[Jon Spaulding]

On a related topic, for the 4,000th time, anyone know any good courses between LA and San Diego? I'm going to be in town......permanently.

Now that some of the access whores are starting to post here, I have "people" in San Jose as well as San Mateo. Just send a PM to Huckaby and he will "set you up".

[Mike Benham]

...  but the final item on my bucket list ...

What does one do after you complete the bucket list?   Or does someone else decide for you?   

[Ronald Montesano]

one dies, I guess.

[Steve Lang]

  So we're headed for northern mich.. from tx..  aiming at lake mich, turning right, then heading north.. if we stop in the city-state of chicago, who has the best deep dish pizza?

p.s.  wyatt did your left handedness or right brain discover that free access psa moment?

[Phil McDade]

So we're headed for northern mich.. from tx..  aiming at lake mich, turning right, then heading north.. if we stop in the city-state of chicago, who has the best deep dish pizza?

Pat Craig recommends this place; just around the corner from Shoreacres! (not that I have access...)

http://www.silopizza.com/index.html

[Adam Clayman]

I once heard a well seasoned access seeker who described hounding members of private clubs with Christmas, and birthday gifts, until he was invited to their prestigious club. It worked very well, especially since he told his tactics to me while sitting on Ben's porch.

[Bill_McBride]

...  but the final item on my bucket list ...

What does one do after you complete the bucket list?   Or does someone else decide for you?   

If your bucket list is playing the top 100, isn't there an endlessly moving target?

[Jason McNamara]

So we're headed for northern mich.. from tx..  aiming at lake mich, turning right, then heading north.. if we stop in the city-state of chicago, who has the best deep dish pizza?

Steve, I'll put in a vote for Giordano's.  http://www.giordanos.com/
(Though it's been a few years so I will defer to the locals if the quality there hasn't held up.)

Certainly less of a detour, if that's an issue. 

Have a safe trip.

[Steve Lang]

  thanks Jason,  we'll catch up with you upon our return in august..  one time staying in downtown chicago, i asked that same question around the front desk, before you knew it, there were a dozen folks debating the topic..

if we get out of doge on fri night, we'd be ready for dinner sat evening in chi-town..

[Bob Jenkins]

I love Tom D's response regarding the Detroit Free Press and Bill James and it caught my attention in a huge way. Bill was an early proponent of the "Big Bang" theory which meant go for the big inning whenever you could as bunting someone across and sacrificing an out was not good strategy. I will never forget how he set out a very sensible argument about how Ricky Henderson, in stealing over 100 bases one season, actually cost the A's a bunch of runs. He made it seem so sensible and it probably was.

Over several years in the 80's, I never had so much fun as I had waiting for release of the Bill James Baseball Abstract and then pouring over it for several days after getting my hands on it. Bill's story is amazing, from his roots in Kansas City to his present day role with the Red Sox. Getting your hands on some of the old Baseball Abstacts back in the 80's will provide great entertainment.

I often wondered if there was someone following golf who had the interest in numbers, ie. stats, to be able to start writing on the benefits of being the best putter on tour, the most consistent driver, etc. on results on Tour. Bill James did it in such an organized and logical manner that it became mandatory reading for this simple mind.

Bill James, where are you?

Bob J

[Michael Huber]

Oh, yeah -- I forgot that bit. I mean, I forgot that as a potential access-seeker, I have no idea what it feels like to be an access-target.  I once knew a girl in highschool who, when she didn't want to go out on a date with a guy, would say: "Sorry, I'd like to but my arm hurts".  I thought that was genius - such a non sequitor, and such an uncommon excuse; she said it worked all the time. That might work for access-targets too. At the least, it would be kinder than saying: "No, not a chance. Why? Because I don't like you".

I've tried this strategery before and it has not worked so well.  I once tried to get out of a date by saying I hurt my back golfing.  Instead of giving up, she shows up at my apartment (unannounced) with advil, a bunch of those back warmer things, and a get well soon card.     Being an access target is no fun.

[Bill Seitz]

On a related topic, for the 4,000th time, anyone know any good courses between LA and San Diego? I'm going to be in town......permanently.

Speaking as someone who grew up in Pasadena, but spent four undergrad years in Riverside, the only true response to this question is "frontway (I-5)  or backway (I-15)"?

[DMoriarty]

On a related topic, for the 4,000th time, anyone know any good courses between LA and San Diego? I'm going to be in town......permanently.

Speaking as someone who grew up in Pasadena, but spent four undergrad years in Riverside, the only true response to this question is "frontway (I-5)  or backway (I-15)"?

Jon goes both ways.

