HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jjd@TEAK.CRAY.COM (Jeff Drummond)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: A's stun Twins...
Date: 31 Jul 92 17:24:15 GMT

Summary: Twins roll onto backs, stick arms and legs in air, twitch slightly.
Expires: 4 Oct 92
Organization: Cray Research, Inc.
Keywords: wake-up call, gut check, mandatory 8-count

In article <1992Jul31.045820.363@amgen.com> chriss@sam.amgen.com (Chris Silvester) writes:
>Whether due to a flaky newsfeed, or some other unknown reason (like mass
>depression for Twin.fans), I haven't seen an A's/Twins update from the Twin
>faithful, so here goes.

Yeah, we're pretty depressed.  My wife has had to hide the knives and razor
blades... again...

The Twins pitching was flat, especially out of bullpen.  The A's were able
to get the ball out of the park (something the Twins haven't been able to
do much of lately).  And someone stuck Hrbek's bat into the freezer.

The Twins were due for a wake-up call.  Too bad Oakland was on the other
end of the line.  LaRussa apparently took these 3 games _very_ seriously
(putting Eck in Monday's game at the start of the 8th inning, though he was
able to pull him in the 9th after the A's put it away).  Maybe the Twins
thought they owned the A's after some impressive successes against them in
late '91 and early this year.  If so, they made a big mistake.

[ Summary of Wednesday's game deleted ]

The really ugly game was on Tuesday night (A's won 12-10).  Both LaRussa
and Kelly were sacrificing like mad in the first 6 innings, like they
expected it to be a close, low-scoring game.  As a Twins fan, I don't
mind seeing the A's sacrificing in the early innings; but there was
Kelly, matching LaRussa sacrifice for sacrifice.  If those chowderheads
had been playing for some big innings, they might have put another dozen
runs on the board.

>Apparently, the Twins are still reeling, as they also lost tonite to the
>Brewers 5-3, leaving the A's in sole possession first place in the AL West for
>the first time since July 3.
>
>Now, for all those who claimed that those A's couldn't hang with those
>incredible Twins...
>
>[woof on]
>  We took it to you on your home turf!  YYYYYYYEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!
>[woof off]

Who counted the A's out of the AL West?  I didn't.  Just because we
wondered _how_ Oakland was winning in spite of all their injuries
doesn't mean we ignored the fact that they were winning.  And please
don't use adjectives like `incredible' to describe the Twins.  You're
going to ruin our carefully nurtured underdog status.

>On a more reasonable note, it'll probably be a fight right down to the wire
>now.

Maybe.  There's still lots of time for either (or both) teams to take a
dive.  Texas and/or Chicago could still make a run.

And in case you're wondering.  Yes, I have taken the Tom Kelly 2-day
intensive seminar:  One Day At A Time  -or-  How To Eliminate Those
Bothersome Blood Pressure Fluctuations.

>Until the next and final '92 showdown,
>
>Chris S.

-Jeff    jjd@cray.com
--
"Forgive, oh Lord, the fan who woofeth.  For all teams rise up out of
the cellar, and in the fullness of time, return from whence they came."
-St. "Peewee" Augustine
From: hankwong@ocf.berkeley.edu (Henry Y. Wong)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Where have all the flakes gone?
Date: 22 Jul 92 19:37:01 GMT
Organization: U.C. Berkeley Open Computing Facility
NNTP-Posting-Host: tsunami.berkeley.edu

In article <54753@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> poutsmaj@mace.cc.purdue.edu (unknown) writes:
>In article <22597@oasys.dt.navy.mil> kiviat@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Brian Kiviat) writes:
>>In rec.sport.baseball, U39730@uicvm.uic.edu (Norma Kateeb) writes:
>>>Are there any modern day flakes left in baseball?
>>>Okay fans--is there anyone today--be it player, manager, GM, umpire--
>>>ANYONE who adds some life and fun to the game today?
>>
>My mind can't think of the name right now but I recall a very loud NL
>umpire who uses an exxagerated motion when calling balls and strikes
>(pardon the euphemisms).  What is his name?
>
>paul



Wouldn't that be Dutch Rennert(sp?)??







Hank Wong
General Manager, Renegade Legion
Students of the University of California Keeping Stats (SUCKS)
************************************************************************
"Let's rock"- Al Bundy		"Let's rock and roll"-Chuck Norris, DF2
From: dtate+@pitt.edu (David M Tate)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Real-life rulebook trivia (was Re: Braves lose - finally!)
Date: 28 Jul 92 04:52:53 GMT
Organization: Factors of Ys, Inc.

