According to an entry from Aaron Gleeman, yours truly is now poisoning the minds of America’s collegiate set:

There appears to be an actual class at Tufts University called “The Analysis of Baseball: Statistics and Sabermetrics.” Seriously, it even claims to count towards an American Studies major. If you’re a fellow college student, I defy you to read the syllabus for the class and not want to transfer schools immediately. Or at least kill yourself the next time you’re sitting in a biology lecture.

The required texts for the class include Moneyball and The New Historical Baseball Abstract. During the third week of class, the discussion will focus on the “limitations of traditional batting statistics,” “count vs. rate stats,” and “details of OPS, OPS+, and Runs Created.” Required reading for Week 3? Jay Jaffe’s DIPS page and a Bill James essay entitled “Mark Fidrych and the K.”

Wait, there’s more. In Week 5 the class will discuss “The Mazzone Effect.” Week 6 focuses on “shortcomings of traditional fielding statistics” and assigns 40 pages of James’ Win Shares book as required reading. Week 7 includes discussion of VORP and Win Shares, and assigns Nate Silver’s “Introducing PECOTA” essay from Baseball Prospectus 2003 as required reading.

Are there classes like this at other schools? And if so, why was I not informed of this, say, four years ago?

Amusing, though nothing to get a swollen head about given that my latest claim to fame is based on doing the gruntwork of compiling the latest links on the topic of Defense Independent Pitching Statistics (invented by Voros McCracken) and tying a neat little bow around them in the form of last year’s numbers. Still, I wouldn’t play the role of Data Donkey if I didn’t think it was important in this case (not to mention a drawing card for the site) and I guess that’s some proof to the pudding. If anybody reading this is dropping by from that course, I’d love to hear about it.

The Futility Infielder says, “Stay in school, kids. Don’t become a destitute blogger like me.”