4B
Thursday, September 26, 1996
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New playoff system rules out magic numbers
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Yankees surprised by news of clinching possibilities
The Associated Press
There were the New York Yankees, in position to clinch their first AL East title in 15 years, and yet there was no champagne on ice in the clubhouse, no plans for a party, no celebration in the works.
Why?
Because they began Tuesday with a magic number of three, meaning — to most people who have followed the game forever — that there was no way they could close out second-place Baltimore.
If New York won, and if Baltimore and Seattle had lost, the Yankees would've wrapped up their first division title since 1981. As it turned out, the Yankees were rained out Tuesday night.
Not so.
Blame it all on baseball's new math.
"I think the term 'magic number' meant something at one time," said Steve Hirdt of the Elias Sports Bureau, which keeps the major league statistics.
"But that was when it was predicated on
In other words, magic numbers have mostly disappeared, gone the way of scheduled doubleheaders, complete games and the game-winning RBI stats.
the fact that if there was a tie for first place, there would be a playoff game. That is no longer the case," he said.
Mainly it's because the postseason format includes a wild-card team. Now, there are formulas in place to break many ties, whereas it used to take a playoff game.
Remember last year, when it took almost 24 hours before anyone realized that Cincinnati had clinched the NL Central title? That time, it was a case of few people understanding how the new playoff system worked, and it was the Elias bureau that figured it out.
Same thing this year.
It was Hirdt who informed Yankees manager Joe Torre that his team could clinch the title, telling him in the dugout.
"He didn't know it. He was like, 'Really? Is that so?' Hirdt said.
Other Yankees were just as surprised when told of the scenario following the post-ponement.
"Really?" outfielder Tim Raines asked. "We all thought we had to win a couple for us to
clinch it."
For the mathematical minded, here's how the Yankees could've gone from a magic number of three to clinching, all in one swoon.
Had the Yankees won Tuesday night, they would have had 90 victories.
Had Baltimore lost, which it did, it could have won 90 games, at most.
Had Seattle lost, which it did, it could not have won more than 89.
That would have guaranteed the Yankees a tie with the Orioles for the AL East title. If that had happened, both would have finished with 90 wins, meaning one of them was the division winner and the other was the wild card.
And, under baseball's rules, there is no playoff game in that situation.
Instead, assuming both teams already are
in the postseason, the tie is broken by head-to-head matchups.
Because the Yankees won 10 of 13 against Baltimore, that would have automatically given them the AL East championship.
"In effect, they're had their playoff game, and the Yankees won 10-3." Hirdt said.
Which is not to say all magic numbers are irrelevant.
Houston, however, did not seem to immediately realize it was out of the wild-card race last week.
The St. Louis Cardinals could count on their magic number for finishing off Houston and Cincinnati, mostly because those teams were out of the wild-card chase.
The Astros were eliminated, however, because of a series of tie breakers that involved how many games NL West contenders Los Angeles and San Diego had to play against each other.
Of course. And it may take a while before it becomes any clearer.
Confusing?
"When the wild-card format went into effect, it seemed like it would take a while before everyone got comfortable with the system and got used to it," Hirrd said. "I think we're still going through that."
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At Watkins, students receive comprehensive, confidential gynecologic care. We have a board certified gynecologist and a certified gynecologic nurse practitioner. And our prices are lower than many off-campus facilities.
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SUA and Contemporary Announce:
Tori Amos
Dew Drop Inn Tour '96 $23.50 Reserved Seating
Tickets on sale to KU students only starting Friday, Sept. 27, at the SUA Box Office. Office open 8:30 am-5:30 pm. Call 864-3477 for more information. MC/VISA accepted.
Sunday, November 3, 7:30 pm KU Lied Center, Lawrence, KS
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STUDENT THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS SENATE
Many KU students spend some of their free time participating in sports, but some have found that equipment for popular sports, such as in-line skating, can be expen sive. However, a love of sports does not necessarily have to result in an empty bank account.
"Almost every KU student is interested in sports, and it is cheaper for students to but used equipment because it is usually not more than half the regular price," Jonathan Coachman, floor manager, said.
At Play It Again Sports, located at 1029 Massachusetts St., customers can buy, sell and trade a wide range of used and new equipment.
1029MASS.
In addition to in-line skates, Dave Wright, owner, said the majority of the store's business comes from fitness and exercise equipment, golf equipment, used mountain bikes and baseball and softball equipment.
To keep in-line skaters from breaking their budgets, the store offers a variety of used and new skates and skating equipment as well as a full service department for in-line skates.
841-PLAY (7529)
The store also offers equipment for other sports which are popular with college students, such as darts, ping-pong, tennis and racquetball.
In addition to buying and selling, Play It Again Sports also gives customers the option of trading unwanted equipment for different equipment or for money.
"People don't have to trade a bicycle for a bicycle. They can trade a bicycle for a baseball glove and receive cash.In the end, the goal of the store is to allow its customers to pull as little cash out of their pockets as is possible, if they have to spend any money at all," Wright said.