Baseball fans everywhere speak fluently the language of batting averages, runs, hits, and a seemingly exhaustive list of other statistics, facts, dates, and details. While many fans are content to quote the statistics calculated by others, some of the more do-it-yourself types rely on their own batting average calculator.

The only real secret to a batting average calculator is to know the equation behind a batting average -- Average = Hits divided by At Bats (Avg = H/AB). Of course, careful attention must be paid to keep track of the number of hits an individual player makes and the number of times he gets to bat.

Other baseball fans rely on a batting average calculator that works much like a pocket calculator but, again, the number of hits made and the number of times at bat must be known. Doting parents often keep track of this information to monitor their own budding baseball star's record.

With hand-held access to the internet these days, a fan can easily access an online batting average calculator from the stadium, practice field, or anywhere else the need arises. It just relies on those two all-important numbers - the number of hits made versus the number of times at bat.

Know who the first batting average calculator was? (And, yes, it was a who.) It was Henry Chadwick, an Englishman and statistician who loved playing cricket. In cricket, batting average is calculated using the ratio of runs scored against the number of times out. Chadwick thought the game of baseball could be livened up a bit with similar statistical analysis but he didn't think it should be formulated exactly like it is in cricket.

A batting average of .400 is considered a goal so lofty that it is almost unachievable these days. The last time it was done, it was done by Ted Williams, playing for the Boston Red Sox in 1941. He batted a .406.

By today's batting average standards, an average of .300 is said to be excellent. The lower batting average does not reflect poorer quality playing over the years. Instead, it is suggested it represents better playing of the entire team in general. Another theory is that the game has changed over the years in such a way that an individual's number of times at bat is less than what it used to be.