Average Averages

When crunching numbers, you need to know the average. If you just landed on earth from a galaxy far, far away, and the first human you saw was Yao Ming, you may not have a good reference for the average height of a human.

If the first house you see is owned by Tom Hicks, that may confuse your idea of what a house looks like.

And the same is true when looking at baseball statistics. Most people know that hitting .300 is great, hitting .200 is awful, and hitting .400 is the eternal dream. But, what means better-than-average?

Well, here are the league averages for 4 important stats. 2011 stats are through July 28, 2011.

2011	ERA	AVG	OBP	SLG
MLB	3.86	.253	.320	.392
AL	3.92	.256	.322	.399
NL	3.80	.251	.318	.386

Table Tutorial

2010	ERA	AVG	OBP	SLG
MLB	4.07	.257	.325	.403
AL	4.14	.260	.327	.407
NL	4.02	.255	.324	.399

Table Tutorial

2009	ERA	AVG	OBP	SLG
MLB	4.31	.262	.333	.418
AL	4.45	.267	.336	.428
NL	4.19	.259	.331	.409

Table Tutorial

2008	ERA	AVG	OBP	SLG
MLB	4.32	.264	.333	.416
AL	4.35	.268	.336	.420
NL	4.29	.260	.331	.413

Table Tutorial

So, the major league average in 2011 (to date) for batting average is .253-
The league average for on base percentage was .320-
And, the league average for slugging percentage was .392-
That would make the league average OPS (OBP + Slugging) .712
And the league average in 2011 for ERA is 3.86 - the lowest it has been since 1992!

2011: .253/.320/.392 3.86
2010: .257/.325/.403 4.07
2009: .262/.333/,418 4.31
2008: .264/.333/.416 4.32
2007: .268/.336/.423 4.46
2006: .269/.337/.432 4.52
2005: .264/.330/.419 4.28
2004: .266/.335/.428 4.46
2003: .264/.333/.422 4.39
2002: .261/.331/.417 4.27
2001: .264/.332/.427 4.41
2000: .270/.345/.437 4.76
1999: .271/.345/.434 4.70
1998: .266/.335/.420 4.42
1997: .267/.337/.419 4.38
1996: .270/.340/.427 4.60
1995: .267/.338/.417 4.45
1994: .270/.339/.424 4.50
1993: .265/.332/.403 4.18
1992: .256/.322/.377 3.74

So, hopefully, this will help you the next time you examine someone's stats.

BaD Radio - Recap - 7/28/11

Thursday 7/28/11

Episode: 2983

Location: Studio

The Open: “You know how I know you’re gay? You like Coldplay.” Grubes has switched shifts with Jeremy and the show leads off with talk about Jer’s blind wife and her ability to play Wii Baseball. Dan tells a story of his blind intern and his inability to play the proper audio. Jeremy’s wife works with rehabbing blind children. It’s the blind leading the blind. Grubes is still around though because he has to interview Colin Mochrie as his GBL guest. Let the disaster ensue.

12:30 – NFL Free Agency: The Redskins have signed Stephen Bowen, for Cowboy, for a ridiculous contract. If the Cowboys were to offer him that kind of money, they would have been lambasted. Sidney Rice has signed with the Seahawks. Bob feel that Kyle Orton is being undervalued, reportedly being traded for a 5^th round draft pick. With Hasselbeck and McNabb being dealt, he wonders why Orton is not being talked about as one of the top QB free agents out there.

12:55 – More NFL: Reggie Bush has been traded to the Miami Dolphins, he’s taking his talents (getting injured) to South Beach. One of the big questions that Cowboy fans are asking is how liquid is Jerry Jones? How much money does Jerry have to actually throw around to free agents that fit their specific needs. Some names out there now, Cullen Jenkins, defensive end for the Packers and Abram Elam, safety, for the Browns.

