HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: pcaster@mizar.usc.edu (Dodger)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Lasorda coming back?
Date: 2 Oct 1992 19:48:47 -0700
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: mizar.usc.edu

mikef@bvc.edu writes:

>I need some help from you left coasters.  I am one of the remaining few 
>Tommy Lasorda fans.  He should be allowed to leave the team he's given his 
>life to on his own terms.  I'm hearing rumors he may leave for Tampa or 
>possibly be the Dodger's next GM.  What is the news out west?

Tommy's good friend Vincent Piazza (father of Dodger catcher Mike Piazza),
is one of the men trying to buy the Giants and move them to Tampa.  IF
they are successful, look for Tommy to move to Tampa, first as manager,
then as general manager.  In an odd twist, it is also rumored out
here that Tommy would bring Mike Scioscia with him as his catcher.
You'd think he would try real hard to engineer a trade for the owner's
son to be the catcher.

IF the Giants remain in San Francisco, look for Tommy to remain as
manager for one more year.  The Dodgers rarely fire managers because
of a bad year....look how few managers they have had over the years.
And even Walter Alston had some bad teams from time to time...although
none were quite so bad as THIS YEAR's Dodgers.  But can you blame
Tommy?  Is it his fault that Darryl and Eric hardly played all year?
The Dodgers lost a ton of one run games....how many of those might
have been wins with a healthy Darryl and/or Eric?  I'm not saying
the Dodgers would have won the pennant if they were healthy...but
they aren't as bad as their record indicates.

If I was Peter O'Malley, I'd fire Fred Claire, who engineered this team.
Where would the Dodgers be if they had signed Mike Morgan and kept
John Wetteland?  Surely they would have finished better than last.
This is the team that Fred Claire built, and he deserves much of
the blame.  Fire Fred, and perhaps Tommy could finish his career
with the Dodgers as General Manager.

So far, the only rumors I've heard about the 1993 Dodgers is that
they are going to: 1) keep Ojeda, 2) think highly of Kevin Gross,
3) will pursue some free agents (particular concerns are 2nd base
and third base).  When you consider numbers 1 and 2 above, you know
why I think they should fire Fred Claire.

						BleedsDodgerBlue

Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: crobbins@lonestar.utsa.edu (Chris S. Robbins)
Subject: Which team is most improved???
Summary: I say the Astros.
Organization: University of Texas at San Antonio
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 22:23:55 GMT


Lets start a debate.  Which team has improved the most this year.

Personally, I say the Astros.  Why?  1. Their record compared to last year.
2. The road trip from hell (12-14) made them a better team for the future
(i.e. built some character)

I know there will be different opinions, so lets hear them.

chris

--
Chris Robbins
Sigma Tau Gamma
University of Texas- San Antonio
1990-91 TransAmerica Athletic Conference Regular Season Basketball Champions
1991-92 Southland Conference Regular Season Basketball Champions
1992-93 ???
(I know it's basketball, but we just got baseball here last year!)
Date: Monday, 5 Oct 1992 12:27:19 EST
From: <RVESTERM@vma.cc.nd.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: how'd bill do?

AL EAST     BILL PICKED
---------   -----------
Tor 96-66   Tor 89-73       7 games off, correct spot
Mil 92-70   Bos 86-76       13 games off, 5 spots off
Bal 89-73   Mil 82-80       10 games off, 1 spot off
Cle 76-86   Bal 79-83       10 games off, 1 spot off
NY  76-86   Det 77-85       2 games off, 1 spot off
Det 75-87   NY  74-88       2 games off, 1 1/2 spots off
Bos 73-89   Cle 73-89       3 games off, 2 1/2 spots off

AL WEST     BILL PICKED
---------   -----------
Oak 96-66   Chi 90-72       4 games off, 2 spots off
Min 90-72   Tex 88-74       11 games off, 2 spots off
Chi 86-76   Cal 82-80       10 games off, 1 1/2 spots off
Tex 77-85   Min 82-80       8 games off, 1 1/2 spots off
Cal 72-90   Oak 78-84       18 games off, 4 spots off
KC  72-90   KC  77-85       5 games off, 1/2 spot off
Sea 64-98   Sea 77-85       13 games off, 1/2 spot off

NL EAST     BILL PICKED
---------   -----------
Pit 96-66   Pit 91-70       5 games off, correct spot
Mon 87-75   NY  85-77       13 games off, 3 spots off
StL 83-79   Mon 78-84       9 games off, 1 1/2 spots off
Chi 78-84   Phi 78-84       8 games off, 2 1/2 spots off
NY  72-90   StL 76-86       7 games off, 2 spots off
Phi 70-92   Chi 73-89       5 games off, 2 spots off

NL WEST     BILL PICKED
---------   -----------
Atl 98-64   SD  85-77       3 games off, 2 spots off
Cin 90-74   Cin 83-79       7 games off, correct spot
SD  82-80   Hou 82-80       1 game off, 1 spot off
Hou 81-81   LA  82-80       19 games off, 2 spots off
SF  72-90   Atl 82-80       16 games off, 3 spots off
LA  63-99   SF  77-85       5 games off, 1 spot off

the average team was picked by bill james as a little more than 8 games off,
and a little under 2 spots off.



