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Evil Dr. Stat?

Tiny by CKel on Comment 338 comments

Warning- this may put a bit of a damper on our collective love of the Rays. I saw it on FJM. Apparently they've been running a 3 part cartoon series where Joe Maddon and a few select players are "the defenders", a group of superheroes that protect baseball and all its dignity. Anyway these three episodes go into the battle of the defenders against their nemesis, the evil...

Dr. Stat.

Here's the cartoons

0 recs | Comment 338 comments

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+1

Determined, Jonesing Commentor

by I'm NOT Corco on Jul 7, 2008 6:42 PM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

PANTHER!

I fucking hate you Mariners

by kentroyals5 on Jul 7, 2008 6:46 PM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

so I'm not really sure what the point of that was

did I miss something? I honestly was not aware that was illegal

Determined, Jonesing Commentor

by I'm NOT Corco on Jul 7, 2008 6:52 PM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Yeah, +1 is illegal

I penalize people for things now. Although I pretty much only penalize LFOJL for being fucking weird and Robert for encouraging LFOJL.

by Jeff on Jul 7, 2008 7:00 PM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

That is weird

Determined, Jonesing Commentor

by I'm NOT Corco on Jul 7, 2008 7:02 PM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

See, that is why I hardly ever respond to a comment of his.

I fear his stalking ability in an irrational way. He truly gets excitement out of it.

I fucking hate you Mariners

by kentroyals5 on Jul 8, 2008 9:15 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

You're fantastic

People should rec you for your stalking efforts

by Last Fan Of Jose Lopez on Jul 8, 2008 10:24 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Stalking will be my new rec hunting

You guys shouldn’t have called me out on it

by Robert on Jul 8, 2008 10:28 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Meh...Renton isn't a small city

And I know where he works..maybe I should strike before he has the chance.

I fucking hate you Mariners

by kentroyals5 on Jul 8, 2008 10:29 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

It worries me how close I am to Robert

However, I am leaving for a while so he can’t stalk me.

We don't negotiate with terrorists.

by Mariner John on Jul 8, 2008 11:15 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

HELP HELP HELP...you got me sucked into this.

I was under his radar.

I fucking hate you Mariners

by kentroyals5 on Jul 8, 2008 10:07 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

You boxed me once for encouraging him too

I demand more recognition for this! I also came up with the cerberus-Jeff idea

by seattlebruin on Jul 8, 2008 12:22 PM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

That's too bad

It’s actually pretty hilarious. Of course, I have forced myself to believe that, the way that Dr. Stat is presented, the Rays are arguing against stats like GW RBI, saves, day/night splits, and, you know, useless stats, as opposed to the stats that the Rays have used to build a winner.

by ubelmann on Jul 7, 2008 11:09 PM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Probably for the best.

It makes the hydro races look like an Oscar worthy film production.

by BrianL on Jul 8, 2008 8:00 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

thats something I see the Ms doing

even if our new GM does end up being more of a stats guy, marketing keeps preaching about chemistry and entertainment value

by CKel on Jul 7, 2008 6:49 PM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

The Rays are no longer cool.

One Vision, One Purpose
Peace Through Power

by Goose on Jul 7, 2008 8:28 PM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

The videos are pretty ridiculous and disheartening, but seriously, it has nothing to do with the organization.

This team was built by Andrew Friedman and Co. They obviously have a good scouting department, but they’re also young and smart and willing to look at everything - including advanced stats - when it comes to roster construction.

This is marketing. The team has a small fanbase, and sabermetric folks are not exactly the type of people they’re trying to sell tickets to. It made me shake my head, but it’s not to be taken too seriously.

by Teej on Jul 8, 2008 12:36 AM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Could someone re-post the link?

I missed it and I guess the link on the fanpost doesn’t work anymore.

Jl/Robert '08: Promise for a CoachCage tomorrow!

by Fin on Jul 8, 2008 1:23 AM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

What the hell are the Rays doing promoting that shit?

And I find it quite hypocritical considering those people are still obsessed with BA, R, RBI, SB, etc. Why keep track of anything if stats are worthless?

by Wilder. on Jul 8, 2008 8:57 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

80s music has to be worst than this.

Jl/Robert '08: Promise for a CoachCage tomorrow!

by Fin on Jul 8, 2008 10:19 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

or this classic

Jl/Robert '08: Promise for a CoachCage tomorrow!

by Fin on Jul 8, 2008 10:42 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Oh GOD DAMMIT

I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME!?

by BrianL on Jul 8, 2008 10:44 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I'll admit that 70s Aerosmith >>>>> 80s Aerosmith

But Aerosmith did put out some decent stuff in the 80s.

Jl/Robert '08: Promise for a CoachCage tomorrow!

by Fin on Jul 8, 2008 11:15 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

It is good music

You are sorely missing out.

