Download or read book The Hidden Game of Baseball written by John Thorn and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2015-03-20 with total page 453 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The acclaimed classic on the statistical analysis of baseball records in order to evaluate players and win more games. Long before Moneyball became a sensation or Nate Silver turned the knowledge he’d honed on baseball into electoral gold, John Thorn and Pete Palmer were using statistics to shake the foundations of the game. First published in 1984, The Hidden Game of Baseball ushered in the sabermetric revolution by demonstrating that we were thinking about baseball stats—and thus the game itself—all wrong. Instead of praising sluggers for gaudy RBI totals or pitchers for wins, Thorn and Palmer argued in favor of more subtle measurements that correlated much more closely to the ultimate goal: winning baseball games. The new gospel promulgated by Thorn and Palmer opened the door for a flood of new questions, such as how a ballpark’s layout helps or hinders offense or whether a strikeout really is worse than another kind of out. Taking questions like these seriously—and backing up the answers with data—launched a new era, showing fans, journalists, scouts, executives, and even players themselves a new, better way to look at the game. This brand-new edition retains the body of the original, with its rich, accessible analysis rooted in a deep love of baseball, while adding a new introduction by the authors tracing the book’s influence over the years. A foreword by ESPN’s lead baseball analyst, Keith Law, details The Hidden Game’s central role in the transformation of baseball coverage and team management and shows how teams continue to reap the benefits of Thorn and Palmer’s insights today. Thirty years after its original publication, The Hidden Game is still bringing the high heat—a true classic of baseball literature. Praise for The Hidden Game “As grateful as I was for the publication of The Hidden Game of Baseball when it first showed up on my bookshelf, I’m even more grateful now. It’s as insightful today as it was then. And it’s a reminder that we haven’t applauded Thorn and Palmer nearly loudly enough for their incredible contributions to the use and understanding of the awesome numbers of baseball.” —Jayson Stark, senior baseball writer, ESPN.com “Just as one cannot know the great American novel without Twain and Hemingway, one cannot know modern baseball analysis without Thorn and Palmer.” —Rob Neyer, FOX Sports

Download or read book Hitting with Torque written by Paul F. Petricca and published by Archway Publishing. This book was released on 2017-11-07 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Paul Petricca draws on his experience as a coach, player, blogger, and student of baseball and softball to share what hes learned about hitting in this essential guide for players seeking dramatic results at the plate. The author presents easy to understand hitting mechanics highlighting how the engineering concept of torque can be applied to hitting and is often the difference between a weak groundball or a long home run. Topics covered include understanding where hitting power really comes from and the importance of increasing bat speed through the fundamentals of a repeatable and powerful rotational swing. Hitters of all ages who adopt his eight hitting keys will enjoy a dramatic increase in bat speed and power almost immediately. Hitting with Torque is more than a set of hitting mechanics---its a mindset. Readers will be challenged to look past the worn-out hitting theories and myths that have been holding back hitters from reaching their full potential. With an open mind and practice, all hitters can unlock the power and consistency that is Hitting with Torque.

Download or read book Helix The Capstone Research Journal of Ivy Collegiate School written by Joon Kim and published by Ivy Collegiate School. This book was released on 2022-09-22 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Helix is the Capstone Research journal of Ivy Collegiate School. Student researchers conduct annual research projects in an area of their choosing. Selected presentations and papers are published in this journal. Research topics vary greatly in approach and field. Topics range from questions in the life sciences to studies in musicology.

Download or read book The Pitcher written by John Thorn and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Expertise written by Paul Ward and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2019-11-14 with total page 1319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study of expertise weaves its way through various communities of practice, across disciplines, and over millennia. To date, the study of expertise has been primarily concerned with how human beings perform at a superior level in complex environments and sociotechnical systems, and at the highest levels of proficiency. However, more recent research has continued the search for better descriptions, and causal mechanisms that explain the complexities of expertise in context, with a view to translating this understanding into useful predictions and interventions capable of improving the performance of human systems as efficiently as possible. The Oxford Handbook of Expertise provides a comprehensive picture of the field of Expertise Studies. It offers both traditional and contemporary perspectives, and importantly, a multidiscipline-multimethod view of the science and engineering research on expertise. The book presents different perspectives, theories, and methods of conducting expertise research, all of which have had an impact in helping us better understand expertise across a broad range of domains. The Handbook also describes how researchers and practitioners have addressed practical problems and societal challenges. Throughout, the authors have sought to demonstrate the heterogeneity of approaches and conceptions of expertise, to place current views of expertise in context, to show how these views can be used to address current issues, and to examine ways to advance the study of expertise. The Oxford Handbook of Expertise is an essential resource both to those wanting to gain an up-to-date knowledge of the science of expertise and those wishing to study experts.