Newsgroups: rn,rec.sport.baseball
From: hasch@jhuvms.hcf.jhu.edu (Bruce M Hasch)
Subject: Re: allan anderson
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: The Johns Hopkins University - HCF
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 22:35:00 GMT

In article <1992Sep29.222316.6208@oz.plymouth.edu>, s_hallee@oz.plymouth.edu (garth) writes...
> 

I think this is a pretty appropriate summary of Anderson's value. :-)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bruce 'Anyone but Bill' Hasch                      hasch@jhuvms.hcf.jhu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball,soc.culture.japan
From: nissim@mary.fordham.edu (Leonard J. Nissim)
Subject: Re: Japan Central League
Organization: Fordham University
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Distribution: rec
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 21:53:00 GMT
X-Posted-From: mary.fordham.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: sol.ctr.columbia.edu

In article <c5u.gq80c@lab.ntt.jp>, yajima@nttcom.ntt.jp (YAJIMA Hiroshi) writes...
>Japan Central League Standing ( Through games on Sunday September 27th)
> 
>                        W   L   T   Pct.   GB
>Hanshin Tigers         64  56   2  .533    --
>Yakult Swallows        64  57   1  .529    0.5
>Yomiuri Giants         65  60   0  .520    1.5
>Hiroshima Carp         60  63   0  .488    5.5
>Taiyo Whales           59  65   1  .476    7.0
>Chunichi Dragons       57  68   0  .456    9.5
>----------------
>  To my great regret, beloved Yakult Swallows lost the game to Hanshin Tigers
>by the score of 6-3 Sunday night at Tokyo's Jingu Stadium while Chunichi 
>Dragons beat hateful Yomiuri Giants by the score of 5-2 at the Tokyo Dome.
             ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
             ^^^^^^^^
I grew up hating the New York Giants (normally referred to disdainfully as 
"jints"), I now hate the San Francisco jints, and I am prepared to hate the
Tampa/St. Pete jints if and when they exist.  It is very good to know that
there are people hating other jints baseball teams in Japan.  Good luck to 
your Swallows.  How many games in the Central League Season?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leonard Nissim, notorious Dodger fanatic     (nissim@mary.fordham.edu)  
Disclaimer:  "I speak only for myself."   
World Championships:  Brooklyn-----1955   
                      Los Angeles--1959  1963  1965  1981  1988
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------



> 
>------- Hiroshi
>--
> 
>    |  / __  __/ __  __/ Hiroshi Yajima, 
>  / | /     /       /    NTT Network Information Syatems Laboratories,
>_/  _/    _/      _/     9 - 11 Midori-Cho 3-Chome Musashino-Shi,
>                         Tokyo, 180 Japan,  E-MAIL: yajima@nttcom.ntt.jp
>                         TEL: +81 422-59-4256	 FAX: +81 422-59-4254
> 
>                         
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: aardvark@locus.com (Warren Usui)
Subject: Re: NL ROY: More Fuel for Debate
Organization: Locus Computing Corporation, Los Angeles, California
Date: Fri, 02 Oct 1992 16:45:12 GMT

In article <1992Oct2.010932.16366@leland.Stanford.EDU> claudius@leland.Stanford.EDU (Nelson Lu) writes:
>
>How much production should we expect out of a player whom the Dodgers can
>replace Karros with by picking someone off the waiver wire, signing a minor
>league free agent, make a very minor deal, etc.  You'd get someone like Gary
>Redus, most likely.  How much would Karros contribute over such a player?
>

My guess is that Karros contributes much more than a person you would get off
the waiver wire, a minor league free agent or a minor deal.  My perverted
logic follows:

	Karros is the best offensive player this year for the Dodgers 
	(admittedly not that big an accomplishment).  That being the
	case, it makes sense to replace every other player on the team
	with an easy pickup player before you replace Karros.  Now I
	realize that one should expect more offense from first base,
	but when you look at the Dodgers, you should expect more defense
	from shortstop.

	Since the Dodgers have not replaced the entire team with a bunch
	of Gary Redus'es (may not be a bad idea),  I would assume that
	Karros is much better than then average player that you could pick
	up easily.  It may be that the Dodger brain-trust doesn't know what
	they are doing, but this was the same brain-trust that was successful
	very recently.  

-- 
Warren Usui
aardvark@locus.com
uunet!lcc!aardvark
From: bwb00@hplvec.LVLD.HP.COM (Brian Brakke)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Season Ticket Help
Date: 2 Oct 92 20:06:16 GMT
Organization: Wits End

Hello all,

Now that I'm an owner of MLB season tickets (ROCKIES!!), I was curious if I
could ask the net for help. 

