Quote:
> An interesting counter argument that I've seen questions why the
> Yankees have not been able to buy a pennant winner. Will money
> automatically equal Cup in hockey?
> --
> Trollius Project (614) 292-8492
> Research Computing The Ohio State University
In baseball, player performance can vary considerably from year-to-year. Since
pitching and hitting mechanics, and mentality play a large part in the
performance of a baseball player, a slight change in any of these factors can
mean the difference between an all-star and an average season. The difference
between a long fly ball out and a home run, or a foul ball and a double may
only be 1/8th or 1/4th of an inch on the bat. It is virtually impossible for a
baseball player to conscientiously control where his bat crosses the plate with
that kind of accuracy in the process of swinging. Only if mechanics and
mentality, which can vary significantly from year-to-year, are optimal, can any
kind of consistency appear at the plate. Likewise, for pitching. The point is
in any given year, baseball players known as "above average" in the past
outperform all-star players quite frequently.
North American style hockey is more of a brute force sport, and hence,
performance is less affected by variations in mechanics and mentality. Many
goals are scored because of screen shots, deflected shots, rebounds stuffed in,
a forward beating a defenseman on the outside, a goalie out of position, or
simply a shot towards the general vicinity of the net. In these cases, year-
to-year variation in mechanics and mentality do not influence the outcome to a
great extent. Not many goals are scored where a player neatly picks a corner
of the net. Physical conditioning and energy, which are not as delicate and
unpredictable as mechanics and mentality, are most important to a hockey
player's performance (other than teammates). Therefore, the performance of
hockey players are more consistent and predictable than baseball players.
Money does not necessarily guarantee the Stanley Cup, but you have a very good
idea what kind of performance you are paying for.
Glenn
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"Marriage has many pains, but celibacy has no pleasures."
Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)