Talk:Geeks and Baseball/@comment-Davis21wylie-2006032395758

Coincidence vs. causality: There&quot;s a difference between having sabermetrically sound numbers, and actually planning your roster on sabermetric principles. Sure, the Yankees had a high OBP and a high OPS, and they rarely sacrificed or stole bases... of course they did, with that roster! That would be Earl Weaver&quot;s dream offense! Intuitively, when you have boppers like Giambi, A-Rod, Sheff, Matsui, Posada, and co., you&quot;re not going to lay down a lot of bunts or run yourself out of big innings. But does that mean that Cashman and Torre came into the season with a copy of "The Hidden Game of Baseball" in one hand and Baseball Prospectus in another? Um... probably not. Is Cano a Moneyball-type player? 16 walks in 544 PA&quot;s says no. Was bringing in 37-year-old Tino Martinez (despite his decent OBP a year earlier) very sabermetrically sound? Maybe, but giving him 348 PA&quot;s on the merit of an April hot streak is definitely not. Keeping Jeter at short and moving A-Rod to 3B two years ago? Not something Bill James might advocate. Signing Wright and Pavano after unrepeatable career years despite their injury histories? Earnshaw Cook&quot;s turning over in his grave! And Ruben Sierra and Tony Womack? Do I really need to say anything about those clowns? The point is, the "sabermetrically sound" numbers don&quot;t prove that Yankees managemenbt intended on using sabermetric principles; rather, they are the residue of acquiring players that both statheads and scouts agree on as being top (and top-dollar) talent. But, in matters where the two communities are opposed, do you think for a second that the Yanks are going with sabermetrics? If so, I&quot;ve got a timeshare in Florida that you might be interested in...