HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: claudius@leland.Stanford.EDU (Nelson Lu)
Subject: Re: The Best in the A.L.
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 92 20:42:15 GMT

In article <1992Apr16.132957.18984@cs.dal.ca> niguma@ug.cs.dal.ca (Gordon Niguma) writes:
>
>   I started thinking about the best players in the A.L. and it seems in most
>cases who the best players are, here they are by postition:
>
>C: Mickey Tettleton
>1B: Cecil Fielder
>2B: Julio Franco     (could argue Alomar though I guess)
>SS: Cal Ripken       (Manny Lee a close 2nd though 8-))
>3B: Wade Boggs
>LF: Rickey Henderson
>CF: Ken Griffey Jr.
>RF: Jose Canseco
>DH: Frank Thomas
>SP: Rocket Clemens
>RP: Dennis Eckersley

A pair of disagreements here:

1B	Rafael Palmeiro
RP	Bryan Harvey
>
>  It's strange but almost all of these to me are clear cut and obvious. It also
>seems that this team could kick the hell out of the N.L. best who are MUCH 
>harder to choose, I'll try to pick them but I didn't give these much thought:
>
>C: Santiago, I guess (maybe Lavalliere- Slaught)

Certainly not offensively, and I don't think his defense is quite enough to
make up for the offensive.  Craig Biggio if he hadn't been moved to 2B.
Mike Scioscia would also make a good choice.

>1B: Will Clark       (hon mention, my 2nd favorite player Fred McGriff!)

So why not McGriff?

>2B: Ryno
>SS: Barry Larkin
>3B: Howard Johnson   (I know he doesn't play there anymore, but it makes this 
>		      team look a lot better if we put him there) 

Chris Sabo?

>LF: Barry Bonds
>CF: Van Slyke        (I guess, maybe Butler)

Probably not.  Butler has no power whatsoever.  Ron Gant?  Lenny Dykstra?

>RF: Bonilla, Strawberry or Justice (maybe even Gwynn)

Not Gwynn!  I'd go with either Justice or Strawberry.  Bonilla should be a 3B
defensively.

>SP: Rijo, Dennis Martinez

Tom Glavine?

>RP: Dibble I guess
>
>  I think the A.L.'s team is far superior to the N.L.'s team. Opinions?

That's because you chose the wrong guys for NL. :-)

===============================================================================
GO CALIFORNIA ANGELS!
Charter Member of the Acker-o-phobics Anonymous
===============================================================================
Nelson Lu (claudius@leland.stanford.edu)
From: mm42@prism.gatech.EDU (Mark Mitchell)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Deion "Coarse Grit Power" Sanders
Date: 16 Apr 92 13:42:16 GMT
Organization: Ramblin' Wrecks from Georgia Tech

ky0l+@andrew.cmu.edu (King-Han Yao) wrote:
}
}I think Neon Deion's contract with the Falcons states that he doesn't
}have to join them until the baseball season is over, like what Bo's used
}to be with the Raiders.  But maybe I'm wrong...

No, Deion's contract is just the opposite of what Bo Jackson had:
He is required to quit baseball in time for the first day of 
football practice.  (Last year he took a few extra days off and
was fined something like $30,000 by the Falcons.)

-- 
"Laugh while you can, monkey boy!"    | Mark Mitchell, Ga. Tech, Atlanta, GA
                                      | mm42@prism.gatech.edu
From: seth@cbnewsh.cb.att.com (peter.r.clark..jr)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Phillies Injury Report
Keywords: Dykstra, DeJesus, Batiste
Date: 9 Apr 92 02:04:55 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: AT&T

A lot of people are aksing about Lenny, so here goes...

Lenny Dykstra has been placed on the 15 day DL. He could play now, but
he would be in pain and despites Lenny's protests he will sit for 2
weeks. They will re-evaluate him at that time, but you can bet large
sums of money that he won't stand to be put on the DL for any longer. :-)

Jose DeJesus is out indefinitely, and may be done for his career. He has
a torn rotator cuff and it's my understanding that it will almost be a
miracle for him to play again this year.

