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podcast | short hops | trivia

Game of Chance is a weekly podcast about
baseball stats, history, and culture which puts current
events in a historical context and constantly questions
what we think we know about the national pastime.

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Fielding Statistics

Finally! In two years or so we should finally have the data we need for some real fielding statistics.

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Predictions

Everyone loves reading and making preseason predictions, but it’s really all futile.

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The Unbreakables (Part Two)

Is Ty Cobb’s .366 lifetime batting average really an unbreakable record? What about Barry Bonds’ 762 career home runs?

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The Unbreakables (Part One)

A lot of baseball records are huge, but which ones are actually unbreakable?

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Tough Guys

We expect athletes to be fearless and unemotional, even super-human. What are the consequences of these expectations?

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Why Baseball Has Statistics

Right from its beginnings in the 1800s, baseball has been accompanied by a barrage of numbers. Why are statistics so important to baseball?

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Pitch Counts

Pitchers today don’t throw as many pitches as they used to, and they rarely finish games. What’s the deal with pitch limits? Do they even work?

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The Legend of Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter is often referred to as the second best shortstop ever. Is this accurate? Where does Jeter fit among the greats?

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Speed (Part One)

Speed is an exciting part of baseball, but how important is it for an offense to have fast players?

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Taking Stock: The 2010 Mets

Every year the Mets’ payroll is one of the highest in baseball and their results are mediocre. What’s going on?

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Luck (Part One)

Luck plays a huge role in baseball, more than most people realize. In fact, baseball players behave a lot like coin flips.

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Milestones

Why do we care if a batter hits .300 or a pitcher wins 20 games? How have these arbitrary milestones become so important to baseball fans? And, more importantly, how do they affect the players and the game itself?

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Dominance

Debunking the myth that Barry Bonds was a more dominant home run hitter than Babe Ruth, and exploring the idea of dominance in baseball.

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Correct vs. Fair

An argument against instant replay, and a summary of the Mets injury situation heading into the second half of the season.

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First Half Flukes?

There have been some surprising performances in the first half of 2010. Are they flukes or for real?

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The Great Vladimir Guerrero

Vladimir Guerrero is destroying baseballs the way he has for the past 14 years, and still not getting the recognition he deserves.

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A Tribute to Rick Ankiel

Rick Ankiel is on a very short list of players (which includes Babe Ruth) who have been legitimate pitchers and position players at the major league level.

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Replay Is Coming

It seems instant replay review is destined to be a part of baseball at some point. How will it affect the game?

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Don't Throw Away Next Year

The Mets are not going to make the playoffs this year, but Omar Minaya will probably trade young talent for mercenary veterans anyway, destroying next year’s team in the process.

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Start a New List

Umpire Jim Joyce missed a call last night that cost Armando Galarraga a perfect game…or did he?

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