Memory

My greatest memory as a fan doesn't consist of one thing but simply a series of memories. They will always be the numerous monstrous homeruns that I saw Barry Bonds hit while I was at the ballpark with my father. But the one that stands out to me the most is one when the Giants were in the playoff hunt in either '01, '02 or '03, but the Giants were down and Barry just hits this towering shot that went very deep into the cove. When he hit it, the entire crowd erupted and everybody was clapping and cheering. Right after he hit the homerun, Danny Glover (who had season tickets for the seats in front of my seats) turned around and I gave him a high five. That will always be one of my favorite memories, as a fan.

Reflection

This knight school was very fun and engaging. As a teacher it was cool to actually know something and provide this information with other people who never knew this stuff. Not only did this contribute to my enjoyment of the class, but the fact that we got out of the classroom and actually played baseball and wiffle ball was also entertaining. Overall I really enjoyed my last knight school and hope that this class continues on next year.

A Look Back

 Baseball knight school definitely broadened my understanding of a game that I have been playing since 1998. The specific look into the stat/moneyball world of baseball truly altered my idea of how teams are built and formulated. This is something I feel I can help incorporate into my game as moneyball will certainly make me look at generic stats such as BA and RBI differently, and give more weight to stats like OBP, OPS, and WHIP. Whiffle ball was a great touch to the class, and the competition added some good chemistry to the class dynamic. Overall, i really enjoyed the people and activities and interactions with random folk on the scavenger hunt. It was fun to experience parts of historic baseball San Francisco, and make our way around the city.

This Knight School was really great for me because I kind of got to "re-discover" the game after having not played it in four years. I had been getting less and less involved in baseball since I stopped playing, but getting to both play and read about baseball again has rekindled my love for it. Having not picked up a bat in such a long time, it was great (and humbling) to hit again at the batting cages and in whiffleball. Going to the Stanford game was really fun since we got to see the action up close and personal and arguably in its "purest" form. This was definitely my favorite knight school class of the 4 i have taken and I am now looking forward to the season even more!

Reflection On Class

I had a tremendous time teaching this class all week long and had an absolutely amazing time. All the cool stuff we did, including the batting cages and the scavenger hunt, really gave me a better understanding of baseball in general. Even though I was a teacher, my knowledge of baseball went up a ton and I had a great time beating Cheese in Wiffle Ball as well. Looking forward to the championship game for Wiffle.

Baseball Reflection

This class was a lot of fun. I liked the mix of off campus and on campus stuff. I liked playing whiffle ball the most. It was really fun playing, but in the end of the game we lost on a walk off single. I was very interested in stats and also keeping book. I never knew you had to pay attention that much to keep score book. It was just a really fun week and it will be one of my favorite knight school classes!

baseball, homeboys

I had a ton of fun this week.  My favorite part was definitely the wiffleball, and the expression on Tim's face when we hit the walk off single in the seventh inning with two outs. I'm sure winning the wiffleball championship will also feel great.  I really enjoyed the batting cages too, and watching the 2004 CCS game was definitely a highlight.  This has easily been the best knight school week. 

Best Pitcher

If were being honest here, Adam Wainwright deserved to win the Cy Young. While Lincecum had a tremendous WHIP and number of complete games, Wainwright was sensational all year long playing in what many would consider to be a hitters park and a very strong division. One of the worst teams in the NL Central was the Cubs last year and they were still loaded with talent and were tough to face every time. His 2.64 ERA was extremely good and a WHIP of 1.22 isnt bad either. Striking out 7 men per 9 inning was also great and I feel Wainwright deserved the Cy Young.

Reflection

This was the best knight school ever. We got to learn about the sport I love, play it and watch the great players of it play. I already loved baseball so this was an opertunity to be with people who share my love for the sport. I also like all of the out of school stuff we did to show people another side of the game of baseball. I think this was a big success.

Baseball

In this class, I learned a whole lot about baseball even though I am constantly playing baseball and watching. I learned how much statistics really play into finding a player and how much work is taken into fielding a good baseball team. Meeting with the CIO of the Giants really made me wonder how baseball at a larger level is not just a game, its a business.

reflection on baseball

I liked hearing about the business side of baseball, especially as it was describes by the Giants' exec. yesterday.  Everyone knows it's a multi-billion dollar business, but hearing about the specific revenue/expenditure totals was very interesting.  I especially enjoyed hearing about what it looks like when the team travels, how they go through security at the park and then roll right up to the plane, how they go into hotels through the back, how they stay under alias names, how there is food everywhere, constantly.  I also loved seeing the inner workings of ATT.  I suspect that the Giants' locker room is WAY nicer than the visitors' locker room.  I guess what came across most clearly to me is that even though baseball is a game, and something fans live for, it's still a business with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake.  Thank you, Mr. Joss, for such a complete look at how baseball operates.

