Red Sox/Six Sigma Question for BillyBob

All the Boston fans have to do is get the piano out of the pond in order to lift the curse.  Besides, how bad can the curse be? (you guys have the Celtics, the Bruins, and the Pats). 
Here in Cleveland we can never undo the Colavito – Kuenn trade (which is what started our curse).

Yeah, Bartman A.K.A. Reigle Stewart, after the infamous game and the season over, he started using his free time to post in the isixsigma forum with his typically well considered inputs.  

Cubs fan,
If you can get them to let the goat in the park, I’ll take up a collection for his ticket.  What real baseball fan wouldn’t like to see the cubbies make it to the show (I can say that my team is in the AL).

Hello folks,
Do I dare to ask if anyone would like to warm up this old baked potato of a thread?
Later,
Billybob

The Curse of the Bambino is still alive and well until the last out of the last inning…..   The only reason both series have gone on this long is due to simple economics.  Times are bad…. the economy is not great and oil prices suck, so Steinbrenner et al have banded together to make sure the NLDS, ALDS, and the WS will all go seven games.  This insures enough revenue to cover additional costs due to oil price increases in the past few weeks.  Additional benefits include more entertainment for the fans – live and TV – which will help the Bucsh and Miller families and make my Poppa John’s and Domino’s stock prices go up.  Also, it will keep the $2.00/gal (which will soon be $3-3.50/gal) price of gas off the minds of most Americans until the day after election day……
Otherwise, Yankees would have won in 4, Cardinals in 5 (Astros DO have the Rocket, ya know…), and Yankees over Cards in 5… maybe 6……
Just my opinion…..
RubberDude – Grand Master Holiday Inn Express Black Belt

The hand slap by A Rod was merely his standard reaction after knowing he has hit out…. re: Game 5… I believe it was the 7th inning.
It’s all an act.  Unless they act dejected and try desperate measures, the fans would catch on and stop buying $250 left center nosebleed bleacher seats…….
Besides…. why else would they save Rivera?  We’ll see tonight…. well…we’ll see in about 10 days……..

“lucky broken bat bloop singles; which tosses statistics out of the window.”
Excusez moi…. Oh contrair mon frair….. negatory good buddy……
A borken bat is merely a special cause of variation… a “maverick.”  And while not so “predictable” (some statisticians might argue that point) as other stats, it still has statistical value.  Closers like Rivera use the broken bat probability to their advantage by placing pitches in the “broken bat zone” in order to force ground outs.
My opinion anyway….
RubberDude – Certified Grand Master Holiday Inn Express Black Belt

Here’s what the DOE tell’s us:   Boston Red Sox – proven losers since 1918. 

Hello folks,
Proven losers….until 2004. The title is now passed on to the Yankees.
Later,
Billybob

10/19 Redsox Win  10/18 Red Sox Win
10/20 Red Sox Reverse The Curse of 1918

Rubberdude,
I know this is the wrong forum. Do you think Steinbrenner will start to dismantle the Yankees?  Big $$ and Big EGO’s let him down.
 
Mark

Most interesting to watch from a process improvement perspective will be George (Their Daddy Now) Steinbrenner’s reaction.  Will he turn to the numbers and teamwork like young Cleo to rebuild and improve or will he just continue to wield a club in one hand and his checkbook in the other…I fully expect the latter, like so many old school, red faced, bloated belly executives…Keep Going Sox!!

The Rocket is going to whip some red bird butt.
The Rocket vs. Pedro will be another classic – a couple of nasty strong men. Too bad that wimpy Mets catcher can’t be there.