Download or read book Inside Pitch written by George Gmelch and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 2006-10-01 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the spark of ambition to play baseball professionally to the necessity of reinventing life after baseball, the anthropologist and former Minor Leaguer George Gmelch describes the lives of the men who work at America's national game. Twenty-four years after his own final road trip as a minor leaguer, Gmelch went back on the road with ballplayers, this time with a pen and pad to record the details of life around the diamond. Drawing on more than one hundred interviews with Major and Minor League players, coaches, and managers, Gmelch explores players' experiences throughout their careers: being scouted, becoming a rookie, moving through or staying in the Minors, preparing mentally and physically to play day after day, coping with slumps and successes, and facing retirement. He examines the ballplayers' routines and rituals, describes their joys and frustrations, and investigates the roles of wives, fans, and groupies in their lives. Based on his own experience as a player in the 1960s, Gmelch charts the life cycle of the modern professional ballplayer and makes perceptive comparisons to a previous generation of players.

Download or read book Analyzing Baseball Data with R Second Edition written by Max Marchi and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2018-11-19 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Analyzing Baseball Data with R Second Edition introduces R to sabermetricians, baseball enthusiasts, and students interested in exploring the richness of baseball data. It equips you with the necessary skills and software tools to perform all the analysis steps, from importing the data to transforming them into an appropriate format to visualizing the data via graphs to performing a statistical analysis. The authors first present an overview of publicly available baseball datasets and a gentle introduction to the type of data structures and exploratory and data management capabilities of R. They also cover the ggplot2 graphics functions and employ a tidyverse-friendly workflow throughout. Much of the book illustrates the use of R through popular sabermetrics topics, including the Pythagorean formula, runs expectancy, catcher framing, career trajectories, simulation of games and seasons, patterns of streaky behavior of players, and launch angles and exit velocities. All the datasets and R code used in the text are available online. New to the second edition are a systematic adoption of the tidyverse and incorporation of Statcast player tracking data (made available by Baseball Savant). All code from the first edition has been revised according to the principles of the tidyverse. Tidyverse packages, including dplyr, ggplot2, tidyr, purrr, and broom are emphasized throughout the book. Two entirely new chapters are made possible by the availability of Statcast data: one explores the notion of catcher framing ability, and the other uses launch angle and exit velocity to estimate the probability of a home run. Through the book’s various examples, you will learn about modern sabermetrics and how to conduct your own baseball analyses. Max Marchi is a Baseball Analytics Analyst for the Cleveland Indians. He was a regular contributor to The Hardball Times and Baseball Prospectus websites and previously consulted for other MLB clubs. Jim Albert is a Distinguished University Professor of statistics at Bowling Green State University. He has authored or coauthored several books including Curve Ball and Visualizing Baseball and was the editor of the Journal of Quantitative Analysis of Sports. Ben Baumer is an assistant professor of statistical & data sciences at Smith College. Previously a statistical analyst for the New York Mets, he is a co-author of The Sabermetric Revolution and Modern Data Science with R.

Download or read book Abstracts of Papers Presented to the American Mathematical Society written by American Mathematical Society and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 826 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Complete Handbook of Coaching Catchers written by Jerry Weinstein and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An in-depth, comprehensive book from one of the best catching instructors in baseball. Illustrated with nearly 400 photos many of Major League catchers the book covers everything coaches and catchers at every level need to know in regard to stances, receiving, blocking, and throwing, with innovative drills for each skill, plus sophisticated pitch calling and game management material. And the book isn t just for catchers it is an excellent resource for anyone in baseball, from coaches to pitchers to other position players interested in bettering their overall game. -- Amazon.