Jl/Robert '08: Promise for a CoachCage tomorrow!

by Fin on Jul 8, 2008 11:19 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

It seems to me that an awful lot of people are getting bent out of shape over this when they shouldn't be

The sabrestat community is assuming this was aimed at them. But the only stats Dr. Stat actually uses in the cartoons are “Who was the highest-paid umpire in 1888?” and “Did you know that every year, Major League Baseball teams buy 182 lbs of special mud from a farmer in Millsborough, Delaware?” These aren’t so much stats as “useless trivia,” which is how Joe Maddon describes Dr. Stat’s attacks in the cartoon. His name should probably have been Dr. Trivia or something like that, but come on, it’s a stupid cartoon they made for the kids who come to the park. It contains no overt attacks on any sabrestat or the blogging community.

~Till the Halo burns out...

by Zu Long on Jul 8, 2008 10:27 AM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Yes but he is Dr. Fucking Stat

and they are glorifying being willfully ignorant.

by JI on Jul 8, 2008 10:31 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Willfully ignorant of what?

The highest paid umpire in 1888? Hell, I watched the cartoon, and I still can’t remember his name.

~Till the Halo burns out...

by Zu Long on Jul 8, 2008 10:45 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

They trash on scientific study.

Therefore, they are willfully ignorant of research.

by Wilder. on Jul 8, 2008 10:46 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

No they don't.

Nowhere in that cartoon is there any trashing of scientific study. There is a silly comic book villain who is attempting to stop fans from enjoying the game. At no point do they trash science or studying baseball.

I mean geez, I know for a fact Joe Maddon is a major computer analysis junkie—he used to do batted ball distribution and best coverage fielding positions for Scioscia back when he was with the Angels.

~Till the Halo burns out...

by Zu Long on Jul 8, 2008 10:53 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

YES

But it is heavily in implied that science and research need to be destroyed and ignorance is the way.

by JI on Jul 8, 2008 10:54 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Or it's implying that distracting people during a baseball game

is a good way to get your satellite destroyed. Which is totally accurate.

~Till the Halo burns out...

by Zu Long on Jul 8, 2008 11:12 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

"And so Dr. Stat and his reign of useless information has been stopped. Once again, baseball has been saved."

And you see no correlation between Dr. Stat and useless information?

Statistics is scientific research. If Dr. Stat is useless, then scientific research must be useless.

Don’t be an ignoramus.

by Wilder. on Jul 8, 2008 11:02 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I think the name Dr. Stat was probably not the best name chosen

Maybe, as said before, a name like Dr. Useless trivia might’ve been better. He wasn’t trashing sabermetrics or anything.

Jl/Robert '08: Promise for a CoachCage tomorrow!

by Fin on Jul 8, 2008 11:06 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

You mean that the MLB buys something hundreds of pounds of mud a year from a farmer in Delaware?

I don’t think most people have the word sabermetrics in their dictionary. heck, my web browser underlines it as a misspelled word.

Jl/Robert '08: Promise for a CoachCage tomorrow!

by Fin on Jul 8, 2008 11:09 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Statistics is putting a number on something and need not have anything to do with science.

Anyone can create a statistic. That doesn’t make it meaningful or important. Scientific Research looks for meaningful connections and verifiable hypotheses. This process does not include beaming useless information into people’s heads so that they can’t concentrate on the baseball game.

~Till the Halo burns out...

by Zu Long on Jul 8, 2008 11:09 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Wrong

it is very basic science

by JI on Jul 8, 2008 11:12 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Statistics is a tool scientists use to prove their hypothesis

I have to agree that Statistics don’t necessarily equal science, but a tool that science uses.

Jl/Robert '08: Promise for a CoachCage tomorrow!

by Fin on Jul 8, 2008 11:14 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Statistics are just numbers

It’s how you use them that determines whether something is science or not.

~Till the Halo burns out...

by Zu Long on Jul 8, 2008 11:33 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Statistics aren't just numbers.

It is information gathered together to determine the validity/trend/significance/etc of a hypothesis.

You make it seem like statistics are conjured out of thin air to prove a point.

Give me an example of a science and I will use your same logic to discount it.

by Wilder. on Jul 8, 2008 11:45 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I'm just going to quote dictionary.com instead.

Statistic

“A numerical fact or datum, esp. one computed from a sample.”

In other words, they are numbers.

“I have 239 comments on this blog.” This is a statistic. It is not, by itself, scientific. It could be used scientifically, but science is not an intrinsic part of it.

~Till the Halo burns out...

by Zu Long on Jul 8, 2008 11:56 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

And why do you think your 239 comments stat is not scientific?

Maybe because you there is no science or hypothesis behind it.

How about we create a poll about how ignorant you are? Now that would be produce a scientific statistic.

by Wilder. on Jul 8, 2008 12:00 PM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

No, it wouldn't.

It would produce a poll which represents an opinion, and while a it would be a statistic, it would not scientifically have proven my ignorance.