In article <GRABINER.92Jul27174231@zariski.harvard.edu> grabiner@math.harvard.edu (David Grabiner) writes:
>
>So it looks like the catcher is required to stand in the catcher's box,
>but the balk penalty only applies on an intentional walk.  

I stand corrected.  I returned my library copy of the rules, and only have
that Baseball By the Rules book, which doesn't have the official wording in
it, and was misleading on this one.


>Thus, if the catcher prevented the throw from becoming a pitch, that is a
>balk.  A footnote to rule 8.01(d) suggests that it becomes a pitch when
>it crosses the foul line; thus, if the ball was in fair territory when
>the catcher caught it, this should be a balk.  


This *might* have been the case, but I doubt it.  My guess is that the ball
made it just into foul territory at the side of the plate as Slaught picked
it off.


-- 
        David M. Tate        | "And that inverted Bowl we call The Dome
   dtate@unix.cis.pitt.edu   |  Whereunder crawling coop'd we field and bat,
   Edward "Mike" Fitzgerald  |     Lift not your eyes to *it* for help--for it
     from "The Ruthaiyat"    |  Will drop the tow'ring fly upon your hat."
Organization: University of Maine System
Date: Thursday, 30 Jul 1992 01:10:59 EDT
From: Ryan Robbins <IO20456@MAINE.MAINE.EDU>
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: RULEBOOK TRIVIA 14 - THE ANSWER
 <Bs64w7.Bqo@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu>

First of all, RULEBOOK TRIVIAs are fiction, unless otherwise noted,
so that means weird, bizarre, ridiculous situations - such as RULE-
BOOK TRIVIA 14's. But nevertheless, here's the ruling:

The home plate umpire should have called the ball fair, as the ball
was clearly fair. But he didn't. The batter, the catcher, and the
pitcher all thought the ball was foul. A couple of people have sug-
gested that the pitcher has commited a balk by feigning a pitch.
But that can't be the call because there is a play still taking
place, even though the batter, pitcher, and catcher don't seem to
know this. The batter is called out for a very unusual but blatant
form of interference, and the catcher is credited with the putout.
There is no error on the play because the batter's time of at bat
was not prolonged in any manner - the batter never ran to first,
so it cannot be assumed he reached on the dropped ball, because
he never did.

+===============================================================+
||   RYAN ROBBINS                    INTERNET:                 ||
||   UNIVERSITY OF MAINE             IO20456@MAINE.MAINE.EDU   ||
+===============================================================+
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: josh@loglady.ninds.nih.gov (Joshua (Summer student))
Subject: Re: Oriole tickets
Reply-To: josh@loglady.ninds.nih.gov (Joshua (Summer student))
Organization: National Inst. of Health, NINDS, LMCN
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 18:59:45 GMT

I live in the Baltimore area, and I called to get about 4 tickets to a game, and
the earliest game they had tickets for was around August 25.  Sorry, unless you
go to the game and try and get them from scalpers...

good luck

josh@loglady.ninds.nih.gov
From: demers@cs.ucsd.edu (David DeMers)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: MLB Standings and Scores for Wed, Jul 22, 1992
Date: 23 Jul 92 00:01:12 GMT
Organization: =CSE Dept., U.C. San Diego

In article <3531@blue.cis.pitt.edu.UUCP> dtate+@pitt.edu (David M Tate) writes:
>In article <14k0maINNaf2@agate.berkeley.edu> jtchern@ocf.berkeley.edu (Joseph Hernandez) writes:

>>         MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL STANDINGS FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 1992

>>NATIONAL EAST
>>Pittsburgh Pirates    
>>Montreal Expos        
>>New York Mets         
>>St. Louis Cardinals   
>>Chicago Cubs          
>>Philadelphia Phillies 

>On Baseball Tonight a couple of days ago, John Saunders annoyed me no end by
>saying "At the beginning of the season, *nobody* could have expected the
>Montreal Expos to be doing this well, and *nobody* could have expected the
>New York Mets to be below .500 at this point in the season, not to mention
>the Chicago Cubs failing to get any offense.", or words to that effect.

>I must be nobody.  Ditto for Gary and Dave Thornley and about 5 other regular
>netsters who picked Montreal to contend, NY to struggle, and Chicago to
>flounder.

*grin*

my preseason picks, as sent to Gary (whatever his name is this week) Huckabay:

NL	West		East
	Cincinnati	Montreal
	San Diego	Pittsburgh
	Atlanta		New York
	Dodgers		Chicago
	Houston		Philadelphia
	San Francisco	St Louis

OK, so I didn't think the Cards pitching was going to be this
good, and Hill for Galarraga pi**ed me off, but they are
sinking... 

