Are trends useful?

Are trends useful? Let's say you hear that the Yankees have won 10 straight day games. Does that mean anything? I don't think so. What if you hear that Dodger Stadium has gone over the Total with a record of 21-10-2 this year...does that mean anything? well, possibly.What is the difference between these two trends that makes one probably meaningless and the other one maybe meaningful?I think the reason the Dodgers Over may be meaningful is because of the redesign of the ballpark for this year. The park is not the same as it used to be. There is now a lot more scoring in Dodger Stadium than in previous years. This may not mean their home games will continue to go over - especially if the lines are now higher than and the market has adjusted. In their first 5 home games this year, the average total was 7.8. In their last 5 home games this year, the average total was 8.4. So maybe the line has already adjusted, and now the trend is useless because it is measuring something that the bookies have adjusted to. Still, it is something worthwhile to think about. Maybe the true average total should be a half run higher still and the bookies are in the middle of adjusting but haven't adjusted enough. In the first trend mentioned - "the Yankees have won 10 straight day games" - I think that's a useless trend. Unless there is a viable reason why this has happened. It could be possible, but seems implausible. If you knew that the Yankees were a bunch of good guys who never go out drinking and never stay out late...but every other team in baseball always stay out late and drink til they puke...then maybe you could say the Yankees were a better day game team than others. But of course, I just made that up, the Yankees are probably no different than any other team in the major leagues as far as their drinking habits and the time they get their shut-eye. So there is no viable reason behind that trend, and I would dismiss it as anything useful at all.

Slippery when wet

I'm up for an extremely busy day, with meetings following each other up all afternoon. Actually I'm looking forward to it, because I had a hard time getting up this morning, knowing that I would have to work till late. Meetings tend to make your day go faster.

This morning it was very slippery in Holland, so many of my co-workers came in late, making it an even more busy day. Fortunately, I have plans for tonight, going for a drink with my friend Niels. Obviously I can't make it too late, since there's another workday coming up tomorrow, but still, it's nice to know that you're doing something in the evening, instead of just haging on the couch watching sitcoms.

In addition, I'm very happy, because yesterday the first tour dates of the Madonna Confessions 06 World Tour were announced. Five shows at the Shea Stadium in New York City, two shows at the Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles, and ending the tour in Australia (Sydney Cricket Grounds?). I hope the European dates will be announced shortly after this as well, so the big rush for tickets can start again. I remember from Re-Invention this as a stressfull, but lovely time! Can't wait!

What I can’t describe

1. Gagné in the ninth. I have had the pleasure of being inside Dodger Stadium when Eric has jogged in from the bullpen with the good guys up by 3 runs or less at the end of the game. Welcome to the jungle.

What I can’t describe

1. Gagné in the ninth. I have had the pleasure of being inside Dodger Stadium when Eric has jogged in from the bullpen with the good guys up by 3 runs or less at the end of the game. Welcome to the jungle.

What I can’t describe

1. Gagné in the ninth. I have had the pleasure of being inside Dodger Stadium when Eric has jogged in from the bullpen with the good guys up by 3 runs or less at the end of the game. Welcome to the jungle.

What I can’t describe

1. Gagné in the ninth. I have had the pleasure of being inside Dodger Stadium when Eric has jogged in from the bullpen with the good guys up by 3 runs or less at the end of the game. Welcome to the jungle.

Great Moment in Baseball History

Living in Olympia, WA, I see plenty of anti-Bush bumperstickers. I don't pay attention to much of them. They're dull and don't seem like any creative effort went into them. But I will give this one credit: it made me chuckle.

"Frodo failed. Bush has the Ring."

Dodgers

The Dodgers played their home games from 1958 to 1961 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a gargantuan football and track-and-field stadium that had been built to host the 1932 Summer Olympics. The Coliseum's dimensions were not optimal for baseball, and the only way to fit a diamond into the oval-shaped stadium was to lay the third-base line along the short axis of the oval, and the first-base line along the long axis.This resulted in a left-field fence that was only some 250 feet from home plate, and a 40-foot screen was erected to prevent home runs from becoming too easy to hit.

DodgersLoftonfans new articles for Sunday, April 16, 2006The Fight That Benched Dusty
As part of the celebration commemorating the 1981 World Series win, Dusty Baker will be honored at Dodger Stadium on Monday night prior to the game. ... I went to tell Tommy [Lasorda, Dodgers manager], and I said, "I think I broke my ...

Week Two Wrapup: It's all about the pitching!
Wet enough to have a two hour delay against the hated Dodgers. ... five hit ball against the hated Dodgers, raising his record to 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA. ... going yard in RFK Stadium, contrary to what some players would have you think. ...

