If you like baseball, you probably want to get in on this before the tickets are gone. If you like the Red Sox, even more so. Tickets are $140 for the two day event ($20 more if you want lunch, which last year was very good) and $65 for students (plus $20 for lunch) and the money goes to the Jimmy Fund. The seminar runs August 16 and 17, 2014 in Boston, MA at the Metcalf Science Center at 590 Commonwealth Avenue. This event will sell out.
Last year was my first time attending and I basically felt like I "leveled up" with respect to my understanding of what's going on in the game.
And I don't just mean stats, which this event has somehow been characterized as. Yes, there were stats, but there was also stuff on coaching decision making, scouting, managing the personalities and clubhouse character of the team, how medical issues and information is dealt with, coaching and player development, the physics and biomechanics, the internet reporting on the game and more.
Probably best of all, while there was stats and there was "regular baseball stuff," it led to a greater understanding of the integration of how numbers are used to make real decisions about real play in ways that I had never experienced before. As such, it was like a real "Wow!" moment for me in how the guys who are actually running and playing the game do what they do. (Frisbetarian explains here this a bit more here.)
Something like 14 teams sent people last year. Tom Tippett (head of analytics for the Red Sox) stayed there the whole time. Speier and Bradford took furious notes. I mean, these guys find the event worthwhile. This is an opportunity for some of you to get in on this before the tickets are gone.
Here's a brief PR bit for the event:
Two GMs including Cherington, Farrell who last year was nothing short of amazing and just unbelievably candid and informative (see thread), former players, analysts, coaches and other guys who work with the clubs, prominent baseball writers and some lunatic who claims to head sports medicine at Tufts--this is the whole enchilada.
Also, some of the guys are accessible after their talks to just chat; Brian Bannister hung around and talked ball with people in the hall way for hours. Last year, Dave Cameron (Fan Graphs) and Ben Lindbergh (Baseball Prospectus) stuck around after the event was officially over to just keep answering questions and chat with the dozens of people who stuck around. They had to shut the lights off to get everyone out of there to finally clean up and pack up.
Last year was my first time attending and I basically felt like I "leveled up" with respect to my understanding of what's going on in the game.
And I don't just mean stats, which this event has somehow been characterized as. Yes, there were stats, but there was also stuff on coaching decision making, scouting, managing the personalities and clubhouse character of the team, how medical issues and information is dealt with, coaching and player development, the physics and biomechanics, the internet reporting on the game and more.
Probably best of all, while there was stats and there was "regular baseball stuff," it led to a greater understanding of the integration of how numbers are used to make real decisions about real play in ways that I had never experienced before. As such, it was like a real "Wow!" moment for me in how the guys who are actually running and playing the game do what they do. (Frisbetarian explains here this a bit more here.)
Something like 14 teams sent people last year. Tom Tippett (head of analytics for the Red Sox) stayed there the whole time. Speier and Bradford took furious notes. I mean, these guys find the event worthwhile. This is an opportunity for some of you to get in on this before the tickets are gone.
Here's a brief PR bit for the event:
Two GMs including Cherington, Farrell who last year was nothing short of amazing and just unbelievably candid and informative (see thread), former players, analysts, coaches and other guys who work with the clubs, prominent baseball writers and some lunatic who claims to head sports medicine at Tufts--this is the whole enchilada.
Also, some of the guys are accessible after their talks to just chat; Brian Bannister hung around and talked ball with people in the hall way for hours. Last year, Dave Cameron (Fan Graphs) and Ben Lindbergh (Baseball Prospectus) stuck around after the event was officially over to just keep answering questions and chat with the dozens of people who stuck around. They had to shut the lights off to get everyone out of there to finally clean up and pack up.
