1. The Yankees' opportunity cost of using Babe Ruth as a pitcher would have been losing his powerful home run hitting in their batting lineup when he didn't pitch.
2. If the Yankees had a poor pitching staff, Babe Ruth would have had a comparative advantage as both a pitcher and power hitter in their lineup. His ability to both pitch effectively and hit home runs could have helped compensate for a weak pitching staff.
3. Specialization
Concentration on producing things that a country
can produce most efficiently
Why do countries specialize?
Specialization means focusing on strengths
Success means maximizing profit (increased
exports)
Why do sports teams specialize?
Specialization means focusing on strengths
Success in sports means maximizing profit
Teams want specialty players who will bring up
attendance
4. Absolute Advantage vs.
Comparative Advantage
When a country can produce more of the
same resources than another country, they
have an absolute advantage.
Comparative advantage encourages
countries to produce those goods for which
they have the lower opportunity cost than
another country
In sports, comparative advantage explains
why some athletes play one sport over
another or one position over another
5. Neighborly Chore Total Minutes
Comparative Time Spent on
Spent in Each
Advantage
Minutes Chore
Comparative Advantage
explains why
specialization arises ADAM
DAVID
W/Tade
40 160
W/OT rade
even when other people Mow
enjoy absolute lawn 120 80
advantage in producing Weed 60 160
all goods garden 100 200
Comparative Time 100 320
advantage=do what you working 220 --
do best and trade for without
rest (or find substitute trade
supplier) Time 80 --
working 200 280
with
trade
Net gain 20 20 --
from 40
trade
6. Comparative Advantage
U.S. and Japan
U.S. Japan
Labor to make 100 120
computers
Labor to grow 5 8
a ton of wheat
COPY this chart into your notebook to answer
the following question in class.
What country has the absolute advantage in
computer production?
What country has the absolute advantage in
wheat production?
7. Assume US allocates labor: 100 units to
computers
200 units to wheat
Assume Japan allocates labor: 120 to computers
180 to wheat
How much wheat and computers does the
U.S. produce?
How much wheat and computers does
Japan produce?
What are world production totals?
8. What if U.S. allocates all of its production to
wheat and Japan produces as many
computers as possible? How much does
the world produce?
Japan converts wheat to computers at the
rate of ____ tons wheat to 1 computer
U.S. converts wheat to computers at the
rate of ____ tons wheat to 1 computer
U.S. sacrifices production of more wheat
than Japan in the production of 1 computer
U.S. has comparative advantage in
production of wheat
Japan has comparative advantage in
production of computers
9. Opportunity Cost
Opportunity cost: trade-off; what you give
up for decisions
If U.S. makes decision to produce both
computers and wheat, it gives up the
opportunity to make more wheat
Decision to play a sport or play a certain
position in sports has opportunity costs.
Ex: If you play running back in football, you
give up the opportunity to throw the ball.
10. The Story of Babe Ruth
Greatest power hitters in
history of Major League baseball
Left-hand pitcher
Begin professional career with
Boston Red Sox in 1914
By 1915, was starting pitcher
1916-leads American League in
earned run average and
shutouts; finished third in strike-
outs and wins
Leads Red Sox to win World
Series championships in 1915,
1916, 1918
11. Babe, contd
String of consecutive scoreless
innings pitched was 29
No designated hitters at time
On days he didnt pitch, Babe was
first baseman or outfielder
As part-time hitter, hit 11 home
runs in 1918 (tied in American
League)
Most runs hit by team members:
1 !!