An Egg-celent Day of Family Fun in Los Angeles
That’s right – an Easter Egg Hunt on the field at Dodgers Stadium, right before the big game! We hope you'll join the men and women of the Los Angeles Fire Department and their families at this fun event, that also supports an important ...

New York Mets Pay Tribute to Number 42 By Victor Lana There are ...
One of those times occurred yesterday at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York, when the New York Mets organization honored the late Jackie Robinson on the 59th anniversary of the day he started playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, ...

Minor League Scorebook
... Little Rock stadium and the local government's attempts to keep the stadium's ... the new stadium — you'd think the local media could cover them a little better. ... 2006-04-09: GCL Dodgers did not play. 2006-04-09: Ogden did not play.

the original dodgers stadium - it's still here
One wall of Washington Park, the original stadium for the Brooklyn Dodgers at Third Avenue and Third Street in Brooklyn. Photo from http://www.forgotten-ny.com/STREET%20SC ENES/Dodgers/dodgers.html I was walking near Third Avenue and ...

Grouchy Friday
At least I've never heard of anyone getting shot after a Yanks/Sox or Mets game, which is more than we can say for Giants/Dodgers. Leave the Chip on Your Shoulder at the Door: Even in Yankee Stadium, courtesy begets courtesy. ...

dodgers stadium...hey, think blue
dodgers stadium...hey, think blue Posted by Hello.

Minor League Scorebook
Here's a piece about Holman Stadium, spring home of the Dodgers and the regular season (whew, that's hot!) home of the low-A Vero Beach Dodgers. Major league contracts are guaranteed, so teams — for better or worse — have to pay player ...

The Win-Win Proposition
... ticket prices, stadium changes and renovations, and the attendance ... Okay, so all that done, how does it look for the Angels and Dodgers? How's this:. Dodgers -> Angels $0.42 [$0.23, $0.60] Angels -> Dodgers $0.29 [$0.08, $0.50] ...

Minor League Scorebook
... up Jered this week -- very hard to believe -- I'll be in the stadium come hell or high water. ... Nonetheless, the Dodgers decided to let Broxton close the game, ... 2006-04-08: GCL Dodgers did not play. 2006-04-08: Ogden did not play.

More on Dodgers (and Angels) Attendance
Alternately, if one club is doing well on the field (and therefore drawing well at the stadium) that there will be a buzz about baseball that will encourage folks to go even to the other club's games.

Dodger Stadium
I'm at Dodger Stadium for game 6 of the road trip, blogging on my Treo. My friend, Chris, hooked me up with suite ... The Dodgers were my favorite team during the 12 years that I lived on Kauai because they were my Grandpa's favorite. ...

Dodgers 8 Pirates 3- A typical Home Opener in Pittsburgh
After seeing a 7-3 loss that year, I attended every Home Opener to the close of Three Rivers save for one, the final home opener at the stadium that was delayed a day by rain, pushing it to a day that I couldn't make the trip on (I ...

I Owe LA An Apology
Falling in love with watching baseball live at Dodgers Stadium (I'm all about the Dodger Dogs). Authentic Mexican food and "scratch" margaritas. Outdoor concert venues (for fans, imagine seeing Brian McKnight in concert under a star ...

New Home of the Mets: Jackie Robinson Field?
Met Life Park I could deal with as I could with Rheingold Stadium (since the beer ... heaven forbid, something like AskJeves.com Stadium I wont be happy. ... Robinson played in Brooklyn, for the Dodgers, the team from which the Mets ...

Why Awards Should Only Be Given Posthumously
The infield that played together at Dodger Stadium for a record 8 1/2 years ... They last walked off the field as a unit in their Dodgers uniform nearly 25 years ago. ... 1981, at Yankee Stadium -- in the sixth game of the World Series. ...

LA is the Place
My friend from Los Angeles told me something interesting yesterday. he said traffic in LA is so bad, fans can't get to a Dodgers game before the 5th inning, normally. So if u watch a Dodgers game being played at Dodger Stadium, ...

Fun With Big Barry
Last night's festivities included the Dodgers v. Giants game at Dodger Stadium with Hercules. What was supposed to be a romantic evening under the stars watching America's favorite past time in box seats ended up having a, er, ...

Happy Birthday to Me
1958 1st baseball game in California, San Francisco Giants beat Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-0 ... 1976 Yankee Stadium reopens, Yankees beat Twins after trailing 4-0 ... 1989 95 crushed to death at Sheffield Soccer Stadium in England ...

DodgersLoftonfans new articles for Tuesday, April 11, 2006Minor League Scorebook
... Little Rock stadium and the local government's attempts to keep the stadium's ... the new stadium — you'd think the local media could cover them a little better. ... 2006-04-09: GCL Dodgers did not play. 2006-04-09: Ogden did not play.

