On Fri, 21 Dec 2001, John T. Whelan wrote:

> On Fri, 21 Dec 2001 [log in to unmask] wrote:
>
> > The best thing to do to put ties in their proper place, and value wins
> > appropriately, is to do what real football (soccer for you grid crazed
> > Americans) does.  Award three points for a win and one for a tie.  This
> > discourages playing for a tie but rewards a hard fought even effort.
>
> Ack!  Just say NO to non-zero-sum point systems.  How do you calculate
> winning percentages when some games are worth two points and others
> worth three?  And is a team's strength-of-schedule lower because they
> play in a conference with a lot of ties?
>
No, you misunderstood the system.  ALL wins get three points and all ties
get one, no overtime.  The greater reward for a win makes it less
attractive to play for a tie which is what necessitated regular season
overtime originally.

Arthur Berman
North Vancouver, BC