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Should W-L for pitchers just be phased out entirely?

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Dick Whitman, Aug 18, 2013.

  1. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    I'm watching the Dodgers-Phillies right now, and Cole Hamels just took the mound. His stat line: 5-13, 3.65. The peripheral stats were also included: 165 IP, 146 SO. And so forth.

    My question: Are we at the point where W-L should be completely phased out? I think we are. I think, whether or not viewers care about it, continuing to spotlight it does them a disservice. It passes along irrelevant information masquerading as relevant information. Games started. Innings pitched. ERA. That should be the first wave of starter info.

    It's time.
     
  2. Songbird

    Songbird Well-Known Member

    Dear Ron Drogo I look at IP, ERA, WHIP, K, etc., first and foremost when choosing pitchers.
     
  3. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    Ah yes. Ignore what 95 percent of baseball fans want to see.
    Max Scherzer's WHIP is really getting historic, huh?

    Wins will last longer than RBIs on the stat line. And RBIs will last forever.
     
  4. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    They do want to see it. And perpetuating their misperception is a disservice to them. That's what I'm asking: Does the balance between giving the people what they want and actually passing along the best information now counsel against using W-L in broadcasts and box scores?
     
  5. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    You're doing the Dick Whitman thing of assuming that when W-L is up there, it's the only thing people look at. But it isn't. Very few people have any difficulty processing context around the numbers. In the Hamels case, I see that he is having an OK year -- not great but OK -- but is playing for a terrible team. That's all.

    Also I am not sure where this idea of a "disservice" is. We are not dealing with vital public information here. It's a ballgame and most people just like to watch. Knowing what the W-L record is does not detract from that.
     
  6. Songbird

    Songbird Well-Known Member

    Hey, just because my record was 0-16 at one point doesn't mean I sucked! /Matt Keough
     
  7. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    Dick's going to be a peach when Scherzer wins the Cy with the sixth-best ERA in the league and the second-best ERA on his own team.
     
  8. Johnny Dangerously

    Johnny Dangerously Well-Known Member

    I want to phase out foul lines entirely. Lots of playable area going to waste because of some silly "tradition."
     
  9. doctorquant

    doctorquant Well-Known Member

    Baseball's certainly not a matter of life and death ... it's much more important than that.
     
  10. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    I'm glad Dick is around to let fans know what's good for them.
     
  11. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    I don't think this is a good enough reason to pass along irrelevant information - assuming that's what W-L is. People care enough to spend three hours watching a game. Or to seek out a box score. They, on some level, find it important. They deserve relevant information, not the excuse that this activity is simply too trivial to trifle with that.
     
  12. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    This thread is starting to show some entertainment promise.

    Who is the pitching equivalent of Olerud?
     
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