HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: rja@redwood26.cray.com (Russ Anderson)
Subject: Top 10: Why Bush should be the new commissioner
Originator: rja@redwood26
Organization: The 1991 World Champion Minnesota Twins!
Date: 9 Sep 92 12:06:26 CDT


Top 10 Reasons Bush should be the new baseball commissioner
-----------------------------------------------------------

10. No Congress to deal with.

9.  He won't be asked to make any decisions.

8.  He can bail out his other son for a change.

7.  Someone has to bounce out the first ball of the season.

6.  He won't let Willie Horton play in the majors.

5.  He'll need a new job come January.

4.  Danny needs the connection to a job as batboy.

3.  He'll try not to throw up on the Mariners owner.

2.  He'll use force, if necessary, to get the Cubs out of the East.

1.  The "Draft Clinton" movement is bound to fail.

-- 
Russ Anderson    |  Disclaimer: Any statements are my own and do not reflect
------------------              upon my employer or anyone else.  (c) 1992
EX-Twins' Jack Morris, 10 innings pitched, 0 runs (World Series MVP!)
From: cubsfan@camelot.bradley.edu (Michael Silverman)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Baseball Czar Needed!!
Date: 10 Sep 92 16:48:20 GMT
Organization: Priests of the Temples of Syrinx

I think their should be a baseball czar, but I DO NOT think
that Congress should be involved in this. Why should our
government regulate baseball, especially
when they have so much trouble running more
important things, like foreign policy and Hurricane
Andrew relief.

Next thing you know, a team will need Congressional
approval to trade a player!

--
cubsfan@camelot.bradley.edu

"One likes to believe in the freedom of baseball" - Geddy Lee
From: claudius@leland.Stanford.EDU (Nelson Lu)
Subject: RC/27 for SS'
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 92 06:11:19 GMT

NATIONAL LEAGUE			RC/27	"VALUE"
Barry Larkin, Cincinnati	7.17	3.64
Spike Owen, Montreal		6.07	2.24
Jeff Blauser, Atlanta		5.58	0.96
Ozzie Smith, St. Louis		5.37	2.25
Jay Bell, Pittsburgh		4.67	1.64
Jose Offerman, Los Angeles	4.45	1.33
Tony Fernandez, San Diego	4.17	1.13
NL AVERAGE			3.98
Rey Sanchez, Chicago		3.51	0.26
Dick Schofield, New York	3.20	0.19
Royce Clayton, San Francisco	3.01	0.02
Andujar Cedeno, Houston		2.86	-0.04
Rafael Belliard, Atlanta	2.27	-0.44

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Pat Listach, Milwaukee		5.33	1.95
Travis Fryman, Detroit		5.26	1.70
Randy Velarde, New York		5.15	0.81
Mike Bordick, Oakland		5.00	0.79
Jeff Huson, Texas		4.95	0.75
Craig Grebeck, Chicago		4.94	1.09
Andy Stankiewicz, New York	4.69	0.78
Omar Vizquel, Seattle		4.66	1.20
Dickie Thon, Texas		4.30	0.65
Cal Ripken, Baltimore		4.22	1.10
Manuel Lee, Toronto		4.21	0.97
AL AVERAGE			4.11
Mark Lewis, Cleveland		3.98	0.71
Greg Gagne, Minnesota		3.64	0.45
David Howard, Kansas City	3.60	0.20
Walt Weiss, Oakland		3.04	-0.04
Gary DiSarcina, California	3.03	-0.08
Luis Rivera, Boston		2.80	-0.18

===============================================================================
GO CALIFORNIA ANGELS!
===============================================================================
Nelson Lu (claudius@leland.stanford.edu)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: sckelm@iastate.edu (Steven C Kelm)
Subject: Amazing Walk Total
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 18:25:41 GMT

This is one of the most amazing things I've seen this year.

Randy Johnson   172 innings ..... 124 BB !!!

Good grief - is this close to some kind of record for a season?


Steven Kelm  




Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: tedward@cs.cornell.edu (Edward [Ted] Fischer)
Subject: Re: PHILLIES 15-MAN PROTECTED LIST
Organization: Cornell Univ. CS Dept, Ithaca NY 14853
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1992 19:44:26 GMT

In article <1992Sep7.183351.8168@dartvax.dartmouth.edu> csquared@coos.dartmouth.edu (C Squared) writes:
>In article <1992Sep7.163529.1480@cbnewsm.cb.att.com> jmd@cbnewsm.cb.att.com (joseph.m.dakes) writes:
>>If you think you're having a problem, consider the problem the Phillies'
>>front office is having.  They're the only team in baseball that doesn't
>>have 15 guys who need to be protected.
>
>WRONG!!  Check out the Red Sox protected list.
>
>1) Roger Clemens
>2) Joe Mooney (groundskeeper)
>
>and that's IT!

