Comments on: Durbin’s infinite ERA http://umpbump.com/press/2007/09/02/durbins-infinite-era/ In-your-face baseball commentary Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:48:13 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Sarah Green http://umpbump.com/press/2007/09/02/durbins-infinite-era/comment-page-1/#comment-52937 Sarah Green Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:59:42 +0000 http://umpbump.com/press/durbins-infinite-era/#comment-52937 Holds and saves are the most craptastic stats ever. "If the tying run is on the top step of the dugout and the moon is full, then the pitcher shall be credited with a save." Posh! Humorless nerd, took you long enough. :) Holds and saves are the most craptastic stats ever. “If the tying run is on the top step of the dugout and the moon is full, then the pitcher shall be credited with a save.” Posh!

Humorless nerd, took you long enough. :)

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]]> By: Nick Kapur http://umpbump.com/press/2007/09/02/durbins-infinite-era/comment-page-1/#comment-52936 Nick Kapur Thu, 13 Sep 2007 07:26:26 +0000 http://umpbump.com/press/durbins-infinite-era/#comment-52936 Well, actually, not all stats are standardized. Sarah is right that for most of the standard statistics, the formulas are the same, but not always. A good example is the "hold." Two of the major stat companies (which supply media outlets with their stats) - SportsTicker and STATS Inc. - have competing definitions of what a hold is, so different sites and newspapers can award players different amounts of holds depending on whom they get their stats from (and annoyingly, generally don't tell you which). With some of the newer Sabermetric stats, different web sites all have slightly different formulas. For example "runs created" totals will all be roughly the same, but slightly different depending on the exact formula used. But generally, for classic stats like .avg, .obp, .slg, etc, the formulas are set in stone, and a run or an RBI is always going to be 1=1. Well, actually, not all stats are standardized. Sarah is right that for most of the standard statistics, the formulas are the same, but not always. A good example is the “hold.” Two of the major stat companies (which supply media outlets with their stats) – SportsTicker and STATS Inc. – have competing definitions of what a hold is, so different sites and newspapers can award players different amounts of holds depending on whom they get their stats from (and annoyingly, generally don’t tell you which). With some of the newer Sabermetric stats, different web sites all have slightly different formulas. For example “runs created” totals will all be roughly the same, but slightly different depending on the exact formula used. But generally, for classic stats like .avg, .obp, .slg, etc, the formulas are set in stone, and a run or an RBI is always going to be 1=1.

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]]> By: Sarah Green http://umpbump.com/press/2007/09/02/durbins-infinite-era/comment-page-1/#comment-52935 Sarah Green Wed, 05 Sep 2007 14:19:45 +0000 http://umpbump.com/press/durbins-infinite-era/#comment-52935 Suz, yes, all the stats are standardized—that is to say, no matter which source you consult, any player N will have the same average A. (Or to put it in less math-y terms, all baseball statisticians will have someone, let’s call him Jerk McDouchebag hitting at, say, .287.) I don't quite know how it works, I just rely on the brainiacs to come up with the numbers, on which I then slavishly rely. :) Thus I accept on blind faith that somewhere out there, some number-cruncher is coming up with a finite number for a pitcher's ERA, even when that pitcher has recorded zero outs. How this strange alchemy occurs is as mysterious to me as the turning of water into wine. And I'm comfortable with that. I predict that some humorless nerd will now attempt to kill our buzz by actually answering this question (or suggesting that our baseball blog now talk about football, or unintentionally recapping what it says in the post, but in a dumber way). Humorless nerd, over to you! Suz, yes, all the stats are standardized—that is to say, no matter which source you consult, any player N will have the same average A. (Or to put it in less math-y terms, all baseball statisticians will have someone, let’s call him Jerk McDouchebag hitting at, say, .287.)

I don’t quite know how it works, I just rely on the brainiacs to come up with the numbers, on which I then slavishly rely. :)

Thus I accept on blind faith that somewhere out there, some number-cruncher is coming up with a finite number for a pitcher’s ERA, even when that pitcher has recorded zero outs. How this strange alchemy occurs is as mysterious to me as the turning of water into wine. And I’m comfortable with that.

I predict that some humorless nerd will now attempt to kill our buzz by actually answering this question (or suggesting that our baseball blog now talk about football, or unintentionally recapping what it says in the post, but in a dumber way). Humorless nerd, over to you!