Download or read book The Science of Baseball written by A. Terry Bahill and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-12-04 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This augmented, new edition adds discussion of the bat’s vertical sweetness gradient, eye-hand cross-dominance, models for the swing of a bat, and accuracy of simulations. The book retains its description of dynamic collisions between baseballs, softballs, and bats, and the intricate modeling of these interactions, using only basic math and physical principles. Veteran baseball science author Terry Bahill explains models for the speed and spin of balls and bats and calculations for bat-ball collisions at a level accessible to most students of the science of baseball. Demystifying the most important factors for understanding bat performance—bat weight, moment of inertia, the coefficient of restitution, and characteristics of humans swinging the bats—Dr. Bahill also explains physical aspects of the optimal bat and the sweet spot. Praise for the First Edition “Dr. Bahill’s book is the perfect tool for teaching how to solve some of baseball’s basic science problems. Using only simple Newtonian principles and the conservation laws, Dr. Bahill explains how to model bat-ball collisions. Also, he derives equations governing the flight of the ball, and proceeds to show what factors affect air density and how this density affects the ball’s flight. And as a unique addition to his fine book, he provides advice for selecting the optimal bat—a surprising bonus!” Dave Baldwin, PhD Major League pitcher, 1966-1973, lifetime Major League ERA, 3.08 “If I were the General Manger of a baseball team, I would tell my people to write a ten-page paper describing what this book contains that could improve our performance. I think the book provides the foundation for change.” Bruce Gissing Executive VP-Operations (retired) Boeing Commercial Airplanes “[I] had a chance to read your research, and I fully agree with your findings.” Baseball Legend Ted Williams, in a 1984 letter to the author

Download or read book Benchmarking in Institutional Research written by Gary D. Levy and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2012-12-21 with total page 105 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While the term benchmarking is commonplace nowadays in institutional research and higher education, less common, is a solid understanding of what it really means and how it has been, and can be, used effectively. This volume begins by defining benchmarking as “a strategic and structured approach whereby an organization compares aspects of its processes and/or outcomes to those of another organization or set of organizations to identify opportunities for improvement.” Building on this definition, the chapters provide a brief history of the evolution and emergence of benchmarking in general and in higher education in particular. The authors apply benchmarking to: Enrollment management and student success Institutional effectiveness The potential economic impact of higher education institutions on their host communities. They look at the use of national external survey data in institutional benchmarking and selection of peer institutions, introduce multivariate statistical methodologies for guiding that selection, and consider a novel application of baseball sabermetric methods. The volume offers a solid starting point for those new to benchmarking in higher education and provides examples of current best practices and prospective new directions. This is the 156th volume of this Jossey-Bass series. Always timely and comprehensive, New Directions for Institutional Research provides planners and administrators in all types of academic institutions with guidelines in such areas as resource coordination, information analysis, program evaluation, and institutional management.

Download or read book Proceedings of the Section on Statistics in Sports written by American Statistical Association. Section on Statistics in Sports and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Physics of Baseball Softball written by Rod Cross and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-02-22 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book describes the physics of baseball and softball, assuming that the reader has a basic background in both physics and mathematics. The physics will be explained in a conversational style, with words and illustrations, so that the explanations make sense. The book provides an excellent opportunity to explain physics at a relatively simple level, even though the primary objective is to explain the many subtle features concerning the physics of baseball. For those readers who already know quite a bit of physics and who will be comfortable with mathematical equations, additional material of this nature will be provided in appendices. The latest research findings and statistical data have been incorporated by the author. The book also contains many simple experiments that the reader can perform to convince themselves that the effects described do indeed exist.

Download or read book Developing Speed written by NSCA -National Strength & Conditioning Association and published by Human Kinetics. This book was released on 2024-06-10 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Speed has long been recognized as a key component of superior sport performance. Whether they are chasing down a long pass in football or sprinting down the court on a fast break in basketball, an athlete’s speed is a major factor in overall athletic ability. Authored by 19 of the top National Strength and Conditioning Association experts, Developing Speed, Second Edition, is the definitive resource for creating scientifically sound training programs that take speed to the highest level. The guide is designed to address the full gamut of speed training, with topics such as these: Sprint starts Acceleration Maximal velocity Speed endurance Sport-specific application Developing Speed blends science with practice, providing information on how to develop speed regimens for 12 sports: baseball, softball, basketball, football, ice hockey, rugby, soccer, tennis, field hockey, lacrosse, sprint (track) cycling, and speed skating. The book provides instruction and photos for sport-specific drills as well as assessments to test various aspects of speed. It also provides the necessary information to design effective speed training programs for any sport in which running speed is an important component. Packed with the latest research and recommendations from the world’s leading sport conditioning organization, Developing Speed contains everything coaches and athletes need to increase speed, blow past the competition, and achieve their performance goals. Earn continuing education credits/units! A continuing education exam that uses this book is also available. It may be purchased separately or as part of a package that includes both the book and exam.

