March 24, 2008

Episode 95: Reds Preview with The First Joel

This week on the podcast we talk with Joel Luckhaupt, former blogger, frequent contributor to Red Reporter, and guy quoted in Cincinnati-area papers for his expertise on baseball statistics in general and the Reds in particular.

We discuss the regular team stuff: additions since last year, rotation, bullpen, offense, and defense. Since it’s the Reds, we also talk about the likelihood of a third catcher breaking camp with the team, the folly of leading off the order with Corey Patterson and Juan Castro, and the wit and wisdom of Thom Brennaman.

We also discuss the benefits of changing the name of On Base Percentage (OBP) to Not Out Percentage (NOP). Not only is the acronym a convenient single syllable, but people would have a harder time being taken seriously when they say stupid thing about it. For example:

I don’t care about Dunn’s OBP. It’s not his job to get on base.

Sounds like the sort of quote that would end up in a newspaper article in a serious discussion of defending the plate. Versus:

I don’t care about Dunn’s NOP. It’s not his job to not get out.

Sounds like the mad rant of a raving lunatic.

Something to think about as you ponder the Reds inevitable fourth place finish.

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