Baseball DIY

For no particular reason, I was thinking at the gym today. My thoughts centered on "clutch ability," "intangibles," the psychostuff that writers use to pump up certain players' on-field performance (the best example of a media-proclaimed clutch player, one who has those nebulous "leadership qualities," is Derek Jeter). For a long time, I believed in clutch ability, used a player's stats with runners in scoring positions for or against him. Then I read Moneyball and had my mind ripped open by Bill Jamesians (not to be confused with Ellen Jamesians), experiences which made me question not only the existence of clutch but also the natural order of the universe.

I think I'd like to believe that humans have it in them to perform better when it matters desperately. Coincident with that thought is this one: why wouldn't they try just as hard in the first inning with no outs and a four-run lead as they would in the bottom of the ninth with two outs down by one? Shouldn't all plays mean just the same (that is, everything)? That, my friend, is the punk rock attitude.

According to the Bill Jamesians, there is no statistical evidence for clutch ability. The argument for clutch ability negates this lack of evidence: "Of course, there's no statistical evidence. It's intangible." Well, in that case, I want to posit that aliens currently inhabit the Earth, but you can't see them. Due to their alien nature, they are intangible.

This really isn't so much about my belief in clutch as my belief in belief, I guess. Have I turned into the kind of person who needs proof-on-paper to accept something as true? Is that a good or bad thing? Would I want to pass on this skepticism to a child, or would I rather tell him or her that Derek Jeter is an example of a person excelling in adversity and towing his team along for the ride? Should I be like the nun at the end of White Noise, who believes (or pretends to believe) so that other people can allow themselves to believe?

Oh well. I guess what's really important is that the Cardinals currently have the best record in the National League and Yadier Molina's batting average is up to .252 (which is remarkably close to his batting average in "Close and Late," or clutch, situations: .250).