Thursday, August 20, 2009

Statistics

Statistics are an amazing thing, just ask any statistician.

There are statistics for weather, cancer risk, death, you name it and there is a statistic for it. The most amazing place where statistics are kept is in sports, in particular, Major League Baseball.

Example: Currently, as I type this, the Cubs and Dodgers are tied in the top of the sixth inning at 2-2. Chicago has a runner on second and there is one out. Baker came up to bat and the Cubs were a projected winner at 52%, one ball and it drops to 51%. The count goes to 1 and 1 and the percentage changes to 50%. Baker grounds out to third, leaving the runner on second and now the Dodgers are favored to win at 54%.

I ask, who the heck keeps track of such minutia? How can they track you chances of winning based on the pitch count, inning, runners on base, etc? Is it a human being doing all of this? Do you think they get out much? I mean my head is spinning just trying to follow my own logic, let alone the minute statistics that appear on the Gamecast. Wow.

By the way, bottom of the sixth and the Dodgers are now up to 60%.

I'm going to sleep now.

2 comments:

  1. what was the quote...
    "There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics"?
    You can make statistics say anything you want them to...mostly just to confound & confuse!
    Pax Christi.
    PS, who won?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Roger, I agree. I don't think "they" get out much! ;-)

    ReplyDelete

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