What Baseball Teaches Us About Analytics
Mark Rapier CMAS, ALC
Trusted Guide | Author | Lifelong Learner | Corporate Diplomat | Certified M&A Specialist | Certified Life Coach
Today's second topic is "How To Die In Good Health."
Word Count: About 1,200 words, with an approximate reading time of 4 to 6 minutes. ?Please share your thoughts in the comments.
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This month marks the 21st anniversary of Michael Lewis's publication of Moneyball. ?After the 2001 season, the Oakland A's had to release three of their biggest stars to manage payroll. ?Billy Beane used analytics to fill the void and rebuild the roster.? Rather than trying to replace each player (Johny Damon, Jason Giambi, and Jason Isringhausen) as individuals, Beane focused on replacing the combined productivity.? The result was a remarkable 2002 season that saw the A's win 20 games in a row and reach the playoffs
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There are several reasons Major League Baseball is perfect for data analysis.? The nature of the game is that every player makes individual plays.? Pitchers and hitters are in an individual contest with each pitch.? Fielders either make a play or an error.? This enables the capture of detailed individual performance statistics.
Box scores have recorded individual performance since 1876.? While the rules and equipment have evolved, the box scores remained consistent.? The result is a massive amount of normalized data.? With the advent of data analysis, the ability to use data to support roster decisions and in-game management has never been greater.
Every team has access to the same data, and they use it as part of their operations.? Some teams are successful, while others are not. ?Success or failure comes down to human judgment and execution.? The data challenges businesses face are more challenging.? Data is not universal or standardized. ?Much of it is unstructured.? Business objectives are much more diverse.? After all, every team wants to win the World Series.
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How To Die In Good Health
I borrowed the title of this section from a New Yorker Magazine article by Dhruv Khullar. ?As we live longer, we are likely to spend our final years in long-term care. ?Studies report that the average length of time older Americans will need this level of care ranges from three to five years. ?My mother-in-law spent her last seven years in long-term care, and my father-in-law is entering year 5.
To be below average, we must take steps years before age 65. ?We must take better care of ourselves, get the right amount of sleep and exercise.? We need to eat better.
To do these things, we have to manage our commitment to work. ?Many employers expect people to work more than forty hours per week; some industries and companies expect much more. ?I worked for more than one firm where the expectation was over sixty. ?Elon Musk famously encourages people to sleep under their desks.
We own our health and well-being. ?To own it well, we must begin thinking across very long time horizons.? We must learn to say no when the demands placed on us compromise our health and well-being.
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What I'm Up To
Nothing to report.? It has been a quiet couple of weeks on the home front.? We hosted a movie night an watched My Man Godfrey.
Chips and Salsa: Snack-sized news and posts
This article raises important issues that employers who have remote workforces face.? Almost no articles that focus on remote vs. in-person work consider this.? For much of my career, I had to file multiple state tax returns based on the number of hours I worked in various locations.
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How we manage time is critical to success.? I disagree with the hard-line distinction between makers and managers.? There is a balance that we all need to achieve.
When we make choices, we also choose not to do other things.? Many times, the other options are no longer available.
Many of us are concerned about how much of our data is being captured.? Here is an example of how collecting more data is a good thing.
The word collective has taken on a negative connotation for many.? From the Soviet collectives in the 1920s and 30s, which led to famine, and dystopian fiction like George Orwell's 1984 have helped set this attitude.? Coming together is part of human nature.? For a collective to be good, two things must be present.? There must be a common and morally sound purpose.? Individuals must be free to join and leave based on their conscience.?
To separate signals from noise, the ability to identify incomplete, inaccurate, or outright lies is a critical skill in today's world.
To stay in the moment, you must stay out of your head.
This is a new one.
We watched The New Look on AppleTV.? It was very interesting and entertaining.
Managing information density is an essential element of effective communication.? Dense data must be part of a cohesive story to be effective.
Life is full of paradoxes.
Data sharing is an excellent function for industry groups to take on.? They can be the intermediaries.? Consolidating and normalizing data helps to protect intellectual property while expanding opportunities for new discoveries.
Quotes
“An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.”
- Henry David Thoreau
“Worry is a misuse of imagination.”
- Dan Zadra
“How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were?”
- Satchel Paige
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You can order The Leader With A Thousand Faces on the Recommended Reading Page of my website.
My goal is to make this newsletter as interesting and valuable as possible. ?Please share your thoughts and suggestions for improvement. ?If there are specific topics in leadership you would like me to focus on in future issues, please send them my way.
Learning Manager @ Deloitte || 11+ Years of Experience in Learning Delivery, Organizational and Professional Development & LMS, ERP Management
6 个月Fascinating topics! Looking forward to the insights. ??? #healthyliving Mark Rapier CMAS, ALC