Poetry
Black Swan A point you were, the smallest thing, so long a grain of sand. Anonymous, not yet a queen to rise and save the land. Those days long gone, a specter of what came to pass and why, so innocent, the youthful love that led your heart awry. So many suitors fought for you, that number, growing still, yet on you went, in cold pursuit, a purpose to fulfill. At last you wrought it, sweet escape! from nightmares of your past, the ruin of a soul too late to heed your frightful wrath. The girl with eyes to catch the light, reflecting back the dawn, a harmless creature left my sight, returning a black swan.
Riven Why did you stay, you should have gone when things turned upside down. A fool to make, you stumbled on, too sacred for the ground. Alas, the years have not been kind, your show put to a song, between the tears, a passing sign your choice to stay was wrong. Had fate given you bravery, instead of deathly fear, a ribbon riven gracefully with words to heed and hear, perhaps the ones you love would stay regretably behind, nowhere to run, nothing to say but holding onto pride. Of course, you chose to stay alive, trade dignity for breathe, alone to close a selfish life, at long last, you will rest.
Reflection #2 She sings to me, where no one hears, a serenade discrete, the dancing girl my heart holds dear, though never do I see. Her leavings strewn about and round my life, long in her wake, the vestiges in light abound as shadows in refrain. I await the sign each passing day, her loathing has all gone, to memory, may her troubles fade as night ere coming dawn.
Reflection #3 The two of us, a tired pair, misfortune and misdeeds to bear, resigned to fight, the cause forgot, no compromise or compact sought. A choice you give to save but one between us two, or else save none, might empathy in darkness find an ending of a lighter kind? Should anger for compassion speak and choose the punishment you seek, may brighter days in darkness shine to recompense my poor design. If ever should we meet again before we reach that bitter end, consider once this weary mind and twice the trials of its time.
Reflection #4 The cackle cometh, sure as sun, to seal my woeful fate, a parting song, your battle won, reflection left too late. Ill-fated from the day we met, our stars all out of line, betrayed to wander, sleepless lest our dreams all wilt and die. If I must go so you may stay, a shadow from your shine, alight the new world you have made and lose my name to time.
The Fall I scratch and claw, the maw below in frenzy for the fall, their gnashing teeth beneath my toes, my flesh to gore and maul. Each day arises, flying past, too swift to stop or slow, distraught, I walk the broken path, my reckoning for show. So take me back, my slackened eyes to days before this wreck, a carefree year, no fear to mind nor fate to concede yet. Should she still save a way for me to blunder on alone, may mercy leave her grievance be and skin upon my bones.
Forever Lost I only saw you, nothing else, no past or future to aggrieve, afraid to show, resolved to tell what feelings rose inside of me. Your heart was taken, I now know, so blue was I to fall behind not second, third or even close, unable to unmake your mind. I had not met a girl like you and to this day, affirm that claim, your eyes, your mouth, the way they move too lovely to be here explained. Could we go back and meet again, before our lives had run this course, perhaps we could have remained friends, a lifetime now, forever lost.
King I do recall the day you won, that head at last held high, a showman for the raging mobs, your name known far and wide. A tough outside, you sadly shared your nature with so few, a contrast that would wake the world as truth came washing through. One battle won, another rose to test the weight you bear: the welfare of this boyish fool and girls for whom you care. If all cannot be happy once this conflict sets us free, please end up with the one you love, a Queen fit for a King.
My Mask My mask was made with best intents, to mend a scar I could not see, in time, reduced to such a form it stole what heart was left in me. Should I disdain, be lost or dead before this blight may be removed, remember me in days gone by, my countenance once more anew.
To Those Who Knew Me To those who knew me long ago, before the world drew one last breath, I sicken at the endless show and writhe at the foregone contest. Despite this shame, I still partake, a lure and line, the only needs, some twist of truth, a weakness raised, each time beseeching me to speak. Could I atone for each past ruse, reclaim some pride I left for naught, no friend would suffer the excuse nor foe the battle that they sought. Was it within me, all this time, to be drawn forth and set ablaze, I hope you know, it would so shine to clear my name and end my days.
On Stage A speaker on a lonely stage looks nervously about, the spotlight such a foreign place to weigh his deepest doubts. An imbecile to most, his face seems withered under light, unflattering, his bloated form betrays his slow demise. As soon as words escape his mouth, retorts come pouring on, he pushes forth, the sound comes out but spirit is soon gone. His plans in ruin, he panics while he looks for ways off stage, surrounded by their pulsing cries, his platform seems a cage. Alone to cower in his fear, afraid of all the world, he prays that he might disappear, his life not seen or heard.
An Old Friend Which way to go, I ask of you, your pathway at a split, to help a friend, so long unseen or save the life you wrecked. Perhaps the choice is simple now with everything in line, it was not always quite so clean, so oft you changed your mind. What luck that I agree with you! the girl deserves to shine, so long deprived the decency of boys with proper spines. For me the consolation prize, dismemberment and such, perhaps you should be here instead or cede this was your fault.
