tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11994352.post114416190694664825..comments2023-09-15T09:17:37.416-04:00Comments on A Single Syllable: Go Team!charleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555938634194223761noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11994352.post-1144168024362570302006-04-04T12:27:00.000-04:002006-04-04T12:27:00.000-04:00I think the amount of interaction in a sport is di...I think the amount of interaction in a sport is difficult to measure. I think that baseball has more interaction than you or Matt are giving it credit for. It would be difficult, and boring, to describe the ways in which team members interact, react, and rely on each other in a game.<BR/><BR/>The only example I will give is that one of the concerns with Alfonso Soriano moving from second to left field, a position he has never played professionally, is that he is going to run into other players because he doesn't know how to interact with his team from that position.charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07555938634194223761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11994352.post-1144165850386981142006-04-04T11:50:00.000-04:002006-04-04T11:50:00.000-04:00I think you may be misinterpreting Yglesias' point...I think you may be misinterpreting Yglesias' point. It's not that baseball doesn't require everyone on the team to be good in order for the team to succeed, it's that cohesion, interaction, and running a system as a team are less important than they are in other sports. Obviously a pitcher and catcher need to have a high level of communication, but the rest of the players are doing their jobs individually and mechanically. There's a single best way for each individual to play the game at any given moment -- it's very rare when the choice is debatable about where to throw the ball. It's seeing how well individuals can follow an algorithm.<BR/><BR/>So everyone on the team still needs skill, but the way in which they interact is less important. It's like a bowling team: everybody needs to put up a big score, but each player is an island unto his or her self.<BR/><BR/>Football is coached the same way (everybody doing their individual job the right, predetermined way), but in practice a quarterback needs to get used to his linemen and a safety needs to know his corner's habits. Basketball and hockey obviously rely on tons of split second instincts and collaboration, since plays regularly break down.<BR/><BR/>That's the point, I think. It's never seemed like much of a team sport to me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com