No. Sad as it is to report, the 162-0 season remains an impossible fantasy -- a whimsical childhood illusion -- even if the Yankees played an entire season in Division III. As John Sterling once said, "You can't win them all."
'Tis one o' the vagaries of baseball, as The Master often says, that each day, the two contesting squads begin the game with different hurlers. The starting pitcher -- that is, the pitcher who starts the game -- has an enormous impact on the final outcome. A good starting pitcher means the team has a better chance of winning. A bad starter decreases the chance of victory.
Also, players often fall into a "slump," or - as it is known in Kansas City - an "off year." Some days, the entire team slumps. When this happens, the likelihood of a defeat increases dramatically. And, as scientists have shown, when the likelihood of defeat increases dramatically, the team is more likely to lose.
Very astute observations, especially concerning the relationship between slumping, likelihood of defeat and actually losing. Nice work.
ReplyDeleteAll I know is we better sweep the Metropolitans this weekend. I can't stand the thought of Reyes, Frisco Rodriguez, and Manuel getting even a split of the season series with us. Is Luis Castillo back at second for them?
ReplyDeleteIf Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth played for the Yankees would John say "Ryan Howard just sent that one to The Office!" and "Jayson, that one was totally Werth it!"?
ReplyDeleteBeat the Mets or the Phils, then start talking.
ReplyDeleteMoyer and Kendrick too good. Phils take the series. Yep a NL team.
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