# Baseball Season Is So Close **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 22, 2013, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-season-is-so-close/653650 "2013-03-22T16:01:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-season-is-so-close/653650/1 "2013-03-22T16:01:41Z")
Baseball baseball baseball baseball baseball baseball BASEBALL, oh God, soon BASEBALL will start. Opening day is sort of March 31. It’s just one game, the Rangers and Astros. Then on April 1 it really gerts started. Then on April 2 my team starts. Baseball, baseball, baseball, did I say baseball? Soon baseball will be here, the TRUE beginning of spring. And of course that means going to games and having the game on the radio when I’m driving around, and then soon my softball league starts which means more baseball, and this year we even have an [epic baseball movie](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9RHqdZDCF0)just to ensure there’s more baseball, which of course is never, ever enough baseball. So close, so very close. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-season-is-so-close/653650/2 "2013-03-22T16:06:13Z")
Amen, Rick. Go Storm Chasers! ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-season-is-so-close/653650/3 "2013-03-22T16:06:22Z")
I can’t wait for my Redlegs to get started. You know it’s Spring in Cincinnati when Opening Day is just over a week away and there’s 4-10 inches of snow in the forecast for this weekend. Happy Spring! ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-season-is-so-close/653650/4 "2013-03-22T16:12:28Z")
[I posted this in November](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=671299). It’s been a looooong winter. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-season-is-so-close/653650/5 "2013-03-22T16:22:21Z")
Hell yes! Frankly, the good sports season started last week, with the NCAA Conference Tourney week. Smooth sailing until October. **GO GIANTS!** ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-season-is-so-close/653650/6 "2013-03-22T16:25:20Z")
Kind of a funny season for the Astros; not only the league switch, but also the fact that (1) the team’s long-term prospects look better than they have in at least half a decade but (2) while there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, they’re not getting there for at least 2 more years. So the whole season is basically going to be an extended spring training. Nice new uniforms, though. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-season-is-so-close/653650/7 "2013-03-22T18:56:46Z")
Go Blue!! Not to mention Go [Quakes](http://ranchocucamonga.quakes.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t526)! (the local A Dodger-affiliated Minor League team) ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-season-is-so-close/653650/8 "2013-03-22T19:43:15Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Go Blue!! You root for the umps? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-season-is-so-close/653650/9 "2013-03-22T20:25:33Z")
> [@hrhomer](#): > > You root for the umps? 😛 Whatever is necessary. So long as we beat you guys. 😃 Of course, we just lost our starting shortstop for a couple of months, so things _could_ be better. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2013, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-season-is-so-close/653650/10 "2013-03-24T02:59:51Z")
[Put me in, coach!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04KQydlJ-qc) 9 days and counting, and the Giants’ Magic Number (assuming I’ve done the math correctly) is 153 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2013, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-season-is-so-close/653650/11 "2013-03-24T03:16:31Z")
I can’t wait! Every year I am excited about the Tribe, so I’m only slightly more excited this year now that we have a team that everyone else agrees is exciting. I guess I am excited that I’m no longer alone in my excitement!! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2013, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-season-is-so-close/653650/12 "2013-03-24T03:58:51Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > [Put me in, coach!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04KQydlJ-qc) > > 9 days and counting, and the Giants’ Magic Number (assuming I’ve done the math correctly) is 153 🙂 I’m pretty sure it has to be 163. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2013, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-season-is-so-close/653650/13 "2013-03-24T04:57:57Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I’m pretty sure it has to be 163. That’s what I thought initially, but I don’t think that’s actually correct. The Giants play 19 games against each of the other teams in their division. So if they won 162 games, they would win the division by at least 19 games, so the Magic Number must be less than 162. If they lose a total of 9 games, then they must win a minimum of 10 games against each division opponent; they would end the season with 153 wins, and the best anyone else can do is 152. So if they win 153 games, they are guaranteed to win the division by one game; therefore the Magic Number must be 153. Discuss. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2013, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-season-is-so-close/653650/14 "2013-03-24T14:44:10Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > That’s what I thought initially, but I don’t think that’s actually correct. > > The Giants play 19 games against each of the other teams in their division. So if they won 162 games, they would win the division by at least 19 games, so the Magic Number must be less than 162. > > If they lose a total of 9 games, then they must win a minimum of 10 games against each division opponent; they would end the season with 153 wins, and the best anyone else can do is 152. > > So if they win 153 games, they are guaranteed to win the division by one game; therefore the Magic Number must be 153. > > Discuss. The Magic Number is not the number of games you have to win to win the pennant. It’s the combination of the number of games you have to win _and the number of games a given opponent has to lose_ for you to win the pennant. You just defined that as 163; 153 wins for the Giants, and 10 losses for the team that went 152-10. Of course you are corect that if the Giants win 153 games, those 10 losses are inevitable, but they still count as part of the Magic Number, which is always 163-(Leader wins)-(Trailer losses). Since the two variables are now 0, it’s 163. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-season-is-so-close/653650/15 "2013-03-24T15:32:32Z")
Rick, are you ready to pencil in the Jays for the post season? We will have to catch a game or two this season (hopefully when Dickey is starting). ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2013, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-season-is-so-close/653650/16 "2013-03-24T18:42:17Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The Magic Number is not the number of games you have to win to win the pennant. It’s the combination of the number of games you have to win _and the number of games a given opponent has to lose_ for you to win the pennant. You just defined that as 163; 153 wins for the Giants, and 10 losses for the team that went 152-10. > > Of course you are corect that if the Giants win 153 games, those 10 losses are inevitable, but they still count as part of the Magic Number, which is always 163-(Leader wins)-(Trailer losses). Since the two variables are now 0, it’s 163. Oh, yeah… I guess that show I’m not quite in regular-season form yet 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2013, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-season-is-so-close/653650/17 "2013-03-24T20:07:27Z")
_runs in circles_ Going to opening day. Admittedly, going to the Dodger opening is less fun than the Indians (Go Tribe!) but still fun. And the weather is better. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2013, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-season-is-so-close/653650/18 "2013-03-24T20:08:49Z")
**Go Dodgers! Go Tribe!** Let’s get this party started! Got to see both of my teams play in a single day in Spring Training last weekend. There simply is not enough baseball. Ever. AND my chances have now gone up to about 90% that I’ll be able to continue my streak of attending Opening Day at Dodger Stadium! So…are we there yet? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-season-is-so-close/653650/19 "2013-03-24T20:33:32Z")
I love Opening Day. The Cubs aren’t out of it yet! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2013, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-season-is-so-close/653650/20 "2013-03-24T22:07:41Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Rick, are you ready to pencil in the Jays for the post season? We will have to catch a game or two this season (hopefully when Dickey is starting). Nothing is certain. They look vastly improved, true, but still have huge lineup holes. Guys who can’t get on base can lose you many games. I’d say they’re the favourite to win the East, but not a lock. Let’s go in June. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-season-is-so-close/653650.md?page=2)