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Tongue in cheek, we like to refer to a 'Founding Father'. But:  not-tongue-in-cheek, wouldn't it be great to know how George Washington and Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson would vote on today's issues?  That is, if they were brought fully up to speed on 2013 society's context and all of the point/counterpoint?

Here's Benjamin Franklin, as it were, on the issue of Edgar Martinez and the HOF.  There's probably no sector of sabermetrics on which James specializes more than the HOF.

........................

I'm wide open to an argument against Edgar Martinez' HOF candidacy.  But that argument has to be a little bit more than "We're not going to put a DH in unless we're forced to," which is what they mean when they say "the standards for a DH should be very high."

We asked James for a way to organize our thinking as to the 9,000 variables in this equation.  He replied at Bill James Online:

.

 

Re: your interesting Todd Helton remark that with sabermetrics, we have little trouble with weird contexts and numbers.

 

Edgar as a Hall of Famer? ... there was an interesting article in the local newspapers about two Warts Spiders sitting in the press box arguing it. The pro-Edgar guy pointed out at Ichiro and asked, "Who would you rather have in the lineup today, Ichiro or Edgar?" and the anti-Edgar-HOF guy shot back, "Edgar, of course." Because the anti-Edgar guy supports Ichiro as a certain HOF'er, but this logic still didn't sway him. ...

 

My question: To what extent would you say that a subconscious distaste for the DH is affecting the Edgar debate?

 

To get a crystal-clear way to organize our thoughts, would you essentially apply the paradigm of "Edgar as lousy first baseman," or would you resist comparing this DH to any existing template, or go off Win Shares, or how would you clear it up? - thanks, Jeff

Asked by: jemanji

Answered: 1/4/2013

Well, the best I can do is this.    A 300-game winner belongs in the Hall of Fame.   A third baseman ordinarily wins 250 games with his bat, 50 with his glove, or maybe it is 220 and 80.   Edgar won zero with his glove, but he won 300--and more--with his bat.    So, in my view, he belongs. 

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By the way, some of you had wondered about James' curt response to my earlier Jose Lopez question.  Two things:

1.  Since then, I let him know who Jemanji is and since then we've been cool.

2.  James can be gruff, especially when he thinks people are being stubborn, but it's a kind of gruff that doesn't bother me.  James doesn't jab a person in the back with snark, and then duck around the corner.  He doesn't discourage debate -- either on the first round or the fifteenth round.  He doesn't resent lack of faith in his authority; he doesn't care at all whether you show Proper Deference or whether you don't.

He will stand in the middle of the ring and slug away as long as you want to.  He fights like a man, and he'll sometimes throw the first punch -- but when he punches you get to punch back, so I respect him as a man.

If, on the 15th round of the debate, you prove his position wrong, he's liable to turn around and publish a detailed article explaining where he went wrong, and calling attention to the real truth on the matter.  (This may be what is now occurring with respect to that original Jose Lopez / Wil Myers issue ... developing ...)  That's a little bit different from some of the local hit-and-run snark that Dr. D has objected to over the years.

...............

The Helton question, since we're on the subject, was also interesting and that one went

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As Todd Helton's career winds down, wondering about your thoughts on it. He does well on Hall of Fame career standards and monitor despite his late start, and had a pretty remarkable peak (2000-2004), as measured by both traditional stats and WAR, though not Win Shares (147). He never did terribly well in MVP voting, due both to the era (Bonds was pretty good those same years) and the park. I view him like Norm Cash - a good, not great, player who statistics are unusually hard to assess due to context and who will have a hard time with HOF voters. Your thoughts?

Asked by: Robinsong

Answered: 1/3/2013

I think he is a Hall of Famer, period.   I think he is comfortably above the Hall of Fame standard.   

 

He is more like Chuck Klein, I think, than any other candidate.    Like Klein, he had just absolutely fantastic numbers, but in a time and place where many players had unusual numbers, and he never achieved public acceptance as a true superstar.

 

When the numbers are way out of whack, we start to ignore them.   I always remember Dick Stuart talking about hearing the Pirates get real excited about some minor league first baseman who had hit 35 home runs in 1955 or 1956--but when he hit 66 home runs for Lincoln in 1957, they couldn't deal with that so they just pretty much wrote it off as a fluke.    When the numbers get outside of normal boundaries, we don't know how to process them in the usual way, by reading the statistics as a kind of language, so we start ignoring them.  

 

But with sabermetric methods we can process unusual numbers as comfortably as normal numbers.   When we do that, Helton is actually a far better candidate than, for example, Chuck Klein or George Kelly or Bill Terry.   Cash is a misleading comparison because Cash is a very underrated player.   You have to compare him to a player who has been fairly and properly evaluated by history, like Greenberg or Johnny Mize or Garvey or Boog Powell or Killebrew.   It is my opinion that when you put him in line with that group, he's a Hall of Famer. 

.

I thought that was an interesting observation -- that one of the best things about sabermetrics is that it is great for attacking weird questions.

