tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post3854119300364302672..comments2024-03-28T14:56:46.834-05:00Comments on Computational Complexity: Baseball is More Than DataLance Fortnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752030912874378610noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-29303813918305064852015-05-07T23:30:06.193-05:002015-05-07T23:30:06.193-05:00While the column makes some fine points, I think s...While the column makes some fine points, I think some of the appeal of baseball (vs. other sports) is that many of these analytical elements are in the forefront: the game theory of pitching/batting, the physics of a curveball... and the statistics that can drive decisions from player recruitment to managerial decisions. This is why many people love the sport.<br /><br />Just as in any field, where there is data to be gathered, there are statistics. Many of these features and statistics are meaningless. The art is in interpretation, and here is where sportswriters can add value: not by ignoring the numbers, but in using them to tell a story, just as we do in research.<br /><br />Just as many CS researchers do data analysis and are unlikely to be replaced by machines, sportswriters can't be replaced by machines. The value they can provide is in meaningful interpretation of the statistics, as opposed to "mere data reporting". The writers shouldn't shy away from statistics; rather, they could figure out how to interpret them and separate signal from noise, just as we do in our research papers.Nick Feamsterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18117591092852756524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-68037139999614119242015-04-15T20:40:16.750-05:002015-04-15T20:40:16.750-05:00Most of the concern in the op-ed seems to be on st...Most of the concern in the op-ed seems to be on statistics ruining sportswriting rather than ruining baseball itself. Much of sportswriting is very straightforward - and, independent of statistics, it isn't hard to do as good a job as basic sportswriters - maybe that is why sportswriting is where many reporters begin.<br /><br />This aspect can be largely automatic: See<br /><a href="http://www.newyorker.com/news/sporting-scene/the-sportswriting-machine" rel="nofollow">here</a><br />and<br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/08/opinion/sunday/if-an-algorithm-wrote-this-how-would-you-even-know.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>.<br /><br />The much less emphasized concern in the op-ed is fantasy leagues dominating interest in the real games themselves and here I think that there is a point. I am surprised that you did not mention them and the op-ed piece only mentioned them in passing. Fantasy leagues are major money-makers for the leagues so they aren't going away. They may be somewhat representative in baseball but in the NFL they are so far from what is actually important for the games that they really are a distant sideshow.<br /><br />Maybe the real sportswriting concern is the amount of media attention devoted to reporting expressly for those following the fantasy leagues. This clearly can be a completely automated side show.Paul Beamehttps://www.cs.washington.edu/people/faculty/beame/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-91317018317978671092015-04-15T20:04:43.128-05:002015-04-15T20:04:43.128-05:00Is science more than (grant income) data ?
http:/...Is science more than (grant income) data ?<br /><br />http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/imperial-college-professor-stefan-grimm-was-given-grant-income-target/2017369.articleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-8635966956159949382015-04-15T18:12:42.251-05:002015-04-15T18:12:42.251-05:00Nate silver responds to the OPED and includes
Bonu...Nate silver responds to the OPED and includes<br />Bonus Podcast: Nate Silver Talks with Steve Kettmann<br /><br />http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/dont-let-op-eds-ruin-baseball/<br />Clyde Kruskalnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-27234161338740503462015-04-15T01:46:01.897-05:002015-04-15T01:46:01.897-05:00XKCD got it right on sports and randomness: https:...XKCD got it right on sports and randomness: https://xkcd.com/904/<br />Gunnar Anderssonnoreply@blogger.com