Kim Batiste is day to day with a hamstring strain. He was given the night
off tonight.

Ruben Amaro Jr. is playing for Lenny tonight in center, leading off. In
his first at bat he was hit by a pitch (this is not lie) just barely
above his knee. He scored, then hit a double and scored, hit another double
and scored, and hit a HR, and it's only the 6th inning. Oh, the home plate
umpire was hit by a pitch ON THE FOREARM and is wearing some sort of
ice-pack or pad...

The Phillies did call up a minor leaguer (outfielder(?)) who's name escapes me.

pete clark jr.
att!hos1cad!seth
From: awheeler@admin1.memst.edu
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Unbearable Braves Promotion
Date: 9 Apr 92 08:12:06 -0600
Distribution: world
Organization: Memphis State University

In article <Mdt08Lq00iV1A0pf1l@andrew.cmu.edu>, Pravin Devineni Ratnam <pr0i+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
> 
> 
> Did anyone catch the Braves special(hosted by Goodman) on TBS. That's
> what i hate about a national cable channel(yeah I know it's based in
> ATlanta and is a UHF channel there, and Turner owns the Braves, but I
> ams till going to consider it a national cable channel) which owns a
> baseball team. Too bad, KDKA in PIttsbuirgh is not a superstation. 
> 
> It was such shameless promotion. Even if I wasn't a Pirates fan, I would
> have found the special ridiculous. It had such corny background music.
> We were supposed to believe everytoner in America were moved to tears
> while watching the Braves make it to the finals. They were just plain
> lucky to meet a team notorious for having its three main batting stars
> who like to choke. 
> 
> The way they dramatised everything was so funny that I thought I was
> watching a spoof of their tribute.
> 
> I knew something like this would happen. I hope the Reds make it to the
> playoffs, instead of the Braves. For some reason, the Pirates loss to
> their traditional 70s rival(REDS) in 1990 was much easier to take than
> their 1991 loss to the Braves.

Sounds like sour grapes to me!  You have to understand that the special program
was for Braves fans only and it was intended to be a recap of last year.  It is
totally understandable that you would not enjoy the program since you are a 
Priates fan, but the show was not intended for you.  It was for those of us who
are Braves fans and want to cherish a dream season that my never happen again.

No need to flame me.  This is my last day on this job, so I would never get the
opportunity to read the flame.

Anthony Wheeler
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: claudius@leland.Stanford.EDU (Nelson Lu)
Subject: Re: request for information...
Keywords: Roto, of course
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 92 02:48:25 GMT

In article <1992Apr14.213624.21852@u.washington.edu> jbrown@milton.u.washington.edu (Jeffery Brown) writes:

>3.  Ditto, but for Oakland: is Steinbach hurt, and how long is Quirk going
>    to be getting ABs?

Steinbach is hurt, but is not expected to be out for more than a couple more
games.  Meanwhile, Quirk and Scott Hemond have been platooning in his absence.
>
>4.  What is Cleveland using as closer/set-up men?

Good question.  I thought that Steve Olin would get the job, but surprise!
Derek Lilliquist got their first save of the season in the first game of the
double-header...  How he still has a major league job is beyond me, let alone
getting save opportunities...

===============================================================================
GO CALIFORNIA ANGELS!
Charter Member of the Acker-o-phobics Anonymous
===============================================================================
Nelson Lu (claudius@leland.stanford.edu)
Organization: Freshman, Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1992 10:16:21 -0400 
From: Scott Michael White <sw36+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: baseball quiz #1

