Empty Notebook

Pedro is hurt… that’s all I really need to write.

Metsblog has all of the answers in case anyone wants to know why I’m a bit down today. Who would have thought that the ticking time bomb would go off after 3+ innings?

I was checking my RSS feeds and came across yet another good blog entry at MetsBlog.com, which I read a lot. Basically, Matthew is commenting on Moises Alou and the joy of watching a professional hitter like him.  It made me think a lot.  Frankly, before Alou became a member of the Mets, I didn’t think much about him other than he was a “pretty good” injury prone player.

Boy, was I wrong.  Alou is the epitome of professional hitting.  He makes solid contact on almost every at-bat, has tremendous plate coverage, and really understands the “game” of hitting.  I’m going to be sad to see him go when he retires, so I’m trying to appreciate as much of his hitting as I can.  You’ve won me over Moises, and thank you for your contributions to my favorite team!

So I was listening to a bit of Mike & Mike In The Morning on ESPN radio on my way into work today.  I enjoy the show.  Golic returned from a lengthy vacation. When I tuned in, I heard him talking about the Texas Rangers’ record setting (modern era) 30 runs in one ball game.  30 runs is a crazy number, and Golic did his best to compare it to the NFL and NBA.  The Rangers scored 532% above average with their 30 runs. An NFL team would have to put up 130+ in one game to match that percentage above average, and and NBA team would have to score over 600 points.

That puts it in perspective, but I have one issue with that comparison.  Baseball isn’t timed. The NFL and NBA are timed. So it’s physically impossible to put up 600 points in one NBA game, and almost as impossible to put up 130 in an NFL game, although that one seems more possible to me.

So let’s break down the score for the Rangers game but with time included as a factor. (Granted, these comparisons are apples to oranges, but it’s fun anyway.)

The game took 3 hours and 21 minutes. That’s not unreasonable for a “normal” baseball game.  So, the Rangers scored 0.15 runs per minute. Which means under the time constraints of the NBA or NFL, the Rangers would have scored 9 runs. Hardly anything to write home about, unless you consider that the average MLB team would score 1.38 runs in the same time frame.

Looking at the records provides yet another view of the situation.  The Rangers improved upon the previous record by 1 run or 3.44%.  How do the NFL and NBA compare to that?  The Redskins put 72 up on the Giants in 1966. The new record would be 74.47, so I’ll round up to 75 since a whole point is needed. That’s not nearly as drastic as 130+. For the NBA, the Detroit Pistons scored 186 in double overtime.  So for a double overtime game, an NBA team would have to score 193 points to set the equivalent record. That’s far less than Golic’s suggested 600.

So, MLB.tv has a boss key on it’s media players that basically throws up a Best Boss Award entry form and covers up whatever you’re watching. I’m still laughing. Good job MLB!