Date:         Thu, 23 Jun 2005 15:52:13 -0700
Reply-To:     carey.smoak@ROCHE.COM
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         "Carey G. Smoak" <carey.smoak@ROCHE.COM>
Organization: http://groups.google.com
Subject:      Re: challenging probability (baseball) question
Comments: To: sas-l@uga.edu
In-Reply-To:  <200506232146.j5NLkfPr012749@listserv.cc.uga.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Yes, I realize that there are 30 teams (my mistake).  I was trying to
figure out HOW to approach this question.

By the way, Charles Thomas is in the minors (Sacramento).  It has been
well discussed in local newspapers for the past month that the Oakland
A's do not currently have an African-American player on their current
25-man team roster.

A local newspaper columnist (who is African-American) has been adamant
that the A's ownership is not racist - just cheap.  His point has been
that African-American baseball players TEND to be more expensive than
non-African-American baseball players.  So, that is his explanation for
why the A's don't currently have an African-American baseball player on
their 25-man team roster.

My point is that since there is only 10% of major league baseball
players that it would not be surprising that if one team had no
African-American baseball players on their team.  In other words, by
chance alone there could be at least one team with no African-American
baseball players on one team.  I have thought of several simulations
(e.g., holding a mock draft), but have not come up with a really good
way to quantify the probabiility.

Regards,

Carey