Occassional thoughts about orienteering
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| okansas.blogspot.com Occassional thoughts about orienteering |
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Wednesday, November 05, 2003 From an old baseball bookA couple of days ago I wrote something about change and motivation. I guess there is a fine balance -- you don't want to get stagnant, but you also don't want to throw out what worked before. There is something to be said for conventional wisdom. There is something to be said for looking for something new and different; seeking an advantage that your competition hasn't found.I was reminded of these ideas when I was reading a bit of an old book by Bill James (one of my favorite writers). Here are two quotes from James' 1981 Baseball Abstract: ...That balanced strength is always preferable to imbalanced strength, certainly. That there is more strength in personalities and in individual skills -- that these are truer things to rely on -- than in theories and philosophies about the game, probably. That is it dangeous to brush aside the conventional habits and emark boldly on one's own path, because there resides a sure wisdom in the things that Are. That the game of baseball is and will always be unpredictable, because you may study a kaleidoscope forever and you will not become able to guess what the next picture will show. You may know what all the pieces are, but you will never know how they will fit together on the next run of the glass. James is basically arguing for a conservative approach. Don't ignore conventional wisdom. Ignore what has been done before at your own risk. Later in the Abstract, James presents a bit of a different idea: One thing that I write sometimes, and which is ingrained in the Bill James Theory of Success in Anything, is that nothing can stand still, but must move forward or it will inevitably fall back. Maybe the lesson to take from James is to keep trying to find ways to move forward without forgetting the lessons of the past. Not bad advice (if a bit generic). By the way, if you're interested in baseball I can recommend reading Bill James. He has written a lot of stuff that makes for good reading. Reading a Bill James book in entertaining and gives you lots to think about. He's also a Lawrence resident and KU graduate! Check out an article about James "The Professor of Baseball" published in New Yorker magazine this summer. posted by Michael | 8:58 PM 
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