Statistically important

If the 2009 World Series is any indication, sporting events are the main reason the field of statistics was invented.

Game 6: The two starting pitchers – Pedro Martinez for the Phillies and Andy Pettitte for the Yankees – are a combined 75 years old.

I’ve spent more-than-imaginable hours watching the Amtrak Acela series (also dubbed the Turnpike Tussle), and I’ve been astounded by the statistics announcers Joe Buck and Tim McCarver deem important for the TV audience to know.

When the Phillies left-handed-hitter Chase Utley hit two home runs off a left-handed pitcher, it was only the second time that’s ever happened. Babe Ruth did it first, in 1928.

I’ll give you that one. Apparently anything that compares with Babe Ruth is interesting to someone.

This is the 12th World Series that Joe Buck is calling, paired with Tim McCarver, who is analyzing a record 20th Series.

Now there are statistics on the guys announcing the statistics!?!

Sometimes I think they just make this stuff up.

This is the third time a World Series pitcher has started after only three days rest, a steady diet of Cheetos, and wearing women’s underwear.

OK. I made that up. But you get my point.

I don’t want to know every bit of data; I’m looking for insight. Tell me what’s relevant and why it matters. Otherwise, the announcers are just filling airtime until the next pitch. Oh yeah, that IS what they’re doing. Filling airtime. Trying to keep the TV audience from getting up for that next beer or bathroom visit.

As if that were even possible.

Go Phillies!

The body beautiful

The Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue has nothing on The Body Issue of ESPN The Magazine. I view SI as soft porn, whereas ESPN actually honors athletes. The Body Issue celebrates the athletic form by showcasing bodies of every size and shape, and from just about every sport. They also tackle every aspect of physicality -- from hard bodies to injuries to virtual reality.

There's more to see on the Web site, with photo galleries and videos. I could have done without watching Blake "Bilko" Williams undergo ACL surgery. But that's just me; I happen to be squeamish about surgery.

Favorite images? It's hard to say. ESPN must have had an equally hard time, because it printed six different covers.

The one that arrived in my mailbox was arresting and effective in getting me to sit down and read the whole issue. Normally, I just hand it over to my husband. What I first saw was a beautiful model. Then I realized it was an athlete. Then I saw the prosthesis. There she was, Sarah Reinertsen, the first female above-knee amputee to become an Ironman, having completed the hardest triathlon there is -- in Kona, Hawaii. Her artificial leg was all she had on. It was all she needed.

Broad run, singular focus

I've written about Students Run Philly Style before because I'm a big fan of the cause and there's nothing more motivating than to see these kids in a race. Pair this group with Philadelphia's Broad Street 10 Miler on May 3rd and you've got a winning combination.

For this premier race, 400 kids and more than 80 volunteers from SRPS are training for that straight shot down Broad Street, right past City Hall and into South Philly. They've got the determination, they've got the miles under their belts, all they need is some $$$ to help offset the entry fees...and everything else that goes into sustaining the SRPS program.

There's a great fundraising Web site: Run for Philly's Future. Even in tough economic times, it's good to support a cause that focuses on youth, fitness, and running.

SRPS wants to turn the tide on grim statistics for Philly kids:
(From the web site)"50% of our children are obese or at risk for becoming so and almost half of our high school students will not graduate on time. Add a high rate of youth violence and the future for a Philadelphia teen grows bleaker. With your support, we can turn a grim picture into a hopeful one. Students Run provides youth with the opportunity to live a healthy lifestyle while connecting to a caring adult mentor in an environment that emphasizes goal-setting, teamwork & effort."

I'm sold. And my credit card now has a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Olympic addiction continues

For two weeks in August I was transported half a world away, glued to my television and the goings on in Beijing. When the Olympics were over, I actually had withdrawal. But now I've found something to feed my habit for a few more weeks: the Paralympics. Same Olympic deal, but the athletes have greater physical challenges to overcome. One athlete in particular I'm rooting for is Scott Brown, a four-time gold winner in the Adaptive World Rowing Champion (and a really funny guy). His wife Sandy reports from Beijing that he spends "about six hours a day at the rowing venue rowing, weight training and eating!" Scott competes for the first time on September 9th. Go Scott.