Defining value is up for debate
The word “valuable” is derived from the latin verbs valeo or valere, meaning “be strong, be well, be of value.”
Buster Posey lived up to all three ideals for the Giants this season, proving strong enough to overcome injury, well enough to carry the team to a title and of enough value to win the Most Valuable Player award in the National League.
Over in the other league, the definition of “valuable” was debated between old-school baseball folks and the numbers-oriented analysts they love to hate. In the end, the old firm held, voting Miguel Cabrera and his Triple Crown the MVP, while leaving Mike Trout and his sabermetric supporters to lament.
In the process, the schism between the two camps grew, pushing baseball further down the road of political gridlock.
The diamond has been divided between mathematicians and the traditionalists. It’s red state vs. blue state, with no Tea Party in sight.
Or, if you prefer religious analogies, it’s as if Martin Luther himself had authored the
saber-manifesto, “Moneyball.” The “Ninety-Five Theses” of on-base percentage, if you will.
Whichever way you want to look at it, the split between baseball traditionalists and the sabermetricians who rely on mathematical analysis is just plain silly. Baseball is a game that can be analyzed and scrutinized in any number of ways, much like everything else in the world. Subjective and objective analysis should stand side by side, leaving assertions to be valued on the field.
That’s why they play the games.
As this country recovers from its latest bout of political division, let’s hope the lawmakers in Washington find a way to reach across the aisle and forge a better future for this nation.
It would provide a truly “valuable” example to the baseball world, which needs to put aside its own ideological differences.
Value defined
All this discussion of value had us dusting off the dictionary, seeking definition and direction.
Here’s how Mr. Webster defines the term, along with some newsrelated comments from yours truly: Valuable val·u·a·ble [váll yoo eb’l ] Adj.
1. Worth a great deal of money: Having significant monetary value.
Posey fits the bill for the lead definition. He could make upward of $20 million a year when he signs his first postarbitration contract, but he’s still arbitration eligible for the next four seasons. Of course, the Giants could lock him up
sooner. But as it stands, Posey is a fabulous value, making $615,000 last season. By comparison, departed backup Eli Whiteside made $600,000.
2. Useful: Having great importance or usefulness, “a valuable insight.”
Few had more valuable insight than newly minted Hall of Famer Don Nelson. It was good to see the big guy back in town this week, honored by the Warriors at the Coliseum. Let’s hope he had a chance to talk to Mark Jackson about running a team with no center.
3. Held dear: Cherished or esteemed because of personal qualities.
Buster may have won the MVP this season, but Joe Montana remains the most cherished athlete in Bay Area history, with a nod to Willie Mays in second place. In due time, Posey may supplant both men, but for now it’s Joe Cool and the Say Hey Kid who are clearly held dearly.
4. Rare: Highly prized because of being in short or limited supply.
Who’s more highly prized than Jim Harbaugh? Nobody. The revered coach suffered an irregular heartbeat this week, and you could hear the murmurs throughout Niners Nation. The man is at the heart of everything relevant to the 49ers’ organization. And that heart needs to stay healthy. Get well, Coach.
5. Able to be valued: Capable of being assigned a value.
We assign the fifth definition to Jeremy Affeldt, whose sublime relieving was assigned a clear value this week. The left-hander will pull down $6 million a year for the next three years. And he’s worth every penny. Vitamin V
You can’t have value without a little V. So we end this week’s esoterica at a martini tasting contest in honor of legendary Chronicle columnist Herb Caen. The drinks were a little fancy for my taste — and I’m guessing Caen would have felt the same — but the cause (Project Open Hand) was eminently worthy.
The event was held at Herb’s old watering hole, the former Washington Square Bar & Grill, on Tuesday night. Now it’s called the Bottle Cap, but for one short night, it felt like the good old days of Caen, Ed Moose, Willie Brown and the rest.
Among the crowd was Herb’s son, Christopher Caen, a writer in his own right who’s scribing for the Huffington Post. I asked Chris what the sports angle was on the night, and he immediately recalled a story about the famous softball team Moose ran, with Herb Caen along for the ride.
They were called Les Lapins Sauvages (the Savage Rabbits), and they played all over the world. One time, a Russian diplomat invited them to Moscow to play an exhibition, with a stop in Paris, to boot. The rabbits were willing and able.
Late one night in Russia, after some postgame Vitamin V, Caen and Moose were riding through the countryside, trying to get back to Moscow. Off in the distance, Moose spotted a vodka distillery, working fulltilt.
“See, Herb? We’ll never drink more vodka than these guys can make,” Moose said.
Herb looked at the well-lit factory and deadpanned: “Yeah, but we got ’em working nights.”