Games Above 500   by Eugene Reimer, 2006-Aug29

The non-Baseball-fan may need one bit of the lingo;  in the language of baseball-stats, many fractions are expressed as just the numerator of an over-one-thousand fraction, so that 250 means one-quarter, 500 means one-half, etc. 

Say the Yankees have played 100 games, winning 60, losing 40;  the RedSox have also played 100 games, winning 50, losing 50.  Then we say the Yankees are 10 games ahead of the RedSox.  We also say the RedSox are At 500.  The question: How many games above 500 are the Yankees? 

The answer seems clear: they are 10 games above 500 -- and yet that is not what sportscasters say!  Despite saying the Yankees are TEN games ahead of the RedSox who are right at 500, they calmly and unflichingly go on to say the Yankees are TWENTY games above 500. 

Now our sportcasters may not have been selected for their brains, but surely at least one of them must have noticed at some point that this is not sensible?