From: kirsch@epx.cis.umn.edu (Dave Nobody Kirsch)
Subject: Re: Wells/Gaston
Organization: Paul Spoljaric mean-and-nasty club
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 21:46:05 GMT

In article <1992Aug21.195717.21938@u.washington.edu> sgs@milton.u.washington.edu (Steven 'Submarine' Smith) writes:
>In last night's game in Milwaukee, Toronto Blue Jays starter David Wells
>posted the worst Game Score since I started keeping track 5 years ago.
>Here's the line:
>			IP    H   R  ER  BB  SO
>	  Wells L,7-7   4.1  11  13  13   4   1
>		HBP: Surhoff by Wells, Fletcher by Wells
>
>The Game Score is an mind-boggling -16.

  And to think 5 teams were fighting over Wells in our fantasy league when he
dropped out of the rotation early in the season. I wasn't one of them, at
least not as far as any of you know. Really, I didn't get upset when I didn't
get him.  
 
  Holy mother of God .. and Cito wonders why 'none of his pitchers can throw
a curveball'? Cito, maybe it's cuz you're afraid to use anyone other than
Ward or Henke in the pen and Jack Morris' machismo is infectious? Nah,
couldn't be. Face it, Cito, Jimmy Key, Tot Stottlemyre and Dave Stieb (at
this point) just don't have Jackal's durability and rubber arm. Thank
goodness someone else (Galen Cisco?) has been forcing Cito's hand with
Guzman, keeping Guzman from throwing oodles of complete games. Otherwise,
Guzman's arm may have fallen off. As it is, it sounds like Guzman's problems
are mostly nagging things that should be fine after rest/healing (i.e.
nothing arm/shoulder related).  

  Cito's definitely managing in fear at this point. Rather than managing to 
win by trying to keep a balanced team where everyone contributes, Cito's
sticking with the same #%@@$ lineup. I'd *kill* to have Bobby Cox and his
platoonitis right now; not only that, Bobby has some semblance of how to
manage a pitching staff. At this point, it looks to me like Cito's managing 
to 'not lose' rather than to 'win'. 

>I've been pretty indifferent about the AL East race. I've never been much of
>an Orioles or Jays fan.  But last night Cito gave me a good reason to cheer 
>for the O's to pull it out. On the other hand, if the Jays win the East, I
>can still look forward to watching Tony LaRussa manage circles around Gaston
>in the ALCS. And then Gaston will get fired, won't he?

  Please, oh please, let it be. But Steve, have you looked at Mr. Oates lineup
lineup construction model lately? I'm thanking my lucky stars above that Cal 
is hitting #3, Glenn Davis #4 and Milligan #5 while the O's best power
hitters are #1, #2, #7 and #8 in the lineup. (Yes, Gomez and Hoiles were
reunited at the #7-8 spots again the other night.) If this lineup were
arranged with any semblance of logic, the Jays might be a couple games back 
right now instead of three games up. If it weren't for Larry Hisle, Cito
might already be out of a job.  

  Maybe Nelson Lu or Steve Stein or someone could run the lineup optimization
program on the current O's lineup and suggest where everyone *ought* to be? 
I suspect that would help us to find some of the disparity betweent the O's
gaudy OBP/SLG numbers and their relatively low numbers of runs scored. 

>And I'm not saying this just because Wells' performance totally trashed my
>Rotisserie team's ERA.

  I'm trying to remember who has Wells in our league. I think it was the team
that was first in ERA. I say *was* because he probably just dropped to fourth
or fifth. 

  As you can see I've inserted 'Submarine' in Steve's name above; I think
Steve should use that nickname for Wells from now on since he just sunk your 
team's ERA. 

-- 
Dave Hung Like a Jim Acker Slider Kirsch            kirsch@epx.cis.umn.edu 
"Blue Jays - break my heart again in '92"                Jeff Kent for ROY
"I believe virtually everything I read, and I think that is what makes me
   MORE of a selective human" - Joe Average, baseball fan and media puppet
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