Every year, I take a look at the Philadelphia Phillies' odds of winning the World Series and compare it to other things that also have no realistic chance at happening.
This year, VegasInsider.com has them listed at 350-to-1 — or, relatively the same odds that the Greater Philadelphia area will experience an earthquake (M2.0+) within the next seven days (355-1).
But, it's okay. Perk up. The temperatures are rising, summer is quickly approaching, and that vibrant green grass of Clearwater is just a preview of what's to come in our own backyards. Plus, the Fightins are still over 10 times more likely to win the World Series this year than you are of getting seriously injured mowing the lawn (3,623-1).
On to the numbers: you are… …Twice as likely to be audited by the IRS this year (175-1), and 1.5 times more likely to have your identity stolen (200-1). …Over 4.5 times more likely to get killed in a transportation accident in the next 12 months (77-1). …Five times more likely to get bitten by a dog in the next year. …14 times more likely to get hemorrhoids (25-1). …More likely to give birth to a genius (250-1)… This figure shifts quite drastically if you're a dude. …More likely to be born left-handed, lactose-intolerant, with a peanut allergy (256-1). …Slightly more likely, as an American adult male, to stand under 5-foot, 6-inches tall, with a shellfish allergy. Ergo, your nickname might be "shrimp", but you can not eat them.
In sports:
- BYU has a better shot at winning this year's college football championship (300-1)… Or men's college basketball championship (300-1).
- Oklahoma is nearly five times as likely to win BOTH (75-1)!
- Golfers Kiradech Aphibarnrat (250-1), Ollie Schniederjans (300-1), and Smylie Kaufman (300-1) all have better odds to win this year's Masters. It is also more likely that four hole-in-ones will occur during the tournament's four rounds of play (325-1).
- If the season ended today, the Detroit Pistons would be almost twice as likely to win the NBA Draft Lottery (200-1).
- Before the Super Bowl, the Broncos were listed as 3.5 times a better wager to win by 43 or more points (100-1).
- It's almost five times more likely to see a player score a hat trick in any one single English Premier League game (76-1).
It's all relative. If you use the logical part of your brain, you know the Phillies have no chance. 350-to-1 is a very long shot. But, hell, we all went out and bought Powerball tickets, did we not? The Phillies are 834,286 times more likely to win the title!
Check out Kevin's new book, Incredible Baseball Stats: The Coolest, Strangest Stats and Facts in Baseball History, now available for pre-order on Amazon.com
