Baseball

Baseball is quintessential threes.  It is three strikes, three outs, nine innings.  It is scored in hits, runs and errors.  A diamond has three bases (the fourth is home plate) and nine players.  Baseball is also one activity that’s consumed by averages.  There are batting averages, earned run averages, slugging percentages, on-base percentages, runs with runners in scoring position (an average), stolen base percentages and many more, including the obscure Mendoza Line named for shortstop Mario Mendoza whose lifetime batting average was .215, which is a modern demarcation between average and poor. 

But think about this.  Say, for instance, a baseball team has a record of 40 wins and 20 losses.  The team has played 60 games.  Commentators today say that team is playing 20 games above .500.  To play .500 baseball means you have won half and lost half, and in this instance that would result in a record of 30 wins and 30 losses.  In reality the team with 40 wins and 20 losses is playing only 10 games better than the .500 average (30 wins and 30 losses).   Do you agree or disagree?