108 DOUBLE STITCHES: What Vegas Thinks, Braves Edition

The Law of Truly Large Numbers

The Law of Truly Large Numbers
With a large enough sample, any outrageous thing is likely to happen. The point is that truly rare events, say events that occur only once in a million [as the mathematician Littlewood (1953) required for an event to be surprising] are bound to be plentiful in a population of 250 million people. If a coincidence occurs to one person in a million each day, then we expect 250 occurrences a day and close to 100,000 such occurrences a year.
Going from a year to a lifetime and from the population of the United States to that of the world (5 billion at this writing), we can be absolutely sure that we will see incredibly remarkable events. When such events occur, they are often noted and recorded. If they happen to us or someone we know, it is hard to escape that spooky feeling.
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/05/methods-for-studying-coincidences/

04 April 2012

What Vegas Thinks, Braves Edition

SAN DIEGO, CA - JUNE 26: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves dives for a single hit by Will Venable #25 of the San Diego Padres during the third inning of a baseball game at Petco Park on June 26, 2011 in San Diego, California. Freeman was unable to make the play. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 25: Dan Uggla #26 (L) of the Atlanta Braves slides safely into third base advancing to third from first base on a single hit by teammate Freddie Freeman #5 as third baseman Aramis Ramirez #16 of the Chicago Cubs waits for the throw during the fifth inning at Wrigley Field on August 25, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. The Braves defeated the Cubs 8-3. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

Tommy Hanson (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Brian McCann (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Freddie Freeman (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - APRIL 24: Dan Uggla #26 of the Atlanta Braves is congratulated by Freddie Freeman #5 and David Ross #8 after he hits a a home run to tie the game 6-6 in the eighth inning at AT&T Park on April 24, 2011 in San Francisco, California. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)Here are their predictions about Braves for example: