In The Wall Street Journal, Matthew Hennessey derides the post-Moneyball baseball world, and longs for “damaged men with interesting habits.” He writes:

Baseball was once played by damaged men with interesting habits. They drank and smoked. You watched your favorite team and thought to yourself, “Those guys aren’t so different from me.” It was the professional sport that discouraged athleticism. Sluggers were warned to stay out of the gym, lest they injure themselves. Some had beer bellies.

Now baseball is played mostly by lab-grown supermen. Everybody is swinging for the fences. Nobody hits for average. They work year-round on specific muscle groups to build explosive power and rotational strength. The modern Major Leaguer wouldn’t dream of putting away a six pack in the clubhouse after the game. Nobody even chews tobacco anymore.

Read more here.