1:15 – Colin Mochrie: Colin joins us from Canada. Regarding his comedic chemistry with the great Ryan Styles, he says he met him in 1980. Colin started out in improv and never looked back. With Whose Line is it Anyway, they never rehearsed but they did know what games were going to be played for the camera men. They would film a whole season of shows in 3 weekends. It was tough at first getting used to the censorship of American television, most of the time they didn’t know what was going to be acceptable or not. There was one game where the audience suggested that Cosby and Hitler would be roommates. It bothered Colin that they didn’t trust the actors enough to keep it safe. Consistently over the years, Greatest Hits was his favorite bit. Grubes was so nervous.

1:35 – Mike Modano: Another segment with the former Dallas Stars great. He’s still on the fence about whether or not he’s going to play again after his one year contract with Detroit last year. Because of his injury, he only dressed out 2 games in the playoffs last year. He says traveling with the team was a beating because they couldn’t make the cross country trip on one tank of fuel. It made for an extremely long trip. Dan tries to get Mike to make his official retirement announcement on the air, it didn’t happen. Looking back, he would’ve kicked himself if he didn’t take the opportunity last year to play in Detroit. After his career, he says he want to stay in hockey in some capacity. Ownership is probably the best bet. He says that the Stars are a mess and one of the more important things that need to be fixed once ownership is determined is how the team is viewed by the fans and sponsors. Ownership matters. It’s a trickledown effect for the entire organization. They then begin quoting “Slapshot”.

2:25 – Some Whoa Moments: US Men’s Soccer Coach, Bob Bradley, has been fired. The Cowboys have signed Tyron Smith to his rookie contract. Kevin Kolb has been traded to the Cardinals for a 2^nd Round Pick and Rodgers-Cromartie, that’s a good deal for the Eagles. Kolb has only started 7 games in his whole career and Arizona gave him a 5 year, $60 million deal. Absurd. And finally, Hideki Irabu has been found dead of apparent suicide. Conversation trails off along the path of Ripley’s Believe It or Not in Grand Prairie, coincidentally where the hosts will be playing their softball game tonight. Bob will be tweeting from right field during the game.

3:00 – Why Today Doesn’t Suck: On this day in 1945 a plane crashed into the Empire State Building. Happy Birthday to Vida Blue, Bill Bradley, We Just F’d the Neighbors Wife 2, Afroman, Soulja Boy, Dick Ebersol and Sally Struthers. Spares include Doug Collins, Clint Longley, Carmelo Martinez and Garth Snow. RIP Rick Wright and Dr. George Gallup.

Listen to BaD Radio everyday from 12 – 3pm on Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket. I do, and I has opulence.

Follow me on Twitter

Wes Bullard

BaD Radio - Recap - 7/27/11

Wednesday 7/27/11

Episode: 2982

Location: Studio

The Mix: “I want to get the girls tested at the Low T Center before we play them.” - Dan

The Open: “Eff you Ty, why don’t you just die!” “I’m not Ray Charles, I’m alive and I can see.” Dan has an early announcement: On this day, he will not, front any games. Anybody have an idea what the hell that means? There was a play at the plate last night in the bottom of the 19^th between the Braves and Pirates, a controversial call was made. Seemingly out, Jerry Meals made a safe call. Here’s the video. The more you watch it though, the more it looks like the tag might have been missed. Dan and Donovan aren’t buying it.

12:30 – Cowboys Talk: Doug Free was signed in the twilight hours of last night. 4 years for $32 million with $17 million guaranteed. That’s one item off the checklist. All around a good contract, he’ll be a Cowboy until he’s 30. With this contract, the Cowboys are still in the mix for other free agents. Unlike some of the other ridiculous contracts the Cowboys have offered in the past (Roy Williams, Barber), this one seems well thought out. They have released perennial underperformer Robert Brewster. Early on, it seems as though Jason Garrett has assumed control of this team in a way that Wade Phillips couldn’t. Talk then goes to new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and his effect on this defense.

