General Essays & Background Theory

The First Stathead -- A review and analysis of a 1954 LIFE magazine article my Branch Rickey which anticipates the conclusions of the next 40 years of sabermetrics. My article appeared as the lead story in the March Baseball Prospectus newsletter, and Rob Neyer of ESPN called it "a fantastic piece" in his Chin Muzak column.

I, Stathead -- A philosophical look at why statistics get used so heavily by certain people. (originally posted to the Red Sox mailing list)

Long Live the DH! -- It's fashionable to be a baseball "purist" and hate the DH, nowadays. Well, I'm a knowledgeable and serious fan who thinks its a good idea.

The Sabermetric Manifesto -- An article about understanding the methods and motivations behind the search for objective knowledge about baseball. Written by David Grabiner.

Markov Chain Models -- Mark Pankin explains (in great detail) the mathematical techniques behind his research.

rec.sport.baseball Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) -- Mike Jones maintains this excellent source of answers to commonly-asked questions about baseball.

Statistics Glossary -- Explanations and formulas for some of the most commonly seen statistics and techniques.