One of my wife’s favorite shows is NBC’s “The Voice.” “The Voice” has an interesting audition process, whereby a singer will face a row of judges with their chairs facing away from the stage. The premise, I suppose, is for the panel of experts to judge the singer’s ability based on their pitch, range, vocal inflections, tempo as opposed to their hair length, skin color, and other physical attributes or detriments. The singer sings, the judges contemplate and deliberate and decide to turn their chairs and welcome the singer to the next round, or simply stay put thereby not selecting them. The show isn’t my cup of tea but billions of other fans, like my wife, love it.

So, let’s say we have a pool of 27 folks all vying for a coveted prize. 27 could actually win the prize, all 27 are eligible according to the rules of the contest. 27 participants with 27 diverse backgrounds, strengths, and weaknesses that come from the same line of work and each post various awards, milestones, and acclaim during their time of work. Let’s try out the blind audition format on these 27 participants and see who is the top candidate to win this very prestigious prize. And in this version of the blind audition, we will remove names and teams and focus purely on statistical numbers to see who is the best candidate. We will then have some head to head matchups until the final winner prevails and the best candidate’s name will be revealed. Ready to play, great! For the purposes of this exercise, I will only use the participant’s initials or a nickname I might have for them only so as not to reveal their true identity. And the prize will look something like this:

Here is the first candidate matchup:

AG vs. AJ:

• AG played 14 seasons all with the same team. Pretty cool. AG played both infield and outfield at a high level for this team. In fact, AG won an astounding 8 Gold Glove Awards for his defensive abilities. And AG is a World Series Champion. AG had over 1500 hits, over 350 doubles, and nearly 200 home runs in his 14 year career.
• AJ played 17 seasons with 5 Major League clubs. He is associated with one, the first team he played for, by most fans. His range in center field could be described as infinite. His 10 Gold Glove Awards spotlight just how great AJ was in the outfield. AJ hit over 400 home runs, collected nearly 2000 hits, and was a member of several National League Championship teams.

Wow, a tough matchup right off the bat (no pun intended). AG has a solid resume of consistent play and his defensive prowess is impressive. However, AJ displayed superior defensive ability and handled his business at the plate as well. This is a close call and both candidates are more than worthy. (Here is where I pretend to pause and think and pace the room in agony) My decision has been made. (Another pause, optional for you at home) AJ wins this round.

Okay time for a quick commercial break and I will be back soon with another exciting matchup in this blind audition format to determine who gets the prize and who will not. And if you are judging at home, let me know your thoughts and objections and concerns as I make my way through the candidates.