As we go through this pandemic Danny Boyce has decided to mention some of what he is missing from the sports world. Some will seem silly, some will seem serious, and there’s a distinct possibility that the reader will feel the opposite of which ones are which. But again, it’s sports, so enjoy!
Part 5: Small Sample Sizes
Usually around the eighth of the month someone will be up to bat and You will see a graphic like this:
Best Batting Average in May
Mimimum 20 at-bats
Boyce .486
Murphy .482
Taylor .482
Gutierrez .477
Chase .468
You know, because 20 at-bats determines a lot of a baseball season. Or a team will win and clinch a playoff spot and you will see this caption:
Orange County Devils
First Playoff Appearance Since 2018
“Since” is my buddy Steve’s pet peeve. We believe there should be at least a 10 year gap to use the word “Since”.
Or there are always my two favorites:
IN THE MODERN ERA
SINCE 1970
Now, we all know that the first one applies to Major League Baseball and the second to the NFL (I refuse to put the whole name in any space; Ron Jaworski is not getting a dime from me). They are both absolutely fantastic. First off, the “Modern Era” means since 1901. Now, considering that the Earth has been around for several million years contextually speaking this makes sense. But how is baseball in 1901 anywhere near baseball today? And as for “Since 1970”, well, everyone except Steelers fans realize that the NFL has been around since the 1920’s.
But you know, I could use a meaningless, five game stat that goes back to the beginning of the “Modern Era”.