My statement was that OBP doesn’t “trump” BA. In the example I gave, of a runner in scoring position, would you rather have Shane Victorino (.314 BA, .377 OBP) or Kosuke Fukudome (.274 BA, .390 OBP) up to bat?

This whole discussion started with your statement that Wins/Losses & Saves shouldn’t be the lead stat cited by writers covering the Smoltz signing but rather Win Shares & WAR.

And, as I said, while all these new ways of compiling stats is all well & good (even very helpful and interesting at times) they are a) more difficult for the average fan to understand b) still incomplete measurements c) harder to use when comparing players from different eras and most importantly d) not ingrained into the history of the game.

Like I said, 300 wins gets you into the hall. 500 home runs does too (or at least used to). Ted Williams was the last to hit .400. The triple crown is leading the league in BA, RBI & HR.

You said that my argument for the traditional stats is circular and really you’re right, but it doesn’t diminish my point. The circular history of those stats is why they still do and likely always will matter the most to the average fan.