on the main menu sidebar, i'd like to vote for "please phrase the question more concisely."

From MLB's tiebreaker rules (truncated for brevity's sake):

Scenario #4: If three Clubs are tied for first place in a Division (or Wild Card) with an identical winning percentage at the conclusion of the championship season and the tied Clubs do not have identical records against one another in the championship season, the tie for the Division Championship (or Wild Card) shall be broken as follows:

If the three tied Clubs have identical records against one another in the championship season, the Office of the Commissioner shall supervise a draw that results in the Clubs' being designated Club "A," "B," and "C."

If the tied Clubs do not have identical records against one another in the champoinship season, they will be designated Club "A,""B," and "C" based on their records in head-to- head competition during the championship season as follows:

[long explanation follows. Basically, if your head-to-head record is better than your opponents, you are given priority to pick your designation as Club "A", "B" or "C".]

Club "A" shall play Club "B" at the ballpark of Club "A" on Monday, September 29. The following day (Tuesday, September 30), the winner of the first game shall be the home Club in a second game, against Club "C." The winner of the game between Club "C" and the Club that won the game between Club "A" and Club "B" shall be declared the Division Champion.

I'm guessing if you assume all other things to be equal, it's preferable to be Club "C" as opposed to Club "A"? But I was wondering if anyone had run the numbers.

I'm guessing if you assume all other things to be equal, it's preferable to be Club "C" as opposed to Club "A"? But I was wondering if anyone had run the numbers.

Persumably, because you only need to win one game. Plus you have (at least) a day of rest for your bullpen, etc. whereas Club "A" might need to fire all their weapons just to beat Club "B."

Absolutely Club C. HFA is rather small in baseball, and is much less important than only having to win one game instead of two.

In addition, all else being equal, you root for Club B in the first tiebreaker, so you both have to travel to the host city for the deciding game. In reality, the starting pitcher you're likely to face would be a bigger concern.

I guess an alternative question I have is - at what level would home field advantage have to be in order for Club "A" to be preferable to Club "C"?

Worst Career ERA+ for Pitchers with at least 100 Saves. Who are They?

1. ERA+ 95, 145 Saves - Former Orangeman was a closer for five playoff teams, all with the same club
2. ERA+ 97, 144 Saves - Worst All-Star ever? Was released the season after he made the Midsummer Classic
3. ERA+ 100, 110 Saves - As a rookie starter, tossed a no-no against a future Hall of Famer
4. ERA+ 100, 321 Saves - Tabled games for two World Series clubs, but was accused of "being vacant" and blowing a Game Seven
5. ERA+ 101, 130 Saves - Holds the Yankee record for most consecutive strikeouts, but was primarily an ineffective closer in Minnesota
6. ERA+ 101, 108 Saves - Twice led the league in losses before converting to an effective reliever in Washington
7. ERA+ 103, 131 Saves - Had three seasons of 33 saves or more, including a 45 save season, but never had more than 9 saves in any other season
8. ERA+ 104, 129 Saves - Polydactyled reliever led the league in saves in 2000
9. ERA+ 105, 123 Saves - Single season saves leader in Kansas City A's history, in fact he set a MLB record that year
10.ERA+ 105, 126 Saves - Two-time All-Star in Cleveland produced two big leaguers

on the main menu sidebar, i'd like to vote for "please phrase the question more concisely."

I wonder if it would have been possible to rank them 1-4?

I guess an alternative question I have is - at what level would home field advantage have to be in order for Club "A" to be preferable to Club "C"?

Assuming the teams are otherwise evenly matched (a 50% chance of winning without any external influences), I'd say over 62%

If HFA means you win 62% of the time, then the odds of you winning 2 games in a row at home are about 38%. That means that in game 2, team C has a 38% chance of winning against your 62%

2. Mike Williams
4. Jose Mesa?

2. Shawn Chacon?
5. Ron Davis
8. Antonio Alfonseca

And number three is on the tip of my toungue. He played for St. Louis and...Colorado? Hispanic guy. #######.

Worst Career ERA+ for Pitchers with at least 100 Saves. Who are They?

1. ERA+ 95, 145 Saves - Former Orangeman was a closer for five playoff teams, all with the same club
2. ERA+ 97, 144 Saves - Worst All-Star ever? Was released the season after he made the Midsummer Classic
3. ERA+ 100, 110 Saves - As a rookie starter, tossed a no-no against a future Hall of Famer
4. ERA+ 100, 321 Saves - Tabled games for two World Series clubs, but was accused of "being vacant" and blowing a Game Seven
5. ERA+ 101, 130 Saves - Holds the Yankee record for most consecutive strikeouts, but was primarily an ineffective closer in Minnesota
6. ERA+ 101, 108 Saves - Twice led the league in losses before converting to an effective reliever in Washington
7. ERA+ 103, 131 Saves - Had three seasons of 33 saves or more, including a 45 save season, but never had more than 9 saves in any other season
8. ERA+ 104, 129 Saves - Polydactyled reliever led the league in saves in 2000
9. ERA+ 105, 123 Saves - Single season saves leader in Kansas City A's history, in fact he set a MLB record that year
10.ERA+ 105, 126 Saves - Two-time All-Star in Cleveland produced two big leaguers

Just guessing here:



2 - Mike Williams (or was it Williamson?)
5 - Ron Davis
9 - Ted Abernathy

And number three is on the tip of my toungue. He played for St. Louis and...Colorado? Hispanic guy. #######.

