Archive for the ‘Research’ Category

Feb
27/10

Scotch whiskey as an indicator of prosperity

Last Updated on Monday, 1 March 2010 02:41
Written by Chris Magyar
Saturday, February 27th, 2010

I really like the chart of cigar consumption versus major events in American history that The Economist posted this week. I find these cause-effect charts to be a tad dubious when it comes to explaining economic trends, but it is neat to see how certain spikes correspond to certain political and economic factors. It got me to thinking about other luxury goods and what they might indicate about national and global prosperity. Cigars are obviously wildly effected by our trade embargo with Cuba and a general trend away from stogies, so I hunted around for something a little more global in scale and a little less subject to fashionable whims. Voila: scotch whiskey.

(more…)

Tags: Magazines | Posted under Features, Research |

No Comments

Nov
03/08

Why parity is only an AL problem

Last Updated on Monday, 1 March 2010 02:41
Written by Chris Magyar
Monday, November 3rd, 2008

It’s the DH, stupid

By now, I’ve heard just about every possible reason for why the American League is just a better league. This is based on the head-to-head interleague records and the streak of AL wins in the All-Star Game.

Now, personally I like to call the National League “baseball” and the American League “Disney on Ice” because of the DH, which destroys the integrity of the game’s strategy. But more than hampering the in-game strategy, I think what we’ve seen since the last expansion rounds — which added 3 teams to the NL and only 1 to the AL — is the more sinister effect of the DH, the one that occurs in the off-season.The media has been bemoaning the lack of parity in the league since the last expansion, that in baseball your wallet size trumps everything else. What they’re missing, because of the incessant focus on the New York/Boston rivalry, is that this is only true in the American League.

(more…)

Posted under Baseball, Research |

No Comments