Top Ten Most Useless Statistics

The title of this post literally will make a guy like Bill James want to hunt down the TTCS crew and go all Zinedine Zidane on us. But the truth is, the world has gone a little stat crazy and when you stop and think about it most of them don't really even matter. So, here we go with our Top Ten Most Useless Stats list. Our sources tell us that 60% of the time, you'll agree with us every time.

10. MLB - Interleague Play Record

Whether you disagree with the idea of interleague play or not, a team's record in such contests is irrelevant. Usually you'll find talking heads nationwide trying to discern something from games between National and American League squads. But the truth is, interleague games mean just as much as a normal, non divisional games during the regular season. It just gives Steve Phillips another reason to explain to you that because he was the Isiah Thomas of baseball as a GM, he can predict the outcome of the World Series based on games that really don't hold any added importance.

9. NBA - Blocks

I was a little skeptical of putting this on the list, however, my guy Danny Sheridan convinced me how misleading this stat can truly be.

"Blocks are overrated because people think guys who block a lot of shots are good defenders, which isn't always the case. Oftentimes, they are caught out of position, these guys also tend to give up a lot of easy baskets in the land. For example, no way Marcus Camby should ever make any First-Team All Defensive squad because he blocks three shots a game while his team gives up 110 points a game. Also, Amare Stoudamire finished fourth in blocks and Shaq was fifth. But can you really consider those guys good defenders?"

Couldn't have said it better myself.

8. MLB - Holds

"Earned when a relief pitcher enters a game in a save situation, records at least one out, and leaves the game without having given up the lead."

So basically they've created a stat that illustrates when a guy doesn't mess up? I truly believe stats like these are dreamed up by sports agents that are trying to find ways to get their guys paid. I feel like Scott Boras hired a room full of MIT graduates to sit around a conference room and come up with stats that will make guys like Eric Gagne look good.

7. NFL - Half Tackles/Half Sacks

While these stats are basically the foundation of Chicago crybaby Brian Urlacher's career, the truth is they are worthless indicators of a player's performance. I always think of the preseason games when five minutes after a play ends, fourth string rookies come flying in kamikaze style hoping to pick up credit for the tackle. And it only applies for tackles and sacks which is completely unacceptable if you're going to count it as a valid stat. Might as well start counting half interceptions for lineman that tip balls at the line of scrimmage. How sweet would it be if Ted Washington led the league in picks? Pretty sweet indeed.

6. MLB - Fielding Percentage

Actually, Bill James would back us up on this one. Fielding percentage comes up short in defining the defensive prowess of MLB players in a lot of ways, but I'm not going to bore you with a list of them. For that I recommend reading Moneyball. What I will say is that it doesn't account for a player's overall range at their position which is a big part of determining their worth.

5. MLB - Bullpen ERA

When a reliever gives up a run, it blows up their ERA faster than David Wells puts on weight after a night of Hooters wings and guzzling Miller High Life. It's misleading when they come into the game and you see their season stats and you get a confidence boost when you see the guy's got a 4.79 ERA. But when he mows down your lineup like a knife through butter it makes you realize the stat is about as useful as John Daly's fitness regimen has been in keeping him in tip top shape.

4. NFL - Extra Point Percentage

Look, if you've got a kicker on your team averaging anything less than 99.9% in this category I suggest you jump off a cliff. Seriously, it's the biggest gimme in professional sports and to have a stat that tracks a kicker's success in converting it is about as useful as having a coffee table around when Venus or Serena Williams' ass is already available.

3. MLB - Wins

"Few statistics judge the ability of a pitcher less than wins. A pitcher can get pounded and still be the beneficiary of good run support, or vice versa. Three years ago, Barry Zito won 23 games while this season he very well may challenge Mike Maroth for single season ineptitude."
------Ricky O'Donnell

Side Note: Do you think the Giants would rather be dealing with the steroids issue with Barry Lamar Bonds or Barry Zito's $126 million worth of garbage pitching?

2. Time of Possession

There is a plethora of sports out there that include this statistic for our viewing pleasure in between quarters, periods, halves and at the conclusion of contests. Yet there are far too many times when a team dominates in time of possession only to lose in a blowout because the other team just happened to score quick and often. You really can't gleam anything from studying the time of possession in any given game, just like you can't really expect to hear Woody Paige come up with a competent argument on Around the Horn.

1. NFL - Quarterback Rating

Completions+Yards+Revolutions of the Earth/the square root of Vince Young's Wunderlic score-Interceptions+blah blah blah

Truthfully, I don't understand this stat and I really don't ever plan on ever figuring out on how to calculate it. Trying to come up with a way to quantify a quarterback's performance based upon the numbers he puts up during the course of a season is the definition of absurdity. Wins and losses are what defines a quarterback, not some arbitrary number only the eggheads at NASA truly understand. Are you more likely to remember that Eli Manning won the Super Bowl last year or that he was 25th in the NFL last year in QB Rating?

I thought so.