We get a break from Phillies baseball these few days, so we will not have some Phillies game previews and recaps to write about. However, some other baseball writers out there put together a couple of interesting reads on this All-Star Tuesday. Plus, Snoop Dogg played softball.
David Murphy of the Daily News begins a three-part series that looks at the future of the Phillies and the new economic climate:
Payroll disparity is only going to decrease. The economic playing field is only going to level. The success and failure of front offices will not depend on their ability to sign the right big-ticket free agents. It will depend on their ability to find value in an increasingly competitive and efficient marketplace.
The decisions that will determine the Phillies' future are not, "Should we sign Milton Bradley or Raul Ibanez?"
In other words, a financially-level playing field means that the Phillies have to be smart, not just spend money. Read Murphy's piece here.
Over at the Good Phight, resident philosopher LTG8 takes a very interesting look at BABIP – or the stat that tells the batting average of balls in play. He found there to be some distinct differences in different eras:
So, the obvious question is: why are there such distinct eras of BABIP? What changes in the conditions of the game altered the likelihood of balls in play turning into hits? There are obvious candidates such as new pitches and better equipment, etc. But we need to study the changes in the conditions of the game more closely to say anything responsibly on this.
To discover that the phenomena of BABIP are historically contingent is to open up the possibility that those phenomena could change.
A very interesting read. Check it out.
Finally, Snoop Dogg played softball. You would be missing out if you did not read about it.
Here is Snoop Dogg trying to rob someone of a home run… during a charity softball game. https://t.co/o8rYYktdkw
— BuzzFeed Sports (@BuzzFeedSports) July 14, 2015
