From: richmond@spiff.Princeton.EDU (Stupendous Man)
Subject: Entries for the 1992 Baseball Playoff Choke Awards
Originator: news@nimaster
Organization: Princeton University
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 20:20:09 GMT

  Welcome to the 1992 Baseball Playoff Choker Awards!  Several weeks ago,
I called for everyone who believed that some players just can't perform
"in the clutch" to send me their definitions of what "choking" meant.
I didn't get a huge number of responses, fortunately, so it looks like
I will be able to test them all.  As the playoffs progress, I'm going
to try to watch (or read) enough to figure out how many players fit
into the label of "choker."  I'll post my results as I see fit :-)

  First, let me say that I received a message in which I was told
that "choking" was a real phenomenon, but wasn't given any specific
definition with which to test the hypothesis.  bob vesterman (VMA.CC.ND.EDU)
admitted "my belief in the clutch player is mostly theoretical,"
and also that players don't get a large enough number of "super high pressure
at bats" in their careers to allow one "to feel sure that he is a choke."
So, um, I guess we'll never know, right?  

  Now, on to the submitted definitions of "To Choke".  We have three
entrants.



  From Ken Kubey (kubey@summit.wpd.sgi.com) one short but sweet:

                      Choke is ...

      1. batting .080 below your season average in a series


  From Matt (mlbruce@husc.harvard.edu) come the following definitions:

                      Choke is ...

      1. coming to bat with the tying or go-ahead run in scoring position
         and making an out without driving the runner in. [MWR: Golly, 
         this is going to catch a lot of batters early in the game,
         huh?  The first run of the game is always the go-ahead run...]

      2. batting .100 below your season average in a series.

      3. (as a relief pitcher) being on the mound when the tying or go-ahead
         run scores; note that inherited runners count.

      4. (as a starter) having a series ERA 2.00 or more above your season 
         ERA. [MWR: I'll bet a lot of #3 starters will qualify.]

      5. making an error in a Late Inning Pressure Situation, where LIPS
         is defined by Elias. [MWR: I'm afraid I don't know that definition,
         so I'll just use LIPS = 8th or 9th inning, score difference
         2 runs or fewer.]


  From Warren Usui (aardvark@snap.la.locus.com) comes a multipart 
  definition.  Note that most players are exempted from choking:

                      Choke is ...

      1. satisfying ALL the following conditions

           a. being on the losing team (losing a game? the series?) 
           b. being of the best 3 players on your team
           c. "doing the wrong thing at a crucial point of a very
              important game"
           d. getting upstaged by a player who is not as highly regarded
              as you are

      Warren gives several examples of what point d) means - apparently,
      if someone just about as good as you are upstages you, it's only
      a semi-choke (a cough?).  

      Since only the 3 "best" players qualify, we need to pick them ahead
      of time for this objective :-) survey of choking.  Warren didn't
      list players (*), so I will:

             A's:      McGwire, Eckersley, R. Henderson
             Jays:     Alomar, Carter, Winfield
             Pirates:  Bonds, Drabek, VanSlyke
             Braves:   Pendleton, Smoltz, Glavine

      Fortunately, since "best" is such an easily defined term, everyone 
      would come up with the same list, right? :-) :-) :-)

      (*) Hold the presses!  After reading my mail more carefully, I see
      that Warren DID list the "three best players" on each team.
      Moreover, with one exception, he picked EXACTLY the SAME players
      that I did above!  The only difference between our lists is
      Smoltz - he believes that Gant belongs in the Braves' list instead.
      Gosh, I guess these guys MUST be the "three best" after all!
              

  Finally, this word from Tim Shippert (shippert@cco.caltech.edu):

        I define "choking" as "getting one's windpipe clogged with
        something that shouldn't be there and causing the obstruction 
        of normal airflow to the lungs".  For example, "Barry Bonds 
        choked to death on a sunflower seed in the third inning of 
        Game 2 of the NLCS".  This would almost certainly have a 
        negative effect the Pirates chances of winning the series, 
        and thus is an important event to look out for.

        Alternatively, if you supply a direct object, you can change the
        meaning to "closing someone ELSE's windpipe", probably without 
        their consent.  For example, "Barry Bonds choked Jim Leyland 
        to death for insisting on batting him fifth and having Jay Bell 
        bunt in the first inning".  Contrary to our first example, 
        though, this would have a _positive_ effect on the Pirate's 
        chance of winning; one can only wonder why it hasn't happened 
        before now.

  So, I'll be watching the games with this list in front of me, and I'll 
make a note whenever someone "chokes" according to each of the above
definitions.  At the end of the LCS, I'll post the results.


-- 
-----                                                    Michael Richmond
"This is the heart that broke my finger."    richmond@astro.princeton.edu