Bullshit!  The Red Sox may not have the same kind of problems that the
Indians and Braves will have, but they have more talent in the system
than many teams.

If I had the space, I would *like* to protect:

Starting pitchers: Clemens, Darwin, Dopson, Gardiner, Minchey, Morton,
Riley, Taylor.

Relief pitchers: Gray, Harris, Irvine, Quantrill, Ryan.

Catchers: Wedge

Infield: Cooper, Quintana, Reed, Vaughn, Valentin

Outfield: Blosser, Burks, Greenwell, McNeely, Plantier, Zupcic.

Unfortunately, they can't protect 25 players.  Have to cut ten of the
above from the list.  Start with Darwin and Greenwell.  They are
overpriced, and not particularly likely to be drafted.  Add Quintana,
Gray, and Taylor.  All are question marks because of injuries.  Cut
Zupcic because he is expendable, Burks because of his injuries,
and Irvine because of his lack of success.  I still need to cut two
more.  Now it begins to hurt!  Morton has had a miserable year.  He
goes.  And Harris is old.  Hope nobody takes him.

Leaving:
SP: Clemens, Dopson, Gardiner, Minchey, Riley
RP: Quantrill, Ryan
C: Wedge
IF: Cooper, Reed, Vaughn, Valentin
OF: Blosser, McNeely, Plantier

I suppose you could cut Gardiner, Quantrill, and Ryan from this list
if you had three other players you *really* wanted to protect.  Maybe
you think that Burks will be healthy next year, or maybe you want to
keep Harris as the closer.  (He's pretty cheap, too!)  If you are
truly sick, you protect Brunansky despite his $3.2 million salary.  Or
maybe you feel that Frank Viola is worth a spot, despite his age and
price tag.

But there are a full *twelve* players on this list who must be
protected.  Far more than Clemens plus a groundkeeper!

-Valentine
From: myleslee@next14pg2.wam.umd.edu (Alan Brady Ward)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Will This be the year for the Jays
Date: 11 Sep 92 16:33:48 GMT
Organization: Workstations at Maryland, University of Maryland, College Park

In article <wall-110992102435@elvis.swarthmore.edu> wall@cc.swarthmore.edu  
(Matthew Wall) writes:
> In article <20266@plains.NoDak.edu>, sivaram@plains.NoDak.edu (Sivaram
> Hariharan ) wrote:
> > 
> > 
> > The Jays have tapped on the door to the WS, three times now....
> >In a  certain way,
> > though I root for the Twins, I cannot help feeling sorry for the
> > Jays and I know how bad it gets for the Jay's fan.
> 
> I agree with you, speaking as a Boston and Cleveland fan. I wish the  
Jays
> would just win the blasted thing once, get the curse over with, and then
> they can go back to being an also-ran team again. It's getting boring to
> see them mmake it to the ALCS and go no further.

I am an O's fan but I must say that they have clawed their way to within a  
game or so on several occasions only to fall 3 or 4 games out again.

They certainly have surpassed my expectations for this season but they  
seem to be choking under the pennant pressure.  Don't count either the O's  
or the Brewers out just yet though.  Whoever controls this weekends series  
will likely be Toronto's only remaining competition.  If the O's do well  
then the Blue Jay-Orioles (battle of the birds) series at Camden Yards  
could be very interesting.  However, given the way the O's have played at  
home lately (like this past weeks debaccle with the Yankees) Toronto may  
actually look forward to coming to Baltimore. The O's need to recapture  
whatever they had earlier this season when they were unstoppable at home  
if they want to have any hope of winning the division, since many of their  
final games are at home.  It wouldn't hurt if Ripken and Davis woke up as  
well.

Oh well, enough rambling...

Al
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Amazing Walk Total
From: f67700241@violet.ccit.arizona.edu (Greg Franklin)
Date: 10 Sep 92 14:55:54 MST
 <9SEP199215090604@jhuvms.hcf.jhu.edu> <56048@olivea.atc.olivetti.com> <1992Sep10.164110.11686@informix.com>
Distribution: usa,local
Organization: University of Arizona
Nntp-Posting-User: f67700241

In article <1992Sep10.164110.11686@informix.com>, barrym@informix.com (Barry Mednick) writes:
> For the record:
>     Robbie Beckett
>                    W    L    ERA     IP     H      R      ER      BB    SO
> 1990, Arizona Leag 2    5   4.38     49    40     28      24      45    54
> 1991, Charleston   2   14   8.23    109   115    111     100     117    96
> 1992, Waterloo     3    9   5.11    104    68      -       -     125   118
> 
> How would you like to bat against him?

