Tuesday, December 8, 1998
The University Daily Kansan
Section B·Page 3
Lawrence writer knows baseball
Bill James won fame, admirers and award by bucking the rules
By Mike Miller Special to the Kansan
Like many boys who spent their childhood growing up collecting baseball cards and listening to games on the radio, all Bill James wanted to do was write about baseball for a living.
Thirty-five years, six books and one prestigious award later, James is living out his dream, right here in Lawrence.
"All I ever wanted to do was make a living doing it," James said. While writing for *Baseball Digest* after graduating from the University of Kansas with a degree in English and Economics, James began to explore deep statistical analysis of baseball in his articles.
At least that is what he wanted to do.
His editors nixed the idea repeatedly, and James "grew frustrated by them telling me the audience wasn't ready for innovations." Those innovations — namely organizing and analyzing statistics of baseball players — became the focus of a series of articles, then the focus of a book by James.
His book, "The Historical Baseball Abstract", won James the Casey Award in 1968. The award honors the top book related to baseball every year. Winning the award established James as a nationally recognized baseball authority, a guru of baseball statistics.
James, a tall gangly man with a slightly graying beard and streaks of gray through his black hair, grew up playing little league baseball in Mayetta, but found greater success on the basketball court.
"I was 6'4" in a tiny high school, how could I not play basketball?" he said. Even so, his interest never shifted and his goals remained focused on baseball.
Publishing his award-winning book was a success in itself. After leaving
Baseball Digest in 1974, James worked odd jobs and taught English at Lawrence High School, while sending articles to publishers and gathering and organizing his ideas for the book.
He kept researching and writing for his book until an article in Sports Illustrated appeared during the 1981 baseball strike. That propelled James into the national spotlight and attracted more readers.
The article led James to try to finish his book and get it published. "I didn't understand the complications of writing a book. If I did, I never would've started it; I wouldn't have had the courage." James said.
James quit his job at the factory and began to publish his yearly "Baseball Abstract," soon developing a cult following. In 1977 "Abstract" $ first version sold a mere 75 copies at $4 price.
"In retrospect a lot of it is awful, and some of it seemed really questionable." James said.
James has gained fame not only for his statistical prowess, but also for being daring and opinionated in his writing. He blasts the Baseball Hall of Fame in one of his books, questioning the group's choices and then offering some of his own, always citing statistical formulas as his proof.
Five days a week James walks four blocks to his office on Tennessee Street. He has worked in an office outside of his home since his oldest child Rachel was born. There he compiles research and writes on his own schedule.
This allows James to take long lunches, work late or spend time with his children.
James' wife Susan McCarthy said, "He does a lot with his kids. Little League is just a small part."
He enjoys living in Lawrence because he likes living in a place where there is always something to do.
James thinks that baseball's appeal lies in everything it stands for, beyond just Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.
"It's enjoyed in a huge variety of ways. If you're a poet, you bash in its experience. If you're a kid, there are superstars for you. There's stats for others, and if you're older, you appreciate baseball's history," James said.
Commentary
On a December day which reached 70 degrees and had a full moon at night, I guess anything could have happened.
K-State, UCLA hurt by poor officiating
And it did. Saturday two undefeated teams went down and propelled No. 4 Florida State into the national title game against No.1 Tennessee. The unbeaten UCLA Bruins and the Kansas State Wildcats were knocked out of the national championship picture with the help of terrible officiating.
I can't say I feel too bad for the pussycats. They've been setting the breaks all year.
But this recent trend of bad calls in both college and professional football is becoming even more common.
And in the process, it is costing some teams championships and playoff berths.
- First things first, to all the K-State fans who thought Texas A&M's Sirr Parker was knocked out of bounds before reaching the end zone, you are absolutely correct. He was out of bounds, but what difference would it have made? The Aggies would have had first-and-goal at the one.
UCLA on the other hand was flat-out robbed of the victory by the officials. The UCLA
receiver's knee was clearly down before the ball came out. The refs ruled it a fumble, Miami took control and scored the go-ahead touchdown
with a minute left in the game. Had UCLA won the game, they would have been on their way to the national championship game in Arizona. But when a team plays defense like that, they don't deserve to win. UCLA's defense surrendered nearly 700 yards of offense.
