5 years of stats: Behind the scenes

I didn't realise, but last week marked 5 years since this blog started!
Fortunately, someone else noticed, and at last week's match I was most honoured to be presented with a commemorative calculator.

Complete with a personalised inscription on the back.

I'm told that the Canon LS-80 is from 1982/83 (so it's the same age as me), making the calculator a wonderful and thoughtful momento of the occasion. Thanks Brad and team!

I feel like I should write a blog about the 5 years of the blog, but I did something very similar at the end of 2013 when it reached 100 posts, so you can relive that information here.

So I won't do another post with stats about the blog... and having just spent a bunch of time entering the last 9 Popped Collars scorecards, I have no interest in staring at more numbers... so instead, here's something totally different: a quick look "behind the scenes" at PoppedStats HQ.

• Note the triple-screen setup, because stats are just that important.
• At the front you can see the commemorative calculator taking up its new position. It takes pride of place, front and centre*.
• Two USB drives sit on the desk* - the stats database is backup up regularly. Not only is this useful if the computer dies, but also it means I can often look up answers to random stats questions even when I'm not at home!
• On the left* you can see 3 folders. That is what 500 (mostly organised) indoor cricket scorecards looks like. I have:
• about 280 Popped Collars/GG sheets
• 44 random sheets from previous incarnations of the team
• about 170 from previous teams I've played for and kept stats for (none anywhere near as in-depth as the Popped Collars though!)...
• a total of 502 scorecards.
• On screen is the blog website, and my custom program for entering the stats (which, for the last 5 years, I've desperately wanted to update and make available for others to look up their own stats... but it's just too big a job to find time for!)

* Note: the props are real, but the scene may have been set up specifically to look like a desk dedicated to nothing but stats...



I'll be back to the indoor cricket number-crunching next week, including starting the regular updates of the Quick Stats Page. But for now: thanks to the players, the readers, the commenters, and everyone else for making the stats blog worth writing for the last 5 years... time flies when you're having fun!