i'm a non-sports person who must write knowledgeably and
motivationally for a corporate client, describing as many real ways as
I can that the game of baseball has improved in a half-century ...
1954 to 2004.  (The client has a new medical product that he believes
is a breakthrough, creates a new state-of-the-art ... and he wants to
use baseball as a metaphor.)  Of particular relevance to him would be
any ways that Pitchers and Catchers have improved their TEAMWORK in
the past 50 years ... but I may be dreaming to wish for
Pitcher-Catcher examples.  Anyway ... how (if at all) does baseball
represent a new, more exciting paradigm today vs. 1954.  I can't leave
question up forever ... if I can't get a very prompt, satisfactory
result, I'll have to cancel the question.   yours from a non-sports
head -- mike

MikeG --

First: thanks for accepting this as an answer.  If the project's been
postponed, you'll have time to prepare.  (Personally, I'd start with
Nathan's book of humorous baseball quotes to get you in the mood.) 
I've made yet another addition at the bottom -- though this is largely
a reprise of previous writings.

You know too, that the comment from Pinkfreud was worth $50 all by itself!!

I AM a big baseball fan and the biggest single change in baseball has
come in the past 10 years in the application of Sabermetrics to
baseball.  Sabermetrics is named for the Society for American Baseball
Research (SABR) and one of the founding lights is Bill James. 
Sabermetrics is basically putting statistical analysis tools to work
on baseball's conventional wisdom.  A typical question might be: "Is
the stolen base worth it?":
http://www.taemag.com/issues/articleID.17948/article_detail.asp

The following Google search strategy will bring up a ton of useful
information and quotes:
Sabermetrics + "Bill James"

Let's get on to the impact on pitchers and catchers.  One of the solid
ways in which statistical analysis has worked on pitchers and catchers
is the understanding that a L-L matchup or a R-R matchup (LH batter
vs. LH pitcher) generally gives a strong advantage to the pitcher, as
measured by batting average.

But, quite frankly, the major changes have been in the MANAGEMENT of
pitchers.  Some examples:
* It is far more common today for pitches to be called by the manager
or pitching coach from the dugout (using hand signals).  It was
virtually never used in the 1950s.
*  Pitchers work to a pitch count.  Mensaboy makes reference to it: in
the 1950s pitchers were still routinely throwing all 9 innings and
making 150-200 pitches.  If you turn on a broadcast today, you'll find
that virtually every pitcher is working on a 100-pitch pitch count
(they lengthen it to 125-130 pitches later in the year).  We've
learned a lot about what injures a pitcher's arm and it's strongly
correlated to having them throw too many pitches.
*  Young pitchers are VERY closely monitored for work. Bill James'
work showed that over-work among pitchers under age 25 was strongly
correlated to career-ending injuries.
*  Everything is statistically based, particularly in the last 5 years
as new monitoring services have made a broad array of statistical
tools available.  Pitchers (and catchers) will know the precise
tendencies of a hitter -- and be able to see their success rate with
types of pitches and location.  (If you watch Fox Sports excellent
national broadcasts, they'll show those tendencies graphically for
certain batters).
*  Pitchers and teams today don't hesitate to seek out outside help
from orthopedic doctors, where in the 1950s the medical management was
ALL folklore. (Pitchers were often urged to throw more in the face of
stiffness or pain.)
*  Because pitchers are on a tight pitch count, the percentage of
innings that relief pitchers are in a game has dramatically increased
since the 1950s.  We've also created a new statistic called the "save"
-- and the use of "closers" who pitch only 1-2 innings have become a
dominant strategy.  "Closers" didn't even exist in the 1950s.

A good Google search strategy here:
"Tommy John surgery" + doctor

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2003-07-29-tommy-john-arms-overworked_x.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2003-07-28-tommy-john-q-and-a_x.htm

---

This is hardly a complete analysis -- and I'll probably think of an
addition or two during the day today on Friday.

I might also recommend a baseball book or two.  Since you're working
with a client and want to understand the sport, let me suggest
something light: "Baseball Quotations," by David Nathan (Ballantine,
1991).  It will give you LOTS of humor to work with -- and ALSO
explain how veterans think about the game.  Yes, there are chapters on
pitchers and relief pitchers!

---

I told you that I'd think of another resource or two.  Very topical
and with an excellent plain-language discussion of the impact that
Bill James has had on the game is in Michael Lewis' book, "Moneyball."
 It's the story of how Billy Beane has used Sabermetrics to create a
consistent winning team in Oakland -- despite having the lowest salary
budget of any major league team.

Lewis' book is hotly debated only because baseball fans are
argumentative.  But the book is full of anecdotes that your client
would love.  The Amazon review is good and so too are the individual
reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393057658/qid=1083943270/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/103-5148680-6060644#product-details

In any case, Beane's application of Sabermetrics is sweeping baseball.
 Mark Shapiro, general manager of the Cleveland Indians, is a major
advocate.  So too are the new general managers of the Los Angeles
Dodgers and Boston Red Sox.

