Robert Palazzo's Page

A native Utican, Bob has been a regular contributor to The Diamond Angle for several years. He has been married 24 years to wife Pam and has two daughters, Jennifer 17 and Lindsay 13. Baseball heroes he has met and written about include Clete Boyer, Goose Gossage, Phil Rizzuto, Yogi Berra, Don Larsen, Don Zimmer and Luis Tiant.

He is currently Assistant Director, Career Services, at the State University of New York Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome; has chaired the Oneida County Historical Society Year 2000 Sports Exhibit - The Games We Play; Sports in Oneida County 1940 to the Present; is a member of the Mickey Mantle Foundation, Upstate NY Chapter; is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and has made a presentation on Allie Reynold's 2nd no-hitter hurled in September, 1951 at a regional SABR meeting recently held in Cooperstown; and is a 'Friend of the Baseball Hall of Fame'.

A life-long Yankee fan, Bob especially enjoys pre- 1970 baseball and oddball baseball memorabilia, along with American History, the American language, and collecting in general (Santa Clauses, 'Dinerabilia', 1950's items, and other unusual items). He has a vast sports collection and has set up shop at numerous local card shows. He has written a book on Baseball and its phrases (awaiting publication); next up will be a book on Fast Pitch Softball in the Upstate New York Mohawk Valley area (1940's and 1950's)

THE NUMBERS GAME

Have you given notice to

Who baseball teams are hiring.

Their specialty is numbers,

And they really are inspiring!

These men know their figures,

Of that there is no doubt.

Batting averages and ERA's

Is not what they're about.

At one time maybe viewed

As some numerically obsessed geek.

They've now been elevated to advise

Which players are strong; which weak.

They use OPS and RNG

TRP and RCAA;

What do these letters mean?

What is it they say?

These men introduced formulas,

That never had been used.

When provided to the average fan,

We usually get confused.

Now when deals are discussed,

To acquire skills GM's seek,

The language they most often use,

Could be called SABR-speak!

When we tell you who they are,

You're sure to have heard their names.

They're Philips, Beane, and Evans,

Alderson, Epstein, and James

All important baseball execs,

GMS and front office advisors are they.

They analyze what the players do

In all aspects of their play.

James is the most recent one

Hired for his wizardry with stats.

They analyze all those innings,

Pitches, fielding and at bats.

Years ago most front offices

Were baseball people from the game.

But since introducing SABRmetrics,

Front offices won't be the same.

When they discuss Range Factor,

There's bound to be debating.

But nothing like when they discuss,

TPR (Total Player Rating).

Some stats can be quite confusing,

As Bill James has demonstrated.

He's created one with many computations.

It's called RC (Runs Created).

The owners seem to like it.

But it is a two edged sword.

It can be used by players,

When seeking an arbiter's award.

As for me I wonder.

I have but one query.

(Although I am SABR member

And agree with it in theory).

You see, I am from the old school,

And so I have my doubts.

I'd like to think that players,

Can still be analyzed by scouts.

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