Category Archives: Sports

MAKING REFEREE RATINGS PUBLIC—UPDATE.

MAKING REFEREE RATINGS PUBLIC—UPDATE. I recommended here that the National Basketball Association should make all its referee ratings for individual games public. One argument I made in support of the recommendation was that Referee Tim Donaghy had been accused of … Continue reading

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MY FAVORITE SPORTS NICKNAME.

MY FAVORITE SPORTS NICKNAME. Yahoo!Answers yesterday had this answer to the question “Is there a word without vowels in it?” Many of them have a “y” in them, but the words “cwm” and “psst” are nominated. I was reminded of … Continue reading

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CHEATING AT CANDYLAND.

CHEATING AT CANDYLAND. I used to throw games of Candyland. Ordinarily, fixing games of Candyland would be difficult, but my opponent was in nursery school and was easily distracted, so that when necessary I was able to place the winning … Continue reading

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CANDYLAND AND BASEBALL.

CANDYLAND AND BASEBALL. There is a game in which random events toward the end of a game can have a major impact, and since for many it is the first game they play, it may shape their idea of what … Continue reading

Posted in Baseball, Sports | 2 Comments

SHOULD WE GET RID OF UMPIRES?

SHOULD WE GET RID OF UMPIRES? Jonah Keri has an article in today’s Wall Street Journal asking “Does Baseball Need Umpires?” The article is inspired by several bad umpiring calls in the ninth inning or in extra innings of this … Continue reading

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THE REAL MOST UNBREAKABLE BASEBALL RECORD.

THE REAL MOST UNBREAKABLE BASEBALL RECORD. Alex Rodriguez knocked in seven runs in one inning on the last day of the Yankee regular season, breaking the American League record for most RBI’s in one inning. Yahoo invited readers to search … Continue reading

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THE REMARKABLE MOE BERG (COMMENT).

THE REMARKABLE MOE BERG (COMMENT). I was honored that Russell Seitz commented on this post on some of Moe Berg’s accomplishments. Annalisa advised me that that post was a little unclear. To clarify, the man who said that “Physicists do … Continue reading

Posted in Baseball, History, Sports | 1 Comment

CHEATING—MOVING THE GOALPOSTS.

CHEATING—MOVING THE GOALPOSTS. This article from yesterday’s London Times describes how a goalkeeper has admitted to moving the goalposts closer together to make it harder for the opponents to score in important Swedish soccer games. He said he had gotten … Continue reading

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CHEATING—DELIBERATELY CRASHING.

CHEATING—DELIBERATELY CRASHING. I reported earlier in the week about how at Minnesota Twins home games, the wind would on occasion blow out—in an indoor stadium–when the home team was at bat. According to this article from France24, the Renault Formula … Continue reading

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THE WIND BLEW OUT ONLY WHEN THE HOME TEAM WAS AT BAT.

THE WIND BLEW OUT ONLY WHEN THE HOME TEAM WAS AT BAT. The USA Today Sports Weekly article mentions the strangest advantage the Metrodome gave the Twins. Opponents complained that the Twins turned on the fans to blow out when … Continue reading

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