{"id":546,"date":"2010-05-18T09:10:00","date_gmt":"2010-05-18T14:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=546"},"modified":"2010-05-18T09:10:21","modified_gmt":"2010-05-18T14:10:21","slug":"baseball-challenge-april-results","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=546","title":{"rendered":"Baseball Challenge: April Results"},"content":{"rendered":"

So, Doogan and I have been throwing around a “mock” $100 on MLB every day (or, at least, a lot of days) to see how we would do as professional MLB gamblers.\u00a0 It’s what we’re calling the 2010 MLB Challenge<\/a>.\u00a0 If you like statistics or gambling or even just baseball, I think this stuff will be really interesting.\u00a0 Personally, I do, obviously, enjoy sports handicapping, but I find these numbers actually more interesting from a fan’s perspective than a gambler’s because I think it gives you a real way to measure how teams are performing against expectations<\/em>.\u00a0 It is the best figure we have to normalize for pitching matchups or tough schedules or what-not.\u00a0 The Rays have played a ridiculously tough schedule and it shows with their profits so far.\u00a0 So, as a fan, I find this stuff even more relevant than I do as a gambler.<\/p>\n

[NOTE: If anyone wants to join us in their picks, just let me know via email or a comment below, and I\u2019ll start sending you the morning lines.\u00a0 All you have to do is wager “BSB dollars” on any MLB games you want.\u00a0 The dollars can be divied up any way you wish, up to $100 each day.\u00a0 We\u2019ll track the progress periodically on the blog.\u00a0 There is no obligation at all.\u00a0 Do it every day, once a week, once a month, or whatever.\u00a0 I’ll even keep track of your “performance” on a monthly basis, along the lines of how you’re about to see for the April picks.]<\/em><\/font><\/p>\n

One of the most interesting things about this (and the impetus for this “challenge”) is tracking to see how you would do if you rode one team all year.\u00a0 Or, if you bet against one team all year.\u00a0 Seeing what teams do better than “Vegas” says they would do, etc.\u00a0 So, I have all of those numbers for the month of April and will present them below.\u00a0 Now, I know we’re almost halfway through May, but life has been busy for me recently.\u00a0 I do have the tracking numbers as of April 30, though.\u00a0 Here are the April numbers:<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

Home Road Splits by\u00a0League
\n<\/strong>How big is home-field advantage in\u00a0MLB?\u00a0 That’s a question that’s always\u00a0bandied about in sports debates <\/strong>because the answer isn’t obvious like it is in the NFL or NBA, where there is a clear home-field advantage.\u00a0 And, does it change, by league?\u00a0 Does the DH have any affect on the home-field advantage because the home pitcher waits an extra inning before having to hit?\u00a0 Do the more potent AL lineups make it more important to bat last?\u00a0 Well, I don’t think that these numbers will answer these questions, but they might shine some light on them.\u00a0 Here are the numbers:<\/font><\/p>\n