12:55 – What’s On My Tivo: We start off with Curb Your Enthusiasm, and this season has approach new grounds when it comes to the topics and awkwardness that they entail. This episode was about a Battered Women Shelter. New periphery characters are being added with even more obscure idiosyncrasies. Now on to Entourage, Bob has been a defender of the show and now it seems that Entourage is betraying that loyalty. Bob doesn’t need Turtle to be skinny and he doesn’t want Ari to be crying. Now to Donovan’s DVR, which is at 19%. No, season 2 of Webster is not on there. Highlights include Basketball Wives, Oprah, BET Honors and the Channel 33 news.

1:20 – Rangers Talk: Knoxy found a Bob look alike at the game, he was bald. Tom Grieve gave a shout out to BaD Radio on the broadcast last night. There were some dugout shenanigans going on last night. Torrelaba hit a home run and sat down next to Beltre and Andres Blanco. Meanwhile, Blanco starts waving his fart cloud towards the face of Beltre and Beltre slaps him and moves down the bench. Here’s the video.

1:35 - The Tom Grieve Show: Last night was a tough loss, CJ Wilson had an uncharacteristic start and the bullpen failed to hold the lead in the 9^th. This is a game that they should have won, so Tom thinks that will stick with them a little more, but the still won’t let it linger. CJ was pulled in the 5^th after only 80 pitches, much to his dismay, after walking 3 straight batters and giving up a base hit. Tom thinks that Neftali has lost a bit of his confidence and swagger. Tom apologizes for not noticed Fartgate last night in the dugout.

2:00 – Aggresniff: Some more entries into the vault of people butchering the word “aggressive”. Peja Stojakovich has a mediocre entry, it’s probably because English is not his first language. Derrick Rose spouts an “aggreffon” instead of “aggressive on”. Larry Drew yells “aggresniff” twice in one huddle. Paul O’Neil, while calling a Yankees game, lets an “aggresivniff” slip out and then does it a second time without looking back.

2:20 – CJ Wilson: As he was coming off the mound last night it looked like he was ready fight Ron Washington when he took him out. In his post-game interview, he said that he was unlucky and seemed to be deflecting blame from himself. He fails to bring up the fact that he walked the bases loaded in the 5^th. Steve Busby was quick to point this out in the post game coverage from last night, saying “it would be nice if some actually came out and said ‘I stunk’”. Sure there were some unlucky plays that happened early in the game but giving up a 4 run lead is unacceptable. It’s never been CJ’s modus operandi to give a cookie cutter interview answer. This is just another case of that.

2:35 – NFL Talk: Carson Palmer presents an interesting story line going into this year. Basically, he wants to be traded from Cincinnati after sub-par career. If he is not traded, he says he will retire from football at the age of 31. On one hand you can’t blame him for wanting to be out of the Bengals organization, an organization that gives off the attitude that they won’t do anything to win. Looking at some of the recent QB signings around the league, it looks like the Bengals could get something pretty good for Palmer, yet they say they are not going to trade him. Donovan McNabb was traded to the Minnesota Vikings and reports are coming out that the Eagles are going to sign Vince Young to backup Michael Vick.

3:00 – Why Today Doesn’t Suck: This WTDS will be cut short by a Cowboys Press Conference. Happy Birthday to Irv Cross, Peggy Fleming, Bill Guthridge, Blazing Boners, Bill Engvall, Carol Leifer and Betty Thomas.

Listen to BaD Radio everyday from 12 – 3pm on Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket. I do, and I has opulence.

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Wes Bullard

BaD Radio - Recap - 7/26/11

Monday 7/26/11

Episode: 2981

Location: Studio

The Mix: “Were there any flashers on that team?” - Dan

The Open: “Hello. How ‘bout that ride in?” Tom and Grubes are done with vacation/staycation, the band is back together. Grubes met Dirk at the Addison Improv over his vacation. Dirk is a huge fan of Grubes and his drops. Tom went to LA, he experienced Carmageddon. He went to see Bill Maher live and Mark Cuban happened to be on the roundtable.

12:35 – Rangers Talk: Well the Rangers completely dismantled the Twins last night, 20-6. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this game was only the 3^rd game in the history of baseball in which a team scored at least 3 runs in the first five innings. At the end of the 5^th, the Rangers were up 18-1. Derek Holland certainly likes that run support, he leads the league in that category.