And I overreached on San Diego (maybe) and the Expos (maybe)?
and clearly underestimated the Braves, but I figured that 
the right things to do for them to win weren't going to 
happen (but Nixon/Sanders are a surprise).

The AL were worse... Cleveland fifth for one, Seattle third...

-- 
Dave DeMers			 ddemers@UCSD   demers@cs.ucsd.edu
Computer Science & Engineering	C-014		demers%cs@ucsd.bitnet
UC San Diego					...!ucsd!cs!demers
La Jolla, CA 92093-0114	(619) 534-0688, or -8187, FAX: (619) 534-7029
From: epp@mala.bc.ca (Lorne Epp)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Errors on Double Plays (Was: Re: Mo Vaughn - All Star 1st Baseman)
Date: 23 Jul 92 07:56:57 -0700
Organization: Malaspina College

In article <5030@transfer.stratus.com>, jmann@vineland.pubs.stratus.com (Jim Mann) writes:
> In article <5027@transfer.stratus.com> dswartz@redondo.sw.stratus.com  
> (Dan Swartzendruber) writes:
>> 
>> ball is hit to Boggs, who initiates the 5-4-3 double play.
>> Only problem is, Vaughn drops the relay from Reed and another
>> run scores.  Since you can't assume a DP, he isn't charged with
>> any error. That doesn't sound right to me.  I've seen the rule
>> applied when one of the other fielders bobbles the ball so that
>> only one runner can be retired, but in this case, the 1st out
>> had already been made and the ball was to Vaughn in plenty of
>> time.   If it isn't an error, it should be.  Change the rule
>> if need be. 
>   
> I thought they changed that rule somewhere along the line, so that
> the firstbaseman COULD be charged with an error, since there was
> no real assumption about it. If the ball reached firstbase before
> the runner, the runner should have been out.  The "can't assume
> the double play" is really supposed to be in the rules to help
> the shortstop and secondbaseman who make poor throws to first, since
> they did get one person out already and it is much more of a judgement
> call about whether the batter would have been out.  
> 

From the 1985 edition of the Official Baseball Rules:

    10.14 (c) No error shall be charged against any fielder when he makes a
       wild throw in attempting to complete a double play or triple play,
       unless such wild throw enables any runner to advance beyond the base
       he would have reached had the throw not been wild.
       
       NOTE: When a fielder muffs a thrown ball which, if held, would 
       have completed a double play or triple play, charge an error to
       the fielder who drops the ball and credit an assist to the fielder
       who made the throw.
       
Lorne Epp
epp@mala.bc.ca
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 13:15:56 -0400 
From: Ken_Ziolkowski@transarc.com
Subject: The End of an Era



  From the wednesday, July 22nd issue of USA Today:

  "The Mariners released RHP Jim Acker Tuesday for
   the purpose of giving him his unconditional
   release. Acker, who was 0-0 with a 5.28 ERA in
   17 appearances this season, has been on the
   15-day DL since June 15 with a broken bone in
   his left wrist."


   The King is dead, long live the King.


Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: paul@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Paul R Krueger)
Subject: Re: True Blue Brew Crew in '92!
Organization: Computing Services Division, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 22:15:28 GMT

In article <15593@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> zuhars@madrone.eecs.ucdavis.edu (Gary Not Just For The Dead Huckabay) writes:
>(Paul R Krueger) writes:
>
>>Fourth, Molitor, Bill Wegman, Doug henry, and Jim Gantner could make    
>>anyone's all-underrated team and that's a shame.
>
>Molitor: No doubt.  Wegman....Uhhh...
>
>Henry's been ignored...
>
>But GANTNER?  See also STIFF, MAJOR.  Total waste of a roster spot.
>Virtually no positives except longevity, and I don't consider
>sustained mediocrity anything to yell about.  (See also Lansford,
>Carney.)
>
>Let's look at them numbers for Gantner...
>
>Hmmm.  Lifetime .324 OBP.  Yawn.  Lifetime .352 SLG.   UNderrated?
>I'd say lucky to have a job.  A peak .337 OBP for seasons over 300 AB
>is weak.  No peak value to speak of, no career value to speak of.
>
>Stiff City.
>
>Bum.
>
>Glad I could help.
>
Like I said, underrated. You call him a bum, I call him a pretty damn
average player! ;)

>Fifth, the Brewers finished the last 69 games of last year at 40-19, the
>>best in the majors. If they went 36-18 the rest of the way, they'd duplicate
>>that feat and end up at 90-72, which would at least keep them in the pennant
>>race. 
>
>And if they play .667 ball from here on out, I'll french kiss Dave
>Kirsch.  (Think anyone will save this text?   :-)
>
I doubt if Dave Kirsch will!

