You interviewed me about two years ago; and I was just surfing around in Google looking for a sabermetric name or two I had corresponded with in the past.

Saw you name & the date looked current. Hope all progresses well for you.

Happy holidays!

TC, 12/08

Wouldn’t Weber have something to say here? And bringing it up to the present, there’s some literature on new social movements (and old school movements too) about charismatic leadership in an insurgency.

If baseball is the institution (or baseball metrics is the institution), then isn’t sabermetrics an insurgency led by a charismatic leader?

Could you write a dissertation about the Democratic Party insurgency (Democratic wing of the Democratic party) in the 2004 presidential election without talking about Howard Dean? Can you understand the insurgency in SEIU without considering Andy Stern? Or look at insurgencies in corporations without looking at charismatic leaders (Steve Jobs, Lee Iacocca)?

I guess I’m just trying to see how your work relates to some of the sociological theory about insurgencies within institutions, and insurgencies within movements. You might be able to compare a figure like James with some similar figures in other fields.

I really don’t understand the argument that there’s “nothing sabermetricians can do” about this. I think it’s clear — when players are proven to have used PED’s, you place an asterisk next to their numbers, deny them any all-time records, and remove their stats from analyses (like averages across players, etc.).

What’s wrong with that? Whether PED’s actually have a measurable, constant performance boost isn’t the issue. The issue is that they’re illegal, and every effort should be made to deny users of these PED’s recognition in any form of knowledge about their sports.

If, as Clemens has done, players dispute the claims that they’ve used PED’s, fine — wait for the results to play out. (I think claiming that “my wife” used PED’s but Clemens didn’t is a particularly hilarious lie, and we’re seeing the beginning of the end for the Rocket, but whatever — wait for all the evidence.) After a player admits or is proven to have used PED’s, take his numbers off the books. It’s simple.

Great photos, man — keep them coming. Also, given that guy’s presentation, I feel more comfortable than ever saying that the DH is a terrible idea.

Many of us Sabermetricians grew up as nerds who weren’t very good at the physical side of playing the game and we were stereotyped as effeminate and gay because of it. Speaking for myself, it’s a part of my life that brought a lot of teasing and bullying. Not exactly the best part of my life and not the first thing I want to bring up with someone whom I barely know. The issue is probably there, but I’m guessing that unless you ask for it specifically, it’s not going to come up.

Hope the interviews are going well. You were a little nervous, but as someone who has done more interviews than I care to mention, you did just fine.

I dunno, maybe you can find a quote from some media commentator of ex-joke speaking of sabermeticals as pencil-necked geeks or nerds, or something more manliness questioning, read the bit to the subject, and ask them to respond. I dunno. I’m just spitballin’ here.

From my own experience, your committee person is right. I’ve never thought of mansculinity in question with this. Doesn’t mean it isn’t there necessarily, but it might not be anything conscious. In which case you might have to look for underlying implicit patterns. Good luck with that one.