On the Subject of Tough Divisions
Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2006 11:37 amEvery player who's been around for a while has been in a tough division or two, but how many have been in one this tough? After 124 games, we're about to make the final turn into intradivisional play and every team has a record better than any team in another division. Here are the standings:
[code:1:5fe2f5ae85]
Cats 2 78-45 .634
Graverobbers3 75-48 .610
Gems 73-50 .593
Pro Crastinators 65-58 .528
Table edited with thanks to bjs for formatting advice.][/code:1:5fe2f5ae85]
Only one other team in the league has a record over .500 (.512). Obviously, two teams in our division aren't going to make the playoffs, even though all four might be considered playoff-worthy. I seem to recall another division like this that was discussed on the old boards. I'm not sure how many times this has occurred, but it's got to be rare.
This is a part of my long personal history of being in tough divisions. Of the 13 leagues I've been in so far (including two currently in progress), my divisions have had 33 teams at .500 or over (average would be 26). That means just 19 teams below .500. No division I've been in has ever had fewer than two winning teams. Seven have had three winning teams, including the one current one listed above that has four winning teams as we head into the final intra-divisional stretch. When you figure that each team plays the others in its division 72 times, and thus there's a strong tug toward .500, that's pretty unusual.
How about results? In my eleven completed leagues, my division has produced the wildcard six times and the World Champ six times. This tendency to win championships is a reflection on the whole division. I was champ three times, but other teams from the division were champ three times as well. I was wildcard twice, but other teams were wildcard four times. Three of the six wildcard teams won championships. Clearly a seventh wildcard team will be produced by my 12th league.
In nine of the eleven completed leagues, at least one team from the division made the Finals. Twice, two teams made the finals--including, of course, the wildcard. Seventeen playoff teams, six wildcards, six champs, and eleven finalists in eleven leagues are amazing numbers! All are well beyond the law of averages. :shock:
Has anyone else had a similar kind of experience? It's certainly been challenging for me, but I guess the good effect is that I've come to feel that I can't expect to ever back into the playoffs. It's kind of like always playing in the AL East. You've got to have a very tight team or you're never going to make it. :wink:[/code]
[code:1:5fe2f5ae85]
Cats 2 78-45 .634
Graverobbers3 75-48 .610
Gems 73-50 .593
Pro Crastinators 65-58 .528
Table edited with thanks to bjs for formatting advice.][/code:1:5fe2f5ae85]
Only one other team in the league has a record over .500 (.512). Obviously, two teams in our division aren't going to make the playoffs, even though all four might be considered playoff-worthy. I seem to recall another division like this that was discussed on the old boards. I'm not sure how many times this has occurred, but it's got to be rare.
This is a part of my long personal history of being in tough divisions. Of the 13 leagues I've been in so far (including two currently in progress), my divisions have had 33 teams at .500 or over (average would be 26). That means just 19 teams below .500. No division I've been in has ever had fewer than two winning teams. Seven have had three winning teams, including the one current one listed above that has four winning teams as we head into the final intra-divisional stretch. When you figure that each team plays the others in its division 72 times, and thus there's a strong tug toward .500, that's pretty unusual.
How about results? In my eleven completed leagues, my division has produced the wildcard six times and the World Champ six times. This tendency to win championships is a reflection on the whole division. I was champ three times, but other teams from the division were champ three times as well. I was wildcard twice, but other teams were wildcard four times. Three of the six wildcard teams won championships. Clearly a seventh wildcard team will be produced by my 12th league.
In nine of the eleven completed leagues, at least one team from the division made the Finals. Twice, two teams made the finals--including, of course, the wildcard. Seventeen playoff teams, six wildcards, six champs, and eleven finalists in eleven leagues are amazing numbers! All are well beyond the law of averages. :shock:
Has anyone else had a similar kind of experience? It's certainly been challenging for me, but I guess the good effect is that I've come to feel that I can't expect to ever back into the playoffs. It's kind of like always playing in the AL East. You've got to have a very tight team or you're never going to make it. :wink:[/code]