Richard

I know what a "cord" is - a pile of firewood that's 4' x 4' x 8'. What I want to know is *why* firewood is measured in cords. Does it have to do with how long it lasts? The ease of transport? Something else?

Why not "Ziti alla vodka", or "Penne alla gin"? Not really serious, just curious.....

First of all, we have a population base of over 300 million to draw on. This year, we're sending a record 550+ athletes to Rio (that works out to 1 out of every 20 athletes being from the US). Our training facilities are state-of-the-art, when other countries have facilities that would embarrass a typical US high school. So *of course* we're going to win ALL TEH MEDALS.

But do we really deserve to?

The score is tied late in the game. Runners are on first and third, with one out. The batter hits a fly ball to right center where the right fielder makes a running, juggling catch to retire the batter for the second out. He sees the runner on third heading for home, and rushes a throw past the cutoff man to the plate. The throw is offline and the catcher misplays it, so that runner touches the plate unopposed. Meanwhile, seeing the throw go past the cutoff man, the runner on first tags up and heads for second. When he sees the throw get away from the catcher, he rounds second and heads for third. But the ball doesn't get far enough away from the catcher, who recovers quickly. A fast throw and a brief rundown, and that runner is tagged out trying to get back to second for out number three.

While everyone is busy recording a 9-2-5-6 double play on their scoresheets, the third baseman frantically calls for the ball. He gets it, steps on third, and looks to the umpire.

1. Why? What's he trying to do?

2. Assuming the third baseman is correct about what happened, what is the end result?

NOTE: I don't recall where I read about this weird rules situation, or what section of the rule book actually covers it. I'm hoping that all you rules buffs and umpires can confirm what (I believe) I know.

It's that time of year again. Movie websites (Rotten Tomatoes, for example) and various entertainment publications are publishing their lists of the "Best Horror Movies of All Time".

But who has the *BEST* list? Which ones are put together by movie critics and scholars? Which ones justify their choices? Which ones give information on the movies (cast lists, for example)?

If I really, really, REALLY wanted to know what horror movies truly are the greatest of all time (and not just the listmaker's favorites or ones that they have bothered to see), which list should I check out?

There's a lot of news these days about "military strikes" and the like. But because the targets are often groups and not nations, it doesn't seem like there's a reason for one nation to issue a formal declaration of war. When was the last time a nation did so?

I applied the latest Firefox update today (31.0), and now YouTube is messed up. Going to the usual "www.youtube.com" automatically redirects to 'http://m.youtube.com/?%22. It's a completely different layout (I understand it's designed for mobile devices), and all the video links are in "RTSP" format or something. I can watch YouTube videos if they are embedded in another page (like www.periodicvideos.com), but seeing them on their own...

What gives? How do I get YouTube back?

And can you mix them?

So many of the competitions (both Summer and Winter) take place outdoors that one has to wonder what would happen if bad weather forced a postponement or even the cancellation of some events.

While some events in the past have been affected by weather, I don't think things have ever been so bad as to stop an event outright.

Does the IOC have plans for such an occurrence?

OKay, I've had it with the lack of originality in Hollywood. It seems like there's nothing but the same old bland sameness coming out these days. Do we *really* need a remake of "Robocop" and another "Paranormal Activity" movie?

Can anyone suggest any good foreign movies? The genre doesn't matter, nor does the age. I just want to see something different.

Let's say you've got a friend who's heard of "Doctor Who", but has yet to see a single episode.

Which story ("Classic" or "New") would you show them to let them see how wonderful the series is? And why that particular one?

After Superman (7 movies, including the one from the 50s) and Batman (8 movies, including the Adam West one from the 60s), Wonder Woman is probably DC's biggest character. Yet for some reason she hasn't had a movie yet. A TV series (starring Lynda Carter), yes, but nothing on the big screen. One hears occasional murmurs about one, but they never seem to get past the casting stage.

Why is this?

Is it perhaps that Hollywood cannot find a tall, athletic, dark-haired actress to play the part? If so, they can't be trying very hard. The role *requires* such an actress. Wonder Woman is supposed to project Strength and Power first - sex appeal comes much later on the list. You can always pad the costume if necessary. Surely they can find someone impressive enough to wear the Golden Bracers?

What would be worse, and I hope it isn't the real reason, is that Hollywood is still to sexist to properly handle a strong female action hero. To date, almost all the female action hero movies have tanked (Catwoman (2004) is the most egregious example).

I gather that many of you Answerers are much better versed in contemporary popular culture than I am, so I'm tossing this out to you for your thoughts.

On phone keypads, the numbers are arranged:

123

456

789

*0#

On a computer keyboard or calculator, they are arranged

789

456

123

0.

Why the difference?

Last year, the San Francisco Giants won the World Series. This year, they are one of the worst teams in baseball, with a good chance of finishing in the basement.

This started me thinking. We've heard of teams going "Worst to First" (like the 1991 Minnesota Twins). What teams have gone the other way - winning a World Series and then winding up in the basement the next year?

Admittedly, I could look this up with a little effort, but I'm too lazy tonight.

"WAR" is an advanced statistic that combines several individual statistics for a baseball player,and then compares them to a given standard.

To put it one way, Player A is defined as a point in multidimensional space, where each dimension represents an independent baseball statistic (at bats, doubles, stolen bases, etc.). Player X is another point in the same multidimensional space. The relative "Wins Above Replacement" is an attempt to reduce the differences between the two player/points into one single quantity. Or, you could say that WAR is an attempt to quantify the "distance" between a player's "point" and some specified origin.

Is there a mathematical term that might define what WAR is trying to do? Somehow, in my limited knowledge of advanced mathematics, I'm thinking that the term "eigenvalue" fits the bill.

Mathematicians: Am I on to something here, or am I just blowing smoke?

The International Olympic Committee is taking a lot of criticism for deciding to drop wrestling from the Summer Games. Many people are petitioning to have it reinstated.

But why not just have it in the Winter Olympics?

First, it's done indoors, so cold weather outside isn't relevant. And second, while there are around 300 medal events in the Summer Olympics, the Winter Games have less than a third of that. Surely they can find time on the schedule for wrestling....

What do you think?

Why can't I seem to find it in supermarkets anymore? Or even in the specialty ice cream shops? It was easy to find that rich, creamy, golden yellow flavor years ago, but now it's disappeared, leaving only a coffee flavor behind.