Reflection

This week could not have been more fun for a school week. Probably the best i have ever had. The wiffleball was filled with intensity and commitment, along with lots of laughter and yelling. The scavenger hunt was also a rush. Feelings of excitement and being worried about missing busses and having to take taxis kept the day spontanious. The focus and commitment by the students is what kept this experience together. Knight now for me has extremely high expectations and i feel lucky to have had the chance to take this class. Thanks guys, it could not have been better. 

Baseball Reflection

This whole baseball Knight School experience so far has been great. I have really enjoyed being able to throw and catch with a baseball and even go to the batting cages, especially because I had to give up baseball after 5th grade for my main sport, lacrosse. This course was very fun for me, and after talking with many of my friends, it seems like it was better than all of their courses.

Reflecting on Knight School

I thought this was a very fun, interesting and informative class to take.  In fact, it was much more informative than I was expecting.  Our scavenger hunt and Giants tour in the city allowed me to learn a lot more about the impact of baseball as a whole outside of just the playing field.  It has become a part of our culture more so than I ever before realized. I think this course had a good mix of the "fun stuff"and the educational stuff, although I had fun with both.  I am glad to say I have a gained a new perspective on baseball and that I respect the sport more than ever, but most importantly I discovered the importance of sports and how they influence our society in every day life.

Reflection

Through this I class, I have rediscovered how much I enjoy playing baseball.  For the past three years, I have barely played, and this week was a great way to pick it up again.  It was interesting to look at baseball in a different way, by taking stats.  While I had read Moneyball awhile ago, I learned even more the second time reading it.  Knight School is a chance to learn something new and exciting, and this class exceeded my expectations in this area, for I both learned a ton and had fun everyday.  Whether playing whiffle ball in the quad, scavenger hunting through the city, or sitting in the Visitor's Dugout at AT&T Park, I had a blast.  

Baseball Reflection

I had a lot of fun in this Knight School class. The scavenger hunt in the city was really interesting and I really enjoyed touring AT&T park. I thought going on the field and inside the visitors dugout and clubhouse was really cool and we were privileged to see it. I also found it interesting to see how much baseball history was in San Francisco had, because I had no idea. Talking to the head of technology for the Giants was also really interesting and it was cool to see how innovative they were. I also found it very interesting to learn how to score in more detail. I kind of knew how to do it already, but it was cool to learn in more detail. Reading Moneyball was also really interesting, I've always wanted to read it, but probably never would have without this class. I learned a lot about baseball from it. Overall, this class was very interesting and I really enjoyed it. 

reflection

This was an awesome Knight School. We were able to go outside and have fun with baseball, which is pretty cool. I learned much more about the game; how to keep score, how to watch the game, and how to just enjoy the game. This knight school has been the best one during my time at Menlo

Baseball Reflection

This week has been super solid. After preparing for this course, I was excited to spend a week playing, learning about, and teaching baseball. My favorite part was definitely the activities we dd that involved playing baseball. Throwing each morning and playing whiffle ball brought back recent memories of playing baseball with my friends. The scavenger hunt was awesome because aside from finding many baseball sites in the city, we had to negotiate public transit in the city. The meeting with Bill Schlough shed some light on how a professional sports franchise is run. We learned about the technology that teams use to gain the competitive edge, and we also learned about the management of the team. I cannot imagine a better way to spend the Knight School week.

Reflection on Baseball

 I came into the course expecting to learn just a bit about baseball. I certainly came in with some pretty strong knowledge, so I didn't think there was too much to learn. My expectations were definitely exceeded, as there were new statistics that I learned about. Reading Moneyball was very interesting because I learned about new strategies to scout players. The thing that I got the most out of was listening to Bill Schlough talk to us about the business strategies of the Giants and technology. I was shocked to see the new technology "Field FX" and how that will have a huge effect on the future of scouting for the Giants and the major leagues. On top of that I am excited to use the replay technology at AT&T Park. Overall, I got a lot out of baseball knight school because I learned a lot and enjoyed myself quite a bit. If I got the chance to take the class again I definitely would. 

Best Pitcher

In my opinion, the most important stat relating to pitching dominance is WHIP. The lower the WHIP, the more the pitcher has completely shut down his opponents. And while Tim Lincecum is not first in WHIP, he trails by such a small amount that I find the difference completely negligable. What puts him over the top for me is that he pitched 30 more innings than the other WHIP leaders, meaning he kept up his dominance for a longer period of time and proved to be more durable. This durability is also shown with his four complete games, which is quite a feat now days. Lastly, I believe that as a Giants fan Lincecum has overcome some of the worst offensive production on his side that baseball has ever seen. Lincecum gets comically little run support, whereas Carpenter enjoys several prominent bats behind him.