Pet peeves

As a baseball fan I'm reminded constantly of a pet peeve of mine: the misuse of "games over .500". It's commonly stated in the newspaper or on television that for example, a team with a record of 30-20 is "10 games over .500". It's actually 10 percentage points over .500. For a total number of 50 games played, a .500 record is 25-25. Therefore, a record that represents 10 games over .500 is properly 35-15.

As a Catholic (a lapsed one really), I've followed much of the news about the death of Pope John Paul II and the subsequent election of Pope Benedict XVI. More often than not, when the name of a cardinal is used it is used incorrectly. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected pope, not Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.