FanPost

I like stats, but I love baseball.


Some people may read the title, and think this is going to bash stats. Hell most people won't read it at all. I actually want to bridge the gap for the stat people, and the non staters. I have been on AN, for about 3-4 years, and the amount of stats have seemed to triple, even since then. Also, since I feel I have earned a modicum of respect, from my conversations, and arguments, and quips with the fine people of this site. I can write without being called a troll, or did I just wait until now, to show my trolliness?

I have been an A's fan all my life that I can remember. My great grandmother, RIP, would take me to games as a child, and into my teenage years. My favorite player was Dwayne Murphy. He is the reason 21 is my favorite number. Him and Cliff Branch. I loved his violent uppercut swing. He would swing so hard, his batting helmet came off many a time. It could have also been the afro, the helmet didn't fit well enough. Watching him sprint to the centerfield wall back to the infield, hat straight up in the air, held on by nothing but the sunglasses strap. Pure fun baseball. Stats now would probably tell you, he wasn't a very good player. I am smart enough to understand the formulas for most stats, and the reasoning behind them. It is just sometimes fun to remember when you could care less about the stats, just if your team, won or lost. I used to love math, and analytical equations, hell I aced precalc in the 7th grade, but a high school track accident seemed to scramble my brain and things didn't calculate as well after, but after landing on your head from over 6 feet in the air, hearing your mother say she is going to knock your head off, just rang rather hollow. Or was my head just still ringing.

All this was just to say, most of the things people say, or complain about are just opinions, and no stat, anyone states, will change the opinion. When you say, hey idiot, this stat proves you are wrong. You are not going to change a persons opinion, and everyone has there right to them. I used to really love this site, but it seems that stats, have overtaken everyones love for the game. I just want to get back to baseball, one team wins, one team loses, and Dwayne Murphy was the best player ever.

Basically I just want to enjoy A's baseball with intelligent people, and have a site I want to come back to, without every thread being a 1500 comment bar brawl.