Spiritguy
01-10-2010, 03:15 PM
You've got to ask yourself one question: do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?
Like it or not, luck is a part of sports. The bank-shot from half court to win a game. The blooped broken-bat single. The tip for a pick-six interception. All of these can break the heart of fans who can't come to grips with the idea that sometimes, for whatever reason, the ball doesn't bounce in their preferred direction.
You've probably heard one fan say to another, "Well, you guys got lucky." In fact, many fans accused the Denver Broncos (http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/DEN) of this very thing in week 1 on the last play of the game (the tipped touchdown to Brandon Stokley (http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2828/Brandon_Stokley) if you're living on planet Al Davis). But what they are really saying is, "You didn't deserve to win."
While I disagree with this assessment, luck does happen. But more importantly, we can approximate luck, not just on one play, not just on a few bad calls at the end of the game, but over the course of the season. And we can do it with such little math that even a Raiders fan (with some Cliff's Notes) can grasp it.
(follow the link for a touch of Geometry and some interesting results as to what teams were "lucky" and what teams not so much. good read)
found here (http://www.milehighreport.com/2010/1/10/1235960/who-got-lucky-this-year-a-dash-of#comments)
Like it or not, luck is a part of sports. The bank-shot from half court to win a game. The blooped broken-bat single. The tip for a pick-six interception. All of these can break the heart of fans who can't come to grips with the idea that sometimes, for whatever reason, the ball doesn't bounce in their preferred direction.
You've probably heard one fan say to another, "Well, you guys got lucky." In fact, many fans accused the Denver Broncos (http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/DEN) of this very thing in week 1 on the last play of the game (the tipped touchdown to Brandon Stokley (http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2828/Brandon_Stokley) if you're living on planet Al Davis). But what they are really saying is, "You didn't deserve to win."
While I disagree with this assessment, luck does happen. But more importantly, we can approximate luck, not just on one play, not just on a few bad calls at the end of the game, but over the course of the season. And we can do it with such little math that even a Raiders fan (with some Cliff's Notes) can grasp it.
(follow the link for a touch of Geometry and some interesting results as to what teams were "lucky" and what teams not so much. good read)
found here (http://www.milehighreport.com/2010/1/10/1235960/who-got-lucky-this-year-a-dash-of#comments)