 Bill James essentially the godfather of Saber metrics who works as an advisor for the red sox pretty much said that all players are replaceable All players are replaceable now. What did he compare them to? Let's see. I don't compare them to something ridiculous The players are important to the game as beer vendors and that the game would go on with whoever replaces them beer Yeah, yep. Yeah crazy. We want to save the players all retired tomorrow We would replace them of course you would the game would go on in three years would make no difference whatsoever The players are not the game any more than the beer vendors are how insult it's insulting But to play devil's advocate for a second did we not spend most of the summer talking about how it doesn't seem like The stars really drive attendance or ratings and that Mike Trout is playing tremendous baseball and yet a lot of the Baseball community doesn't even get a chance to see him play And is he trying to angle the fact that that's just how they believe in analytics. He's not trying to Collude against paying the players they just don't believe in it in a series of tweets former player Michael Young was really respected around the game seven-time all-star called James comments Nonsensical and challenged him to ask coaches and staff if players are easily replaceable They'll tell you the game is entirely about the players the players and fans then connect and bond that isn't something That gets tossed aside it matters Don't forget that baseball is special because it's passed down through generations and young fans are told stories of Babe Ruth Jackie Robinson Roberta Clemente and Mike Trout because let maybe I'm taking a leap here build James essentially saying that if all the players went on strike and The owners locked them out and brought in the players that the replacement players that they did that the game would just be as as popular Nonsense, I mean you have to wonder Bill James is still all there to say that and if you're doing the analytics to win Said you what you're basically saying is why would I even bother going to a game if a team doesn't have a chance to win right? I thought the whole idea was to go and watch the game of baseball because you just are in awe that these talented players can Go out there and do what we can't do if they're all replaceable Then shouldn't the Red Sox in 2019 put Bill James on the ticket instead of Mookie Betts and JD Martinez Shouldn't they be shouldn't when they when they raise the banner should there be faces of all the analytic guys amazing How do you just completely remove the players and every sport is driven by the players and how they play it so you tell me Yankee fans only get excited About it's because it's the game of baseball and the chance to win and not get thrilled to see Aaron judge hit a home run I think Peter was there that day How did the fans react when Aaron judge took the field after being on the DL for two months It was like coming home and oh my gosh. It was it was electric It was electric and all the guy did was going to play defense for an inning Don't tell me players are replaceable and your vendors. I also don't want to take shots at beer vendors, but If it was coming from a place that we need to promote our stars more That's why I brought up about the Mike trout situation be different But he's completely trying to devalue them because he's trying to show you that the analytics are really driving the game And I'm not gonna pay any of these players But again, not to sound corny, but at 530 we're gonna have Brian Boyle on that story is a human story Right of a guy that fought cancer and scored three goals Not a bunch of guys in an office telling you that they put him in the right position to do that I mean you're taking every reason we watch sports. So what Bill James? I guess is saying is the only reason we watch is To watch our team have a chance to win a championship, right? Like there's no entertainment in it It's just about the teams winning and winning a championship not going to a baseball game in your shirt sleeves It 80 degree weather and watch human beings do something that 99.9% of the population can't do