Do stat nerds like being called stat nerds? Would they prefer to be called something other than that, like sabrminded or number cruncher? I don’t really consider myself a stat nerd. Maybe others would. When I talk about batters I don’t even look at batting average and RBI. I want to know the triple slash and more importantly the OPS. Of course even with those numbers there is more to look into. Every stat can be broken down by situation. What is a batter slugging with men on base, how often they reach base on the road, every little bit of information we could ever want is out there, and thanks to the internet any average Joe can look it up.
It is funny to think about this. To think if someone wants to be called a nerd. We wouldn’t walk up to an overweight person and ask if they mind us calling them Leviathan. Could you even imagine walking up to a person of a different race and asking if they liked to be called whatever they wouldn’t like to be called. I can’t imagine people liking to be called nerds, but maybe they do.
There is an entire subculture of people that hang out at comic conventions dressed in customs of their favorite characters. Then again this is sports we are talking about. Sports are not the domain of nerds and geeks, but sometimes they are. Sports are made more by the people that watch them than the people that play them. Both are needed to make everything work, but why can’t the observer be someone more interested in numbers and math than other aspects of the game, or maybe all aspects of the game appeal to them and they just like to play armchair GM.
What makes a person anything is an odd question. Being a nerd is based more on a person’s taste in entertainment or in this case views on baseball. Stat nerd is a bit of a pejorative term. It carries with it a negative context that I can’t imagine many people liking. In a way I embrace my nerdom. I may qualify as a stat nerd although I don’t think I do it doesn’t matter what I think, and I am a blogger so there is a big point against any argument I have, but besides the baseball thing I like to play video games (mostly RPGs the nerdiest of all), I listen to bands like Iron Maiden and Iced Earth, I enjoy the Star Wars movies (but only the first three), I am antisocial and like to keep to myself, and I have a giant comics collection and am currently trying to get back into comics (by the way check out the Luna Bros they are local and amazing).
What this all means is I have nerd tastes, but I don’t wear glasses except to read, I go to the gym on a regular basis, and I like sports. Of course my liking of sports could be seen as a nerd quality as well since I like it in the nerdy way. I may talk at times about the poetic beauty of the game, but the fact that Willie Harris makes diving catches and looks like he is really playing hard doesn’t mean I don’t think his numbers can be and should be replaced. I actually don’t think Willie Harris should be replaced. He can play all three outfield positions, can every now and then crack a homer, and in a pinch can even sub in the infield. I just don’t think he should be the first bat off the bench.
If you met me somewhere and just saw me and judged me by appearance I don’t know if you would call me a nerd. My tastes do learn towards the nerd side, but I don’t think I would like to be called a nerd. I might hit you, and it would most likely hurt. It is an insult to call someone a nerd, so no I don’t think stat nerds like to be called stat nerds, because I wouldn’t like to be called a nerd. Oh, sorry to cut this short Mother needs her breakfast and I am still in my Spider-man underoos on the basement computer.
'Til Death Do Us Part 