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Alternate Baseball Universes

Posted by kdawson on from the say-it-ain't-so-joe dept.

Jamie found a NYTimes op-ed by a grad student and a professor from Cornell, outlining some research they did into alternate baseball universes. The goal was to find out how unlikely in fact was Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak, played out in the 1941 season. No one since has even come close to that record. The math guys ran simulations of the entire history of baseball from 1885 on — 10,000 of them. For each simulation they put each player up to the plate for each at-bat in each game in each year, just like it happened; and they rolled the dice on him, based on his actual hitting stats for that season. (Their algorithm sounds far simpler than whatever the Strat-O-Matic guys use.) The result: Joltin' Joe's record is not merely likely, it's basically a sure thing. Every alternate universe produced a streak of 39 games or better; one reached 109 games. Joe DiMaggio was not the likeliest player in the history of the game to accomplish the record, not by a long shot.

5 of 229 comments (clear)

  1. How likely is it that the researchers have sex? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    I just flipped a coin a few times, and it seems they never do.

    (For those wondering, tails is sex, and heads is no sex, per Bill Clinton rules)

    1. Re:How likely is it that the researchers have sex? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll
      I think you're fucking sad Christopher. Check out how often you post on Slashdot. Get a fucking life. I rarely come here yet I see posts from you all the fucking time. Face facts - you're a loser and none of these fucking posts you make mean anything. You are wasting your life with trivial bullshit. This is the only time I will offer you help.

      Either find something meaningful to do with your life or go fucking kill yourself. Asshole.

  2. Someone please mod parent Troll. by Enderandrew · · Score: 1, Troll

    Someone please mod parent Troll.

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  3. Re:Cricket by The+One+and+Only · · Score: -1, Troll

    That's interesting, we did the same thing. We took your "football" and called it "soccer". These days, soccer is only played by schoolchildren, and even then only when they don't have enough equipment for the infinitely superior game of American football. It amuses us that you folks riot and kill each other over a childrens' game.

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    In Repressive Burma, it's not just your connection that dies. slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=314547&cid=20819199
  4. Re:If its so likely, they why hasn't it happened? by Goldberg's+Pants · · Score: 0, Troll

    Thank you for proving my point.