I spend a lot of time looking at baseball stats. I have ever since I was a little kid, when I would read the backs of baseball cards. I love the quirks, coincidences and moments of symmetry that can be found. Regular quiz readers know how much I love when the answer to a question is “The same.” I fit the description of the great baseball columnist and sportswriter Arthur Daley, who wrote, “A baseball fan has the digestive apparatus of a billy goat. He can, and does, devour any set of statistics with an insatiable appetite and then nuzzles hungrily for more.”
But more interesting to me are the people and events associated with the numbers. Pat Hughes said, “I try not to kill a broadcast with too many stats. [Late Tigers Hall of Famer] Ernie Harwell told me one time, when you use a statistic, try to tell a story with it.” Following that wisdom, each week in the quiz, I try to cram as many backstories as I can into my Q&A (thank you, Tracey) so that you can remember the numbers and share them with friends and family. That’s today’s backstory. Now, have fun and learn a lot.