--Salty
From: kirsch@epx.cis.umn.edu (Dave Nobody Kirsch)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Jays: Gillick says there will be a trade
Date: 31 Jul 92 18:04:04 GMT
Organization: Dominican Deities - Juan Guzman levitation branch

In article <Bs89AL.G1B@undergrad.math.waterloo.edu> cjlee@laplace.uwaterloo.ca (Heliumwoman) writes:
>Pat Gillick says that he is "confident" that he'll make a trade soon.
>Just who will the Jays get?  I know they need a left-handed bat.
>With KC in town, would George Brett be the one?  And what about that
>California rumor?

  Well, a trade with California *did* happen, but not any of the talked-about
ones involving Abbott, Finley or Fortugno. 

  The Jays (re)acquired Mark Eichhorn for Rob Ducey and Greg Myers. Although
I don't see a great need for Eichhorn, he'll make a decent compliment to
Timlin, Ward and Henke in the Jays' pen. This is definitely a great trade for
the Angels .. they *easily* got the better of this one. I suspect Gillick was
willing to make this deal cuz the Jays are going to lose good players anyways
in the expansion draft, plus Rob Ducey was out of options (if memory serves).

  My guess is that this will result in Ed Sprague's callup, as well as
possibly Randy Knorr. Sprague has been ripping the ball at AAA Syracuse, and
Randy Knorr is perceived as being the next Jays catcher ready for the majors.
Sprague is a catcher too, but Knorr has a better defensive reputation.
Sprague will probably be a utility man for now if he's called up with Knorr. 
Overall, Sprague's a better prospect (mostly cuz of his bat, especially his 
power - 16 HR so far in a tough hitters' park in the IL). I suspect the Jays
will probably end up losing Knorr in the expansion draft if they already have
to protect Borders, Sprague and Delgado. 

  I'm not sure which pitcher will be sent down .. Hentgen seems like a
possibility, I guess. 

  From California's end of things, this is *great*. Nelson Lu was recently
seen spinning cartwheels out in California. IMHO, Myers may be able to pull a
.750 OPS if given a chance to play regularly .. that's pretty good for a
catcher, especially when you consider the Angels' other options. Ducey is
another good player that's just been buried in the Jays' system. Every time
it looks like he'll get a shot, some other hot phenom or someone named Mookie
steals his spot. He's excellent defensively (I'd put him in CF if I were the
Angels), and could pull an .850 OPS if things broke right (His MLE from last
year was at .271/.371/.403, and he's done better.) From the information I've
been able to get, it sounds like Ducey was a bit too cocky when he first came
up. I usually have very good things to say about Pat Gillick, but in this
case I think he hasn't given Ducey a fair shot. 
 
  Lundy, 

-- 
Dave Hung Like a Jim Acker Slider Kirsch       "Blue Jays all the way in '92"
kirsch@epx.cis.umn.edu                                      Jeff Kent for ROY
"Try new Fortenberry wine coolers, with a biting, bitter taste" - Noel Steere
Slanguage dictionary: maynard - "to insult with disdain and contempt"
From: IO20456@MAINE.MAINE.EDU (Ryan Redington Robbins)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: RE: Most fascinating ballpark?
Date: 31 Jul 92 05:41:54 GMT
 <30JUL92.18325792.0096@UNBVM1.CSD.UNB.CA>
Organization: University of Maine System

I cannot help but be biased in declaring Fenway Park as being the
most fascinating ballpark, since that's the only one I have ever
been to. I have only been to Fenway three times, in '82, '89, and
three weeks ago. But each time I am amazed at the park's distinct
and unique personality. Sure, the most repulsive thing I found
about the park was the mens bathroom. It didn't look like it had
been touched in years by Red Sox maintenance. Then again, I go
to Fenway to watch a baseball game, not to go to the bathroom.

What does it matter if a ballpark has ugly, smelly bathrooms? It
doesn't matter what's on the outside. What matters is what's on
the inside, that being the most famous icon in sports history:
the Green Monster, and the warm feeling of a small park that
actually feels as though you were at home in your living room.
The seats are comfortable, you're never too far from the action,
and the fans are always there, rooting for the Sox. If you don't
order your tickets in December, you're taking a big chance.

Like I said, I don't know about any of you, but I go to baseball
games to see baseball, not to inspect bathrooms.

