Frank Deford, Thinkin' Feller.

"Baseball has always been heavy laden with statistics, to the point where, well deservedly, it is mocked and satirized."

By whom is it mocked and satirized?


"That's the most ground balls to the second baseman hit by a left-handed batter in a night game in the last 36 years. Har de har har."

Oh, it is mocked and satirized by you.

That was a good one: "The most ground balls to the second baseman hit by a left-handed hitter in a night game in the last 36 years."

Har de har har, indeed.


"But for all that, statistics are very much of both the substance and the charm of baseball."

Phew.


"No sport can be so easily quantified."

Any sport can be easily quantified.


"And somewhat like that, this dreaded statistic, the pitch count, which professes to save pitchers' arms, may be, in the process, damaging the whole greater game."

Less pitches undoubtedly save pitchers' arms. It's simply a matter of degree. It's physically impossible that throwing a pitch is less damaging to a pitcher's arm than not throwing a pitch.

Now, do you think the pitcher needs to build endurance? Perhaps.

But for every chest-thumping Bob Feller, there are hundreds of Mark Fidryches and Kerry Woods littering the baseball graveyards.

For every freakish Steve Carlton who seemingly proves that 300 innings will build up your endurance, there are dozens of Don Gulletts who quickly throw out their arms.


I also have a hunch that, as the game has progressed through the decades, the overall talent level has vastly increased. Also, the salaries have vastly increased. As a result, the pressure and intensity of each pitch has increased in a similar fashion.

I have a hunch that Iron Joe was not continually firing 90 mph splitters during his 400-inning seasons. He simply didn't have to.

Point being, I doubt very much that the pitchers who played 100 years ago had stronger shoulders. I think they pretty much lobbed the ball over the plate.


"But even worse is the law of unintended consequence. Once the pitch count mattered so much, opposing teams began to concentrate on making the pitcher pitch more pitches."

Smart. Because bullpen pitchers are usually worse than starting pitchers.

Actually, this difference in ability was even more stark in, say, the '50s and the '60s. Maybe the batters should have taken more pitches and tried to tire out the starter.


"Suddenly, actually hitting pitches is subsidiary to simply staying at the plate as long as possible."

Does Frank Deford even watch baseball games?

Hitting pitches is hardly subsidiary to simply staying at the plate as long as possible. I'm guessing that Vlad Guerrero will get more MVP votes than Kevin Youkilis. I'm guessing most observers realize that Robinson Cano is having a better offensive year than Mark Loretta.

Ideally, a batter works the count, walks a lot, strikes out a little, and combines a high batting average with speed, power, and an ability to hit situationally. Good luck finding that player.


"Baseball is beginning to remind me of basketball before there was a 24-second clock, when the idea was to freeze the ball."

Foul balls are your problem with Nine Man Stand Around?


"Next time you watch a baseball game, take note of how many foul balls there are. Really. This is one statistic somebody should start paying attention to."

Ummm, okay. I agree that there are a lot of foul balls in baseball games. It's not exactly like watching a basketball team freeze the ball, but there are certainly a lot of foul balls.


"It's easier to foul off pitches now, because the new parks don't have much extra territory where foul pops can be caught and because hitters are stronger, with whippier bats, so they can get around on pitches at the last instant and bang it foul."

It's easier to foul off pitches now? Compared to when?

I actually wish foul balls was a statistic that was tracked more carefully. It would probably prove that Frank Defords "whippier bat" theory is nonsense.


Deford's genius solution to baseball's non-existent problem?:

"Play ball! Pitch the ball! Swing at the ball! Hit the ball!"

Just don't hit it foul.

If you hit the ball foul, you're ruining the game of baseball.