Rocket vs. Suppan…… This has the potential to be a classic.  I can see it now…… Both hanging on in the 7th to a no hitter….. no outs….  Beltran steps up and pops one just inside the foul line at the right field wall for a double……Sets up a run by Beltran on a sacrafice fly…. Then the Cards pull a 4-3-1 double play.  Clemons goes on for a no hitter……
Houston to the WS…. score….. 1-0

Oops….. Lack of Folgers and Mt Dew this morning……
6-4-1…..
But wouldn’t you like to see a 4-3-1 double?  I suppose the infield could be playing deep, one hop to second, trhows to first who is on the baseline, first tags runner on the way to second, pitcher covers first for the second out…… hmmmmm…  that WOULD be interesting… LOL
RubberDude – Certified Grand Master Holiday Inn Express Black Belt

Either way, I’m looking forward to and exciting game!
I’ll be there tonight.
GO CARDS!!!

Curse set aside…what process did the team follow to get here?  What do you think are some of the tools used within the process?  Wins aside…in order to verify that the process was performing as it should, what did they measure, and what was their measurement system?  Am I looking into this too much? 
Or, perhaps they designed a cross-functional process map to lift the curse?

X-Functional Process Map-Absolutely.  All 40 inputs were evalutated at the end of last season based on the last years performance.  Some high RPN’s were addressed and an addition of big game power pitcher, Schiiling.  Mid season high RPN Nomar was elimintated.  Using the model of on base percentage as a vital X, David Ortiz was kept in the game rather than being pinch ran for producing game winning RBI in 3 different games.  Other vital X’s are head and facial hair length.
The only problem is how do you address a groundballs that are perfectly centered between the leg spec limits (Buckner)!!!
 

6S could be applied to the management of sporting operations but not sure about the games themselves.  Athletes make millions on their capabilities and data that they produce but pretty much all of the such recorded data is very discrete.  Example, a ball in fair play can be recorded as a hit but is it because the defender had no shot of completing the out or was it because of a slow footed defender.  Not all inputs (defenders) operate at the same process parameters although they play the same position.  There are many statisticians who have devoted their lives to studying box scores and some are even being employed by organizations, Paul DePodesta for the LA Dodgers and Bill James for the Red Sox.  There is even a company that has gotten so close to simulate outcomes of games based on stats that it was sold for millions, STATS, Inc.  The book Moneyball outlines applying a data driven method towards sports.  The Oakland A’s have been able to operate very efficiently at the top of the MLB while having one of baseball’s lowest payrolls.

But, the inputs (any field position) CAN have parameters, think of completing a regression analysis of potential inputs’ performances in the described and other situations (let’s pretend we’re in a baseball vacuum); wouldn’t a coach want inputs which performed consistently within the expected regression lines?  Even though people are organic and different, their performances can be compared and benchmarked.  That would certainly “level the playing field.”
Did I mention that I do stand-up on the side…
And what about looking at a sigma shift for improvements in the process simply by getting the right inputs?  Isn’t that what trades are all about?

Aligning the inputs to a regression model would work fine if the variation of defensive postioning did not depend on the pitching sequence which a defense will move according to anticipated pitch location.  Once you consider the variations of pitch accuracy, hitter timing, and defense positioning those inputs may be considered uncontrolled by process experts. 
So with all things considered there are 2 ways to look at it, pitchers get lucky when hitter get out or hitters get lucky when they get a hit.  With either of those 2 philosophies you cannot have any of baseball’s hallowed superstitions and 220 lb beer goggled slump busters grenades.

and bad for the sox…..go astro’s…the curse will live because sox are proven losers since 1918

Hello folks,
Ok Babe, I’ll bite and ask the question.
What time does the game between the Sox and Astro’s start?  Oh, the Astro’s aren’t in the World Series?
Later,
Billybob

Question 1:  BillyBob is:
A.  Recovering from mass consumption of celebratory ale due to the lifting of “the curse.”
B.  Collecting winnings from his WS bets that will help defer the amount he has bet over the years on the Red Sox.
C.  Stuck in traffic in the grid around Fenway.
D.  Waiting in line to hug Johnny Damon, Derek Lowe, and Terry Francona.
E.  Travelling to either New York or St. Louis to thumb his nose at either Jeter or Pujols.