[Jason McNamara]

I often wondered if there was someone following golf who had the interest in numbers, ie. stats, to be able to start writing on the benefits of being the best putter on tour, the most consistent driver, etc. on results on Tour. Bill James did it in such an organized and logical manner that it became mandatory reading for this simple mind.

If you look at Pelz's books, he did all kinds of stats tracking starting (I think) 35 years ago.  He does write about it in his short game & putting bibles, but obviously he has also chosen to take a more commercial route than James (at least until recently, when James got more recognition).

[Tom_Doak]

Over several years in the 80's, I never had so much fun as I had waiting for release of the Bill James Baseball Abstract and then pouring over it for several days after getting my hands on it. Bill's story is amazing, from his roots in Kansas City to his present day role with the Red Sox. Getting your hands on some of the old Baseball Abstacts back in the 80's will provide great entertainment.

Bob J:

I have mentioned it once or twice before, but the Bill James Baseball Abstract was my inspiration for The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses -- completely irreverent, pointed, and designed to get more people to come around to my point of view. 

Of course, many would argue that James' arguments are based in FACT and mine all a matter of opinion; but those people just don't share Mark Twain's view of "statistics".

[Tom_Doak]

Gib Papazian told me once, [suck up details removed here] "Do you think that all of us never had anyone to help us when we were younger?"

Ben:

Exactly.  Back in the pre-internet days it was much more involved ... I had to write LETTERS to the green chairmen of these famous clubs and then wait for them to respond (or not).  The response rate was so high that it made my mother reconsider her opinion of rich golf club member types.  I still remember nearly all of their names, and am happy that a few of them have lived long enough to decide their invitation was not a wasted day; and they are EXACTLY the reason why I try to help others getting into the golf business.  [Them, and my mom, of course.]

[John Kirk]

(has all of the Bill James Abstracts from the early 80s)

The golf world does not end with top 100 golf courses.  I've recently played three courses we would likely rank in the Doak 3-5 range, and had a blast.  I learned something about architecture, and they were fun to play.  I had just as much fun having access to these lovely clubs, as I would at one of the famous parks.

At some point, golf is golf, and the enjoyment of one's round depends on how well your playing partners understand the dubious nature of the sacrifice bunt, the importance of on-base percentage, and why power pitchers tend to have longer careers.

[BCrosby]

Oh, yeah -- I forgot that bit. I mean, I forgot that as a potential access-seeker, I have no idea what it feels like to be an access-target.  I once knew a girl in highschool who, when she didn't want to go out on a date with a guy, would say: "Sorry, I'd like to but my arm hurts".  I thought that was genius - such a non sequitor, and such an uncommon excuse; she said it worked all the time.

Brilliant. I assume she is now on the way to being the next Canadian Prime Minister? Chancellor of McGill University? Such talents should not go to waste.

In a sort of mirror image of your story, my college roommate pulled off a shockingly successful non-sequitor in a dating context. Flying home for spring break, he found himself sitting next to a gorgeous girl. As they were eating their Chicken Kiev lunch (yes, there was a time when airlines served food on domestic flights), he turned to her and said, "Isn't it nice we have teeth?" She laughed and they ended up going out for a couple of years. 

Bob

[BCrosby]

As for Bill James - the above posts are fascinating. To think that all these years I thought I was the only person who rushed to the bookstores every spring, bought the new Baseball Abstract and dashed back home to devour it in an evening.

It didn't just change the way I thought about about baseball. It changed the way I thought about sports generally.

My attempts to capture the significance of scoring spreads in the TEP Conjecture threads from years ago was inspired by James. I still think there is something to the statistical analysis of scoring spreads as a marker for good golf architecture.

Also interesting is why a sport like golf with so many numbers has not developed its own Bill James.

One reason why there isn't, I think, is that there is no golfing equivalent of trying to measure the trade value of different players. One of the most appealing things about the Baseball Abstracts was the ammo it gave fans and owners in assessing player swaps and in the value of free agents. It gave you an analytic framework to discern the hidden gems. Which was exciting because some of them turned up on Atlanta Braves teams in the 90's.
 

Bob

  

[JMEvensky]

As for Bill James - the above posts are fascinating. To think that all these years I thought I was the only person who rushed to the bookstores every spring, bought the new Baseball Abstract and dashed back home to devour it in an evening.

 

If you ever get to Memphis,I'll introduce you to a group of them(us).We used to argue about/study it like the Talmud.

[PThomas]

like some of you, i used to be a diehard baseball fan, but the strike and the steroids really ruined it for me and i've never felt the same about the game since then...at least they arent voting into the hall guys like McGwire (and Rose, thank God...but talk about getting OT...)

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