Cheers,

Dr D

Not to be outdone by the burrowing population of Turkey’s Cappadocia, the country of Georgia boasts its own history of underground cities in the form of the Vardzia Cave Monastery.  This network of caves was carved from the solid rock of the Erusheli Mountain to serve as both palace and place of refuge for Queen Tamar and her people.

The city has its origins in the 12^th century, when the Mongol hordes were making their way across Asia and toward Europe.  In response to this threat, Queen Tamar commissioned the construction of this underground complex in the year 1185.  Though the city was sound and performed its intended function for a time, an eventual earthquake would split the mountain it was built into, caving in much of the network and leaving a good portion of it exposed to the world.

In all its glory, the complex was composed of 13 levels and more than 6000 rooms.  In addition to thousands of living quarters, the city had all the necessary functions of existence during its time period.  There is a throne room, several 

chapels, wine cellars, a meeting room, a forge, a bakery and more.  In order to provide for the needs of the interior dwellers, the outside of the mountain was terraced and used for farming.

The earthquake came and destroyed much of this hard work in the year 1283, less than 100 years after the city was finished.  Around two-thirds of the interior structures were destroyed, making the use of the complex as a city no longer viable.  Since then, it has mainly served as a monastery.

Today, visitors can go and see what managed to survive the test of time.  Around 300 rooms and a handful of monks are open to see, along with the remains of many of the systems that once made the complex livable.  In addition to the caves and rooms, the open face of the mountain provides many beautiful views for those that make the hike to the upper levels.  If you plan on taking a tour, however, remember to bring your own flashlight, since there is no lighting in most of the complex remains.

President Obama has often displayed his compassion for animals. I remember writing about his talks with animal rights groups back when he was campaigning, as well as his search for a good hypo-allergenic dog for his daughters, and feeling like this was the man I really wanted as president (for many other reasons as well, of course). But I haven’t really heard of many actions he’s taken via legal course to help animals until today.

Many people may already be aware of the military’s cruel animal tests that include dismemberment, shooting and many other violent acts against animals. This heinousness affects over 10,000 animals a day. Not only do these cruel testing measures obviously harm and kill animals; they also display and promote a complete lack of compassion for them to begin with, fostering even more complacency when it comes to violence against animals. Military trainers and participants of the experiments have even been caught on footage joking and singing about the torture.

I know lots of animal rights groups have been fighting this treatment for years, but the protests seem to have fallen on deaf ears until now. President Obama has just signed a bill into law to require the military to create a plan to phase out these tests by March of this year.

I don’t know about you, but this timeline seems very impressive to me. Usually when a law goes into effect, it takes a year or several years to fully enact it. The fact that he’s putting a spring date of this very year out there as a deadline displays his commitment and a sense of urgency against this cruelty.

I hope it’s also an indication of swift movements from the president to come regarding other important issues that have taken so long, often, albeit, to filibusters from the right. As usual, they may attempt to block this legislation, so it’s important that people who care continue to keep up the momentum. You can click here to learn more and to add your voice of support to a letter to the Department of Defense, asking that the tests stop and be replaced with more humane methods.

These violent tests will soon be replaced with human simulations and other modern methods that do not require animals—which, medically speaking, are typically more accurate than using live animals to begin with, begging the question why we don’t use these affordable, accurate measures across the board.

Knowing the proper etiquette for any situation can mean the difference between getting a job, impressing the in-laws, or retreating home with head hanging low. As more people learn the value of etiquette, the demand for learning such skills continues to increase. With the proper skills and training, teaching etiquette classes for both adults and children can be a lucrative business.

Step 1: Review your etiquette skills by reading books such as Judith Martin's Miss Manners' Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior or Amy Vanderbilt's Complete Book of Etiquette. To teach children, review Sheryl Eberly's 365 Manners Kids Should Know. Visit the International Etiquette Centre to learn quick etiquette tips or take a course to become an etiquette consultant.

Step 2: Plan your class by creating your own curriculum or use prepackaged teaching curriculum materials, such as the various programs at Etiquette Outreach or Etiquette Moms. Decide how often, where and when you will teach. Set your class prices.

Step 3: Announce your class to local schools, libraries, businesses or other locations that may want to utilize your services. Make flyers or business cards, post ads and advertise via any other local venues.

Step 4: Hold your class on the date and time announced. Pass out any handouts or reading lists you have prepared and announce expectations for the course.

Step 5: Conduct your class according to your teaching plan. Use props such as dinnerware and phones to demonstrate proper etiquette techniques. Allow students to practice these techniques together through role playing.

Step 6: Wrap up your lesson with a review and ask if there are any questions. Give a verbal quiz if you wish to assess how much students learned. Provide assignments for homework if you will have multiple class sessions.

Some tips to keep in mind:

• Churches often charge small fees or allow free space for class use.
• It can be helpful to create a website to provide further details about your classes, such as contact information, dates and pricing.
• Check to see if you have any local homeschooling groups that may be interested in your etiquette classes.
• Local schools, businesses and libraries may also wish to employ you to provide classes or assembly content.
• Remain professional and courteous while teaching in order to lead by example.

Be up front with clients about your experience and credentials to avoid possible litigation. You may also wish to create a release form for students to sign stating that your class does not guarantee a job or any other direct benefits.