Aw, you didn't give his HBP totals!  Hell, if he really is a 5.00 ERA pitcher,
I'll gladly bat against him, but only if he doesn't plunk me on the hand
or the kneecaps....I'm no Don Baylor....
-- 
Greg "Mockingbird" Franklin      Interviewer: "Sir, how do you spell relief?"
f67700241@ccit.arizona.edu               Dan: "R-O-L-A-I-D-S-E."

"[George Bush is] the most ruthless white man in the history of the planet."
	-- Richard Ben Cramer, author of _What It Takes_
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: wall@cc.swarthmore.edu (Matthew Wall)
Subject: Re: Will This be the year for the Jays
Followup-To: rec.sport.baseball
Organization: Swarthmore College Computing
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 14:27:07 GMT

In article <20266@plains.NoDak.edu>, sivaram@plains.NoDak.edu (Sivaram
Hariharan ) wrote:
> 
> 
> The Jays have tapped on the door to the WS, three times now....
>In a  certain way,
> though I root for the Twins, I cannot help feeling sorry for the
> Jays and I know how bad it gets for the Jay's fan.

I agree with you, speaking as a Boston and Cleveland fan. I wish the Jays
would just win the blasted thing once, get the curse over with, and then
they can go back to being an also-ran team again. It's getting boring to
see them mmake it to the ALCS and go no further.

Ditto the Expos in a lesser sort of way.

- Matt

"I don't think I want to live in a country where George Bush gets to go to
the all-star game and Cecil Fielder doesn't." - R Rappaport
From: kelley@kiwi.ATMOS.ColoState.Edu (Kelley Wittmeyer)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: rob deer number
Date: 9 Sep 92 20:21:13 GMT
Organization: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO  80523

can anyone tell me what number rob deer is?

thanks.

kelley wittmeyer
dept of atmospheric science
colorado state university
From: ccastmm@prism.gatech.EDU (Mike Marler)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Deion Sanders back to football
Date: 11 Sep 92 14:09:25 GMT
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology

In <chehhm.716184875@gsusgi1.gsu.edu> chehhm@gsusgi1.gsu.edu (Hui Mao) writes:

>   Deion Sanders signed a 2-million deal with Falcons...
>He'll play Falcons' Sunday game at Washington.

Youv'e got to hand it to Deion (no pun intended); he got the Falcons to give
him another $250,000 more than they wanted to give him and he didn't
even have to go to football camp.  Don't think he will make much difference
this week except for punt returns and both teams had better hope that he
doesn't cause damage to the "mild" injury he has at this time - he is not
shy about playing in pain.

As far as Deion being in post-season baseball play, he had better hope
that the Braves don't play the Expos in the NLCS or his "World Series
Dream" (TM) will probably pass him on the way to the next football game.

Oh and by the way, Deion is still over .300 AVG and just under 300 AB's
for 1992.


-- 

Mike Marler                        | "Saving every nickel to spend on my
Internet: ccastmm@prism.gatech.edu |  my next set of thrills..." -somebody
Disclaimer: These views are not and should not be viewed as those of OIT.
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: fester@island.COM (Mike Fester)
Subject: Re: roy NL
Organization: /usr/local/rn/organization
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 15:33:00 GMT

In article <1992Sep3.165204.13159@leland.Stanford.EDU> claudius@leland.Stanford.EDU (Nelson Lu) writes:
>In article <1992Sep3.150823.27605@athena.mit.edu> chico@athena.mit.edu (Thomas A Weston) writes:
>>In article <1992Sep3.020048.17416@leland.Stanford.EDU>, claudius@leland.Stanford.EDU (Nelson Lu) writes
>>|> 
>>|> Dodger Stadium is a pitchers' park, but it is no AstroDome.  You are
>>|> misunderstanding the park factor; it is a factor of how many runs Dodgers and
>>|> their opponents score at home vs. how many runs Dodgers and their opponents
>>|> score in other places.
>>
>>
>>Also, the park factor I'm referring to is calculated as a team runs scored and
>>runs allowed per game.  This puts all stats in the team context.  It doesn't
>>actually address the park directly, but in some ways is more valid.  Take a look
>>at the Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract for more explanation.
>
>I think this is useless.  If a team has a great pitching staff and a horrible
>offense, you want to *penalize* the staff for its greatness and *award* the
>offense for its mediocrity?