In the same manner, a poll which asks “Does his inability to hit in the clutch make A-Rod a bad baseball player?” to which 70% of respondents replied “Yes,” (a statistic) does not prove that A-Rod is a bad baseball player, nor does it even prove he isn’t able to hit in the clutch. You could, however, use this statistic to prove that 70% of the people who took the poll are morons, provided you also provided statistics proving that A-Rod is not a bad baseball player.

Do you see the difference?

~Till the Halo burns out...

by Zu Long on Jul 8, 2008 12:12 PM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Because I am too lazy to find anything better,

read this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statistics

“Statistics is a mathematical science pertaining to the collection, analysis, interpretation or explanation, and presentation of data.”

by Wilder. on Jul 8, 2008 12:04 PM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I think your missing the point

I am thinking you are offended at that fact that since the villain in the Rays Saturday Morning Cartoons is named Dr. Stat, you think they are ripping on using statistics in general. The one guy doesn’t once refer to sabermetrics or moneyball or any statistics other than who’s the highest paid umpire in 1888 and the MLB buys 500 lbs. of mud from a farmer in Delaware. The name might’ve not been the best chosen name, but I am not at all offended by this cartoon because you have to look beyond the name and see that is it just to entertain kids, not to parody statisticians. And besides, the Rays are one of the smart teams that use statistics to make them better.

Jl/Robert '08: Promise for a CoachCage tomorrow!

by Fin on Jul 8, 2008 12:21 PM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I am not offended.

But I choose not be ignorant, too.

by Wilder. on Jul 8, 2008 1:02 PM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

There is a school of mathematical science called Statistics.

However the school of science called Statistics and the word “statistic” do not mean the same thing.

If you were referring to the school of science in your original post above, then I apologize. My response should have been that Dr. Stat need not be a reference to the school of Statistics, and is more likely a reference to the fact that he uses statistics as his means of attack.

In the same way, a supervillain named Dr. Psych who enjoys tricking gullible people would not be an attack on Psychology as a school of science.

~Till the Halo burns out...

by Zu Long on Jul 8, 2008 12:25 PM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Now I want Tampa to win the World Series

so Andrew Friedman can jump out during the obligatory Joe Buck on-field interview dressed like Dr Stat and yell, “IT WAS ME, TAMPA!! IT WAS ME THE ENTIRE TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME!!!”

by Gomez on Jul 8, 2008 12:31 PM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   1 recs

I have to admit

That would be awesome.

~Till the Halo burns out...

by Zu Long on Jul 8, 2008 12:39 PM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Right, but you have to realize

that those who are critical of sabermetrics dismiss all our stats as “useless trivia.” There have been a number of articles from people at ESPN or whatever in which they portray sabermetricians as people living in “their mom’s basement” and spouting useless crap like what’s mentioned in the cartoon.

the other angels fan

by Eyebrows on Jul 8, 2008 10:33 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Dude, it's a supervillain with a satellite and mind affecting ray-beams.

This was put together for chuckles. Yes, there has been a backlash by some sports media against this stuff, but come on—this was slapped together in a few minutes at some marketing department meeting that probably went like this:

“We need someone for The Defenders to fight. Ideas?”

“How about a guy who zaps people with useless trivia and distracts them from watching the game?”

“Brilliant! Meeting adjourned. I need coffee.”

Like everything for kids, it is dumbed down and fundamentally silly. Taking it this seriously is giving these guys way too much credit.

~Till the Halo burns out...

by Zu Long on Jul 8, 2008 10:44 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

agreed

he needs the beard though

by JI on Jul 8, 2008 10:59 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Right. There's a secret war on against the sabrestat guys and the most important people to convince

are whoever happens to be watching the board between innings in Tampa Bay.

~Till the Halo burns out...

by Zu Long on Jul 8, 2008 11:01 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Hyperbole doesn't help your argument.

We never said there’s a “secret war” going on. We just said it seems like whoever made the cartoon doesn’t like sabermetrics and wanted to ridicule it a bit.

the other angels fan

by Eyebrows on Jul 8, 2008 11:06 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

If that's all that had been said,

I don’t think I’d still be here.

~Till the Halo burns out...

by Zu Long on Jul 8, 2008 11:27 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I just think it's a stupid cartoon. I'm not getting worked up about it.

You’re the one defending it with paragraphs at a time.

the other angels fan

by Eyebrows on Jul 8, 2008 10:48 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

If you think I've written a lot

you should check out the Posnanski and FJM links.

~Till the Halo burns out...

by Zu Long on Jul 8, 2008 10:56 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

It's like how in the Little Mermaid

how the good people weigh 80 pounds and the villain is pushing 4 bills. It sends a bad message.

by JI on Jul 8, 2008 10:49 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I do

But at think point I’m just going for comedy callback.

by JI on Jul 8, 2008 10:58 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs