Article: Twins Must End Revolving Door At Shortstop

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Originally Posted by tmerrickkeller

I think you are trying to reduce what is being said to a semantics argument, and it isn't. Whether data gathered from someone checking zones and seeing if plays are made is "inconclusive" as to a player's defensive ability regardless of sample size, or, whether you consider such data to be "inaccurate" in the first place is the issue. Some people will consider the underlying data based on zones and plays to be inaccurate - and I mean flat inaccurate.

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That wasn't the comment - go back to page 2 and re-read it. It was specifically stated that the data was inaccurate in small samples. That is an improper understanding of the data. That elementary misunderstanding was further exacerbated by claims of "garbage in and garbage out" later. If you want to claim the data is "inaccurate" you need to claim that the data does not actually represent what happened.

To further my example - inaccurate data would be to count a one-armed man as a two-armed man. If that's the claim about the data, it hasn't been supported here. The mistake is fundamental - it was pointed out immediately by snepp and has since be reiterated by old nurse and several others. It is a simple, very elementary mistake that indicates a complete lack of knowledge of statistical terms.

It's possible that some misunderstandings are taking place on this debate... Misunderstandings happen all the time.

I remember a couple of decades ago. I was managing a company that cleaned up homes to get them ready for sale. It was shocking the amount of work we got and it was hard to keep up and stay on schedule but the business was pulling in the cash.

I had a full crew and I had just hired a new guy who been in America for about a week... He had just moved here from the Hunan Province in China. I don't recall his first name but we all just called him by his last name Chang. Chang didn't know much about the work we did so I gave him a gopher job. He would keep the crew moving by going for things they needed.

On Chang's first day we had a couple of houses to clean up so I divided up the crew and Chang and I went with the first crew. Everything was normal... Routine with the house except for this fairly large sandpile in the corner of the yard. I told the crew that we had to get the house finished and that sandpile cleared by the end of the day and I looked at Chang and said "You know your job right...You are in charge of supplies". To make sure I said "do you understand... You are in charge of supplies". He nodded and said "yes".

I told the crew I was heading over to the other house and I'd be back at the end of the day.

When I got back late in the afternoon... the house was in great shape but the sand pile was still sitting there and the guys were just kinda hanging around doing nothing. "I said what's the deal with the flipping sandpile. That thing has to be cleared... We are really behind schedule now".

They told me that Chang was supposed to bring back shovels and he left to handle the supplies over an hour ago and he hadn't come back.

I wasn't sure what to do immediately so I walked over to the sand pile with the crew following behind me. When I got to the sand pile. Chang jumped out from behind it and yelled "SUPPLIES"!!!

I find it unconvincing that "watching" the player gives you a better idea of what he can and cannot do.

I'll just leave this here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ecision_making