Shaughnessy compares Moss and Meriweather to Christian Peter

[JDP111]

No way. The only positions in baseball that are anywhere near the complexity of just about any non-special teans NFL position is pitcher and catcher.



Sorry, this just isn't true.

The last time I checked, all those DEFENSIVE position players also play offense.

 

[Fixit]

Situational hitting in itself is all predicated on strategy (when to take, when not to take, when to hit behind a runner to move him over, etc., etc.). These situations change with literally EVERY pitch.

Just like play-calling in football. Both situations change on every play. And football has to contend with a play clock, as well.

 

[JDP111]

Just like play-calling in football. Both situations change on every play. And football has to contend with a play clock, as well.

A batter has roughly .4 of a second to decide what he is going to do. . . . . .

 

[JDP111]

Just like play-calling in football. Both situations change on every play. And football has to contend with a play clock, as well.

There are close to three-hundred pitches in a baseball game. There are MAYBE one-hundred fifty plays in a football game.

 

[onegameatatime]

It's wrong to label everyine with an issue as a "character problem" and then put them in the same boat. Not all so-called character issues are the same -- Michael Irvin was a good on-the-field guy, but his personal life was a mess. TO works hard on the field, but his locker room character is a mess. A guy could dog on the field and his personal character might otherwise be great (usually, they would get cut).

Until I see otherwise, I'm going to think that Meriweather has just made a few mistakes and this is not necessarily a bad person.

Moss's attitude concerns me, but why can't we see what he does here and how the Pats respond before we judge the move. Maybe Moss plays hard and doesn't talk and everyone's happy. Maybe he acts out and the Pats release him. In each case, there's nothing wrong with the Pats' actions.

With all the people suspended by the Globe for one thing or another in the past 10 years ...

 

[Fixit]

There are close to three-hundred pitches in a baseball game. There are MAYBE one-hundred fifty plays in a football game.

And baseball is one big timeout. And it's a constant 11-on-11, and not 9-on-1 or 2. We could do this all day.

Bottom line: anyone saying that one of those sports requires more strategy than the other apparently doesn't understand the intricacies of both, I guess.

 

[PATSNUTme]

A baseball game situation changes with every single pitch. . . .Football has defined assignments and the players are given a game plan and a strategy that is defined player by player on every play.

Yea, they have to decide if they need to scratch their left nut or right nut. And, when do you spit a sunflower seed?

 

[belichickaholic]

Your insinuation that baseball requires no knowledge is just flat out stupid. Baseball has more strategy and situational variables than football.

The only strategy the Red Sox pitchers have to think about is whether to hit the batter on the arm or leg.

 

[Oswlek]

The last time I checked, all those DEFENSIVE position players also play offense.

What does that have to do with anything? The most complicated parts of playing defense in baseball are:

* Knowing where to position oneself. This is usually decided before the first pitch by the coaches.

* Knowing where the ball needs to be thrown. I can see how this can change based on who the base runners are, score, inning, etc.

So, essentially, the most complicated baseball defensive play is around the same level as playing 4-3 DE with a 30-7 lead late in the 4th quarter.

 

[Clonamery]

Does anyone mind if I compare Shaughnessy to the Unabomber or is that over-the-top, too?

 

[JDP111]

What does that have to do with anything? The most complicated parts of playing defense in baseball are:

* Knowing where to position oneself. This is usually decided before the first pitch by the coaches.

* Knowing where the ball needs to be thrown. I can see how this can change based on who the base runners are, score, inning, etc.

So, essentially, the most complicated baseball defensive play is around the same level as playing 4-3 DE with a 30-7 lead late in the 4th quarter.

Fair enough. But my point was that they play offense too. It is widely understood that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in all of sport.

 

[JDP111]

Does anyone mind if I compare Shaughnessy to the Unabomber or is that over-the-top, too?

It's just a radical dichotomy. . . . .

 

[Oswlek]

Fair enough. But my point was that they play offense too. It is widely understood that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in all of sport.

Hitting, pitching and catching I have no problem with the comparison.

The other thing about baseball that makes it easier to cover is the fact that most people Dan's age were weened on it. Football isn't quite so obvious what the good and bad plays were.

So it isn't as if one game requires any more intellectual superiority to understand, just that football requires a little more work to cover.