Save the Drama for your Mama

Will all you baseball writers shut up already about saves? The save is about the most useless statistic in all of sports, yet all we hear is the about how important it is. The Detroit Free Press baseball writer John Lowe remarked this morning in print about ‘all those National League teams’ who regret not having a closer. No one should regret that.

I mean, come on, did Walter Johnson need a closer? Did Warren Spahn or Cy Young or Bob Feller need a closer? Obviously not; in fact they would almost certainly be insulted at any suggestion. How many teams have won World Series championships without a closer?

Besides all that, look at the rule. If you inherit at least a three run lead and ‘protect’ it, you get a save! Jeez louise, ANY big league, any high minor league, pitcher (any fresh arm, quite frankly, of any decent caliber) ought to be able to get an out before three runs score, the overwhelming majority of the time. I would love to know how many of the vaunted ‘saves’ were ‘earned’ by the Trevor Hoffmans and Mariano Riveras of the baseball world. If it’s going to have any value, amend the rule to where the winning run has to be at least in the on deck circle.

The fact that my own Detroit Tigers have been able to get away, until recently, with Todd Jones as our ‘closer’ should be a clue to how useless and stupid the statistic can be. Give it up, MLB. Drop the save or fix it, and save the embarrassment of overemphasis on such a pointless stat.