But there's already much more than a tiny variation in skill among the 50% of runners who make it on base. I think the statements indicate a broader trend: among athletes who are collectively within the same skill class, the arrangement of the playing surfaces play a more dominant role than individual variation in athlete skill.
I think the statements indicate a broader trend: among athletes who are collectively within the same skill class, the arrangement of the playing surfaces play a more dominant role than individual variation in athlete skill.
This is trivially true of you define skill classes narrowly enough. If the non-trivial claim your trying to make is that the class of all professional athletes is such a skill class, you have yet to present any valid evidence for your claim.
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2011/09/22/cognitive-biases-in-sports-the-irrationality-of-coaches-commentators-and-fans/