Category Archives: Sports

GO, CUBS!

GO, CUBS! The Cubs are in the playoffs! As I said here, like a lot of White Sox fans, I will be happy if the Cubs can go all the way. I sometimes say that I’m a fair weather Cubs … Continue reading

Posted in Baseball, Sports | 2 Comments

GOOD PITCHERS WITH BAD RESULTS.

GOOD PITCHERS WITH BAD RESULTS. I remarked here that only good pitchers get a chance to lose twenty games in a year. Now Nick has posted an article on the pitchers in the last ten years who had the worst … Continue reading

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FORMULA ONE SHENANIGANS AND NFL SHENANIGANS.

FORMULA ONE SHENANIGANS AND NFL SHENANIGANS. The National Football League Commisioner is reported by ESPN to be considering penalties on the New England Patriots for using TV cameras to steal defensive signals of opponents. The Yahoo! Sports article says, “According … Continue reading

Posted in Football, Sports | 1 Comment

SLEDGING IN CRICKET.

SLEDGING IN CRICKET. This weekend’s Financial Times has an article by Jo Johnson on sledging in recent cricket Test matches. Sledging is comparable to trash talking in basketball or bench jockeying in baseball. Apparently, however, because some traditionalists think sledging … Continue reading

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PREDICTIONS: JIMMY THE GREEK, PAUL EHRLICH AND THE ART OF BEING WRONG.

PREDICTIONS: JIMMY THE GREEK, PAUL EHRLICH AND THE ART OF BEING WRONG. The track record for predictions for Malthus has not been good, but Malthus is a name known to most. Making a wildly wrong prediction can make a career. … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, History, Sports | 2 Comments

BUYING SUV’S AND VOTING AGAINST THEM.

BUYING SUV’S AND VOTING AGAINST THEM. Kids, this article by James Surowiecki explains a concept that is important in both economics and law. Thomas Schelling, a Nobel Prize winner in economics, identified the concept years ago. It can be rational … Continue reading

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BASEBALL PROSPECTUS.

BASEBALL PROSPECTUS. The link to umpire accuracy below comes from Baseball Prospectus. I want to put in a plug for the site because much of the site, including that article, is intended for subscribers only. Baseball Prospectus has wonderful statistical … Continue reading

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UMPIRE RATINGS.

UMPIRE RATINGS. Following up on yesterday’s post, here is a rating for accuracy in calling balls and strikes for each major league umpire. The percentages show that on average, the umpires miss about ten per cent of the calls on … Continue reading

Posted in Baseball, Sports | 8 Comments

SHOULD REFEREE RATINGS BE PUBLIC?

SHOULD REFEREE RATINGS BE PUBLIC? The National Basketball Association is now faced with the nightmare of a referee (Tim Donaghy) being accused of betting on games he officiated. Did his bets influence his refereeing? Sports officials today are subject to … Continue reading

Posted in Basketball, Sports | 3 Comments

TWINS IN SPORTS– WITH ONE MISTAKEN IDENTITY STORY (COMMENT).

TWINS IN SPORTS –WITH ONE MISTAKEN IDENTITY STORY (COMMENT). Successful twins seem to be more common in sports than in politics. There were the Van Arsdale twins in basketball, who had remarkably similar careers. I saw them play when they … Continue reading

Posted in Basketball, Sports | 1 Comment