Powerless So powerless the pen does feel, more so with every passage writ, I fall asleep and soon awake, my life untouched, no fires lit. What can I do but scribble on, each desperate stroke a shallow cut, not deep enough to open wounds or free me from this sinking rut. Please hear me now, if not before, I want to live, and nothing else, no quality to then enjoy, a prison where my lungs still swell. If such a thing cannot affect a change within your steely hearts, remember that I laid down flat to prostrate in these simple arts.
Words and Blows There comes a time in every life, much less a third or fourth, where words may challenge bulk and brawn for brevity and worth. My tone has somewhat atrophied, dependent as I am on pens and keys, they speak for me, my voice too soft again. Such words can only turn so long the tides of violent angst that wrack the ceilings, floors and walls of every zealous place. This conflict comes for all of us, proclivities aside, no word will stop a hammer blow nor change a made up mind.
Good Remains What clarity to claim you knew before I knew myself, the depths a mind grows lost within when light does not prevail. Yet good lives on inside of me, so desperate to be seen, somewhere behind these weary eyes in faded memories; A peace must rise amidst our hate, this ire we indulge, our paths unwinding back unto the innocence of old. Could you believe in honest parts of me, some good remains, I would retain the best of you against all coming pain.
For Better Ends The days grow dark, for to enact this drama in my life, embattled long, they will not pass these troubles I survive What highs we yearn for, so to show our worthiness inside, dismissed to waste away below an ever darker sky. So find me light, as brighter days once found these tired eyes, recount to all, my harmless ways and good for which I strived. Not everything in life is planned, nor taken from design, for better ends, our lives demand we never cease to try.
Places Too Dark to be Seen Too smart to be brave or polite to behave in natural or devious ways. Your laces too tight, the black and the white are growing in distance each day. Befriending a clock, your fantasies knock on a door still want for a key, To get in, or get out by a derelict route, in places too dark to be seen.
Wales Endless miles of greening country mirror heavens bathed starlit ebbing time from lives that putter round like rain, where nobody listens; your voice lights the lonely highway.
Venus and Mars Venus, Mars, of near and far, born from one amongst the stars, lending notes to make diverse serenades in solace cursed.
Man and Beast True is false, and likewise back, that thought good lays evil track, fruitful is as loins decry, here where man and beast collide.
Sketches
Melodies
Baseball Statistics
Hitting
RADz:
This is a reimagining of OBP and SLG. At its base are Base Attempts, which are modified from Plate Appearances to eliminate instances where batters were not making swing decisions. ROS (Rate of Success) refers to the rate at which a player successfully reaches base over total viable attempts. Then, DOS (Degree of Success) refers to the average amount of bases collected for every time a player was successful. ROS and DOS are then converted to Z-scores and added together to give one, holistic measure, here called RADz (Rate and Degree Z-score).
Base Attempts = Plate Appearances - HBP - SH - IBB
Rate of Success (ROS) = (Hits + Walks) / Base Attempts
Degree of Success (DOS) = ((1B * 1) + (2B * 2) + (3B * 3) + (HR * 4) + (BB * 1)) / (Hits + BB)
Rate of Success Z-score (ROSz) = (ROS - Average ROS) / Standard Deviation
Degree of Success Z-score (DOSz) = (DOS - Average DOS) / Standard Deviation
Rate and Degree Z-scores (RADz) = ROSz + DOSz
BOOP:
This is a metric that took awhile, but I feel offers something unique. The following numbers were taken from the "Plate Discipline (SIS)" section of Fangraphs.
O-Swing%
Z-Swing%
O-Contact%
Z-Contact%
Contact%
Zone%
HardHit%
You will then need the inverses of those numbers:
O-Take%
Z-Take%
O-Miss%
Z-Miss%
NonContact%
OutOfZone%
NotHardHit%
Now we need to state which outcomes we are looking for. I need 8 of them:
Ball-Take
Ball-Swing-Miss
Ball-Swing-Contact-Hard Contact
Ball-Swing-Contact-Not Hard Contact
Strike-Take
Strike-Swing-Miss
Strike-Swing-Contact-Hard Contact
Strike-Swing-Contact-Not Hard Contact
Finally, we need to find the formulas that give us those outcomes:
Ball-Take = OutOfZone% * O-Take%
Ball-Swing-Miss = OutOfZone% * O-Swing% * O-Miss%
Ball-Swing-Contact-Hard Contact = OutOfZone% * O-Swing% * O-Contact% * HardHit%
Ball-Swing-Contact-Not Hard Contact = OutOfZone% * O-Swing% * O-Contact% * NotHardHit%
Strike-Take = Zone% * Z-Take%
Strike-Swing-Miss = Zone% * Z-Swing% * Z-Miss%
Strike-Swing-Contact-Hard Contact = Zone% * Z-Swing% * Z-Contact% * HardHit%
Strike-Swing-Contact-Not Hard Contact = Zone% * Z-Swing% * Z-Contact% * NotHardHit%
There are 3 optimal outcomes for the batter and five for the defense:
Batter: BT, BSCH, SSCH
Defense: BSM, BSCN, ST, SSM, SSCN