Stats, Sports and Bench Racing

I just can't get into the ball and stick sports...basketball, baseball, football, golf, etc. For one thing, I'm not coordinated enough to play any of them at any competitive level. But the biggest thing is that I just can not get into spectating at any of them. People think that I'm nuts that I can sit and watch a Grand Am or ALMS race for hours, but I think they're nuts for sitting and watching 2 hours of basketball or Football.

I think the reason is that I don't really care about player stats. At every stage of my life, I've had a friend or co-worker who can spout off the RBIs or ERAs of 50% of the players in the MLB, or who had a Triple Double in last nights basketball game, who's getting X million dollars over so many years, excluding their endorsement deals, etc. The interesting thing to me is that the people who are most knowledgeable about player statistics are generally the least apt to play a particular sport (this doesn't always hold true, but in most cases, it does).

A similar form of statistical nonsense is played out in the automotive world as well. Now, granted, I've picked up a number of different stats on cars, but I've also learned that the stats don't say a darned thing about performance. I'm kind of thinking in terms of my Fiesta Movement application at the moment; I was doubting my efficacy as an advocate for Ford's newest small car because I don't know all the stats on it. I know there's going to be a 1.6L that puts out around 115 HP, there's going to be a standard transmission, and also it sounds like there will be a dual clutch semi-automatic flappy paddle shifter as well. I know that its a relative lightweight in comparison to the BMW MINI, and is probably comparable to the Fit, Versa, Yaris, etc. I don't know fuel economy numbers, I've heard mid-40s, but I think thats one of those things that is best discovered in real life.

The point that I'm trying make is that you can spout off all the statistics you want, but in the end, its your personal experience that tells the true story about something. In regard to my Focus build project, I could have probably bolted on a turbo or supercharger setup for what I'm putting into my engine build, and had 40+ horsepower more than what I'm probably going to end up with. But there is a different level of satisfaction and enjoyment that comes from building a car that does well as an underdog.