From: zuhars@madrone.eecs.ucdavis.edu (Gary Didi Seven Huckabay)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: George Bell
Keywords: What IS it about this site?
Date: 29 Sep 92 16:47:37 GMT
Organization: Lance Blankenship Appreciation Society (BB Division)

Neff writes:

I state the obvious:

>>The role of EVERY player on a ballclub is the same -
>>to help the team WIN GAMES.  (Or, as Mike Fester will point out,
>>correctly, to put butts in the seats.)  If Bell has a different agenda
>>than this, sit his butt on the next plane to San Francisco.

>I'm not backing down here.  George Bell bats behind Thomas BECAUSE Thomas
>is going to give him a lot of opportunities with men on base.  That's
>why there's a batting order.  Look at some of Bobby Knight's basketball
>players.  Steve Alford could do one thing.  Shoot.  He couldn't dribble,
>pass or play defense.  Does this mean he wasn't helping his team win? No.

Aside from the fact that you're talking about basketball, this still
doesn't address the point.  George Bell's 'job' is NOT to drive in
runs.  It is TO HELP THE TEAM WIN GAMES.  Your point about basketball
is completely lost on me - I don't care for the game, as it makes me
feel even shorter and squatter than I a currently am. (And, at 5' 9",
195#, that's fairly short and squat.)

>Would Bobby knight have liked it if Alford COULD play defense and dribble?
>Sure he would have.  Did Steve Alford have a good year at Indiana?  According
>to you, no.  A few years ago Knight had a player named Sloan. Could Sloan
>shoot?  Hell no.  Could the guy pass?  Don't know, he never got the ball.
>Could Sloan set screens for other guys to get open?  OH yeah.  Did Sloan
>help Indiana win?  Yes.

Great.  I'm happy for them.  Relevance?

>I know you're saying "that's basketball, this is baseball".  Crap.  Guys
>can specialize at something, be good at it, and help their teams win in
>any sport.

I just want to clarify this, before I jump on it.  Are you saying that
George Bell specializes in driving in runs?

>Never did I say there aren't more rounded players then George
>Bell.  Never did I say "I would rather have George Bell on my team then
>any other player in the world".  

But, unless my memory is faulty, you, or was it someone else, said
that Bell was a better hitter than Ventura this year?

>I don't see how you can say he hasn't done exactly what the Sox wanted.

If the Sox want someone as their designated hitter with a sub -.300
OBP, then they're fools, because they could score more runs, and
thereby probably win more game by finding someone who slugs 30 points
less, and gets on base 30 points more.

>>He's been a generic DH [tm].  If he's the best you've got, great.  But
>>he's not.  Give Newson the same PT as Bell got, and I GUARANTEE you
>>that the Sox would have won AT LEAST one more game.  
>
>I can't begin to tell you how wrong you are here, guy.  You really
>made some good points up to now, but Warren Newson is not going to improve
>the Sox record by replacing Bell.  Replacing Pasqua on the other hand..... 

Assuming Newson is healthy, and given the playing time, I'm awfully
damn sure he'd be more productive than Bell.  Newson hasn't failed to
post a .400 OBP in the minors, has some pop in his bat, and would
likely, given the opportunity, slug close to as well as Bell has,
which, in all honesty, isn't that great.

>>>*                                  *     Sandberg is OVERRATED!!           *
>
>The man CAN play ball, but I'm quite tired of Harry treating him like
>the second coming of canned beer. 

Wow!  For Harry, THAT'S reverance.

>The guy makes a play on a ball 6"
>to his right and Harry's damn near ready to use his big fat lips to
>give Sandberg a nice wet one on the ass.

There's a visual I need at 9:30 in the morning.  I guess I better get
ready for those night sweats to return.

>I'm also tired (I believe this
>to be a direct descendant of the first point) of Cub fans (and I deal with
>lots of them, Gary buddy) telling me he's 
>1) the best player in the game today at any position.

I know the feeling.  I get tired of people telling me crap like this,
as well.  And I understand how Harry can get on your nerves.  After
all, I hear all the time on this net about how RBIs mean a guy can
play ball.  It gets awfully tough to hear after a while.

>2) the best 2nd baseman ever to play the game.

Argh.  I can buy best CURRENT second baseman, looking strictly at
a couple of his better years, like 1990, but not that claim, which
will undoubtedly rear its ugly head during the offseason.

>I've even heard Harry call him "THE best player of all time".

Actually, what you probably heard Harry say was "Thhzzz besss plyyyy
uvvv lllll ttim", which MAY translate as "The best player of all time",
but might also translate as, "The kielbasa may require greater
seasoning for optimal flavor."

>That, IMHO, makes him OVERRATED.

That, IMHO, makes Harry a goon, a mediot, and annoying.

>Anyway, I guess my last article didn't properly convey what I meant to
>say.  For this I apologize.  Now I think my point has been made clear.
>Fire away, Gary.

Not much to fire about, Neff.  I've responded, and I thought your post
was reasonable and quite fine.  


-- 
* Gary Huckabay * "We need MORE people in the league.  8 isn't going to *
* "Gurgle. Eep."*  cut it.  It's a blast.  Why would someone NOT want   *
* "Acck.  Unh." *  to play?" "Perhaps because you and Chu always pull   *
* "Jose. Igg."  * rabbits out of your hat at the draft." "Ha.  Fear."   *