Urk. . . grak! Stop! You’re hurting me!!

For the one billionth time, why the hell does this son of a bitch have a job?

Update: Yost was, however, a Red Sox coach for several years. … Kf seems to be late to this seething controversy–for a page full of Kerry defense, click here.  Note especially poster Social Scientist’s comment:

Eddie Yost was a mediocre hitter who became an All-Star by letting the opposing pitcher screw up: he often led the league in walks, was near the top in on-base percentage. Boring, seemingly passive, reliable, effective..

Right. Maybe Kerry’s being candid, not phony. What does it say that he admires a player who got on base not by hitting but by walking? Hmmm. So a) Kerry survives in Vietnam in large part by making his boat a small target. b) His standard political technique is to avoid clear, assailable stands. c) His 2004 strategy is remarkably passive, dependent almost entirely on voter satisfaction with the incumbent. Seemingly, he wants to get to the White House Yost-style, by a base on balls! The obvious question: Is someone who attains the presidency by getting a walk in any position to achieve much, either domestically or internationally? The answer isn’t necessarily no. (Gerald Ford wasn’t wholly ineffective.) And note how Kerry’s passive, Yostish approach dovetails with the “return to normalcy” theme suggested by Peggy Noonan. If you want a break from Bush–if you think he’s been swinging a bit too hard for the fences–an Eddie Yost might seem like just the man to send to the plate. …  10:52 A.M.

For the record, taking bases on balls is part of being a good baseball player.   See Rickey Henderson and Barry Bonds.  Bill James ranks Yost as the 24th best third baseman of of all time; he had an on base percentage over .400 in nine different years.  People who get on base make fewer outs and score more runs. . .

But all that is irrelevant.  You could correct the entirety of Kaus’ baseball-related myopia without touching the inner core of his. . .I don’t even know.  I’m at a loss for words, here.  Incompetence?  Hackery?  Blunderifitude?  The English language is insufficient to my needs. . .