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illnumeracy in the baseball news

illnumeracy in the baseball news

illnumeracy in the baseball news

(OP)
From:  http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/ESPNSports/story?id=1149313

Quote:

New York's victory and the 7-4 loss by the Red Sox put the Yankees (88-63) a half-game ahead of Boston………. The Yankees, a season-high 25 games over .500.

I've never been a great follower of baseball statistics, but it seems to me that if the Yanks had won 25 fewer games then they would also have lost 25 more games. That would have put their record at 63 wins and 88 losses, which is far less than .500.

Why isn't 88 - 63 12.5 games above .500?

RE: illnumeracy in the baseball news

Because they would have to lose their next 25 games to be a .500 team.

RE: illnumeracy in the baseball news

Because you aren't comparing them to another team you are comparing them to themselves?????

They have won 25 more games than if they were 63-63.

Half games don't come into the equation unless you are comparing two teams to each other.

RE: illnumeracy in the baseball news

   A few years ago, there was an article in the Toronto Globe and Mail newspaper about how Canadians no longer dominated the starring positions in the NHL (National Hockey League).  There were pie charts.

   According to the article, of the top ten defensemen in the league, 14.3% of the ones under thirty years of age were Canadian.  28.6% were Czechs.  I cannot remember the others.  I think 14.3% were American.  

   The arithmetic was correct, but it is obvious that mathematical reasoning was not part of the sportwriter's training.  

                           JHG

RE: illnumeracy in the baseball news

They are comparing the 25 games to a team at .500.

Each game won or lost is a + or- 1/2 game.

Lets say a team had a 75-75 record. Then you would have (88-75) or 13 games to the good and (75-63) or 12 games in the loss.

Therefore, you would have (13*0.5)+ (12*0.5) =25.5 games above .500

Of course we can all hope they can lose a few more game and not even make the playoffs.

RE: illnumeracy in the baseball news

I remember reading a book called

The Physics of Baseball, but baseball statistics is such an interesting subject. Too bad not much of that was included...

Wes C.

RE: illnumeracy in the baseball news

I believe it's innumeracy, since we're in the language section.

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