BASEBALL QUIZ #1

1.    WHO IS THE ONLY PLAYER TO HAVE PLAYED 500 GAMES FOR A TEAM IN EACH
DIVISION?
2.     WHO WAS THE 1983 AMERICAN LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR?
3.      WHO PLAYED THE LONGEST TIME (MOST YEARS) IN A METS UNIFORM?
4.       WHAT TEAM HAD THE BEST NATIONAL LEAGUE  REGULAR SEASON WINNING
PERCENTAGE IN 1981?
5.       NAME 4 PLAYERS THAT HAVE BEEN ROOKIE OF THE YEAR UNDER MANAGER
TONY LA RUSSA.
From: jerry@bunker.shel.isc-br.com (Gerald J. Lanza)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: What do the numbers mean?
Date: 16 Apr 92 17:14:15 GMT
Organization: ISC-Bunker Ramo, An Olivetti Company (Shelton, CT)

In article <1992Apr11.195500.22179@midway.uchicago.edu> thf2@midway.uchicago.edu writes:
>In article <167C66791.O1DOUG@AKRONVM.UAKRON.EDU> O1DOUG@AKRONVM.UAKRON.EDU (Doug Miller) writes:
|>>3). 56   - Mr. Coffee's brewing er hitting streak - longest in pro ball.
|>>           He has the minor league record of 63 for the S.F. Seals.
|>
|>I thought his San Francisco record was 67.
|>-- 


	My recollection from his biography, "Lucky to be a Yankee", was that
he had a 61 game hitting streak while with the Seals and was presented with
a watch for the achievement.


					jerry
From: dtate@unix.cis.pitt.edu (David M Tate)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Colorado Rockies? no.
Keywords: Colorado Rockies Zephyrs Bears
Date: 17 Apr 92 15:37:23 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh

In article <smlgsINNafu@matt.ksu.ksu.edu> mgriffin@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (Mark Griffin) writes:
>
>I was personally rooting for the name  Rocky Mountain Oysters.  

Plagiarism!  Copyright infringement!  I staked that one out, here on the net,
early last year :-).

(Of course, in the spirit of "Miami Heat" and "<wherever> Spirit", you could
 make them the Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever...)

-- 
          David M. Tate            |"The man who hath no music in himself
     dtate@unix.cis.pitt.edu       | Nor is not moved by concord of sweet sound
  A poem should be dumb, / As old  | Is fit for treason, stratagems, and spoils
 medallions to the thumb.-MacLeish | 	Shakespeare, "Merchant of Venice", A.V
From: solensky@animal.clearpoint.com (Frank T. Solensky)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: baseball quiz #1
Date: 17 Apr 92 20:29:47 GMT
	<1992Apr17.161244.15782@usenet.ins.cwru.edu>
Organization: Clearpoint Research Corp.


Not that I've got a clue on the others, but..

In article <1992Apr17.161244.15782@usenet.ins.cwru.edu> dxf12@po.CWRU.Edu (Douglas Fowler) writes:
   In a previous article, sw36+@andrew.cmu.edu (Scott Michael White) says:

   >3.      WHO PLAYED THE LONGEST TIME (MOST YEARS) IN A METS UNIFORM?
	How about Tom Seaver?  Except, it almost seems too easy.

My guess would be Ed Kranepool.
--
				-- Frank Solensky / Clearpoint Research
Red Sox magic number: 159
From: stoffel@oasys.dt.navy.mil (William Stoffel)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Planning our trip (Was Re: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Date: 8 Apr 92 17:09:18 GMT
Reply-To: stoffel@oasys.dt.navy.mil (William Stoffel)
Distribution: na
Organization: CDNSWC, Annapolis Detachment (x-DTRC)

In rec.sport.baseball, dxf12@po.CWRU.Edu (Douglas Fowler) writes:

I was lucky enough to be at Opening Day Monday. Haven't stopped smiling
since. The place is sensational (IMHO of course).

>     Anyone know any good places to eat before the games when we go? (Monday
>May 18th and Tuesday May 19th)  I know the harbor is supposed to be nice and
>close, and I'm anxious to see the place.

Yes. There are dozens of places in Harbor Place. There is also lots
of good food available at the park. Boog Powell opened a bbq place in
the warehouse (about center field) which serves great bbq and beans.
He also sets up a stand on the promenade during games. Lots of other
tempting stuff too, but I filled up at Boog's.