Minor League Scorebook
... up Jered this week -- very hard to believe -- I'll be in the stadium come hell or high water. ... Nonetheless, the Dodgers decided to let Broxton close the game, ... 2006-04-08: GCL Dodgers did not play. 2006-04-08: Ogden did not play.

Dodgers 8 Pirates 3- A typical Home Opener in Pittsburgh
After seeing a 7-3 loss that year, I attended every Home Opener to the close of Three Rivers save for one, the final home opener at the stadium that was delayed a day by rain, pushing it to a day that I couldn't make the trip on (I ...

Alextronic and the Judge
The folks at Jones Day and Guidance Software invited me to an exclusive evening out at Dodgers Stadium this week to join their guest of honor, Judge Scheindlin. Of course, like all other ED junkies, I came to be introduced by Judge ...

Why Are We Building a New Yankee Stadium?
So mighty were the Yankees, and such a draw was the team and its stadium, that by 1958 the the Giants and Dodgers, New York's other Major League Baseball teams, had moved to California. For four years, from 1958 through 1961, ...

the original dodgers stadium - it's still here
One wall of Washington Park, the original stadium for the Brooklyn Dodgers at Third Avenue and Third Street in Brooklyn. Photo from http://www.forgotten-ny.com/STREET%20SC ENES/Dodgers/dodgers.html I was walking near Third Avenue and ...

Opening Day: Hour 4
1:48 -- The top of the third in the Dodgers game begins with a look at the new new seats in Dodger Stadium, which are literal box seats, complete with a little table. 1:50 -- Long line for Dodger Dogs at the concession stand. ...

The NEW Hardest Working Man in Show Business
ceremonial first pitch at Dodgers Stadium. As he pulls out his baseball mitt and prepares for his moment of truth, his TV Land friends stop by to help support him. Also appearing in this installment are: Brady castmates ...

A Fitting Name for the New York Mets' New Ballpark: Jackie ...
Shea Stadium was named for lawyer William Shea, whom Mayor Lindsay at the time ... The connections between the New York Mets and the Brooklyn Dodgers are ... Just like our Mets, the Brooklyn Dodgers were the underdog team in a city ...

Dodgers 1960...
I had heard that a few renovations were made and were looking forward to seeing what they have done with the place. It was obvious the direction the stadium would be when we picked up our tickets. The Dodgers went retro. ...

New Mets park, but not a new Shea
Instead of calling the new park Shea Stadium they've stated that they're actively looking for a naming rights partner. It's lovely to honor the Brooklyn Dodgers' history; isn't it better to honor the New York Mets' history? ...

Everything New York Baseball
The second part I love that really corresponds to this is the fact that there's going to be a tribute to New York Baseball in the stadium. We're talking about the Brooklyn Dodgers of the 40's and 50's, the New York Giants of the that ...

Ruminations: Friday
The Mets are joining the Yankees in new-stadium heaven. The new stadium certainly won’t be called Shea but it will pay homage to Ebbets Field, the old home of the Brooklyn Dodgers. While the architectural renderings look great, ...

"Council Votes Yes On New Yankee Stadium" on NY1, 4/5/6
Mets officials say the new stadium will have an Ebbetts Field look to it, referring to the old stadium that was once home to the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Mets hope to have construction completed in time for the 2009 season.

Opening Day: Hour 6
3:43 -- Attendance at today's Dodgers game is announced as 56000, which happens to be the exact capacity of Dodger Stadium. Hmm... According to Vin Scully, it's never been that high for a regular-season game before. ...

Woof-woof, Dodger Dogs
We were only "live" from inside the stadium during the pre-game festivities. ... The Dodgers lost by one run and I think I only botched one "Chief thing" I was ... I don't know when the Dodgers play again, but I think they'll have more ...

DC SCENE MONDAY
Of the first 18 former Negro Leaguers inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, nine played for the Grays at Washington's Griffith Stadium. ... That was seven years after Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers and shattered ...

Minor Notes - 4/10/06
... to a 7-2 victory over Akron on a cold, windy Saturday afternoon at NYSEG Stadium. ... -SLU notes: Jose Sanchez started the game on a good foot for the Mets holding the Dodgers to only three hits and one run in five innings of work. ...

Shea goodbye: Mets unveil new stadium plans
Shea goodbye: Mets unveil new stadium plansShea goodbye: Mets unveil new stadium plansNew York ... stirred up the past on Thursday when they unveiled a stadium design reminiscent of EbbetsField, the storied home of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Monday, April 10, 2006
... of the Year" award in his first year and help lead the Dodgers to 7 pennants in the 10 years he played for them)... ... pitcher Larry Jaster (the area is still marked and is considered the longest home run ever hit at Shea Stadium). ...