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

i wish there were other choices besides the 1-5 stars ... like "n/a"
or "see comments" or something.  i feel as though the answer CAN'T be
considered complete, in that the project is temporarily on hold, and i
don't THINK i've got exactly what i'll need, but i can't pursue it
further to clarify at this time.  i would have appreciated a faster
first response (i posted my query on 4/27 and didn't receive
omnivorous's reply till 5/7.)  however, i appreciate omnivrous's
knowledge/expertise, and i'm TOTALLY comfortable authorizing the $50
payment, with my thanks.

MikeG --

I AM a big baseball fan and the biggest single change in baseball has
come in the past 10 years in the application of Sabermetrics to
baseball.  Sabermetrics is named for the Society for American Baseball
Research (SABR) and one of the founding lights is Bill James. 
Sabermetrics is basically putting statistical analysis tools to work
on baseball's conventional wisdom.  A typical question might be: "Is
the stolen base worth it?":
http://www.taemag.com/issues/articleID.17948/article_detail.asp

The following Google search strategy will bring up a ton of useful
information and quotes:
Sabermetrics + "Bill James"

Let's get on to the impact on pitchers and catchers.  One of the solid
ways in which statistical analysis has worked on pitchers and catchers
is the understanding that a L-L matchup or a R-R matchup (LH batter
vs. LH pitcher) generally gives a strong advantage to the pitcher, as
measured by batting average.

But, quite frankly, the major changes have been in the MANAGEMENT of
pitchers.  Some examples:
* It is far more common today for pitches to be called by the manager
or pitching coach from the dugout (using hand signals).  It was
virtually never used in the 1950s.
*  Pitchers work to a pitch count.  Mensaboy makes reference to it: in
the 1950s pitchers were still routinely throwing all 9 innings and
making 150-200 pitches.  If you turn on a broadcast today, you'll find
that virtually every pitcher is working on a 100-pitch pitch count
(they lengthen it to 125-130 pitches later in the year).  We've
learned a lot about what injures a pitcher's arm and it's strongly
correlated to having them throw too many pitches.
*  Young pitchers are VERY closely monitored for work. Bill James'
work showed that over-work among pitchers under age 25 was strongly
correlated to career-ending injuries.
*  Everything is statistically based, particularly in the last 5 years
as new monitoring services have made a broad array of statistical
tools available.  Pitchers (and catchers) will know the precise
tendencies of a hitter -- and be able to see their success rate with
types of pitches and location.  (If you watch Fox Sports excellent
national broadcasts, they'll show those tendencies graphically for
certain batters).
*  Pitchers and teams today don't hesitate to seek out outside help
from orthopedic doctors, where in the 1950s the medical management was
ALL folklore. (Pitchers were often urged to throw more in the face of
stiffness or pain.)
*  Because pitchers are on a tight pitch count, the percentage of
innings that relief pitchers are in a game has dramatically increased
since the 1950s.  We've also created a new statistic called the "save"
-- and the use of "closers" who pitch only 1-2 innings have become a
dominant strategy.  "Closers" didn't even exist in the 1950s.

A good Google search strategy here:
"Tommy John surgery" + doctor

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2003-07-29-tommy-john-arms-overworked_x.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2003-07-28-tommy-john-q-and-a_x.htm

---

This is hardly a complete analysis -- and I'll probably think of an
addition or two during the day today on Friday.

I might also recommend a baseball book or two.  Since you're working
with a client and want to understand the sport, let me suggest
something light: "Baseball Quotations," by David Nathan (Ballantine,
1991).  It will give you LOTS of humor to work with -- and ALSO
explain how veterans think about the game.  Yes, there are chapters on
pitchers and relief pitchers!

---

A final note: you can't arrange to compensate Mensaboy-GA through
Google Answers, as he's not a Google Answers researcher.  You can tell
researchers from non-researchers by the hyperlink on their screen
name.

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

MikeG --

I told you that I'd think of another resource or two.  Very topical
and with an excellent plain-language discussion of the impact that
Bill James has had on the game is in Michael Lewis' book, "Moneyball."
 It's the story of how Billy Beane has used Sabermetrics to create a
consistent winning team in Oakland -- despite having the lowest salary
budget of any major league team.

Lewis' book is hotly debated only because baseball fans are
argumentative.  But the book is full of anecdotes that your client
would love.  The Amazon review is good and so too are the individual
reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393057658/qid=1083943270/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/103-5148680-6060644#product-details

In any case, Beane's application of Sabermetrics is sweeping baseball.
 Mark Shapiro, general manager of the Cleveland Indians, is a major
advocate.  So too are the new general managers of the Los Angeles
Dodgers and Boston Red Sox.

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

Mike,

Mensaboy is not a Google Answers Researcher. By posting his email
address and encouraging you to contact him, he violated GA policy, and
it is likely that his post will be deleted for this reason.

Comments posted on the site by non-Researchers are always free of
charge. If you'd like to encourage someone to develop an answer for
payment, Omnivorous is an excellent Researcher, and I think he can do
a wonderful job with a question on one of his favorite subjects.

~pinkfreud, Google Answers Researcher