>More specifically, if you have a staff of Clemens, Maddux, Glavine, Guzman,
>Appier, et al., and a lineup of Stevens, Lind, Stillwell, Gaetti, Hayes,
>Cuyler, Eisenreich, Servais, and Brooks, does that suddenly make Stevens
>(probably the best offensive player in the group) a great player?
>
>>How exactly do you figure Sanders among the league's 'elite center fielders
>>offensively?'  No fewer than 4 center fielders have been better this season.  I
>>calculated Offensive Winning Percentages for every decent NL center fielder and
>>Andy Van Slyke, Brett Butler, Ray Lankford and Otis Nixon all came out better. 
>>Plus they all have more at bats than Reggie.  The other Sanders, Deion, comes out
>>better, but he has around 20 fewer at bats.  Reggie Sanders appears to be maybe
>>the fourth or fifth best offensiver center fielder in the NL.  Being barely above
>>average rarely makes a player elite.

>And how do you arrive at your Offensive Winning Percentages?  Van Slyke and
>Butler have been better, but I would hardly concede that Lankford and Nixon
>have been better.

Well, both have higher OBPs than Sanders, and play in worse hitter's parks (esp
Lankford). Sanders' SLG is about 24 points higher than Lank's, but that's in
the majors' BEST park for SLG (Riverfront). So, I'd say, sure, Lankford's 
better than Sanders. Nixon, well, ...

In any event, it really doesn't matter. Sanders is a quality CF, in a hitters'
park. He deserves CONSIDERATION for the ROY, but he IS a part-timer. 

Mike
-- 
Disclaimer - I'm only doing what the little voices tell me to do. 
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: rising@zoo.toronto.edu (Jim Rising)
Subject: Baseballs, distances, and characteristics of air
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 21:41:07 GMT
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology

I'm not the person to post this (I study birds not chemistry), but 
a molecule of water has a atomic weight of 18, of N2 (the principal
component of air) 28, O2 = 32, and CO2 44.  A given volume of any of these
in gasseous form contains the same number of molecules (remember
ol' Avogadro) at the same temperature and pressure.  Therefore,
wouldn't water gas (humidity) be easier for a ball to fly through
than dry air (mostly N2 and O2)?  At Denver, the pressure is less
than at Baltimore (ball will go farther), but probably also dryer
(partially compensating), etc.  Ok, you chemists:  flame away!
And when Canseco comes to bat in Toronto, fill the dome with CO2!
-- 
Name:     Jim Rising
Mail:     Dept. Zoology, Univ. Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada    M5S 1A1
UUCP:     uunet!attcan!utzoo!rising 
BITNET:   rising@zoo.utoronto.ca
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: jhg8680@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Jon  Hamkins)
Subject: Re: Tom House (was Re: Jose Canseco to Texas...)
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 21:49:29 GMT

rsmith@strobe.ATC.Olivetti.Com (Russ Smith) writes:

>I think what you were thinking was House's short term experiment with what
>he referred to as "underloading". He got a regulation size and shape baseball
>that weighed LESS than a standard ball. He had pitchers throw this instead
>of a real ball. The theory was that the lighter ball would increase arm 
>speed and that through muscle memory, his pitchers arm speed would increase
>even when they switched back to the normal ball. This is of course directly 
>opposite of standard training where you add weight(like donuts on bats in
>the on deck circle) to make the real item feel lighter.

>Apparently the pitchers didn't like underloading at all, and some complained
>that it hurt their arms so House dropped the idea. I'm not sure how much
>lighter the ball was, but anybody who has ever tried throwing a tennis 
>ball really hard will understand the pitchers feelings. 

I have a lot of experience throwing a tennis ball really hard, and I
don't know what you're talking about.  At my undergrad residence we had
a game (we called it jai alai, though it bore little resemblance to the
actual game) of throwing a tennis ball at the courtyard wall.  I've
spent many hours doing that after baseball practice, and believe me,
the tennis ball was a lot easier on the arm.

I don't think, however, that it helped me throw a baseball harder.

You keep throwing
>harder, but the ball is too light to go as fast as you want, and you hurt
>your arm in the process.

Not really.  The lighter the object, the bigger the acceleration is for
a given force.  (I don't claim to know a lot of physics, but I do
remember f=ma. :)  On the other hand, the wind affects the tennis ball
more than the baseball, by the same principle, so the tennis ball
decelerates quicker than a baseball.

