Wow, I can't believe what happened to this thread in the couple of hours I took to eat supper and whatnot. I am utterly shocked at some of the things I've read. I've been playing the game since I was 3. 29 years later, I still play ball whenever I get a chance, I coach, and I volunteer my services with friends and relatives of mine that are also either coaching or playing. I also most definitely consider myself to be a "stat geek". Why? It gives me an advantage. I know all of the ins and outs of the game based on my observations. I know that stats do not tell 100% of the story. However, I will rely on statistics more than my experience when it comes to every single important decision that needs to be made in a game. One of the teams I've been coaching has lost exaclty 1 game in the past 2 seasons (37-1). When I started, I had a lot of parents questioning my techniques because I abandoned things like the sac bunt, I moved the really fast kid down in the lineup because he wasn't good at getting on base, etc. Just because something's always been done a certain way doesn't make it right.