[Malleus Dei]

Originally Posted by Le Grande Orange

Why? Why are all the other factors you just mentioned automatically given lower weight than tailoring the team?

1. Short Answer: Because, even when taken together, all the other factors are pretty darned trivial. Did you ever play the game at any level?

2. Long Answer: Because studies (add gmo's to the list) show that the only really significant statistical difference between home and away teams is in K's and W's, which is most logically explained by batter's box/background familiarity (Occam's Razor). There is also a very slight defensive improvement noted - again, almost certainly due to familiarity. If there was another cause besides tailoring - travel fatigue, home field, etc. - then ITS EFFECTS WOULD SHOW UP CLEARLY IN THE STATS. The home team would perform better than its opponents do and, darn it, it just doesn't do that. You therefore have to explain a .040 W-L difference without resulting to improved/decreased performance in any way. The *only* way that can occur is for the home team to somehow be more effective than the away team is, because both of them have essentially the same stats.

And how can the home team be more effective than the away team with the same stats? How can it get more bang for its essentially identical statistical buck? There's only way: it has to be better tailored to its home field than the away team is.