■ New York Jets quarterback Vinny Testaverde's helmet didn't even cross the goal line until he was
already on the ground in their last second victory against the Seattle Seahawks. The officials called it a touchdown, and the Seahawks lost. That call ended the Seahawks' playoff hopes. Instead of having a 7-6 record, now they are 6-7. You may remember the head referee for this game. If you recall, he was the one that made
Tony
Pacheco
the coin flip on Thanksgiving Day so memorable.
- Something must be done soon. With a lot of work and dedication, an instant replay system could be intact before the playoffs. This is the only solution. Why not save these referees from more humiliation and embarrassment? Why won't the league allow the refs to see their own mistakes and fix them when they happen?
"It will be an entire month before we meet again, and I'm quite sure there will be a lot to talk about. Be certain of one thing, there will be a controversy as to who is the best college team in the nation."
■ Will the NBA ever get the season underway?
If so, how long would it be before the draft picks could be signed by their respective teams? I imagine quite a while. Does anyone care?
■ Have a safe and happy holiday, and start practicing the phrase, "Gee thanks grandma, how did you know I needed gray knee-high tube socks with yellow and red stripes on the top?"
Texas' Williams named AP Player of Year
Pacheco is an Olathe senior in English.
By Richard Rosenblatt The Associated Press
Mission accomplished, and Williams still gets to play in the Cotton Paul.
NEW YORK — Ricky Williams returned for his final year at Texas with modest goals: Win games and have fun.
Yesterday,
Williams won
The Associated
Press' first College
Player of the Year Award
in balloting by AP
member newspapers,
TV and radio
stations.
Williams: Awarded College Player of the Year award.
"Anytime you are considered the best, it's flattering, and
to be picked the top player in college football by the reporters who watch the games so closely is truly an honor." Williams said.
Williams provided college football fans with an extra-special season. While running for 2,214 yards and 28 touchdowns, Williams became major college football's career rushing leader and carried his team to an 8-3 record and a Cotton Bowl matchup against Mississippi State on Jan. 1.
"If I was to tell someone before the season that we were going to win eight games, they would have told me I was crazy," Williams said. "For us to come together as a team and surprise so many people with how we played was extra special."
Williams received 76 of the 143 votes in the AP balloting, easily outdistancing Kansas State quarterback Michael Bishop, who had 17 votes. Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch was third with 15 votes.
Watching Williams play turned into a lot of fun for everyone except
On Saturday, Williams will be the overwhelming favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, given each year to college football's most outstanding plaver.
AP Player of the Year Voting
The Associated Press
Ricky Williams, Texas 76
Michael Bishop, Kansas State 17
Tim Couch, Kentucky 15
Cade McNown, UCLA ≥ 6
Torry Holt, North Carolina State ≥ 5
Joe Germaine, Ohio State ≥ 4
Daunte Culpepper, Central Florida ≥ 3
Rod Dayne, Wisconsin ≥ 3
Troy Edwards, Louisiana Tech ≥ 3
Peter Warrick, Florida State ≥ 3
Shaun King, Tulane ≥ 2
Akil Smith, Oregon ≥ 2
Champ Bailey, Georgia ≥ 1
David Boston, Ohio State ≥ 1
Ortega Jenkins, Arizona ≥ 2
Donovan McNabb, Syracuse ≥ 1
the Longhorns' opponents, Just ask Texas A&M.
When Williams ripped off a 60-yard touchdown run against the Aggies on Nov. 27, he broke Tony Dorsett's career rushing record and started the Longhorns on their way to a 26-24 upset. He finished the game with 259 yards, giving him a career total of 6,279 yards to
Dorsett's 6,082 from 1973-76.
The record-setting run was typical. Needing 11 yards to pass Dorsett's 22-year-old mark, Williams shed a tackler near the line of scrimmage, ran nearly 60 yards and then carried an Aggies defensive back into the end zone.
"That's a run I'll remember for the rest of my life," Texas coach Mack Brown said.
Williams owns 15 other NCAA records, including most career touchdowns (75), points (452) and all-purpose yards (7,206). He also averaged a record 6.22 yards per carry.
Couch, who owns his share of records, recently said Williams was the best plaver in the country.
Records don't matter much to Williams. Helping his team turn into a winner again under a new coach was another reason he returned to Austin instead of bolting to the NFL.
"I think the thing that excites me the most about winning an award like this is the fact that people are giving me credit for having an impact on my team," Williams said.
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