Anybody who stops by here regularly knows that I'm in the tank for Billy Beane and Moneyball -- a book I promote with some regularity.
Over the weekend, there were two more articles dealing with parts of the debate between the Moneyball crowd and the game's more traditional fans. First, check out this piece on bunting from Sunday's Washington Post, and then a similar feature from the New York Times.
Then stop by Knowledge Problem, The Sports Economist and Shallow Center for more.
When I was a kid, I read Earl Weaver’s book “Weaver on Strategy.” I remember that two of his basic tenets were: (1) The most important offensive weapon is your 27 outs, and (2) the best play in baseball is the three-run homer. Weaver hated sac bunting, hated stolen bases, and hated singles hitters.
But sometimes, when it’s the bottom of the ninth and you only need one, it’s pretty irresistible to move a man from second to third.