Will computers replace baseball's scouts?

+ sending water to aliens US Edition - Today's top story: For over a century, baseball's scouts have been the backbone of America's pastime – do they have a future? [View in browser]( US Edition | 28 March 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [How to protect bridges from ship collisions]( - [Deep-freezing coral reefs to save them]( - [Indigenous Catholic isn’t an oxymoron]( Lead Story Opening day is a fresh start for Major League Baseball’s 30 squads, which will field 26-man rosters featuring a mix of holdovers, new signings and rookies getting their first crack at the show. Much of the information team executives have used to inform their decisions comes directly from their scouts, who watch hours of footage and spend weeks on the road scouring the U.S. and abroad for the next Albert Pujols, J.D. Martinez or Ronald Acuña Jr. Scouts love the game but receive a relative pittance for their work. And in recent years, the profession has come under threat, particularly with the incorporation of data-driven analytics and the COVID-19 pandemic. Four years ago, filmmaker Jim Gilmore and communication scholar Tracy Halcomb embarked on a documentary film project about baseball’s scouts. They spoke to current and former players, executives and scouts – including five who helped build the 2023 World Series champion Texas Rangers – to [explore the value scouts bring to team-building that no computer can match](. [ [Miss us on Sundays? Get a selection of our best and most popular stories (or try our other weekly emails).]([]]( Nick Lehr Arts + Culture Editor Texas Rangers scout Brian Williams takes notes at Roberto Clemente Stadium in Carolina, Puerto Rico. H. James Gilmore and Tracy Halcomb [For over a century, baseball’s scouts have been the backbone of America’s pastime – do they have a future?]( H. James Gilmore, Flagler College; Tracy Halcomb, Flagler College Even with teams’ embrace of analytics, the number of scouts employed by MLB teams had stayed remarkably consistent. That all changed with the COVID-19 pandemic. Education - [Failure of Francis Scott Key Bridge provides future engineers a chance to learn how to better protect the public]( Michael J. Chajes, University of Delaware A bridge engineering expert discusses the costs and limitations of building structures to withstand extreme events – and what it takes to prepare the next generation of civil engineers. Economy + Business - [Tweaking US trade policy could hold the key to reducing migration from Central America]( Raymond Robertson, Texas A&M University; Kaleb Girma Abreha, Texas A&M University Relaxing ‘rules of origin’ restrictions in an existing trade deal could add tens of thousands of jobs in Central America. - [Port of Baltimore bridge collapse rattles supply chains already rocked by troubles in Panama and the Red Sea]( Simona Stan, University of Montana A supply chain expert looks at the short- and long-term impacts of the bridge collapse. Science + Technology - [Bridges can be protected from ship collisions – an expert on structures in disasters explains how]( Sherif El-Tawil, University of Michigan A civil engineer explains why ships taking out bridges is rare, and describes how bridge builders protect the structures from ship collisions. - [NASA’s mission to an ice-covered moon will contain a message between water worlds]( Douglas Vakoch, California Institute of Integral Studies Europa Clipper will contain a plaque that celebrates humanity’s relationship with water and a decades-old tradition of searching for life outside Earth. Politics + Society - [Moscow terror attack showed growing reach of ISIS-K – could the US be next?]( Sara Harmouch, American University A spate of terror operations carried out by the Islamic State group affiliate has raised concerns over a potential attack on US soil. International - [The amazing story of the man who created the latest narco-state in the Americas, and how the United States helped him every step of the way − until now]( Jorge Heine, Boston University Washington looked the other way as coup leaders and drugs cartels conspired to turn Honduras into a center of the cocaine trade. Ethics + Religion - [69% of US Muslims always give to charities during Ramadan, fulfilling a religious obligation]( Shariq Siddiqui, Indiana University During the month-long period of fasting, the obligation of zakat takes on heightened significance. - [One year ago, Pope Francis disavowed the ‘Doctrine of Discovery’ – but Indigenous Catholics’ work for respect and recognition goes back decades]( Eben Levey, Alfred University Indigenous Catholics have long argued they should be able to embrace both sides of that identity. Environment + Energy - [As climate change and pollution imperil coral reefs, scientists are deep-freezing corals to repopulate future oceans]( Mary Hagedorn, Smithsonian Institution Just as the world’s zoos breed critically endangered animals in captivity to repopulate the wild, scientists are building a global effort to freeze corals for reef restoration. Podcast 🎙️ - [Invisible lines: how unseen boundaries shape the world around us]( Mend Mariwany, The Conversation Maxim Samson speaks to The Conversation Weekly podcast about the hidden lines that explain variations in everything from access to education to animal species Trending on site - [I’ve captained ships into tight ports like Baltimore, and this is how captains like me work with harbor pilots to avoid deadly collisions]( - [The roots of the Easter story: Where did Christian beliefs about Jesus’ resurrection come from?]( - [Cancer often requires more than one treatment − an oncologist explains why some patients like Kate Middleton receive both chemotherapy and surgery]( Today's graphic 📈 [A chart breaking down the carbon footprint of March Madness. 80% of the carbon footprint stems from air and ground travel. 6.8% comes from hotel stays, 6.4% comes from food, 5.9% come from stadium operations and 0.95% comes from waste.]( From the story, [What’s the carbon footprint of March Madness?]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? 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