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For the Love of the Analytics of the Game: Before Beane, There Was AVM Systems

theodp writes: Those of you slugging your way through EdX's (free) Sabermetrics 101: Introduction to Baseball Analytics MOOC course might want to take a break from your R and SQL coding to check out Grantland's Before Beane, in which Ben Lindbergh tells the story of AVM Systems, the little-known company that jump-started sabermetrics and made Moneyball possible. Ken Mauriello, whose love-for-the-analytics-of-the-game led him to ditch a trading career to co-found AVM in the mid-90's, said of the early days, "Back in the day we weren't doing presentations [to skeptical MLB teams] with laptops. We were carrying around two enormous boxes with an enormous monitor and an enormous tower. It was like Planes, Trains & Automobiles traveling around with that stuff. Watching a great big Gateway box with your monitor come tumbling out upside down, and you pick it up and it's rattling. ... So we're in the hotel, saying, 'Please lord, let this thing work.'"

16 comments

  1. Alt summary? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is there an alternative summary available where I might know what any of the nouns mean? In particular, why is it assumed that anyone knows who these companies or people are? I just about got "MLB" = "Major League Baseball".

    1. Re:Alt summary? by Marginal+Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Is there an alternative summary available where I might know what any of the nouns mean? In particular, why is it assumed that anyone knows who these companies or people are? I just about got "MLB" = "Major League Baseball".

      In response to complaints about all these mysterious acronyms, EdX will host a second MOOC to explain MLB to those who have a background in R and SQL but not MLB. Topics covered include ERA, RBI, OBP, IP, and BB. See this page for a full list of course topics.

    2. Re:Alt summary? by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 4, Funny

      Baseball stat heads love their acronyms.

      OPS - on base plus slugging percentage
      WAR - wins above replacement
      LOOGY - lefty one out guy
      TINSTAAPP - there is no such thing as a pitching prospect
      MARINERS - a backwards team being run as if it's still the 1960s

      --
      #DeleteChrome
  2. Big data by invictusvoyd · · Score: 4, Funny

    Big data is like teenage sex: everyone talks about it, nobody really knows how to do it, everyone thinks everyone else is doing it, so everyone claims they are doing it.
    http://techcitynews.com/2014/0...

    1. Re:Big data by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      AVM aren't doing big data. They are coming up with different analyses for the data that already exists; their competitive differentiator is knowing what's valuable and what isn't.

  3. Obligatory... by hodet · · Score: 1

    Grady Fuson: Artie, who do you like?
    Scout Artie: I like Perez. He's got a classy swing, it's a real clean stroke.
    Scout Barry: He can't hit the curve ball.
    Scout Artie: Yeah, there's some work to be done, I'll admit that.
    Scout Barry: Yeah, there is.
    Scout Artie: But he's noticeable.
    Matt Keough: And an ugly girlfriend.
    Scout Barry: What does that mean?
    Matt Keough: Ugly girl friend means no confidence.
    Scout Barry: Okay.
    John Poloni: Oh, now, you guys are full of it, Artie's right. This guy's got an attitude and an attitude is good. I mean it's the kind of guy who walks into a room his dick has already been there for two minutes.
    Scout Pote: He passes the eye candy test. He's got the looks, he's great at playing the part. He just needs to get some playing time.
    Matt Keough: I'm just saying his girlfriend is a six at best.

    1. Re:Obligatory... by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      As long as we're doing baseball movie quotes:

      "Man that ball got outta here in a hurry. I mean anything travels that far oughta have a damn stewardess on it, don't you think?"

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    2. Re:Obligatory... by hodet · · Score: 1

      But mine is directly related to sabermetrics....and....nevermind.

    3. Re:Obligatory... by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      But mine is directly related to sabermetrics....and....nevermind.

      I understand, but we're talking about baseball, and every conversation about baseball eventually gets around to Bull Durham.

      I just went directly there instead of waiting.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    4. Re:Obligatory... by hodet · · Score: 1

      Ah Ok. Jobu needs a refill. Cheers. :)

  4. And Bill James started it all in the 70's by known_coward_69 · · Score: 1

    with the little info he could get from the media and baseball cards. i remember when i first came to the USA and learned the game first thing i thought was that it was so dumb that the batting average didn't include walks and guys got penalized for walking

    1. Re:And Bill James started it all in the 70's by bws111 · · Score: 1

      Thre don't get penalized for walks. If they are walked it doesn't count as an 'at bat', so it has no effect on their average at all.

  5. I love analyzing The Game by neminem · · Score: 2

    How many times I've thought about it... what I was thinking about that caused me to think about it... p.s. you just lost.

    (Prediction: this is going to be my most-downvoted post ever.)

  6. Handicapping by lazy+genes · · Score: 0

    I discovered that home teams preform differently than away teams relative to the weather. I discovered this 20 years ago and recently designed an algorithm that makes sports predictions. I currently sell my picks online. I am the best handicapper out of thousands that document every pick at pickmonitor.