There is no other sport in which statistics are parsed, scrutinized, debated and revered like baseball. So with an abundant harvest of numbers from 162 games lying tantalizingly before us, let's take a closer look at some of the figures from the 2010 regular season.

Two of the more interesting statistical anomalies happened right here in Milwaukee, featuring Brewers who spent most of the season on the bench.

Backup catcher George Kottaras had 43 hits, more than half of which (22) went for extra bases. Utility man Joe Inglett had five triples in 142 at bats. That's a lot of three-baggers in not a lot of time at the plate. Consider that the Yankees Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner who finished tied for fifth in the American League in that category had seven triples apiece in 466 and 477 at-bats, respectively. The major league leader was Colorado's Dexter Fowler with 14.

Two observations there. First, where have all the triples gone? Philly's Shane Victorino led MLB with only 13 in 2009. The Mets' Jose Reyes topped the circuit with 19 in 2008. Granderson had 23 and the Phils' Jimmy Rollins had 20 in '07.

Is it becoming unfashionable to leg a double into an extra base? Are managers becoming more concerned about making outs on the base paths?

Second, Fowler is proof positive that in hitting sometimes, it's all about location, location, location. Fowler hit .313 in his home park, the batter's paradise that is Coors Field. On the road, Dex could only manage a .211 average. Also, Fowler apparently isn't much of a night owl, hitting .218 under the lights, but a robust .338 while swinging in the sunshine. But as a switch-hitter he is the model of consistency batting exactly .260 against both lefties and righties.

There were fewer big triples hitters and fewer big hitters overall. In 2009, four players had over 200 hits, led by Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki at 225. This year, Ichiro was the only player to clock in over 200, at 214. But hitters were making more contact, at least against the big strikeout pitchers. Last season, the Tigers Scott Verlander led baseball with 269 K's. Tim Lincecum of San Francisco was next at 261. In 2010, the Angels Jered Weaver recorded the most whiffs at 233.

Reggie Jackson was "Mr. October." Mark Reynolds was definitely not "Mr. September." On Aug. 31, Reynolds hit his 32nd home run of the season. It would also be his last homerun of the year. In 64 at-bats in September and October, Reynolds didn't go deep once. But he became the only member of a very exclusive club that no one wants to join. Reynolds is the first player in major league history to have a higher strikeout total (211) than batting average (.198).

Fans of Detroit, St. Louis and Colorado have to be wondering why their teams didn't make the playoffs. The home faithful left their ballparks happy often this season, with their squads each recording 52-29 home records. But the Cards were 34-47, the Rockies 31-50 and the Tigers a puzzlingly mirror image of themselves at 29-52 on the road.

Pirate backers saw a relatively competitive team in Pittsburgh where the Bucs finished 40-41 (the same home record as the Brewers) but away from the Steel City they were hardly men of steel, dropping 64 of 81. Ditto with Arizona. The D-Backs 40-41 mark in Phoenix wasn't good enough to keep them out of last place since they went 25-56 when they left the desert. The Nationals had a winning record in D.C. at 41-40 but once again failed to win 70 games with 53 losses as the visiting team. Atlanta had the best home record at 56-25 but didn't win the division, stumbling to 35-46 outside of Georgia. The Padres were the most consistent team, 45-36 both home and away but that consistency wasn't enough to get them into the playoffs.

If you judge strictly by the numbers, Tampa Bay may have the best chance of winning the World Series. The Rays turned in commendable performances wherever they played: 49-32 at home, an MLB best 47-34 as guests.

And the overpaid, under-achieving Cubs, easily baseball's biggest train wreck, did enjoy one distinction in 2010. They were the only club which had a better record on the road. Hard to imagine why. The fans at Wrigley cheered lustily for the Cubbies all season. They weren't crying "Boo!" They were screaming "Lou!" Or at least that's the story I heard from my in-laws south of the border.

So those are just a few numbers to ponder. Could they be indicators of post season performance? Perhaps. But they are certainly entrancing digits that can bring us warmer thoughts in the off-season.