12:55 – More Rangers: At the game last night, there was an Anti-Wave Warning shown on the video board. There is a ton of comedy in this warning. BAN THE WAVE! This leads Dan to compare the wave to American Idol, the wave is extremely popular in the mainstream. But the people who hate the wave are like a Mad Men audience, small but very loyal. Chuck Morgan hops on the show, he’s the genius behind the sign and all things that go on in the presentation at the Rangers game (the video board, the music, announcing the game, etc.) He says the Wave arrived in Arlington around 1984. The players think that the Wave is ok in a blowout, according to Chuck. Basically, don’t do the Wave when the game is close. It’s about being an educated crowd.

1:20 – Cowboys/Football Talk: Now that the lockout is over, it’s time to trim some of the fat from the roster. Marion Barber, Leonard Davis, Kris Brown and Roy Williams are going to be cut from the team in order to make room in the Salary Cap. The Cowboys have signed 9 undrafted free agents, one of them being a kicker that will come in and challenge David Buehler. The consensus is that the Leonard Davis cut is a good thing, you can find a mediocre guard for cheaper than what Davis was set to make.

1:35 – Free Agency Talk: Dan takes a look at the rest of the free agents around the league. Nnamdi Asomugha tops the list with Santonio Holmes being the top WR on the market. Doug Free is the Cowboys top priority within their own roster. Looking back at the recent cuts, how much are those decisions being made by Jason Garrett? It’s looking like he believes that your top paid players should be your players who produce the most. This is a good sign. Another big question for the Cowboys is the 3^rd Wide Receiver. Do you go get someone else or do you promote from within?

2:00 – Gay Not Gay: is it gay to put a tanning sticker on your body when you’re at the lake or pool? Yes. Is there a sports exemption? Dan admits that he’s always wanted to do that. Is it gay to have shirtless pictures of you taken for before and after purposes when you start a workout program? No. Is it gay to post it to Facebook or Twitter? Kinda. Is it gay for two guys to drink wine together at dinner and clink the glasses together before each drink? Yes. Is it gay for a man to take a bath once a week, alone? Yes. Is it gay for a guy to own Season 1 of “Girls Next Girl”? Yes. Pretty gay.

2:20 – Guys Night Out: This Thursday, the Ticket hosts will take on a team of College All-Stars in a game of slow pitch softball. Dan is outraged that they have to play them because when the Ticket wins it will erase everything that woman have worked for over the years. You can feel the sarcasm dripping from the radio. Donovan has been working on his lineup, he’s managing this year. A look at the tentative lineup.

Corby, Donovan, Sean Bass, Dan, Mike Sirois, George Dunham, Bob, TBA….

2:35 – Breaking Bad: Bob wants to give Mike, the cleaner, his proper due. His character is amazing and is played spectacularly. He is sometimes overlooked. A lot of people are thinking that Mike might be flipped at some point to join Walt in trying to take down Gus. Walt tries to convince Mike that after the Gus and box cutter scene, everyone is expendable.

3:00 – Why Today Doesn’t Suck: On this day in 1847, Liberia became a country, established by freed slaves. Happy Birthday to Dorothy Hamill, Bob Lilly, James Best, Sandra Bullock, Mick Jagger, All Holes No Poles 4, Jeremy Piven and Kevin Spacey. The spares include Bubba Wells, Jody Reed, Wayne Grady, Bobby Watkins and Joe Smith. RIP to Gracie Allen, Stanley Kubrick and Sam Houston.

Listen to BaD Radio everyday from 12 – 3pm on Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket. I do, and I has opulence.

Follow me on Twitter

Wes Bullard

BaD Radio - Recap - 7/25/11

Monday 7/25/11

Episode: 2980

Location: Studio

The Mix: “Don’t you want your kids to say they saw Derek Holland pitch once?” - Bob

The Open: “You’re the one who jumped into our conversation, douche”. Back within the confines of the comfortable 12-3, Bob and Dan are in studio for a week before heading to San Antonio for Cowboys Training Camp. Dan is dead set on taking a Segway Tour. They begin to talk about the mall kiosks. The talk lasts longer than I’ve ever spent at an actual kiosk. Bob wonders how LEGO has survived through these technological ages.