Jose Jimenez. Thanks for the assist! :P

7 is Joe Borowski.

Jose Jimenez

I had gone to look this up, because it was making me crazy, but I didn't want to post it.

ERA+? These are relievers.

Correct thus far:

2. Mike Williams
3. Jose Jimenez
4. Jose Mesa
5. Ron Davis
7. Joe Borowski
8. Antonion Alfonseca

9 is not Ted Abernathy

Dave LaRoche is No. 10. (That hint was really a dead giveaway.)

I've never even heard of #1; besides, looks like his career ERA+ was brought down by years of being a middling starter.

I cheated on No. 9 and looked him up on BBRef. Someone I have completely never heard of!

Did Ernie Harwell die? I caught the 20/20 Sports Flash in passing and they said something about an 86 yo Tigers announcer.

It was George Kell, GGC.

Dave LaRoche is correct. The rest:

1. Dave Giusti
6. Ron Kline
9. Jack Aker

Interesting that they would refer to George Kell as a Tiger announcer rather than Hall of Fame third baseman. Not one of the Veterans Committee's better choices.

Interesting that they would refer to George Kell as a Tiger announcer rather than Hall of Fame third baseman.

Probably because that's how most people still living remember him.

Makes sense, D,LBaH. I don't think of Frank Gifford or Pat Summerall as football players.

Oops. I misread/misremembered the clue on #9 as being "saves leader in KC A's history," rather than "single-season...." Because I have heard of Jack Aker, but I had never heard of John Wyatt, who compiled 73 saves for KC between 1961 and 1966. And I see he did a nice job for the Red Sox in their "Impossible Dream" season. And then he just fell off the face of the earth--arm problems or something?

Makes sense, D,LBaH. I don't think of Frank Gifford or Pat Summerall as football players.

I seriously didn't know John Madden was once a coach until I was a junior in college. I thought he was an ex-linebacker or something. He sure made some neat video games though.

Makes sense, D,LBaH. I don't think of Frank Gifford or Pat Summerall as football players.

Yeah, but those guys are national. Outside Detroit, how many people think of Kell as a broadcaster?

I can see labeling him that way in Michigan. But for a national audience, I'd go with HoFer.

Outside Detroit, how many people think of Kell as a broadcaster?

Outside of Detroit, how many people think of Kell at all? He's easily one of the most unknown Hall of Famers.

At this point, given his 40+ year history as a broadcaster, it's probably more reasonable to expect people to remember him for that.

At this point, given his 40+ year history as a broadcaster, it's probably more reasonable to expect people to remember him for that.

My point is, if the vast majority of your audience doesn't remember a guy at all, then you should go with his most noteworthy accomplishment, which is a HoF playing career.

From this interesting article ("How (and Why) Athletes Go Broke" by Pablo S. Torre, from the new Sports Illustrated), we get this story:

On a much smaller scale, Torii Hunter and Astros pitcher LaTroy Hawkins recall the story of a former major leaguer from the Dominican Republic whose adviser took care of all his financial matters. One day the player's mail came to the clubhouse and Hunter playfully asked to see it. "It turns out he was paying this guy $5,000 a month on insurance for two cars in the Dominican Republic," Hunter says. "I got three cars, and I only pay $250 a month. He'd been with and trusted this guy [for almost 18 years]!"

Hawkins and Hunter were teammates from 1997 to 2003. And since this was the Twins, the only Dominican teammates they had in those seven years were David Ortiz, Cristian Guzman, and Hector Carrasco. And the only one who was above age 26 at the time was Hector Carrasco, who was 31 in 2003, Hawkins's last year with the Twins.

So...presumably Hunter's original sentence was "He'd been with and trusted this guy since he was 13 years old!".

And apparently Hector Carrasco used to pay $30,000 per year per car for car insurance. Maybe he had twin Batmobiles.

And apparently Hector Carrasco paid $30,000 per year per car for car insurance. Maybe he had twin Batmobiles.

Thjink of all the money that he could be saving with Geico.

*fades in some Rockwell*

I seriously didn't know John Madden was once a coach until I was a junior in college.

Thanks for making me feel old.

I didn't know until around that time either.

It was even more surprising to find out Dick Vitale was once a coach. And for an team that made Sweet Sixteen appearances! And then in the NBA! Not SUNY-Plattsburgh or Finlandia University or something. I flatout did not believe it. It would be like finding out that Gary Busey used to be a US senator.

[Edited to account for my erroneous belief that Detroit-Mercy was in the Atlantic 10 conference]

It would be like finding out that Gary Busey used to be a US senator.


Or that Jerry Springer used to be a mayor.

Or that Jerry Springer used to be a mayor.

<wakes up from coma>

President Reagan? The actor?!

College shocker (albeit on a Tuesday game): Ga. State 10, GT 1.