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This week, Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista instagrammed a photo of his recently acquired MLB “Lifetime Pass.” These extremely rare and relatively unknown cards are issued by the commissioner’s office “in appreciation of long and meritorious service” to the league.
These cards have been presented to players, umpires, scouts and other friends of MLB as far back as the 1930s, and grants owners and a guest access to any Major League baseball game as long as they live.

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Ever since the book came out, Moneyball has been the talk of baseball strategists. The thought that there is some secret formula to finding successful players who are flying below the radar makes both fan and baseball executive salivate. So, does the formula work? Does it have any resemblance to reality? If it is so accurate, then why hasn't Billy Beane's team won a World Series yet?

As I have written in times past, I am a numbers guy. I believe that if you look at statistics in the right way, and that if you include the right amount of data, the numbers will tell you a story that may not be obvious to the casual observer. This is true in finance, in medicine, in every legitimate scientific study, and it is true in baseball too. The fact is that we have always known this. A guy hits .300 or more, and he has proven that he is a good hitter. He hits more than 30 home runs, and we know that he has power. A pitcher with an ERA below 3 does not allow many runs and usually wins. Those are conclusions we have all drawn based on established statistics.


So, how is Moneyball different? It believes that you do not need to spend a lot of money on players, that you can find strong talent by paying attention to statistics that most teams are not looking at and therefore find hidden talent. It also helps you avoid overpaying for players that have "good numbers" but are not helpful in getting a team to win. The statistics are based on some simple principles. Here's an example. The more runs you score, the more likely it is that you will win. The more men you get on base, the more likely it is that you will score. The more likely it is that a hitter will get on base, the bigger the contribution that hitter will make to scoring, and ultimately to winning. That is the reason why walks and OBP are key statistics in evaluating players. Then, using some complex formulas, you use those statistics to determine how much to offer players in contract negotiations, or how high to draft college players. There are more statistics that they take into consideration as part of Oakland's overall system, but you get the point.
(In Photo: Oakland Athletics in 2002) Does it work? It depends on how you define success. If you measure it by the team's ability to win games over the long haul, absolutely! If you look at the Athletics since 2002, the Athletics have won 90 or more games five times and won their division four times. If you measure it by post-season success and World Series Championships, it fails. So where is the disconnect? For one thing, you have to remember that the statistics considered are aggregated over entire seasons and careers. They do not consider the differences in performance during the regular season and the playoffs. Have you ever seen players who perform well in the regular season and then collapse in the playoffs? Billy Beane's system does not account for that. Knowing, also, that players and managers make special preparations to handle opposing players strengths and weaknesses during the playoffs also is not taken into account.

Finally, you have to remember the purpose of the Moneyball system. It is about money. The key measure of success of a team, according to the system, is how much a team pays "per win". This is based on the premise that the team implementing the system does not have a lot of money to spend. Essentially, it is about fielding the best possible team given very limited resources - getting bang for your buck. It is not about fielding the best possible team regardless of budget. While the system shows diminishing returns on excessive spending, we see that there are still returns on that spending. A team with a modest budget will probably get more success than a low budget team, even with this system. It would also indicate that as teams are forced to spend less, through either a luxury tax system or a hard cap, "Moneyball teams" would end up benefiting the most. Either way, we think it is great that statistical analysis is having such an impact on the game and the way it is changing.

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City authorities hit a homer, according to many Montreal baseball fans, with their decision to name a part of Faillon street after Expos baseball great Gary Carter.

“You could feel his joy of life, joy of the game, just joy and you could feel him loving the game and it's something you don't see all that much today,” said fan Chris Chartier at an official ceremony Tuesday.

Baseball fans might have more motivation to update their GPS units now that they can hear -- possibly while chugging towards home -- a name that customarily been spoken by announcers while describing a double or homer off the bat of the Hall of Famer affectionately known as “The Kid.”

“To me he was one of the best, if not the best player to go through Montreal,” said longtime Expos broadcaster Jacques Doucet.

Fellow broadcaster Rodger Brulotte also shared an elegy to the beloved baseball great. “When we signed him, he became the image of the Expos, our gladiator and our gladiator left us for another world. Gladiators aren't supposed to die.”

Carter, who caught for the Expos from1974 to 1984, died of brain cancer on February 16, 2012.

Some residents of the Villeray-Saint-Michel-Park-Extension borough expressed hesitation last year upon news of the name switch last year. But local Mayor Anie Samson was able to explain the depth of passion many held towards the icon who excelled at Jarry Park, the stretch of road upon which the newly-named street sits.

One longtime fan articulated that sentiment when he described the beloved Expos as “family.”

Meanwhile Dany Gauthier said that the street renaming is the least the city could do to give back to someone who brought so many smiles to Montrealers.

“It's a small gesture for me because he brought so much happiness,” said Dany Gauthier.

Read more: http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/fans-cele...#ixzz2U1HbTzFC

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The latest redevelopment plan for the old Tiger Stadium site: Urban Café Detroit, an entertainment complex featuring a hotel, restaurant and other services.

From WWJ:

Francois DeMonique told WWJ City Beat Reporter Vickie Thomas he wants to see the site at Michigan Avenue and Trumbull transformed into a unique hotel and entertainment complex.

“I love this city and I believe in this city. I’ve put a lot of effort into it and my company, which is Urban Café Corporation, we are dedicated to being a part of the new face of Detroit. This may be just the first African-American development built from the ground up,” he said.

DeMonique’s vision for Urban Café Detroit is one where visitors can stay in a hotel, attend a live concert, have a first-class dinner and dance the night away all under one roof without having to drive to separate destinations.

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Minor League Baseball™ announced today that its national Licensing Program, consisting of the 160 clubs in the domestic-based leagues that charge admission to their games, generated an estimated $54 million in sales of licensed merchandise last year. The 2012 figure is a 3.3% increase over 2011 and ranks as the third largest yearly total since the program's inception in 1991.

Sales of MiLB™ merchandise last year trail only 1994 ($60 million), when basketball hall of famer Michael Jordan played Minor League Baseball for the Birmingham Barons, and 2008 ($54.7 million).

"Our clubs and licensees should be commended for continuing to produce logos and merchandise that appeal to our more than 41.2 million fans annually, as well as non-baseball fans," said MiLB Director of Licensing Sandie Hebert. "Having more than 120 club stores on the MiLB.com website has also played a major role in growing the brands of our clubs, as well as the Minor League Baseball brand."

The top 25 teams in licensed merchandise sales, ranked alphabetically, were also released by MiLB. Rankings are based on wholesale sales reported from January 1 to December 31, 2012. Of the Top 25 clubs, 22 of them have stores on MiLB.com. The 2012 Top 25 is comprised of 20 clubs that were also part of the 2011 list. The five new clubs are the Albuquerque Isotopes, Columbus Clippers, Indianapolis Indians, Pensacola Blue Wahoos and Savannah Sand Gnats.

Here is the 2012 Top 25, listed alphabetically: Albuquerque Isotopes, Carolina Mudcats; Columbus Clippers; Corpus Christi Hooks; Durham Bulls; Fort Wayne TinCaps; Greensboro Grasshoppers; Indianapolis Indians; Lake Elsinore Storm; Lakewood BlueClaws; Lehigh Valley IronPigs; Midland RockHounds; Pawtucket Red Sox; Pensacola Blue Wahoos; Portland Sea Dogs; Reno Aces; Richmond Flying Squirrels; Rochester Red Wings; Round Rock Express; Sacramento River Cats; Salt Lake Bees; Savannah Sand Gnats; Toledo Mud Hens; Trenton Thunder; and Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

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