I have been writing this blog for 8+ years. This is the first time I recall going completely off topic. I want to talk about baseball. Tonight all of us in Wisconsin are celebrating the Brewers advancing to the National League Championship Series.
There was a play in the top of the 9th inning that drives me crazy. The Diamondbacks had runners at the corners with 2 outs. The Brewers Betancourt scooped up a slow bouncer and raced to 2nd base, ariving a split second before a sliding Justin Upton.
Why does Upton slide into second base? I would argue that sliding slowed Upton down enough to allow him to be forced out. What if instead, he were to run through 2nd base to avoid the force? Sure he would be tagged out before he could reach 3rd base. But the runner at third would have already crossed the plate before he could be tagged. I am gad that didn’t happen because that run would have likely eliminated the Brewers.
If a runner is forced out for the final out another runner crossing the plate will not score, even if the runner crosses home before the force out. If the runner is tagged out after reaching the base, then it becomes a matter of what happened first – the final out or the runner touching home plate. Because the runner at third usually has a bigger lead, they typically can cross home plate at the same time the force out occurs. Even if Upton were immediately tagged after running through second, the Diamondabacks would have scored the winning run.
Maybe someone will post a comment telling me why I am wrong. Maybe there is a rule that requires the runner to slide. But I think Upton slid because, for over 100 years, every player in the same situation has slid.
Is there something in your IT operation that you do because it has always been done that way? Is there a simple but unconventional change that you can make to get a better results?
Maybe this post wasn’t off topic after all.
Candid CIO 
You’re right that there’s no requirement to slide. It was probably habit as you describe. Plus, they’re getting pretty creative in their sliding when there’s a double play ball and they’re getting in the way of the thrower.
One thing I’m not sure about how it would be ruled is if he didn’t slide and barely made it to the base before Betancourt, then it likely would have meant a huge collision between the two. I know there are rules about defensive players being in the runners base running, but I’m not sure how a collision at second would be ruled.
Upton would also have had to be careful to turn the corner after touching the base, but the collision would stop him from going too far out.
I love the parallel to IT operations though. We do keep doing things cause that’s how we’ve done them far too often.
P.S. Enjoy the late comment reply. I hadn’t seen your blog posts pop on my radar recently. Not sure why, but you’re still as good a read as I remember. Also, I’m a sad Rangers fan. 2 years in a row and within 1 strike twice this year. Heartbreaking indeed!
John, it is great to see your comments here. I appreciate everything you are doing on your blog and on twitter.
I can’t imagine greater heartbreak than being a Rangers fan this year.