As for parking. I got there a couple hours early and found the stadium
lots already closed to general parking. I had no trouble finding a spot
in a garage a couple blocks away tho. They charged the same rate ($5)
as the stadium. Traffic was no where near as bad as it used to be around
Memorial. And this was on a weekday afternoon too. Night games should
be even easier (I hope).

>     I know I'm asking a lot, but we don't really know anyone who's been to
>Baltimore, and we don't belong to the Auto Club, so we don't have much info.
>other than what we ordered from the chamber of commerce in Baltimore.
>     If only Washington still had a team - we could make it a 2-parks-for-1-
>vacation deal. *Sigh* Griffith Stadium would have been a nice place to watch
>a game in, it seems.
>--
>Doug Fowler: dxf12@po.CWRU.edu      :    "Every baby born into the world is
>Real home: Canton, Ohio             :  finer than the last."--Charles Dickens
> Trying to follow in the path of our :     "A baby is an inestimable
>Lord;anything close will be a success:  blessing and bother."--Mark Twain

__________________________________________________________________________
Bill Stoffel              |  ADCDNSWC? (x-DTRC)  |                        |
stoffel@oasys.dt.navy.mil |  Code 2759           | This Space For Rent.   |
(410) 267-3825            |  Annapolis, MD 21402 |    Inquire Within      |
_________________________________________________|________________________|
From: kenneth@ducvax.auburn.edu
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Need help on Rotisserie League Team
Date: 6 Apr 92 10:10:41 GMT

Hello, all.  I have a team in a rotisserie league (team name The Whiffers :)
and was wondering if I could have some opinions about who might be some
good players to pick up in case one of my players is injured.
Here are the ones I have:

Cal Ripken
Will Clark
Reuben Sierra
Kevin Mitchell
Chuck Knoblauch
Hector Villaneuva
Jeff King
Jim Eisenreich
Mike "Enough" Aldrete
Terry Kennedy
Marquis Grissom
Dan Gladden
Oscar Azocar
Luis Quinonez

John Smoltz
David Cone
Tom Browning
Ted Higuera
Joe Magrane
Bob Scanlan
Chuck Crim
Rick Honeycutt
Alejandro Pena

categories for players are:
Batting Average
Runs
Total Bases
RBI
BB-SO
SB-CS

for pitchers:
Wins
ERA
Saves
SO
Hits+walks/9 innings

I saved 12 dollars out of the 250 we had to spend (which is more than anyone
else saved) in case of injury.  I'd like to know of any players that might
be good to pick up if this happens.  Please, I know Roger Clemens is good,
but he's 26 bucks, and he's also taken! :)
Any rookies, 2nd year players that might be cheap but may have impressed you?
Let me know.  Also, if any of the players I have are supposed to be in the
minors for a long time, tell me, so I can get someone else.  We're only
playing for the first 2 mos, since most everyone leaves for summer break.
Thanks,

Ken
From: thf2@ellis.uchicago.edu (Ted Frank)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Fettucini Griffin
Date: 12 Apr 92 12:57:31 GMT
Reply-To: thf2@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: University of Chicago Computing Organizations

In article <1992Apr12.092123.13711@ramsey.cs.laurentian.ca> 91287041@ramsey.cs.laurentian.ca ( ) writes:
>Blew Jays record in the Griffin years:
>
>79 - 53-109
>80 - 67-95
>81 - 37-69
>82 - 78-84
>83 - 89-73
>84 - 89-73

And in 1978, before they had Griffin, they won 57 games.  Griffin's
best season ever, the only season where he beat a .325 OBA, or scored
more than 75 runs, the only season where he had 170 hits, one of only
two seasons where his slugging average was .364, was 1979 -- when 
the Blue Jays lost twice as many as they won.

>No they "get better" with griffin in the lineup - when fernandez came
>they were already good...

