September 30, 2007

Tim McCarver And Conventional Thinking

FJM passes on this bit o' insight from Tim McCarver on Saturday afternoon:
We had our friends at Stats, Inc. check and see whether more multi-run innings came with a lead off homer or a lead off walk. You would think that a lead off walk would lead to more big innings than a lead off home run. Not true. A lead off home run, this year, has lead to more multi-run innings than lead off walks. It's against conventional thinking.
Good lord. Oh yeah, I am reeeeeeeally looking forward to his senile blather over the next three weeks. My head is already starting to hurt.

You have to read this part again -- and read it in bold:
You would think that a lead off walk would lead to more big innings than a lead off home run.
The man that uttered that sentence is employed as the top analyst for the most important baseball games of the season.

11 comments:

tim said...

That just may be the dumbest motherfucker alive. Looks like I'll have to make a trip to the LCBO by Wednesday night...oh wait, we're blessed with TBS' good graces for the ALDS! (at least I hope their good....definitely can't be as dumb as that comment though!)

tim said...

Nevermind, just realized all ALDS games are on TBS...oh well, still no retard. AL gets stuck with FOX through the second round though....the price we must pay for having the DH.

tim said...

So....Is Manny going to stay in the 2-spot?

Tim said...

This year, I'm going to do what my dad always did*, and watch the game with the sound off while listening to the radio. Even if there is a 5 second or so delay between TV and radio, I'll take that.

*however, my dad would do this back in the day to watch Sox/MFY games on New London's Channel 26 so he wouldn't have to hear "the incredibly biased Phil Rizzuto"

Rob said...

I'm sure TBS is pretty good, but it'll depend on who's going to be announcing. Chip Caray is good, but he's likely to be paired up with Tony Gwinn. I like Tony Gwinn, but not so much as a color analyst. It'll be interesting to see who it'll be. Four announcers, four color analysts. Four Division Series.

This year, I'm going to do what my dad always did*, and watch the game with the sound off while listening to the radio. Even if there is a 5 second or so delay between TV and radio, I'll take that.

I did that the whole season, pretty much. It helped that I have a nearby FM Red Sox affiliate, so the sound came in nice and clear. We'll see how it goes.

s1c said...

So....Is Manny going to stay in the 2-spot?

Caron was arguing that with Eck after the game yesterday (he was for it). Might be a good thing. Papi provides protection for Manny and on down the line. Haven't really made up my mind yet about this.

curt said...

How can a man who's been around baseball his whole life believe such a thing?

Even more of a mystery -- how do network execs believe he enhances the coverage. His so-called attempts at humor are mostly just clumsy and embarrassing attempts at word play. And he has the delivery of a (bad) college lecturer. I really think he's the worst out there today -- though the competition for the title is admittedly intense.

Jere said...

26--those bastards. We used to spend time in the summers in Old Saybrook, near New London. It would be so nice to be in what you thought was Sox country, as I lived in Fairfield County. You'd get TV-38 an everything. But then you'd see this eastern CT station showing the Yanks. Speaking of this, is the ALDS sked out? Have they already decided to put the Yanks as the prime time game, like, every time, or have they realized that's we're "America's team" or whatever?

allan said...

I was thinking about Manny hitting #2 way back on December 8, 2006.

allan said...

Nevermind, just realized all ALDS games are on TBS...oh well, still no retard.

It's baseball on TV. We'll get a retard, don't you worry.

Bartman said...

I thought the conventional wisdom was that he who hits a lead off home run can never be out on the following batter's double play ball.