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]]> By: Suz http://umpbump.com/press/2007/09/02/durbins-infinite-era/comment-page-1/#comment-52934 Suz Wed, 05 Sep 2007 00:50:34 +0000 http://umpbump.com/press/durbins-infinite-era/#comment-52934 The point is not that Durbin is some sort of crazy anomaly, but that it's really fun to make fun of bad pitching with math. Does anyone know to what degree statistical measures in baseball are standardized, by the way? ie. do SABR and BP (and any other relvant groups) define all their stats uniformly? The point is not that Durbin is some sort of crazy anomaly, but that it’s really fun to make fun of bad pitching with math.

Does anyone know to what degree statistical measures in baseball are standardized, by the way? ie. do SABR and BP (and any other relvant groups) define all their stats uniformly?

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]]> By: Grant http://umpbump.com/press/2007/09/02/durbins-infinite-era/comment-page-1/#comment-52933 Grant Tue, 04 Sep 2007 21:18:31 +0000 http://umpbump.com/press/durbins-infinite-era/#comment-52933 His ERA in yesterdays game was infinity. There, I said it. And I'm a mathematician. His ERA in yesterdays game was infinity. There, I said it. And I’m a mathematician.

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]]> By: Ben http://umpbump.com/press/2007/09/02/durbins-infinite-era/comment-page-1/#comment-52932 Ben Tue, 04 Sep 2007 20:11:02 +0000 http://umpbump.com/press/durbins-infinite-era/#comment-52932 I like the use of Lebesgue measure on a sports blog, but I would have to agree with kurtsy that this must happen all the time with relief pitchers. Also, plotting his instanteneous ERA versus time doesn't really make sense, because it would always be either 0 or infinite. If you plot his cumulative ERA versus time then there would be jumps when runs were scored or outs were made, but points at infinity would pretty much only happen before his first out of the season. I like the use of Lebesgue measure on a sports blog, but I would have to agree with kurtsy that this must happen all the time with relief pitchers. Also, plotting his instanteneous ERA versus time doesn’t really make sense, because it would always be either 0 or infinite. If you plot his cumulative ERA versus time then there would be jumps when runs were scored or outs were made, but points at infinity would pretty much only happen before his first out of the season.

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]]> By: Mac http://umpbump.com/press/2007/09/02/durbins-infinite-era/comment-page-1/#comment-52931 Mac Tue, 04 Sep 2007 19:43:51 +0000 http://umpbump.com/press/durbins-infinite-era/#comment-52931 I think that technically Durbin has no ERA for the game, because calculating it involves dividing by zero, which is an invalid function. But I've never really understood math. I think that technically Durbin has no ERA for the game, because calculating it involves dividing by zero, which is an invalid function. But I’ve never really understood math.

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]]> By: jb http://umpbump.com/press/2007/09/02/durbins-infinite-era/comment-page-1/#comment-52930 jb Tue, 04 Sep 2007 18:34:36 +0000 http://umpbump.com/press/durbins-infinite-era/#comment-52930 Any Twins fan reading this post will not be surprised. Any Twins fan reading this post will not be surprised.

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]]> By: kgaard http://umpbump.com/press/2007/09/02/durbins-infinite-era/comment-page-1/#comment-52929 kgaard Tue, 04 Sep 2007 18:31:00 +0000 http://umpbump.com/press/durbins-infinite-era/#comment-52929 Wilson Alvarez had a career ERA of "infinity" after his first career start in 1989 for the Rangers. Two years later, in his second career start (for the White Sox), he pitched a no-hitter. Wilson Alvarez had a career ERA of “infinity” after his first career start in 1989 for the Rangers.

Two years later, in his second career start (for the White Sox), he pitched a no-hitter.

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]]> By: JDilla http://umpbump.com/press/2007/09/02/durbins-infinite-era/comment-page-1/#comment-52928 JDilla Tue, 04 Sep 2007 18:19:40 +0000 http://umpbump.com/press/durbins-infinite-era/#comment-52928 Interesting read but seriously .. football season starts in 2 days so let's put baseball to bed. Interesting read but seriously .. football season starts in 2 days so let’s put baseball to bed.

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