Now, wait, do you mean to tell me that the Blue Jays went from 53 wins
in 1979 to 89 wins in 1984 because

(a) Griffin dropped from .287 to .241, had an OBA of less than .250, had
    only *four* walks in 441 plate appearances, had a wonderful fourteen
    extra-base hits, while making 343 outs, while playing poor defense?

or

(b) Instead of having Bonnell, Bailor and a Basketball Bouncer, they 
    had Bell, Barfield, and Mulliniks?

In another post, you accuse Fernandez of goofing off, unlike Griffin.
Fernandez has played 160 games or more three times in his career, and
I believe it would be four, if not for the late-season 1988 injury.
-- 
Ted Frank          + "He wanted to be the car rather than the thimble or the
1307 E 60 St, #109 +  hat."  -- District attorney explaining Marc Cienkowski's
U o' C Law Skool   +  murder with bow and arrow of Michael Klucznik in
Chi, IL 60637      +  Doylestown Borough, PA over a game of Monopoly.
From: dtate@unix.cis.pitt.edu (David M Tate)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Offense/Defense: 50-50 split?
Date: 8 Apr 92 02:48:15 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh

In article <1992Apr7.222307.27263@adobe.com> snichols@adobe.com (Sherri Nichols) writes:
>
>When we raised this question a few years ago, what we did was to look at
>the variance in runs scored and runs allowed for teams since the turn of
>the century.  Our thinking was that if the variance in runs allowed, for
>example, were higher, that then runs allowed would have a bigger impact on
>distinguishing good teams from bad, and would therefore be more important.
>We expected to see a difference in the variances of the two.
>
>We didn't.  The variance in runs scored and runs allowed was virtually the
>same.  That's a big part of why I think baseball really is 50% offense and
>50% defense.

There's another aspect to this question, too, which is the differences in
individual contribution.  The original poster here said that he was led to
believe that offense was more than 50% of the game in slow-pitch softball
because he'd have to be pretty rotten in the field to offset his offensive
value.  But this is an obvious consequence of the fact that his personal
defensive contribution to run prevention is far less than 1/10 of the team
run-prevention (pitching and defense), while his personal offensive contri-
bution is probably rather more than 1/9 of the team's offense.  So, it's not
surprising that he'd have to really rot on defense to offset good offense.

In major league baseball, the best hitters can be worth 75 or more runs above
the value of an average hitter, but the best shortstop of all time was
probably never worth more than 60 runs or so, and the best outfielder less
than 30 runs above average.  There is clearly an imbalance between the value
of a given individual's offense and defense, even if you treat pitcher and
DH as one player.  (Pitchers can be worth 50+ runs above average, too, but
it's a lot more rare than batters of that worth.)

So, the 50/50 balance at the team level doesn't imply that each individual
has an even tradeoff in offense vs. defense.

-- 
          David M. Tate            |"The man who hath no music in himself
     dtate@unix.cis.pitt.edu       | Nor is not moved by concord of sweet sound
  A poem should be dumb, / As old  | Is fit for treason, stratagems, and spoils
 medallions to the thumb.-MacLeish | 	Shakespeare, "Merchant of Venice", A.V
From: cd23+@andrew.cmu.edu (Carl I. Dockhorn)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Betting Odds
Date: 14 Apr 92 16:27:29 GMT
Organization: Sophomore, Math/Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

How does one "read" the odds for baseball games in the newspaper?  What
is the difference between "even" and "pick?"  What does 6.5 - 7.5 mean?
				Thanks
				Carl
					cd23@andrew.cmu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: A few comments about the Indians so far
From: guilford@otago.ac.nz
Date: 13 Apr 92 11:05:04 +1300
Organization: University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

In article <1992Apr12.051839.20921@panix.com>, spira@panix.com (Greg "Sarcasm Is A Way Of Life" Spira) writes:

> Portland is one of the better pitcher's parks in the PCL, so Sorrento's
> numbers aren't as terribly overinflated as most PCL hitters' stats are.
> So he's genuinely a good hitter, almost as good as Kent Hrbek is these
> days, which is why I was very surprised that the Twins traded him.  He's
> a MUCH better hitter than Reggie Jefferson.  He's 26, so we're not talking
> future superstar, but we are talking an average AL starting first baseman
> for a few years.