Download or read book The Psychology of Baseball written by Mike Stadler and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2007-04-05 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Get inside the minds of the stars of the diamond in this extraordinary tour of brain power, psyche, and sheer will. Yogi Berra once said, "Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical." Even so, the Yankee great may have underestimated the brain power professional baseball players routinely draw on to perform such astounding feats of athleticism as hitting 98-mph fastballs and diving to catch line drives. In The Psychology of Baseball, Mike Stadler goes beneath the surface of the game to explore the psychology behind the actions of the game’s greats--and breaks down legendary moments from baseball history, such as Willie Mays’s full-sprint over-the-shoulder grab in the 1954 World Series. Stadler begins with the mind’s role in the game’s basic skills, explaining the anticipatory thinking that can make a hitter see a "rising fastball," the complex muscular coordination required to throw a major league heater, and the intense spatial calculations the brain must perform in a split second in order for a fielder to catch a struck ball. Stadler then discusses the hidden nature of streaks and slumps, explaining why a "hot" hitter is most likely just getting lucky and why there’s no such thing as a clutch hitter, and also looks at the psychological basis of the so-called "sophomore slump" and the effect that a big-money contract has on a player’s performance. He also examines the personality types that are best suited to baseball, and explains what traits are most associated with success at the highest levels. A revolutionary new look at America’s pastime that will appeal to the many fans of bestsellers like Moneyball and Three Nights in August, The Psychology of Baseball is a must-read book for the serious baseball fan.

Download or read book Routledge Handbook of Drugs and Sport written by Verner Møller and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-06-19 with total page 478 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Doping has become one of the most important and high-profile issues in contemporary sport. Shocking cases such as that of Lance Armstrong and the US Postal cycling team have exposed the complicated relationships between athletes, teams, physicians, sports governing bodies, drugs providers, and judicial systems, all locked in a constant struggle for competitive advantage. The Routledge Handbook of Drugs and Sport is simply the most comprehensive and authoritative survey of social scientific research on this hugely important issue ever to be published. It presents an overview of key topics, problems, ideas, concepts and cases across seven thematic sections, which include chapters addressing: The history of doping in sport Philosophical approaches to understanding doping The development of anti-doping policy Studies of doping in seven major sports, including athletics, cycling, baseball and soccer In-depth analysis of four of the most prominent doping scandals in history, namely Ben Johnson, institutionalized doping in the former GDR, the 1998 Tour de France and Lance Armstrong WADA and the national anti-doping organizations Key contemporary debates around strict liability, the criminalization of doping, and zero tolerance versus harm reduction Doping outside of elite sport, in gyms, the military and the police. With contributions from many of the world’s leading researchers into drugs and sport, this book is the perfect starting point for any advanced student, researcher, policy maker, coach or administrator looking to develop their understanding of an issue that has had, and will continue to have, a profound impact on the development of sport.

Download or read book The Sports Gene written by David Epstein and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2014-04-29 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The New York Times bestseller – with a new afterword about early specialization in youth sports – from the author of Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. The debate is as old as physical competition. Are stars like Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, and Serena Williams genetic freaks put on Earth to dominate their respective sports? Or are they simply normal people who overcame their biological limits through sheer force of will and obsessive training? In this controversial and engaging exploration of athletic success and the so-called 10,000-hour rule, David Epstein tackles the great nature vs. nurture debate and traces how far science has come in solving it. Through on-the-ground reporting from below the equator and above the Arctic Circle, revealing conversations with leading scientists and Olympic champions, and interviews with athletes who have rare genetic mutations or physical traits, Epstein forces us to rethink the very nature of athleticism.