12:40 – NFL Talk: It is possible that breaking news could happen at any moment, letting us know that the lockout is officially over. Don’t hold your breath. It seems like the players are making sure that they take their time (a final little jab at the owners). Bob is particularly happy about this and he was on Channel 11 last night with Babe Laufenberg and Bill Jones. Though he loves watching HD, he’s not fond of being watched while in HD. The NFL is about to cram 5 months of free agency and trades into 5 days. It’s going to be like Black Friday at a Wal-Mart. And like the one giant flat screen tv at Wal-Mart, Nnamdi Asomugha is the big prize of this year’s free agency.

1:00 – Cowboys Talk: Since the new stadium, the Cowboys have seemed to be reluctant spenders. This bucks any sort of stigma that this team has been labeled with. A lot of people believe they are close to a deal with free agent, Doug Free. That one seems like a pretty safe bet. The Cowboys do have a history of giving big quick deals to players after one year of production. This might be the case with Doug Free. The difference between Free and Barber and Williams is that if Free is not signed, he’s gone. The Cowboys are seemingly first in line for the Asomugha sweepstakes. He is a 30 year old, top 2 corner in the league that makes $15 million a year. It would be a big signing but it is not a fix-all.

1:15 – Press Conference: The NFLPA has agreed to the new CBA, Press Conference coming soon. Soon meaning now. The Commish spouts his cookie cutter rhetoric. It’s a fair deal with neither side getting everything that they wanted. It was a compromise. Jeff Saturday spoke on behalf of the players and was really sincere and excited to get back to football. A lot of thanks being give to Robert Kraft and his role in getting this deal done.

1:45 – Weather Talk: It’s hot. That’s it. The record for 100 degree days in Dallas is 42 in 1980, we’re now on day 24. Let the Jeterian type countdown begin.

2:00 – Variety Segment: T.C. Fleming house sat for Dan while he was on vacation. T.C. slept in Dan’s bed with his girlfriend while Dan was away. There was a lot of sanitizing of sheets. Dan’s daughters have two drinking glasses that are sentimental to the family. Apparently one of the glasses got cracked. Dan’s wife shed a tear. After last year’s computer chair debacle, who is to blame for this? Dan or T.C.

2:15 – Audio: Here is some audio of a pre-race prayer at Saturday’s NASCAR race in Tennessee. It’s a bit-laden prayer. “Thank God for my smokin’ hot wife!” Now to Jim Knox. Knoxie got heckled on Saturday during the Community Corner. Knox calls them out on the air, yelling “WHAAAAT???”

2:35 – Rangers Talk: The Rangers were shutout yesterday but won the series with the Blue Jays and have won 14 of their last 17 games. They dominated the first game but lost Beltre to a hamstring injury and had a walk-off win on Saturday. Chris Davis has been called up and will trade off with Michael Young at 3^rd base while Beltre is healing. Can Davis make the proper adjustments that allow him to be effective at the big league level or will he once again prove that he is a “AAAA player”? The guys then question the career path of Jose Bautista. Is he merely a late bloomer or is there something “unnatural and undetectable” about his meteoric rise over the past 2 years?

3:00 – Why Today Doesn’t Suck: On this day in 1990, Roseanne Barr did a horrendous version of the Star Spangled Banner. Happy Birthday to John Barry, Doug Drabek, Pedro Martinez, Nate Thurman, Saturday Night Beaver, Louise Joy Brown, David Denman, Roger Clinton and Matt LeBlanc. Spares are Todd Fuller, Tony Granatto, Tracy Murray and Ed Sprague. RIP to Estelle Getty and Ben Hogan.

Listen to BaD Radio everyday from 12 – 3pm on Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket. I do, and I has opulence.

Follow me on Twitter

Wes Bullard