I was a Houston Astros fan to begin with . . . . then I turned 6 and moved to Dallas. That's really when the obsession started . . . .

I'm just a big Rangers fan. I'm a mathematics graduate student, so I'm also a stathead, though I don't think that stats can tell us everything. I believe it was Bill James (and probably some other people too) who said "just because we can't measure something doesn't mean it's not important," in reference to the traditional "intangibles" like clubhouse atmosphere, attitude, the effect of managers and coaches, etc. I imagine a true understanding of the game involves taking all of this into account . . .

I absolutely hate stats like "Michael Young is hitting .458 with 2 outs and RISP." Not because I hate Young (I don't), but because there is no such thing as an ability to get a hit in those specific circumstances. I believe that the hitters who perform well in most situations are, for the most part, simply the good hitters. Anything beyond that is probably just a fluke (for instance, if Adam Melhuse hit .358 with RISP, it's certainly a fluke). Sample sizes mean everything. Unfortunately, this means that mainstream broadcasts of games on ESPN, for example, are mostly unlistenable.

I had no idea what to write here, and this is what came out. I'll change it or write more if I think about it later.

Oh yeah - I run my own little Rangers blog which has managed to survive for a little over 3 months now: Hello Win Column. LSB regulars may know that lonestarJon (yes, THE lonestarJon) contributes weekly and has generously put a link to HWC in his signature. Jon and I, along with cowriter Thomas, like to think we have carved out a respectable little niche in the Rangers blogosphere, but we're always looking for more readers, so feel free to stop on by.

(Despite the fact that I just joined LSB, I noticed that HWC had been linked to several times as a fanshot or what not, so thanks to whomever that was for the free publicity. I think the most popular post was the Jason Botts post around Super Bowl time.)

website: Hello Win Column