OPINION

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READER LETTERS

Analytics Failing the Boys in Blue

The Dodgers need to start watching baseball games with their eyes and not through a computer module!

Everyone who follows the Dodgers closely knows Dave Roberts doesn't make many decisions. Andrew Friedman hands him a script with the starting lineup and all the pitchers that are going to be used in that game. The starter is usually scripted for five innings. They rarely allow the starter to face the opposing batters for a third time. This philosophy works well during the regular season but has been proven to fail during the shortened playoff series.

You’d think the Dodgers would have learned their lesson from game 4 of the 2018 World Series when they pulled Rich Hill (91 pitches), who had thrown six shutout innings and was winning 4-0, but they ended up losing the game, OR, when the Dodgers benefited in game 6 of the 2020 World Series when the Rays (another completely analytic team), took out Blake Snell, who was dominating the Dodgers, but was still pulled from the game due to analytics. The Dodgers went on to win the game 2-1 and the World Series.

The fact that Roberts must explain “his decisions” after the game to reporters is laughable! He should just tell the truth and say, “I was following the game script.” But that is why he gets to keep his job year after year, because he protects Friedman and the front office.

Here is what Dave Roberts said after being eliminated in game 4 vs. the Padres:

“There was some thought, but I thought where he, (Anderson), was at with his pitch count (86), who was coming up, I just felt that we had enough arms to get through that,” Roberts answered, in what came across as an empty attempt to justify his questionable decision.

Here is what Tyler Anderson said:

“I could’ve gone five more innings. I would’ve thrown 150 pitches if they would’ve let me. But you never second guess that situation,” a disappointed but“politically correct”Anderson would later tell reporters.

Friedman has only blamed this year’s postseason loss on the Dodgers not hitting in the clutch with runners in scoring position, which is true as they went 5 for 34. However, until he acknowledges that his pitchers in the postseason should be allowed to continue pitching if they are throwing well, then nothing in the future is going to change and the Dodger failures will continue. I mean does it really matter if Tyler Anderson throws 130 pitches in a “win or go home” game?

Pablo Suarez Stevenson Ranch

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ETHICALLY SPEAKING

Enjoyment vs. Discipline

Has anyone else sensed that about six weeks ago someone turned up the speed on the performance treadmill? Is it just me or is there another virus called “exhaustion” running rampant in our fair city?

Recently, I found myself in a conversation where a friend and I were comparing our schedules. We agreed we had innocently put way too many things on our schedules. But as our whining session was winding down, he asked, “So, David, do you enjoy all that you’re doing?”

That question snapped me out of my selfish preoccupation with how much I was doing and forced me to come to grips with a much bigger question: How do I look at the life and tasks I’ve been given?

Here’s the deal. The question led me to recognize that, many years ago, I stopped looking at what my day, week, or month required of me through the lens of likes and dislikes. And the more I thought about it, the more I came to realize that if you and I get up every morning and assign an enjoyment quotient to all that has to be done, we’ve missed the point of adulthood entirely. Children gravitate to what they enjoy and attempt to avoid what they don’t. But adults do what is before them because it is expected of them, and they don’t waste energy fretting about what they dislike, or get too excited about what they enjoy. Let me explain from my point of view, and if I’ve completely missed the boat you’re riding in, I apologize in advance for taking up your time reading this column.

In the hopes of brevity, I’ll break down my fledging theory into three words. First, I have found, and validated, and continue to move according to a direction that governs my life. I know who I am, why I’m on this Earth, and what success looks like in my life. I guess you could say I know the team I’m on, what the playbook contains, and what it means to win. Consequently, I also know what the obstacles look like, what the challenges are, and what the unenjoyable requirements are for me as I keep my life going in the direction I’ve chosen. Simply put, that direction is more important than my enjoyment. Do I enjoy all that I am called and charged to do? Frankly, I don’t ask that anymore. What I do ask is this: Will what I’m going to do today keep me being faithful to the overall direction that dominates my life? Will I be obedient to my calling and useful to my Master today?

Secondly, this kind of thinking requires a mindset of discipline. I’ll be honest. There are things in my life I’m obligated to be and do that are not enjoyable. I don’t naturally like loving my enemies, dealing with criticism, coddling ultra-needy, self-absorbed and intentionally lazy people. But I can honestly say that, most of the time, all I see are ways to do and be what the direction of my life demands. That takes discipline. It takes personal discipline in every area of life, every part of the day. But I’ve found that the ultra-disciplined life is the best life, especially if you’re privileged like I am to do far more for far more people than you ever dreamed was possible.

Lastly, when the direction you’ve chosen for your life, and the discipline you’ve practiced to be successful still can’t protect you from exhaustion, discouragement, and the urge to run for the hills, that’s when you better have good ol’ fashioned, gut-pounding, “run through the wall” determination. That is, the visceral, almost mean-spirited fortitude to keep moving on despite the surrounding circumstances. My Dad used to tell me, when I whined to him, that I just needed to “keep on keeping on.”

In the end, the question, “Do you enjoy all you’re asked to do?” isn’t really the best question to ask ourselves. What we need to ask is this: “Is what I’m giving my life to, my days, my time, my passions, energy, and abilities, really worth it?” You’ll only be able to say “yes” if the direction you’ve chosen has lasting value, is worth the pain of discipline, and can motivate great determination when the going gets really tough.

In the end, no matter what you do, the exhaustion virus will find you. The only question is whether you’ll be able to fight through it time after time. To do so, you’ll need the natural immunity derived from a worthy direction in your life, the knowledge that what you’re doing really matters, makes a difference, and contributes to the welfare of your neighbors. That’s the life that motivates great discipline and the determination to keep going when everything inside you says “just quit.”

But friends, that’s what we need, what our valley needs, what our state needs, and what our nation needs. We need strong men and women who are committed to a life direction that is built on truth, honesty, integrity, compassion and service. Find that life, discipline yourself to succeed in it, and you’ll find that being useful is the greatest enjoyment there is.

Local resident David Hegg is senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church. “Ethically Speaking” appears

Sundays. 