So much for Bill James

[CA-ORIOLE]

So every time someone is being snarky/ironic/flippant when answering a question on the intertubes he's a liar?

I think it's as simple as James didn't get it. After listening to him a couple times on TV I was bored out of my mind. He's just doesn't impress me as quick witted. That's not to take away from Jame's ability as a baseball anlayst, I just think his strengths and cognitive abilities are more deliberate, self-analytical and reflective in nature. He's also impressed me as having a great sense of humility about his analysis in his writings, so I doubt he was being a jerk.

[El Gordo]

Didn't say they'd give it away for free. The issue was BIS raw data verus UZR data. BIS will provide any data to any team for a price. Any vendor can provide data to any team for a price. I'm not sure what BIS's arrangement with mlb is for the installed equipment at the stadiums, so I guess they do have some advantage in data collection over other vendors. But BIS likely isn't going going to convert raw data to UZR or a UZR clone and sell it as that would present some obvious proprietary issues. The UZR data/enhanced UZR data would have to be gotten separately from Licthman.

The splits will be apparent in the raw data. That doesn't stop teams from using the raw data to develop their own internal systems. That's pretty much what James does with Boston.

James is connected to BIS. So wouldn't he be familiar with data like home/away defensive split?. Why wouldn't the FB people(Dewan) have those?

[SteveA]

Am I the only person that doesn't care about this?

Nope, just the only one that doesn't care but still bothered to post to the thread.

[CA-ORIOLE]

James is connected to BIS. So wouldn't he be familiar with data like home/away defensive split?. Why wouldn't the FB people(Dewan) have those?

I'm sure he's very kowledgeable about it. I bet he's the principle for handling the issue for Fenway Park. I'm sure some of the stuff isn't being let out because there's money being made on it. We all know that. You and I have had this discussion before and I was not impressed about FB's public stance about short/high walls for one. I'm quite sure TZ has yearly home/away splits though. I'm not quite as impressed with TZ as you are.

[El Gordo]

I'm sure he's very kowledgeable about it. I bet he's the principle for handling the issue for Fenway Park. I'm sure some of the stuff isn't being let out because there's money being made on it. We all know that. You and I have had this discussion before and I was not impressed about FB's public stance about short/high walls for one. I'm quite sure TZ has yearly home/away splits though. I'm not quite as impressed with TZ as you are.

I am not asking for specific data only if there is an indication that the same home/away splits are reflected in the FB numbers. As to TZ, I don't discount them any more than I discount UZR or FB numbers. I look to see where there is a general agreement between the 3For example they all agree that Jones is a subpar CF. But only UZR publishes splits. If TZ and FB show a similar home/away trend I would be more inclined to think there are park effects at work. I would also like to see if opposing team players also show poor numbers at Orioles Park at Cambden Yards.

[El Gordo]

That's "raw data", has nothing to do with any adjustments made by UZR.

Don't they supply the FB. Wouldn't the FB have home/away splits, even if they don't publish them? Isn't James a consultant for BIS and doesn't he have a relationship with FB?

[EddieMurrayfan]

Why would anyone other than an OH poster expect someone to know what OPACY is, even with the context?

I read OPACY for quite a while here before putting it together. I'm an Orioles fan and I only think of Camden Yards. The OPA part doesnt immediately come to mind.

I think the guy was being decent when he said he didnt know what OPACY was, IMO.

[Can_of_corn]

Why would anyone other than an OH poster expect someone to know what OPACY is, even with the context?

I read OPACY for quite a while here before putting it together. I'm an Orioles fan and I only think of Camden Yards. The OPA part doesnt immediately come to mind.

I think the guy was being decent when he said he didnt know what OPACY was, IMO.

Even if he didn't know, even if he could not figure it out from the context of the question, it is a 5 second google search at most.

Gordo pays for Mr James' website, I think a modicum of effort should be applied.

[ledzepp8]

It isn't hard to type out either. If you want people to understand you don't use a ton of acronyms. It just shows laziness.

Yeah, laziness on Bill James' (or whomever) part to read and retain the question. El Gordo could have just as easily put "their home stadium" instead of "OPACY" and it would have been just as easy to figure out that he was talking about Camden Yards.

[CA-ORIOLE]

Don't they supply the FB. Wouldn't the FB have home/away splits, even if they don't publish them? Isn't James a consultant for BIS and doesn't he have a relationship with FB?

Of course they have the home/away splits. Since they don't use park factors (other than their supposed de-facto factor for OF walls) like UZR and even TZ does, they probably don't view them as important.

[El Gordo]

Of course they have the home/away splits. Since they don't use park factors (other than their supposed de-facto factor for OF walls) like UZR and even TZ does, they probably don't view them as important.

I don't care about their park factors, I just want to know if they support the same home/away splits and if they show opposing teams players having similar negatives at OPACY. That will tell me that park factors are or are not involved.

[CA-ORIOLE]

I don't care about their park factors, I just want to know if they support the same home/away splits and if they show opposing teams players having similar negatives at OPACY. That will tell me that park factors are or are not involved.

If they don't care about park factors then they likely won't care about home/away splits. That was the point.

[DrungoHazewood]

By the way, I resubmitted Gordo's question and Bill answered. I'm on my new Kindle and haven't mastered linking yet, but the jist of the response was that he doesn't have a lot of faith in splits of defensive data. Somebody might want to go cut and paste the full response.

[Can_of_corn]

I got you. I know how hard it can be on a Kindle.

It is my opinion that, because we did not grow up with fielding metrics and because we do not have them in all of the permutations and combinations that we have with pitching and hitting numbers, we do not have the depth of understanding of them that we have of the other stats. In my opinion it IS possible for there to be park illusions in these numbers of which we have no understanding and no awareness.

[flashjordnk]

By the way, I resubmitted Gordo's question and Bill answered. I'm on my new Kindle and haven't mastered linking yet, but the jist of the response was that he doesn't have a lot of faith in splits of defensive data. Somebody might want to go cut and paste the full response.

Curiously, Word for word? I have to say, this entire thread has entertained me.