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Sunday, August 01, 2004The plague on page twoHave I ever mentioned how much I hate Randy Youngman? For my money there is no worse sports writer in the world. He's worse than Bill Plaschke (no small feat- check out the bile spewing forth from Plaschke today), Jay Marriotti, Buster Olney, or anybody else who can be found on the pages or airwaves of ESPN. He combines the literary flair of a third-grader with the insight of a potted house-plant. I'm told that there is a layer of comedy just below the surface of his work, but I have never found it. The only comedy found here is of the unintentional variety. On the rare occasion that he does have something that is even remotely interesting or comedic it's a simple regurgitation from one of his talented colleagues. His column is a black-hole of sports journalism. It is a malignant tumor on page two of the OC Register's sports page. I avoid his column like the plague on most days, but my morbid curiosity got the best of me today. "If the normally competent sports writers of the world are attacking DePodesta and the Dodgers, than surely Youngman must have a gem" I thought. His requisite "DePodesta is a nerd" column did not disappoint: "First base is weaker, because scouts say Florida newcomer Hee Seop Choi has trouble hitting breaking balls and strikes out a lot."Oh, the scouts say that? Well, then it must be true! Here I thought a guy who's hitting .271/.389/.496 with 15 HR was a productive hitter, but if he can't his those breaking balls... "The bench was weakened when DePodesta also traded reserve outfielder Dave Roberts to Boston for a minor-leaguer on Saturday.Yes, clearly we "Moneyballers" place no importance on team defense. That's why the sabermetrics community has created stat after stat in an attempt to quantify defensive contribution (range factor, zone rating, DIPS, and defensive win shares all come to mind). That's why Oakland is atop the AL in fielding percentage. That's why Bill James, the god of modern statistical analysis, has been quoted as saying "First you look at a players defensive contribution. Then his ability to get on base." It's called research, Randy. It would have taken five minutes of your time. Add Youngman to the list of sports writers who completely reject "Moneyball" without so much as an attempt to understand it. No, that would require thinking, and that's just too much damn work. I've often wondered how idiots like Youngman and Plaschke secure such a prestigious place in the local media. I mean, I'm no Hemingway, but these guys write like... um... real bad. And they obviously spend very little time doing research or gaining new knowledge about the sports they cover. Who did they sleep with, and what's his phone number? I want in. |