+===============================================================+
||   RYAN ROBBINS                    INTERNET:                 ||
||   UNIVERSITY OF MAINE             IO20456@MAINE.MAINE.EDU   ||
+===============================================================+
Organization: University Relations - Diane, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 09:27:57 -0400 
From: Todd Harris Fletcher <tf0y+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Jay Buhner

He has the Nick Esasky Syndrome.  You know, dizzy, lightheaded, blurry
vision - the whole bit.  He is currently "undergoing evaluation".

-Todd

Thank god I traded him the week before the break!

Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: claudius@leland.Stanford.EDU (Nelson Lu)
Subject: Re: Another Jays Trade In Works
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 92 14:50:36 GMT

In article <1992Jul31.132731.13144@bmerh85.bnr.ca> news@bmerh85.bnr.ca (Usenet News) writes:
>	Now that the Jays have acquired Mark Eichorn, this makes one of the 
>current Jays' releivers expendable.  In the Toronto Star this morning, Pat Gillick is quoted as saying that another deal is in the works for a left-handed 
>power-hitter and it will likely involve a Toronto releiver.  Now that Toronto
>has a capable setup man for Henke, look for the Jays to move either Ward or 
>Timlin.  What you think, guys/gals?
>
Actually, I would expect Henke, the oldest of the group, to be dealt to a team
that needs a closer, and Ward to split the job with Eichhorn.

===============================================================================
GO CALIFORNIA ANGELS!
GO TEAM CHINESE TAIPEI!
GO TEAM USA!	(Hey, I can sit on the fence, can't I?)
===============================================================================
Nelson Lu (claudius@leland.stanford.edu)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: savoy@hg.uleth.ca (Jim Savoy)
Subject: Re: RC/27 for CFs
Reply-To: savoy@hg.uleth.ca
Organization: University of Lethbridge
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 04:49:41 GMT


> dae@cbnews.cb.att.com (david.a.elliott) writes:

>I agree with Nelson.  Despite Hal McRae's vow not to show favoritism towards
>Brian when he took the Royals job, he has done nothing but in the last year.

At the very least, Hal should bat Brian 8th or 9th. But it seems every time he
has a multiple-hit game, he's back in the lead-off spot again, despite having
little base-stealing success and a terrible OBP. He's a brilliant defensive
centerfielder - I'll give him that, but this lead-off experiment has gone on
way too long. He should bat him 8th or bench him and use him as a defensive
sub.


 _____________________________________________________________________________
     Jim Savoy          University Of Lethbridge         savoy@hg.uleth.ca

  Meanwhile in Washington, at the headquarters of F.E.A.R. - the Federal Egg
  Answering Room - in reality a front name for F.E.E.B.L.E. - the Free World
  Extra-Earthly Bodies Location and Extermination Centre... all was not well.
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: sinhaa@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca (Anand Sinha)
Subject: Re: formula for projected runs?
Organization: Department of Computer Science, McMaster University
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 18:13:56 GMT

In article <3939@blue.cis.pitt.edu.UUCP> dtate+@pitt.edu (David M Tate) writes:
>
>(If you prefer, you could also use the Thorn/Palmer Linear Weights method,
> which is a linear regression model.  David Grabiner, could you post again
> the various correlation coefficients for these methods?  I've misplaced
> them.)
>
>

Although my name is not David .. here's the coefficients for 
Linear Weights ... (in case anyone is interested, I've got linear weights
calculated for every player with more than 150 PAs....)

This is slightly modified to use the stats given in the newspaper/over the net,
but the values are correct.

LW=.33*BB+.73*H+.34*2B+.56*3B+.94*HR+.3*SB-0.27*AB-0.60*CS. 

BTW Frank Thomas has the highest LW of all ALers, Barry Bonds highest in the NL.

Anand Sinha .. proud member of the Roger Maynard KILL file
Blue Jays #1 -> all the way in '92  (Expos too)
Robbie Alomar for MVP				Sarah Sinha for MVP 2009
Juan Guzman for Cy Young			Sarah Sinha for ROTY 2009 
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball,rec.sport.baseball.fantasy
From: 75furlong@cuavax.dnet.cua.edu
Subject: Re: DICKS THAT SHOULD BE IN OTHER GROUPS
Organization: The Catholic University of America
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 21:17:22 GMT

Just a note to Whoosh - I'm not sure what all the fuss is about, but I'd watch
my followup line if I were you. The end of that last thread (including 211
lines of OGGLEs) was posted to misc.jobs.offered. 

Oops.

-A