Sunday diversion: of Pythagorus and baseball odds

The plusses and minuses mean a lot

For baseball fans who don’t get the stat geek world, this Sports Illustrated piece nicely captures the science behind the Probability of Playoffs column you see in some renditions of Major League baseball standings:

http://mlb.si.com/2012/07/04/does-being-in-first-place-on-july-4-mean-anything/?sct=mlb_bf2_a3

Tough luck for you Orioles fans, though you have enjoyed great luck so far.

(c) Sandy Mattingly 2012