Jefferson is three years younger.  Jefferson has been hurt the last
two years.  Jefferson had a very good year in 1989 in Chattanooga, a
pitcher's park.  I don't see any possible basis for this "MUCH" conclusion.

Bill Guilford
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: jlundy@bilbo.encore.com (Joe Lundy)
Subject: A.L. Shortstops (was something else)
Organization: ln /dev/null /dev/elvis
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 17:07:09 GMT

In article <1992Apr14.162706.4031@ux.acs.umn.edu>, kirsch@ux.acs.umn.edu (Dave "Tear the Roof off the Sucka" Kirsch) writes:
|>   *I* am a really nice guy, a positive influence on the bench, in the
|> clubhouse and on the field - if not at the plate. You wouldn't want *me*
|> playing SS for you, would you? (A hint: I played mostly C, 3B and pitched 
|> some in high school/intramurals.) 

Kirsch also led the league in being hit by the pitch (just out of the spite of
most pitchers).  Fettucine's signing by the Jays surprised me.  In his prime he
was marginal at best.

|> Of course, one thing I *have* neglected is that Alfredo gives off almost as
|> much 'leadership aura' (tm) as Chris James. Almost.

Yeah, you don't really need guys like Dave Winfield around for that...
  
|> 
|>   It's hard to say with a straight face, but the Jays don't have all *that* 
|> big of a hole at SS. Now, I better qualify that before a certain designated 
|> fiery redhead on the left coast falls off his chair laughing. The Jays are
|> lucky. They don't have *that* big of a hole at SS because of the sorry state 
|> of the shortstop position in the AL.

A hole is still a hole.  Lee/Griffin/Zosky?  We'll have to wait and see how
Naehring/Rivera/Cooper performs for the Red Sox.  So far, Tim Naehring is
looking pretty good.

|>   It's not exactly fair to excuse the Jays for having a crummy SS just cuz 
|> the rest of the league (minus one team) is mediocre at best. But, when the 
|> rest of the league includes such stalwarts as DiSarcina, Fermin, Vizquel, 
|> Rivera, Thon/Huson, Weiss/Bordick and Howard, things don't look so bad. 

What really surprises me about this is why hasn't anyone picked up Alvaro
"not the famous philosopher" Espinoza.  Certainly he could do better than most
of the toxic waste you mentioned, or was he *that* bad?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Joe Lundy           Encore Computer Corporation, 6901 W. Sunrise Blvd.    |
| jlundy@encore.com   Mail Stop 811, Ft. Lauderdale, FL  33313-4499         |
| "Zosky"						    	    	    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: russ@prism.gatech.EDU (Russell Shackelford)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Date: 8 Apr 92 23:20:54 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology

In article <1992Apr5.205957.27723@cs.umn.edu>, lsmith@cs.umn.edu (Lance "Cogsworth" Smith) writes:
> In article <204427@unix.cis.pitt.edu> dtate@unix.cis.pitt.edu (David M Tate) writes:
> >In article <1992Apr4.214717.1571@wam.umd.edu> warrior@wam.umd.edu writes:
> >
> >>5) They no longer serve National Bohemian! 
> >
> >They couldn't get a Toxic Waste Disposal permit for the new site.
> >
> >(For those of you out there who've never experienced Natty Bo... don't.)
> 
> Given a choice between Natty Bo and Iron City, I think I'd prefer to 
> throw myself off of section 205 and hope Kirby might catch me. 
>

Oh, come on, Bo wasn't THAT bad.... sort of weak, if anything....
tasted great with steamed crabs, if I recall correctly....  do they
still make the stuff?

russ





 
-- 
Russell Shackelford
The College of Computing
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332
russ@cc.gatech.edu         (404) 894-9217