Most baseball writers aren't former players or coaches, and nobody expects them to be. That's the whole point of the analogy. They're just expected to understa

Most baseball writers aren't former players or coaches, and nobody expects them to be. That's the whole point of the analogy. They're just expected to understand the rules of the game, know what the various acronyms mean, and generally be able to converse intelligently about the game. That's the standard being suggested for reporters covering other topics.