From: niepornt@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (David Marc Nieporent)
Subject: Re: Cecil signs :-( :-( :-(
Originator: news@nimaster
Organization: Princeton University
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 08:53:29 GMT

In article <1993Jan9.023430.2606@Princeton.EDU> roger@astro.princeton.edu (Roger Lustig) writes:
>In<BALWB71Z@cc.swarthmore.edu> behrens@cc.swarthmore.edu (Eric Behrens) writes:
>>In <1993Jan8.193127.18165@Princeton.EDU>,  (Roger Lustig) writes:

>>> Will Detroit need Fielder if he doesn't win the RBI title? Will Detroit
>>> care wbout Fielder when his skills fall apart a little more?  That's 
>>> *five years* we're talking about here.  

>>> How many players in baseball history have been a draw for that long?  How
>>> good were they?  The stats are *entirely* relevant, because they point
>>> to the player's long-term prospects for helping the team.  As soon as
>>> Fielder's downside becomes more visible, the fans will begrudge him
>>> every dollar dollar of Little Caesar's money.

>>Did Milwaukee begrudge Robin Yount?  Kansas City begrudge George Brett. 
>>Pittsburgh begrudge Stargell?  Will Baltimore ever hate Cal Ripkin?  Will
>>Minnesota ever begrudge Kirby?  I could go on.  

>Not comparable.  These players have had long careers with their clubs,
>and most (Ripken is an exception) became local heroes of the indispensable
>type only after five or more years with the club, most of those years with
>good performance.  

Thank you, Roger, for spelling his name right.  And Ripken is an obvious
exception -- he grew up in Maryland, and his father was with the team
for a long time, and he started out amazingly with the team.

>>Yet New Yorkers booed Reggie, even in some good seasons.  And Pittsburgh
>>booed Barry Bonds, even in one of his best years ever.

>So?  

>>Performance makes you a star, but only personality can keep you popular.  I

>Lousy play, however, can make you less popular, and can eventually get 
>you released.

Well, there is always Alfredo Griffin.

>>am a diehard Pittsburgh fan.  I go to a lot of games at the ballpark.  I
>>know there is no comparison in skill and athleticism, but I would much
>>rather have had Cecil in Pittsburgh than Bonds.  The whole world loves a
>>slugger.  Babe Ruth was pretty fat, folks.

>a) You'd also like a pennant, I bet.  Who'd be better toward that?
>b) No, he wasn't.  Not in his prime.
>c) He got where he was by breaking HR records; the personality helped,
>but he got booed at the end, too.
>d) Barry Bonds isn't a slugger?

>>The longer Cecil stays in Detroit, the more they'll love him, I'll wager. 

>It's your money.  But a few years of lousy play -- which he's quite capable
>of -- can change all that quickly.  Moreover, I thought they loved/needed
>Whitaker and Trammell...isn't that enough love for one team?

>>Dedication to a city IS appreciated by fans.  

>Whatever that means.  Dedication, as we have seen, can be bought.

>>The big thing about Cecil (aside from his waist band) is that he makes
>>baseball fun.

>Look, the 77 Yankees were a bunch of assholes, but they were fun to 
>watch, too.  And they were a better team than the Tigers of today, too.

>>Remember: IT IS, AFTER ALL, A GAME!!!

>Yes?  Why does this come up after all arguments have run out?  Or are
>you telling me that you're willing to give me $36 million as long as
>something's a game?

>>You did remember that, didn't you?

>Yes.  I also remember that it's a *difficult* game, played by incredibly
>talented players, and that there are very few of these around.

>>I mean just because brussel sprouts would be BETTER FOR ME than Lucky
>>Charms, I must confess to a preference for the green clovers and blue
>>diamonds.

>Fine.  What does this have to do with Cecil Fielder's salary?  I mean,
>Mickey Tettleton's pretty boring.  Does that mean that Max Patkin should 
>be catching for the Tigers?

Mickey Tettleton is *not* boring.  (Well, except compared to maybe Jose
Canseco.)  IMO, of course.

-- 
David M. Nieporent   | Is it too early to start making predictions for 1993?
niepornt@phoenix.    | Probably, but that never stopped me before.
   princeton.edu     | ALE: Baltimore ALW: Chicago NLE: Montreal NLW: Atlanta
Baltimore Orioles 93 | AL MVP: Cal Ripken  AL Cy Young: Mike Mussina
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball