Dunn, the team’s designated hitter, has a B.S. batting average of .292, in a sport where players dream of hitting .300. Never heard of a B.S. batting average before? The B.S. stands for “before strikeouts.” Add them back and Dunn’s true batting average was .165 as of Aug. 2, the lowest in Major League Baseball among players with at least 295 at-bats.
If you like that example of stupid math tricks, then you’ll love the bizarre profitability metric Groupon has invented called “adjusted consolidated segment operating income.” This nonstandard measurement excludes most of the online coupon distributor’s operating expenses, making the hugely unprofitable startup seem comfortably in the black. Think of this as its own version of a B.S. batting average, only with a different name.
