Atlanta Braves TV play by play man Chip Caray is one of the foremost examples of a person having a reputation based solely on his name as opposed to his actual ability. During Wednesday's Braves-Royals broadcast (which was simulcast on MLB Network), Fox Sports South reporter Tom Hart broke down Baseball Prospectus's updated playoff odds, which have the Braves with a 71% chance to make the playoffs as of yesterday, thanks to Atlanta's ten game winning streak.
Of course, that didn't stop both Hart and Caray from taking jabs at the statistically-based crowd. Hart apparently assumes these probabilities are pulled out of thin air instead of the result of simulations, saying "even though we've seen it with our eyes, now the guys with the computers and the numbers are catching up". Yes, because no one except for Braves fans knows that the team is 12-2 and playing lights out baseball right now.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=De8OBp_l-eA
But then, Caray responded with the proverbial "yo mama" of statistical jokes: asking Hart when he was moving out of his mom's basement. Really? A mom's basement joke? What is this, 2003? Haven't we moved beyond "mom's basement" jokes as something viable for anyone with a functioning intellect? I'm sure next, Caray is going to ask broadcast partner Joe Simpson if his refrigerator is running.
It's always disheartening to see broadcasters mock progressive thinking when it comes to baseball, and even moreso when they do it in such a pathetically outdated way.
[h/t to Sporer for the video]
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About Joe Lucia
I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.