The Victor Zambrano apology thread

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

Frayed Knot wrote: despite constant wails to the contrary, has never once hit 8th this season.

Oh, God! I'm going deaf.

There's been a constant wail, and I haven't heard it once. Help!

It's pretty easy to win arguments if you paint your adversaries as idiots and attack arguments they haven't made. But you knew that, didn't you?

Also, you could cherrypick better. I'm sure there are individual games this season (just a few) in which Piazza has actually out-hit Wright. If you're picking samples specifically for their small size, you should pick these, and then you can really chortle about your supposed point. OMIGAWD, Piazza has hit approximately as well as Wright for the PAST MONTH--inconceivable!!!!

[Willets Point]

Bret Sabermetric wrote: It's pretty easy to win arguments if you paint your adversaries as idiots and attack arguments they haven't made.

This reminds me of something someone once told me about a pot and a kettle and their relative coloring.

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

Ooooh, don't tell me--you're all going to dogpile on me now for something I just pointed out FK doing?

Seems about right to me.

[Frayed Knot]

My point is that this notion that a flip of Piazza & Wright in the batting order would make a huge difference in the offensive output of the Mets - something which is a current and constant cry from Met fans - doesn't stand up to reason. But since many of those making that point are so wrapped up in it as their launching point for what ails the team that they don't even realize when it's NOT true (like for the last 4-5 weeks) because they don't WANT to realize that it's not true.

I personally don't care where Piazza hits but, wherever it is, I'm not going to pretend that it's the major factor in the lack of runs scored simply because it fits a pre-determined agenda. It's like Reyes and the leadoff spot; we can bitch and moan all we want about how some player shouldn't be hitting where he is, but let's not pretend that there are great alternatives when there aren't.

[Willets Point]

Not piling on, Bret, just pointing out that in one sentence describing Frayed Knot, you summed up the thing that aggrivates most of the folks here about you.

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

Frayed Knot wrote: let's not pretend that there are great alternatives when there aren't.

No, there are plenty of potentially great alternatives--trading this one or that one, backing up the truck, cleaning house--call it what you will, only most Met fans and certainly Met management prefers pretending that no sweeping changes are in order, all they need is a little time, a little tweaking, that Mientiewicz will come around, that Cameron will keep hitting .380 forever, that Piazza and Glavine will have a 1995 flashback. Your problems don't fix themselves, but if you don't really believe you have problems, well, then, THAT's a problem.

WP--I got that. I'm pointing out that it's most obnoxious when I do it (and I don't do it much) but perfectly okay when FK just makes shit up and claims that "everyone" thinks the shit is true. Now, why is that? Where's the outrage for FK making a claim that's literally false (unless someone wants to show me where the constant wail that Wright has batted 8th too much)?

Mind, I'm not complaining--it's only fair that I should get hostility,given my hostility to the Mets. I am pointing out that I'm not the only obnoxious prevaricator on this site, just the only one who gets called on it.