     ----Jon Hamkins  (hamkins@uiuc.edu)
         University of Illinios
         Urbana, IL
From: jds23971@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Neff)
Subject: Re: Cubs' Mike Harkey hurt
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 15:59:58 GMT

twap8@isuvax.iastate.edu (Mike McNarney) writes:

>Cubs announcer Thom Brenneman said in today's (Sun) radio pregame that
>pitcher Mike Harkey fell down the dugout stairs before today's game
>and blew out the tendon in his left knee. He has been transported
>to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for treatment. The announcers had
>no further information, only pointing out that Harkey seems to be
>injured all the time. 


Ok you're not going to believe this.

The latest  rumor on Harkey's injury (I also originally heard that he fell in
the dugout) is that he actually hurt himself doing cartwheels in the
outfield before the game.  This guy could sprain a finger picking his nose.
I guess he was trying to become the next Ozzie Smith.  Instead he looks
like the next Bozo the Clown.

Couldn't happen to a better bunch of guys.

Jeff Smith

Cubs 1993 record:   0 - 162
From: mspede@atlas.nafb.trw.com
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: J. Gonzales All-time HR King
Date: 11 Sep 92 16:04:17 GMT

In article <1992Sep11.012306.24580@leland.Stanford.EDU>, claudius@leland.Stanford.EDU (Nelson Lu) writes:
> :-), and I am a CS/History double.  This is the same case for Gonzalez.  It's
> not that it's harder to walk 100 times than to hit 60 HRs; it's that Gonzalez
> will *not* walk 100 times.

 Nelson, I don't think that you can make this claim (at least with the *not*).

 Remember, If Billy Ripken can hit above .250 for an entire season, it's at
 least possible for Gonzales to walk 100 times.

 Mark Pede
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: rickert@NeXTwork.Rose-Hulman.Edu (John H. Rickert)
Subject: sarcasm(WAS Re: Times on Base: all-time records and Frank Thomas)
Organization: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 20:39:20 GMT


In article <BuDJK0.H6o@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu>  
rstimets@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (robert and stimets) writes:
> >> hit by a pitch.  Also, take a look at all of the other situations.  If
> >> there were no outs, Branson reduces the expected runs from 1.639 to
> >> 1.209.  True, at times we'd want to also consider the probablility of
> >> scoring _at least_ one run, which could end the game if it is the
> >> ninth, but unless it IS the ninth (or tied in the eighth, or something
> >> similar), I think you're better off maximizing expected runs.
> >] *sarcasm on*[
> >I dunno, I'd rather have my runs in the dugout...
> >y'know "money in the bank" 
> >"maximize profits right now"
> >Why not? It worked for the American auto industry.
> >] *sarcasm off*[
> 
> huh?
I was referring to the people who say they'd rather have Fielder than Thomas. 
Given the same situation, once their AB's are over, 
Fielder's team will be ahead in runs on the board, 
but Thomas' team will have a much greater expected(future) value. 
By the end of the innings Thomas' team will (in the long run)
have more runs than Fielder's.
I find the type of thinking that prefers Fielder to Thomas to
be similar to that of the Amer. auto industry leaders who tried to 
maximize profits by reducing costs through reductions in quality.
It worked while the market was closed, but when things opened up,
the companies that paid a little more to maximmize expected value
(such as the Japanese and Germans) were able to do the same thing to
the Amer.A.I. that a team with Thomas would do in the long run to 
a team with Fielder (all else being equal).

john rickert
rickert@nextwork.rose-hulman.edu
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: claudius@leland.Stanford.EDU (Nelson Lu)
Subject: Re: The Monthly Cecil Fielder Thread
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 92 23:21:53 GMT

In article <1992Sep4.174435.3715@island.COM> fester@island.COM (Mike Fester) writes:

>How did a guy with lower OBP *AND* lower SLG contribute MORE to his team's 
>offense? In the BTW category, in 1990, Fielder had the highest SLG and OBP
>on the team. In '91, he had the highest SLG. This year, he STILL has the highest
>SLG of anyone who hasn't missed more than ~30 games (as of Aug 30).

Oh Mike.  You mean I have been wrong all this time?  I am ashamed of myself.
All positions are created equal.  Hal Morris, since he has better stats than
Barry Larkin, is more valuable, although he's a 1B and Larkin is a SS.
We should rank players by putting players together by raw stats, ignoring
their positions.  The Weekly misleads by separating players by positions.
(insert continued ramblings)

===============================================================================
GO CALIFORNIA ANGELS!
===============================================================================
Nelson Lu (claudius@leland.stanford.edu)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball