Weird Sports Statistics

[Jon]

Do you ever wonder how the heck they come up with these weird stats in sports?

I mean just watch any sporting event and it's very likely that the commentator(s) will pull something out of their butts like this:

"This player is only the third player in the last forty years to hit a double on a 3-2 count, on a full moon, with blue socks on in the bottom of the fifth inning, when they struck out in the previous at bat, and haven't had a hit in three games.."


It's just like o.O Who the freak tracks that??

It happens every day in every sport. And they don't say stuff like that jokingly, they say it in a straight tone like it's something special that everyone should know...

Does ESPN have like a super stat database that randomly pulls little factoids like that or are people that obsessed?

[dooganking]

for some reason i find this happens alot more often in baseball than any other sport (though it still happens in all sports...)

[noobman]

Yeah that freaks me out in hockey games... like "<blank> is the only person to break his stick in every playoff game he's been in occuring on a full moon when it's raining" or wacky, out of this world, "how the f*** did they know that" kind of stats.

Why does it happen in baseball? Well the game is so slow paced and boring that the announcers have time to research this stuff while the pitcher gets ready to throw =P

Just playing.

[dooganking]

while that time thing is true... i would still like to know what OPS means to baseball... that should be On base + slugging percentage by the way... i've always wondered why they have this stat and what it shows... i mean... slugging percentage should technically already include on base percentage (minus the walks)... so whats the point of adding those two together???

[Jon]

Well... I'm not sure, but I once watched a thing on TV about baseball stats and how they are used, and beleive it or not each and everyone has a unique and useful purpose...Mainly to scouts / managers and serious fantasy baseballers....


Baseball isn't boring...I like in MLB 2k6, when you pause the game or during rain delays they give really usefull baseball 'trivia'... Like how and why bats break, and stuff like that...Adds realism to the game...In real baseball I like a good announcer who can throw in stuff like that and call an exciting game...

Joe Buck is the best in baseball and football in my opinion. Too bad he mainly just deals with Fox Playoffs...