1918-1919: Out of 46 homeruns hit
by Red Sox, he hits 40 (86%); with
only 11% of teams at bats,
accounts for 24% of runs batted in
12. Babe Goes to New York
Contract sold to New York
Yankees in 1920
Yankees want to sell seats and
impressed with Babes home run
legacy
Yankees break league
attendance record by 1920 and
win American League Pennant 7
times between 1920 and 1932;
Yankees also win 4 World Series
13. The Statistics
Pitching Records of the Boston Red Sox
1915-1918
Wins/(Wins +
Wins Losses
Losses)
Foster 41 22 0.651
Shore 48 34 0.585
Leonard 57 42 0.576
Mays 67 40 0.626
Ruth 78 40 0.661
Total 291 178 0.620
14. Hitting Records of the Boston Red Sox
1918-1919
Runs
At Batting Home
Hits Batted
Bats Ave Runs
In
Team 6,647 1,789 0.269 46 754
Ruth 749 234 0.313 40 180
Ruth/
0.113 0.131 -- 0.87 0.24
Team
15. Hitting Records of the New York Yankees
1920-1924
Batting Home Runs
At Bats Hits
Average Runs Batted In
Team 21,891 6,655 0.304 516 3,337
Ruth 2,455 908 0.370 235 659
Ruth/
0.112 0.136 -- 0.455 0.197
Team
16. Pitching Records of the New York Yankees
1920-1924
Wins/(Wins +
Wins Losses
Losses)
Mays 66 44 0.600
Shawkey 90 59 0.604
Hoyt 73 47 0.608
Bush 62 38 0.620
Jones 43 27 0.614
Pennock 40 15 0.727
Quinn 26 17 0.605
Collins 25 13 0.658
Total 425 260 0.620
17. What was Babes
Comparative Advantage?
Ruths comparative advantage was
contingent on how substitutes for him
contributed to the teams win ratio
Yankees had a strong pitching staff; didnt
need Ruth
Ruth had a comparative advantage as a
hitter for the Yankees because they had a
stronger pitching staff.
18. New York could show off Ruths talents
unlike the Red Sox
Attendance and receipts increased
As a hitter, Ruth helped the Yankees achieve
the possible win ratio for their team
Comparative advantage explains why Babe
Ruth, the best pitcher in the American
League in the late 1920s, specialized in
hitting home runs after Boston traded him to
the New York Yankees.
19. Summary
Answer the following questions?
1. What would have been the Yankees'
opportunity cost of using Babe Ruth as a
pitcher? Note: A pitcher does not usually
pitch in every game and hence, will not be
in the batter lineup every game.
2. If the Yankees had had a poor pitching staff,
in which position(s) would Babe Ruth have
a comparative advantage?
Editor's Notes
1
If Adam and David each have a lawn to move and a garden to week. If Adam mows both lawns and David weeds both gardens, each saves 20 minutes that they can spend doing other things. Adam has absolute advantage in both things, but he benefits from trading. This occurs because each person is relatively more efficient in one activity than another. By specializing, they BOTH save time. WIN/WIN instead of zero-sum gain.
US produces 1 computer and 40 tons wheat Japan produces one computer and 22.5 tons wheat, World gets 2 computers and 62.5 tons of wheat
US=0 labor % 100 = NO COMPUTERS; 300 % 8 = 60 tons wheat Japan=240 % 120 = 2 computers; use rest of labor for wheat, 60%8=7.5 WORLD has 60 + 7.5 tons wheat, for total of 67.5, which is great than prior answer AND two computers. JAPANs converts 120 % 8 or 15 wheat to 1 computer US converts 100 % 5 or 20 tons wheat to one computer
U.S. baseball player, one of the greatest hitters and most popular figures in the sport's history. He was born in Baltimore and raised in poverty. He began his career in 1914 as a member of Baltimore's minor-league team, and joined the Boston Red Sox later that season. He started as a pitcher, compiling an outstanding record (94 wins, 46 losses), but switched to the outfield because of his powerful hitting. Sold to the New York Yankees in 1920, he remained with the team until 1934; he played his last year with the Boston Braves (1935). He coached the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1938, but his reputation for irresponsibility prevented his obtaining a permanent coaching or manager's job. His prodigious slugging earned him the nickname "Sultan of Swat." In 1927 he set the most famous of all baseball records when he hit 60 home runs in a single season, a mark that stood until 1961. He hit at least 50 home runs in four separate seasons and at least 40 in each of 11 seasons. His career slugging percentage (.690) remains an all-time record; he ranks second in career home runs (714, behind H. Aaron), runs (2,174, behind T. Cobb), and runs batted in (2,213, again behind Aaron), and third in extra-base hits (1,356, behind Aaron and S. Musial).