Justin Ketterman edited 2.tex  about 9 years ago

Commit id: cc00309b6857cc8c581c5cfdcab355d23416af28

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\paragraph{Beyond the Field}  As I stepped out of the car, the intense 100˚F heat and high humidity washed over me. On June 4th, 2011, the Cardinals were scheduled to play against the Cubs at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. It was the first baseball game I had ever been to and although I was never much of a sports fan, I couldn’t wait to watch the game. As I walked into the giant brick stadium, I marveled at all of the World Series pennants that hung on the wall. Thousands of people poured in as we pushed our way through the crowd. The freshly manicured field, gorgeous downtown St. Louis skyline, and a setting sun met our eyes as we took our seats.   \par  It was a very fun and exciting game to watch; the Cardinals would go on to win 5-4. What I I\cite{WinNT}  didn't realize while I sat and watched the game was how much math was being calculated as this game unfolded. A staggering amount of data was being recorded each minute of the game. Even I was among the data recorded; a single attendee that was a part of 43,195 people that attended that evening.1 And it wasn’t just that game, but every game that had been occurring up this point over the last 100 years. \par  The statistics behind baseball is astonishing. There is a vast amount of data that has been recorded, with entire societies and classes dedicated to researching and learning more about the science behind it. Teams now use much of the analyses to figure out how much value to assign players, where to place them in a lineup, and spot weaknesses in other teams. It got me thinking: If I were to start a team today, what would be the best way to find out whom to put on my team? Statistics would lead the way.