Winners Win: The Triumph of Circular Logic at the Times

[Guest Edgy DC]

I'd like to congratulate Rafael Santana, owner of the greatest single season among Met shortstops, and every paper in America not named to The New York Times, for being winning enough not to have this loser in the lineup this morning.

[Ceetar]

Mike Tully, a former baseball writer, consults with coaches and athletes and has a blog, totalgameplan.com.

I assume he's been upgraded to a 'drivel' writer?

Oh, but he has a blog!

[metirish]

What'as his fucking thing here?, that the Rays are idiots for trading away Pena who was crap and hitting on the Mendoza line but his team had a .611 winning percentage with him in the lineup, or that the Cardinals should have not traded away Ryan who apparnertly went into the shitter without the SS.

The logic on Votto is what?

[Willets Point]

No matter where Gardner bats, he should play; the Yankees were 93-57 (.620) with him in the lineup, and 2-10 without him.

Because the 12 games Gardner didn't play in are just a huge fucking sample size. Could it be that Gardener played in nearly every game of the season for good team that won lots of games?

On the other hand, anything that dares speak against the mystique & aura of Captain Intangibles can't be all bad.

[Vic Sage]

Sometimes teams will find a player with an X-factor that goes way beyond talent

.

pray tell, what might that be, sir?

Leo Durocher once said that second baseman Eddie Stanky could not hit, field or run � all he could do was win.

Ah, the metaphysical art of "winning"!... apparently shared by few noble souls, like Stanky and Charlie Sheen.

But Stanky was not helpless. He retired in 1953 with a .410 career on-base percentage, among the best in history.

oh, wait... but i thought you said... BEYOND talent, um.... metaphysics... "winner".... um, you mean the talent to have a career OB% of 4 fucking 10 might have factored into it too?

gee.

what a douche.

the NY Times... all the news we can make fit to print.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Vic Sage wrote: Sometimes teams will find a player with an X-factor that goes way beyond talent . pray tell, what might that be, sir?

Ass. He's talking about ass. He likes Eckstein's patoot. Gardner's, too. And who wouldn't? They're adorable.

It's the rule of sizes-- bigger is funnier, while smaller is unecquivocally cuter. Eckstein is cuter, and therefore win-nier. Also, Pena is browner than most first basemen, and brown looks healthier, so his teammates feel healthier when he's around. You can't argue this-- IT'S SCIENCE.

[Frayed Knot]

The sad thing is that that 'Keeping Score' column is - or at least has been - the Times' version of a Sabermetric-ish look at sports.
In the beginning it was mostly Alan Schwartz's column but he's moved on to other things and now they just seem to bat it around between whoever else doesn't have an assignment this week or something.

In the end this guy's point seems to be that in order to win you need to find winners and to find winners you look for those who win a lot ... a theory which works great except for those times when it doesn't.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I'd be extremely curious to see what athletes/coaches have hired him as a consultant.

(Or does "consults with" just mean "yells at... from the stands, once he's had enough Coors Light?")

[Guest Edgy DC]

Snark all you want. You'd kill for his rolodex.

http://totalgameplan.com/testimonials/

�If you want to turn your program into a consistent winner then you couldn�t find a better coach to lead the way than Mike Tully. Mike believes strongly in motivation, and his presentation skills are building blocks for success.� � FRED McMANE, Softball coach and assistant basketball coach, Foxcroft School, Middleburg, Va. *** *** *** *** *** �Coach Mike Tully helped my team win the 2006 Greater Newark Tournament � as the 15th seed. His principles have greatly enhanced my personal development. More importantly, they have had a tremendous influence on all of my athletes.� � SCOTT ILLIANO, Baseball coach, West Essex (N.J.) High School *** *** *** *** *** *** *** �Mike Tully knows what success is. Not only that, but he knows how to get there. The prinicples put forward by Coach Tully are thought-provoking to the point that you cannot ignore or dispute what is being said, but only travel along the road with him all the way to your own success, no matter what sport or what level.� � ANTHONY HANSON, Youth Coach, Aston Villa F.C. *** *** *** *** *** *** �Coach Tully�s work is a great inspiration to me, as I have long held the view that too much emphasis is placed on what happens during a game, and not enough on mental and physical preparation. I will certainly be adapting Coach Tully�s ideas and using them in the future, and encouraging others to do the same.� � PETER RAPER, Yorkshire, England *** *** *** *** *** �Mike Tully�s extraordinary curiosity and refusal to accept stock answers made him the best reporter I ever worked with. As a coach, he�s brought that trademark thirst for truth to uncovering the best methods to help athletes reach their full potential.� � ELIOT COHEN, former sports writer and television producer, Hong Kong

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I was expecting something else when I clicked on "Slump-Busting."

I really need to choose to win more.

[Willets Point]

Geez, sounds like he works for Cunning Visions.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

"I'M NOT AFRAID ANYMORE! I'M A WINNER!"