More hyping the cookie TOTAL SAVE STAT, 4/26/07

"Defining the Daily Discourse"
JockReport Headline 4/26/07:
"April Has Been A Cruel Month For MLB Closers, Including The Elite"

• By Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY

• "It's been a cruel month for closers, even for the elite."

I first noticed the JockReport Headline on their site shortly after a game on the west coast had a "blown save" and "loss" by the "closer" Hoffman--so I thought the headline might've included him in the story. How silly of me. Now, at 7:00Pm Thursday, 4/26, with plenty of time to have digested and updated baseball news, The JockReport still has the headline up.

• Interesting--the story doesn't mention Hoffman--Perhaps it was written just before Hoffman's sad performance in Peavy's big night, or the Minnesota and national writer, Bob Nightengale didn't choose to update it to reflect April performances. BOB IS ONLY CONCERNED ABOUT 1 THING: THE 'TOTAL SAVE' STAT. Read it for yourself.
  

The secondary point of course, is minimizing the Yankee, Mariano Rivera, leaving out relevant criteria in what is a short hit piece with a few anecdotes. Pumping up the "total saves" stat. That's the main point if you read any Minnesota baseball writers. Since baseball opinion is highly centralized and involves a huge amount of money, most who want in on that will do what's necessary to enhance their own fame and fortune. You've seen media sell the stat even to the players, as in Bartolo Colon saying "maybe Rivera didn't have enough "saves." This article induces similar comments from 2 other players. Even Bill James would laugh at this but he's not obligated to do anything about it. (In 2005, Mariano Rivera came out significantly ahead of Colon in the Bill James/Rob Neyer AL Cy Young predictor but did not win, nor will he ever).

• Whatever happened to Karl Ravech's minimizing Rivera's 'total saves' stat by saying, "He's just getting more opportunities." Why isn't the "opportunity" factor, much more indicative not emphasized here? 'DEFINING THE DAILY DISCOURSE' CAN MEAN LYING AND MISLEADING, DAY AFTER DAY, YEAR AFTER YEAR.

"The New York Yankees' Mariano Rivera, arguably the greatest closer in history, is looking for his first save of the season. Due to injury or ineffectiveness, five teams (the Houston Astros, Florida Marlins, Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers) have changed closers. The Marlins have used five closers. And the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels each blew ninth-inning saves Tuesday — against each other.

Cleveland Indians closer Joe Borowski entered Wednesday with eight saves in eight chances, tied with Chicago White Sox closer Bobby Jenks for the major league lead, but he had a 10.00 ERA.

"It's been a very strange month," Borowski says. "When Mariano doesn't have a save, you know something odd is going on."

Rivera, with the most saves (408) in the last decade," (He actually has 442).

• This statement, of course, is not true. Nightengale leaves out Rivera's 34 post season "saves." Why does Nightengale fail to mention this? Isn't he supposed to have a high moral code?
  

"has made seven appearances and blown two save opportunities for the longest drought since he became a full-time closer in 1997, according to baseball-reference.com." SO NIGHTENGALE CAN DISCERN TECHNICALITIES--NOT SO WHEN HE IGNORES RIVERA'S 34 POSTSEASON "SAVES" (over 112.2 IP, so you see he wasn't just in there to accumulate a cheap stat).

In the few inches left in his column, this is what Nightengale references:

• "appearances without getting a save"

• "had gone without a save to start the season"

• "The Yankees have not gone this late in a season without a save"

• "When Mariano doesn't have a save, you ask yourself, 'What the hell is going on?' ""

Not 1 word about svo's, or other factors. Number of "saves" Rollie Fingers had when he won the Cy Young: 28.

• UPDATE: JOCKREPORT STILL HAS THIS HEADLINE AT THE TOP OF THEIR SITE, 2:41PM FRIDAY, 4/27/07. STILL LINKING TO THE STORY THAT DOESN'T BEAR OUT THE HEADLINE.

(Anyone is free to check out how many times Jockreport has done something like this before).

***UPDATE: JIM BAUMBACH OF NEWSDAY IN NEW YORK IS ON BOARD WITH TOTAL SAVE STAT--IE EITHER YOU'RE IN WITH ESPN OR YOU'RE OUT. TO BE IN, YOU MUST PUSH 2 THINGS: 1. THE TOTAL SAVE STAT TO THE EXCLUSION OF OTHER RELEVANT STATS. 2. DO NOT MENTION POST SEASON STATS. WHEN YOU MENTION THE REGULAR SEASON STATS, DON'T SAY THEY'RE REGULAR SEASON. THIS WILL CEMENT THE CHANGE IN BASEBALL CULTURE LONG SOUGHT BY THE POWERFUL BASEBALL MEDIA. SO JIM LOOKS TO SECURE HIS CAREER BY OBEDIENTLY DOING ESPN/MLB'S BIDDING.

• "With 137 saves since 2004, Nathan has become one of baseball's top closers," says Baumbach in his 6/21/07 column.
  
• It was quite a lengthy column about one relief pitcher. Why would Baumbach mention no other stats for this late inning reliever? Who other than ESPN in the past 10 years has said this stat--mainly decided by a manager giving save "opportunities"--is the definitive stat? That's what Baumbach is saying by taking this action.
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• From Newsday, 6/21/07, Baumbach's article about Nathan (Twins visit Mets)