What's an "Early trend"?

[HoustonGM]

Personally, I don't believe 2-4 games constitutes any sort of "trend", but apparantly, it does for ESPN, who have a poll up: "What early trend is going to continue throughout the MLB season?" and the options are:

Royals in contention
Parity in the A.L. East
Tigers in last place
Nationals leading the pack in the NL East
Cubs in last place

How do any of those consitute an "early trend"? Doesn't it take more than 3 days of games to call something a trend? Maybe if this was May 1st, it'd make sense, but as is, none of those are trends...

Nonetheless, of those options, the only one that I believe has a greater than 5% chance of happening is parity in the A.L. East because there are 4 legitimate .500 teams.

[ohms_law]

Ah, those types of polls are put up all over the place every season. Their just for fun, and indeed they always seem to generate quite a bit of interest.

And, I agree. Parity in the AL east is a distinct possibility this year, which will certainly be a lot of fun to watch!
:)

[gosensgo101]

Lots of extra inning games as well. The Braves played 24 innings in there 1st 2 games.

[Reade]

its total garbage. 3 games does not make a trend. I'm sure there's 3 guys in the world with their "johnson" pierced, doesn't make it a trend.

[HoustonGM]

That's a wonderful analogy...lol.

[etothep]

some would say thats what you get for going to espn.com :p

[Biggles]

An "Early Trend" is HoustonGM biatching about how stupid everyone who writes about sports is.

Think that'll continue?

I think it will!

[etothep]

Snap!

[HoustonGM]

An "Early Trend" is HoustonGM biatching about how stupid everyone who writes about sports is.

Think that'll continue?

I think it will!
I think it's perfectly fair to expect our so-called baseball experts to actually understand simple baseball concepts.

Sorry that me not liking that baseball writers are ignorant about the sport they write about bothers you.

[HoustonGM]

It really wasn't ignorant, its just people that try to be uberliteral about everything and nitpicky to the point of entirely missing the point.
This also wasn't even about sports writers or anything. It was just something that I think was funnily worded and kind of shows an ignorance to the concept of sample sizes. I know what the point of the poll was, and it's a perfectly legitimate question, but I would've worded the question something like "Which of the following events from the first couple games of the season is most likely to continue?"

I just found the use of the term "early trend" to be an odd word choice when it wasn't a choice between early trends. Maybe it's you that takes things so literally. Lighten up.

[HoustonGM]

I know exactly what they meant by it and basically why they used it, but I found it to be a strange and inaccurate word choice.

Jeez.

[Coach Owens]

I'm surprised that the Tigers one isn't more "Tigers having scored the second least amount of runs in baseball" considering their offense. But ESPN isn't exactly what I call intelligent. (Besides Gammons and Caple) Also, that whole poll is stupid in the first place.

[HoustonGM]

. But ESPN isn't exactly what I call intelligent. (Besides Gammons and Caple)
Law and Neyer?


It just seemed you were reaching here in your agenda to point out flaws on sportwriters and such.
As I said, maybe you're the one that needs to stop taking things so literally.

There's no need to "reach" to point out flaws in sportswriters. That's incredibly easy, and if I posted every time I saw dumb sportswriting, the Sports Talk forum would be completely overrun by such threads.

[Coach Owens]

Law and Neyer?


As I said, maybe you're the one that needs to stop taking things so literally.

There's no need to "reach" to point out flaws in sportswriters. That's incredibly easy, and if I posted every time I saw dumb sportswriting, the Sports Talk forum would be completely overrun by such threads.

Law's too Yankee-biased. Neyer listed Melky Cabrera on his Top 100 Players That Will Help Now and In the Future list-enough said.

[HoustonGM]

Law's too Yankee-biased.
Lol. Yeah. Uh huh. As he himself once said:


Jason (Denver): Even though you seem to be a Rockies hater, what do you think about Greg Reynolds?

Keith Law: Jason, you must be new here. I hate EVERYBODY. I hate all 30 teams. I hate their GMs, managers, and clubhouse boys. I hate all prospects, I hate both sides of every trade ever made, I hate any contract signed for over the minimum. I hate fans of all thirty teams. And most of all, I hate YOU. Greg Reynolds is a 4th starter in the big leagues, but that's based on what I saw of him as an amateur and I'd like to see him healthy as a pro.


Neyer listed Melky Cabrera on his Top 100 Players That Will Help Now and In the Future list-enough said.
You don't think Cabrera will help now and in the future?

[Coach Owens]

Lol. Yeah. Uh huh. As he himself once said:




You don't think Cabrera will help now and in the future?

Get this though: neither Erik Bedard or Felix Hernandez were on that list. Suspicious, no?

[HoustonGM]

Get this though: neither Erik Bedard or Felix Hernandez were on that list. Suspicious, no?
Not really.

Erik Bedard is 29, and has a pretty lengthy injury history.

Felix Hernandez is still really young, and Rob Neyer prefers young position players over young pitchers because the attrition rate is so high.

Also, what list are you referring to? Link?

[Coach Owens]

Not really.

Erik Bedard is 29, and has a pretty lengthy injury history.

Felix Hernandez is still really young, and Rob Neyer prefers young position players over young pitchers because the attrition rate is so high.

Also, what list are you referring to? Link?

Well actually it's the Top 50, but still. Here's the link. (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/preview08/columns/story?columnist=neyer_rob&id=3310373)

[HoustonGM]

Well actually it's the Top 50, but still. Here's the link. (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/preview08/columns/story?columnist=neyer_rob&id=3310373)
I disagree with some of the list, but none of it makes him seem not intelligent. Also, that list is one of his lesser pieces. His blog is excellent, as are his chats (loved the 12 hour opening day chat). Law and Neyer make Insider worth it for me.

[Coach Owens]

I disagree with some of the list, but none of it makes him seem not intelligent. Also, that list is one of his lesser pieces. His blog is excellent, as are his chats (loved the 12 hour opening day chat). Law and Neyer make Insider worth it for me.

That's your opinion and you're welcome to have it. I don't like them though.

[beerchaser]

The "early trend" of this thread was "funny" through about the first 7-8 posts. After that, blah.

[Reade]

Yeah after the pierced johnson remark the thread went down hill.

[HoustonGM]

I guess some people have to always be serious.

[Wassit3]

Yeah after the pierced johnson remark the thread went down hill.

yeah the idea kind of takes the air out of a fun discussion

[HoustonGM]

At least you can criticize yourself!
....

Yeah.
Uh.

Right.

Clearly, you missed the point, or are just being a jerk.