Are There Patterns in Baseball?

[mabfan]

So Wednesday night, Nomi and I start watching Game 1 of the World Series. We watch until the end of the amazing fifth inning, when the score is Red Sox 13, Rockies 1, and then we go to bed. We wake up Thursday morning to discover that the final score was 13-1, Red Sox.

Last night, Nomi and I have Game 2 on in the background, and we watch until the end of the fifth inning, when the score is Red Sox 2, Rockies 1. Then we go to bed. We wake up this morning to discover that the final score was 2-1, Red Sox.

I'm starting to think that Saturday night, we should keep watching the game until the Red Sox are winning, then turn off the TV and go to bed. Either that, or hope things are going well for the Sox by the end of the fifth inning....

Comments

[chelseagirl.livejournal.com]

Back when the Buffalo Bills kept, um, placing second in the Superbowl, I stopped watching the games to see if it would help them. Nothing seemed to matter.

May you have better fortune!

[kradical.livejournal.com]

The answer to your subject-line question is, "Not really, no, but that doesn't stop players, fans, and analysts from trying to shoehorn patterns into things that don't have them." *laughs*

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Yes, please. Don't break the pattern! (Or you just know who we'll blame. Can you handle a whole worldful of blame...?)

[sdelmonte]

Can you do me a favor and let the Rockies have a lead a couple of times? I don't want to see another sweep. (Sweeps are great for the team's fans, and rotten for everyone else.)

[delkytlar.livejournal.com]

Absolutely. Baseball is very susceptible to the butterfly effect. Every fan has a hand in guiding the outcome of games. Boston won't stand a chance if any of their fans has changed their underwear since Game 1.

[querldox.livejournal.com]

Mildly surprised you haven't had anyone offer to come over with anesthesia (or a large, cartoonlike, mallet) yet.

[crackboy.livejournal.com]

There is a pattern, but it's slightly different from the pattern you're implying. I believe this is called the Okajima-Papelbon Phenomenon.

[cheshyre]

A friend forwarded me this pic:

[elul-3.livejournal.com]

6-0 Sox as of the top of the sixth...I hope you went to sleep at the end of the last inning! Think about the kitten!