DePodesta’s Theories Aren’t That Relative

Paul DePodesta is said to be a numbers guy. The Dodgers’ new general manager has an economics degree from Harvard. But being good with numbers doesn’t necessarily translate to baseball knowledge.

Legend has it that Albert Einstein once suggested to major league catcher Moe Berg that he teach Berg mathematics and Berg teach him baseball.

“But I’m sure you’ll learn mathematics faster than I’ll learn baseball,” Einstein said.

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Trivia time: The Dodgers scored 574 runs last season, the fewest by any major league team. The Detroit Tigers were next worst with 591 runs. What futility record that still stands was set by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1934?

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Always a bright side: John Anderson, filling in for Dan Patrick on ESPN Radio on Tuesday, decided to pull a little trick on former Philadelphia Phillie John Kruk, who finished his career batting .300.

Anderson had Peter Hirdt of the Elias Sports Bureau call in and tell Kruk, “We audited your numbers and discovered you were credited for a couple of hits that should have gone to Dave Hollins. So you finished at .299.”

Kruk, before learning it was a prank, said, “I’m just thrilled that is the only time I have been audited.”

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Another .300 hitter: Ty Cobb holds the record for highest major league career batting average at .367. When he was asked in 1960 how he would fare against current-day pitching, he said he’d only hit .300.

“You’ve got to remember, I’m 73,” Cobb said.

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What really matters: Maybe it was inevitable that Alex Rodriguez ended up with the New York Yankees. In 2002, Bob Costas on his HBO show asked Rodriguez, “If you could hold any individual record at the end of your career, what would you want it to be?”

Rodriguez: “Yogi Berra’s championships.”

Berra was on a record 10 World Series-winning Yankee teams.

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More from A-Rod: In the same interview, Rodriguez told Costas he wanted to be known as a guy who “came to play every day -- whether you’re in first place or last place.”

But Rodriguez said being in first place makes things a little more enjoyable.

“It’s easy to come to the ballpark when you’re going to win 100 games,” he said. “Your stirrups go on naturally. Everyone is laughing, having a good time. Even guys who aren’t funny, people are laughing at their jokes.”

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Trivia answer: The football Brooklyn Dodgers scored only one rushing touchdown in 1934, an NFL record.

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And finally: Amateur golfer Larry Olmstead of Vermont is scheduled to tee off at 12:30 today at Pelican Hill in Newport Coast. At 12:30 yesterday, which was actually today in Sydney, Australia, Olmstead teed off at New South Wales Golf Club.

If all goes as planned, Olmstead will get into the “Guinness Book of World Records” for greatest distance traveled between two rounds of golf -- 7,496 miles. The current mark is 5,954 miles.

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Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.