mays' cap flew off.
Among his other attributes, Buck was obviously a comedian. :-)
Posted by David Pinto at
03:24 PM
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