Magic Number/Tragic Number:

I have posted this page to remind me of the equations to calculate the Magic and Tragic Numbers:

Magic Number = 163 - Team A Wins - Team B Loses
Tragic Number = 163 - Team A Loses - Team B Wins

For visitors to this page who may not know what this means, the Magic Number is the combination of the number of wins one team needs and the number of loses the other "significant" team needs in order to clinch....something.

Confused yet?

OK, the reason this is so complicated is because ANY team can have a Magic Number about ANY result. In 2000, we had Magic Numbers for Division Titles, Wild Card Spots, Home Field Advantages, and on and on... It is further obfuscated by the fact that ANY team, not just the leading team can have a Magic Number. A team in last place can have a Magic Number, its just bigger then the number of games remaining.

The Magic Number is great because it is not based on winning percentage and thus it is the perfect measuring stick for a division race. There is NEVER a partial Magic Number, and there is no "by percentage points..." obfucation.

Here is how you use the equation:

Team A is the team you want to calculate the Magic Number for, Team B is the team with the best record, but who is not Team A. Thus, if you want to calculate the Magic Number for the 5th place team, the 5th place team is Team A and the 1st place team is Team B.

A Magic Number of 1 indicates that team can do no worse then tie (or, if you are a lame memeber of the press "clinch the tie"....duh). Magic Number of 0 indicates you have Clinched.

The Tragic Number is the combination of the number of loses one team needs with the number of wins the other significant team needs in order to be eliminated.

It works just like the Magic Number, Team A is the team you want to calculate the Tragic Number for, Team B is the team with the best record of the remaining Teams. When the Tragic Number reached 1, the best that that team can hope for is a tie, when it reaches 0, that team is eliminated.

One day I hope to create a little web app to calculate these numbers. Perhaps even enable someone to enter the entire "standings" from the newspaper or something and have the page spit out, Magic and Tragic for every team... hmmmm.