Is anything more overrated than "the cycle"? - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

bobatundi · 11-23-2006, 01:01 AM

Sorry to start a new thread for this...but it just pisses me off. Reading an article about Gary Matthews Jr, it mentions his .371 OBP and "the cycle" in the same sentence. Getting on base at a nearly 40% clip is impressive; hitting the statistical anomaly known as "the cycle" is just stupid. Wouldn't you rather a guy hit 3 HR and a single? 2 Hr and 2 2B? But those kinds of stat lines don't make headlines like "the cycle." And this is why baseball is retarded, and I'm a member of a Dallas Mavericks fan board, not a baseball fan board.

Of course, the cycle isn't as stupid as a stat a few years ago when Mark "the juice" McGwire had ten straight hits be HRs. Wow, that's awesome. Of course, during that time, he went something like 10/90. Think his team might have appreciated the token single or twenty in between all those HRs? McGwire was almost as big a jackass as his manager Tony LaRussa....

And thus ends my rant about the stupidity of baseball. For now. Go Mavs.

nashtymavsfan13 · 11-23-2006, 01:04 AM

Baseball is not stupid, but yes the cycle is overrated, but not the mosts overrated thing in sports.

Murphy3 · 11-23-2006, 04:06 PM

There are alot of things that are 'overrated' in sports. The slam is 'overrated'. It's almost always just two points, but it's glorified to no end by ESPN. Strikeouts are often overrated both for the hitter and the pitcher. OBP is underrated. Batting Average is an overrated statistic. GIDP's is an underrated statistic. Pt to TO ratio is an underrated stat.

MavsGirl4142 · 11-26-2006, 01:54 AM

Yes, the cycle is overrated, but as Murphy said there's alot of things overrated in all sports. And this is the "Other Sports" forum and not the "Dallas Mavericks" fan forum.

Baseball is not stupid.

bobatundi · 11-26-2006, 02:00 AM

so i'll admit, the initial post was a drunken rant...but i'm sticking to my guns here. baseball is stupid.

bobatundi · 11-26-2006, 02:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murphy3

There are alot of things that are 'overrated' in sports. The slam is 'overrated'. It's almost always just two points, but it's glorified to no end by ESPN. Strikeouts are often overrated both for the hitter and the pitcher. OBP is underrated. Batting Average is an overrated statistic. GIDP's is an underrated statistic. Pt to TO ratio is an underrated stat.

I'm not so sure strikeouts are overrated for pitchers. Keeping the ball from getting into play is a pretty big deal. As for hitters, Ks aren't that big a deal as long as the OBP is good (and yes, OBP matters WAY more than Batting Average, which nobody seems to get), and GIDP is a horrible thing to do and should somehow diminish your OBP more than it does because you've created not just one out but two.

MavsGirl4142 · 11-26-2006, 02:07 AM

The league is a joke, much like the NBA, but I love baseball. The league is stupid but I don't think the sport itself is. But I understand. Different people like different things. (For example, I absolutely despise football and anything having to do with it.)

chumdawg · 11-26-2006, 02:15 AM

Bob, the reason the cycle is so revered is that it shows versatility from a player. Say a guy has a HR, a double, and single, and he steps up to bat. Obviously, the HR is more advantageous than the triple, and a more valuable feat than the cycle. I understand that.

But that doesn't necessarily indicate that something *extraordinary* has happened. I'd venture to bet that there are more 2 HR, double, single games than there are cycles. Guys hit mullitple HR's in a game all the time. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that there are more two-HR games than there are games where a guy hit a HR and a triple.

That's what makes the cycle special. It's so rare, because it's harder to hit a triple than it is to hit a HR. Take a pause to wrap your mind around that if you like, but I'm pretty sure it's true.

And what's rarer all the more is that a guy who can hit a triple can also hit a HR...in the same game.

The triple combined with the home run is the key to the cycle. Sure, two HR's does the team more good. But it's not as noteworthy.

Now, you could rightfully point to a situation where a guy had a triple and a HR and a double, and in his next at-bat he hit another double (or better). Sure, that's more advantageous. But if you want to value those things more highly, then start another category, like total bases (by the way, you will be hard-pressed to beat the likes of Hard Hittin' Mark Witten, who notched four HR's in one game).

The cycle is valued because it is an anomaly, and because it does show tremendous depth from the guy who got it (usually).

For that matter, why care about a triple play? There are a whole hell of a lot of innings that have the bases loaded, or two guys on, that don't result in a run by the time the inning is done. Same result.

Particularly if you are a baseball fan, sometimes you just have to appreciate the history and lore of it all.

Murphy3 · 11-26-2006, 02:02 PM

No one is saying that the cycle is the most valuable thing that an offensive player can do. It's just something that's extremely rare. Is a half court shot in basketball worth more than just your average three pointer? No, it's not. But, is it shown repeatedly on Sports Center? Yes, it is. Why? Because it's difficult and rare compared to your average three pointer.

Murphy3 · 11-26-2006, 02:03 PM

And no..baseball is not stupid. Only stupid people think that baseball is stupid.