Did I act today in a way that tomorrow’s retrospective would find acceptable, even helpful? Have I established routines and approaches to my life that I can reap next year? These kinds of questions are both common and important. I plan to keep these front of mind for my theme, Year of the Future.
Continue reading “2023: Year of the Future”2022 Reading List
As I’ve stated in the past, my annual goal is to read 24 books each year. While that’s a slippery goal as not all books are made the same — it’s certainly true that I’m hesitant to take on large books because of this goal — it still keeps me reading, and that’s the intention behind it.
This year, I also tracked what genre I’d consider each book to be in, and what medium (digital or physical) I used to read the book. I don’t really use audiobooks, so those aren’t a consideration. Note that genres are not exclusive; sometimes I would assign multiple genres to the same book if it felt right.
In all, I read 25 books by 15 different authors. Among those, 4 were physical books, while all the others I read digitally. My most popular genres were:
- Science Fiction (8 books)
- Fantasy (7 books)
- Literary Fiction (6 books)
And finally, the list itself!
Continue reading “2022 Reading List”The Lord of the Rings is Good
That’s right, I’ll be the first to put down my foot and say The Lord of the Rings is actually really good.
Continue reading “The Lord of the Rings is Good”2022 Blogmas Day 24 – Retrospective
This Blogmas experience proved to be a fun, engaging, and informative project. I wasn’t sure how it would go, but I’m glad I dove in and made it happen.1I’ll be switching back to my weekly schedule on December 26.
Continue reading “2022 Blogmas Day 24 – Retrospective”- 1I’ll be switching back to my weekly schedule on December 26.
2022 Blogmas Day 23 – Defensive Runs Saved and Defensive WAR
Hot on the heels of Ultimate Zone Rating is another tool with the same goal: measure a player’s defensive contributions in terms of runs saved. This other statistic, Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), doesn’t just have a better name, but in my experience is favored over UZR in most situations.
Continue reading “2022 Blogmas Day 23 – Defensive Runs Saved and Defensive WAR”2022 Blogmas Day 22 – Ultimate Zone Rating
Thanks to the wonderful book The Last Nine Innings by Charles Euchner1It details the stunning victory of the Arizona Diamondbacks over the New York Yankees in the 2001 World Series. I had an early introduction to some advanced statistics, at least those that were popular a few years into the 21st century. Among these was Ultimate Zone Rating, a first crack at trying to measure how well a player defends their position.
Continue reading “2022 Blogmas Day 22 – Ultimate Zone Rating”- 1It details the stunning victory of the Arizona Diamondbacks over the New York Yankees in the 2001 World Series.
2022 Blogmas Day 21 – Fielding Percentage and Range Factor
Leading into the home stretch, let’s discuss some defensive statistics. As a category, these represent recent innovations in baseball, as defense is the most dynamic aspect of the game. Players can change where they are positioned, which affects their ability to get to a ball. As we gather more data — ball speed off the bat and launch angle — we can better analyze defensive ability. But it’s still messy.
Continue reading “2022 Blogmas Day 21 – Fielding Percentage and Range Factor”2022 Blogmas Day 20 – Pitcher WAR
We’ve already addressed the concept behind WAR (Wins Above Replacement) in the abstract and for offensive players in particular. Today, we’ll consider how we quantify runs for pitchers and overview calculating their WAR.
Continue reading “2022 Blogmas Day 20 – Pitcher WAR”