ironicmathsolver

Quartermark Point: 77 OTL through 303 games...

2009-11-20T07:48:00.000-08:00

...for a rate of 25.4%, up from last year's 22.9% (282/1230).League-wide, 282 extra points were dumped into the standings in 2008-09 by contests tied after regulation, for 9.4 extra points per team. In a league where 16/30 teams make the playoffs, one can reasonably predict the cutoff for points necessary for qualification as simply 82+the average extra points per team. Last year, 91 was

Bullpens, Rotations, and Playoffs: The 6-Man Rotation

2009-06-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

A five-man rotation for starting pitchers has been standard for decades. Of the 25 roster spots available, a dozen are allocated to the bullpen, comprising five starters, one closer, one set-up man, perhaps one 7th-inning set-up specialist (for the clubs blessed with the resources to develop their potential future closers with MLB experience), one southpaw specialist or righty submariner for

Tweaks to make the NHL even better

2009-05-26T22:37:00.000-07:00

The evolution of the NHL's rules since the lockout has undoubtedly improved game play in what is already the best professional sports league on the planet. Below, I will describe a few tweaks that could make the game even better. I'm going to skip the draft order, since I've covered that in the past.Starting with scheduling, to keep with this string of posts, a mild realignment putting

MLB Interleague Play

2009-05-21T14:31:00.000-07:00

This is the first of what will be a multi-part series of posts on scheduling in pro sports.Baseball has an untapped source of excitement in interleague play. While players complain about visiting cities that are neither historical nor geographical rivals, the league correctly cites the increased attendance as a mark of success, as the novelty of seeing a team that doesn't normally visit your

Attn NHL: 15-16-6 is not one game under .500

2008-12-31T09:39:00.000-08:00

So, my beloved Kings, you're doing better than last year, but, ".500" is not the benchmark you seek.It took 91 points to make the playoffs last year (Nashville). 91/82 is about 9 points from 8 games, or 4-3-1. Nashville had 42 wins in their 82 games, i.e., winning slightly more than half. A nominal .500 team is taking no more than 8 points from 8 games, and, as such, is never going to make the

Don't date her...yet...or ever.

2008-11-15T07:52:00.000-08:00

Dear ironicmathsolver,Okay, "hypothetical" situation here... you totally dig this girl, but she is kind of still with her ex. You meet her ex for the first time and he is a totally solid dude, the kind of dude you would definitely be friends with if not for the situation. How do you approach this? Give up? Go for the gold? Play Warcraft to forget about the pain? Thank you in advance!!!This is a

NHL Draft Lottery: Aftermath

2008-04-08T09:19:00.001-07:00

So, Tampa wins the lottery and has first dibs at a conspicuously not-that-fired-up-about-south-Florida Stamkos.The Bolts' tank over the last stretch of the season and the Kings' meaningless points accumulated largely thanks to the suddenly prolific Brian Willsie flipped the expected draft order.This is not a very elegant system, and probably why GMs send someone their fan bases like to the

NHL Draft Lottery

2008-04-07T07:38:00.000-07:00

The goal of injecting parity into professional sports leagues that use drafts is fundamentally at odds with competitive integrity in the current season. Lotteries have been implemented to prevent a bottom-dweller from "tanking" to secure a #1 pick when their hopes of a playoff berth are minimal, but by the NHL trade deadline, the buyers and sellers are generally well-characterized, and there is