From: niepornt@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (David Marc Nieporent)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Sabo out
Date: 13 Apr 92 22:10:40 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Princeton University
Originator: news@ernie.Princeton.EDU

In <1992Apr13.002449.542@casbah.acns.nwu.edu> navarra@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (John Navarra) writes:
>In <1992Apr11.125837.24307@Princeton.EDU> roger@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Roger Lustig) writes:
>>In article <1992Apr11.041548.28161@casbah.acns.nwu.edu> (John Navarra) writes:

>>>	Yeah, I remember this discussion (since I was mostly on the
>>>other side of it). While I agree that there is no substitute for
>>>'intelligent' play ( what Sabo did was *Not* intelligent) I would
>>>still rather have a Sabo or a Dykstra on my team ANYDAY before I took 
>>>a major-league wimp like Eric Davis.  

>>Anyday?  That would seem to include the days they're in the hospital, or
>>wrapping cars around trees, or something.

>	No, that means I would rather pay the big money to a guy I know
>who will go all out everyday than a guy who is repeatedly out of the lineup
>for soreness, illness etc and/or who is on the DL constantly (Eric Davis).

Well, sure.  Of *course* the fragility of a player is a negative when
you're calculating his value.  Of course if Eric Davis is only going to
play 80 games, he isn't as valuable as a player who can play 160 games,
unless that player is Alfredo Griffin, in which case every day he's in
the lineup he lowers his value.

But you're changing the subject.  If Dykstra or Sabo are out of the
lineup, how is that better than Davis being out of the lineup?  Sure,
they play hard, but they're out a lot of games, too.  

>>Why don't you go and work out for a while with a lacerated kidney
>>(incurred while leading your team to a world championship) and then come
>>back and tell us how much of a wimp Eric Davis is.  

>	I'm not going to get into this argument again. Basically that 
>one injury will be an excuse for him for the rest of his life. Eric
>has had MANY other so-called injuries and pain and illness all thru
>his career. The man just WILL NOT PLAY with pain which in my book 
>makes him a wimp. Note: there is a difference btw playing with pain
>and playing with an injury. Lenny Dykstra plays with BOTH and sometimes
>he is a little too daring out there. But I like that attitude ANYDAY.
>(yeah, even when he is in the hospital.)

I'm glad you're a doctor.  So YOU know whether a guy is injured or just
faking it?  If he's in pain, don't you think that signifies an injury?
Eric Davis is fragile.  I'll admit that.  That makes him less valuable
than a player of similar skills who is durable.  But it doesn't make him
a wimp.  It makes you an idiot, but not him a wimp.

>>Perhaps eric Davis has "woken up" because he's playing for real fans and
>>not jerks.  Where were you when Pete Rose was keeping Davis in the
>>Minors for two extra years? Probably going all gushy over ol' Tony Perez.

>	Not really, I was all gushy over Eddie Milner and Gary Redus
>who I still like better than Eric Davis. Sorry but in Cincy, we expect
>our ballplayers (esp the ones who get paid big money) to PLAY! I guess
>that comes from us watching real ballplayers like Rose, Morgan, Bench
>etc etc play all out all the time! Just not the same in LA these days.

Rose certainly played every day.  He killed the team, being the worst
first baseman in the league, but he played.  Of course, when you're the
manager, you get to make awful decisions like that.

>Glad he is off my home team so I can root for them again,

-- 
David M. Nieporent              |ALEast 92: 1.Baltimore 2.Boston 3.Toronto
niepornt@phoenix.princeton.edu  |4. Detroit 5.Milwaukee 6.NY 8.Cleveland
"Baseball stathead, and card-carrying member of the ACLU.  And proud of it."