September 04, 2007

"X-W/L"

I was checking out the baseball standings at the major league baseball website, and I noticed one of the columns was denoted "X-W/L." The legend at the bottom of the page defined this as being the team's expected won-loss record based on runs scored, and there's a formula for calculating this thing. And I say "thing" because I don't know what it means.

It sounds suspiciously like one of the golfers in our Saturday group who announces that he played Firestone Country Club or Muirfield or some other big-time, "See-aren't-you-impressed-I-have-connections" kind of a course the past week and, when asked what he shot there, invariably says "I shoulda had an 81," or some ridiculous, low score, given his skill level.

"What did you really shoot?" he has been asked, which rarely happens anymore because he lies about that score, too. "Oh, 99," he'll relate, never reaching the depths of the three-digit score, although he has not broken 100 on many occasions on the way-less-than-big-time, I-don't-need-no-stinkin'-connections course we play on Saturday mornings, where we don't put down "shoulda-hads" on the scorecard.

So, I want to know if the guy who thought up the useless "expected won-loss record" got paid anything to do that. With which think-tank is he affiliated because I could sit around scaring up imaginary statistics if I got paid good money to do so. It's almost like those think-tanks upon which our government relies to make war on some country that is no threat to our republic, but upon which our government relies to scare the bejeebers out of the masses.

Come to think of it, wasn't what Bush, while wearing his Air National Guard a flight suit, said in that news conference on the aircraft carrier back in aught-three a "shoulda had" -- something on the order of an expected win, an expected "Mission Accomplished," in the "X-W/L" column of the Bush the Lesser presidency?

Gee whiz. Baseball. Golf. Maybe Bush shoulda played baseball or golf and learned some lessons on life instead of having been a damn cheerleader.

Posted by Bill at September 4, 2007 04:26 PM
Comments

He played rugby. There's a photo of him sucker-punching an adversary somewhere.

Posted by: Joel at September 5, 2007 01:24 AM

Ah. Here it is:

http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/images/blbushsuckerpunch.htm

Posted by: Joel at September 5, 2007 01:28 AM

I don't think W could play golf or baseball. No focus. I'd like to play poker with the man, because he has a habit of betting more than he can afford to lose. And his mouth makes bets his ass can't cover.

Posted by: Kyle at September 5, 2007 03:00 AM

Wasn't a leader on his team then; and isn't a leader on his team now...he's consistent in that respect. Pitiful..

Posted by: Trace at September 6, 2007 02:14 AM

He certainly loves to "play" leader!

Posted by: lucy at September 7, 2007 02:11 PM