We have 4 primary owners for 4 seats.  We are looking at some form of lottery
to distribute the 80 home games among the partners. (The primary folks get
the 4 opening day seats.)  

How do others handle this???

Has someone written some software to do this??

Any HINTS!!!

Thanks in advance,
Brian
From: hobbs@a.cs.wvu.wvnet.edu (Gerald R Hobbs)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Lead off walks....
Date: 2 Oct 92 13:40:32 GMT

Sherri's table again
>>>Effect of first event in inning, both leagues, 1984-1991
>
>
>>>Leadoff		Prob of >= 1 run	Avg. number of runs
>>>-------------------------------------------------------------
>>>single	.428			.855
>>>walk		.432			.865

>>I'm assuming that over eight years of data, the difference is statistically
>>significant.

>IS the difference statistically significant?  

>Over 8 years of data,
>there have been (8 years)*(162 games/year/team)*(26 teams) = 33696 leadoff

Lessee, I think we are talking about lead off an inning, not lead
off the game. Maybe I'm wrong. Two teams play each game (so divide
the above by 2). About 18 half innings are played on average (so
multiply by 18) per game. I think your "n" is off by factor of 9.
I think the whole mess yields standard error around .0005 for col 1
in the table. If the table refers only to leading off the game
then cancel what I just wrote.
                                  Gerry
From: carl@warper.jhuapl.edu (Carl Lamy)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: What is baseball?
Date: 28 Sep 92 00:50:19 GMT
Organization: Johns Hopkins University

gajarsky@pilot.njin.net (Bob Gajarsky) writes:

>having broken it down into its purest form, how can anyone state
> that pitching is (80?) percent of the game?  at least over a 
> 162 game season???

[Stuff about stats and playoffs deleted]

>but anyhow.  i'd like to hear from the people who believe that
>pitching
> is 75% of the game during the regular season.  explain WHY
> you believe it.  it might prove interesting.

>- bob gaj

This one's easy. Good pitching is better than good hitting. A good hitter
gets out 70% of the time, because the pitcher gets him out (or the batter
makes a mistake, etc.). So a pitcher dominates a hitter, even a good
one, 70+% of the time. Add to this that a pitcher, if he's doing well, can
often locate his pitches so that, even if a hitter gets a hit, he hits it
to a particular place where the defense is playing (i.e., to right, on the
ground, etc.). So, even when the hitter gets a hit, he's hitting it where
the it hurts the defense the least, so that runners can't advance more than
one base, and runs can't score, etcetera. Clear domination on the part of
pitching over hitting.

			See you later, Carl

INET: carl@warper.jhuapl.edu
UUCP: {backbone!}mimsy!aplcomm!warper!carl
From: desmondw@merrimack.edu
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: When's Manny coming back?
Date: 27 Sep 92 12:37:57 GMT
Article-I.D.: merrimac.1992Sep27.123757.2239
Organization: Merrimack College, No. Andover, MA, USA

When is Manny coming back?-woops, Manuel. I know he's having problems
with his knee but is it really that bad or is Cito just resting him
for the ALCS?
From: pcaster@mizar.usc.edu (Dodger)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Whats Wrong With the Dodgers, Part 25
Date: 30 Sep 92 05:55:19 GMT
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: mizar.usc.edu

What ISN'T wrong with the Dodgers may be more like it....but
here is yet another thing wrong with the Dodgers....the "braintrust"
making the big decisions....take this example.

The Dodgers will move Pedro Astacio to the bullpen.  They believe
that Pedro Martinez has better stuff.  

Well....who knows...that may be.  But meanwhile, Astacio just pitched
his FOURTH complete game shut out tonight...this one a three hitter...
against a Reds team that was struggling to remain alive in the
pennant race.  Astacio's fourth shut out in something like 8 starts, and
yet the Dodgers don't think he has good enough stuff to be a starter
next year.  Is it any wonder the team that Fred Claire built is
in last place....the first time since 1905 a Dodger team has finished
last!!!

First thing the Dodgers should do to improve themselves....FIRE
FRED CLAIRE.

					BleedsDodgerBlue
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: snichols@adobe.com (Sherri Nichols)
Subject: Re: Better than Runs
Organization: Adobe Systems Incorporated
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 19:54:33 GMT

In article <92272.114753IOR@SLACVM.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU> Thomas Hyer <IOR@SLACVM.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU> writes:
>  OK, I was stupid.  I posted an argument without an
>example.  So here's one:
>
>  Team A scores 1 run each inning.
>  Team B scores 9 runs 1/9 of the time, 0 the rest.
>
>In the course of a season, both teams will score the
>same number of runs (neglecting statistical fluctuations).
>However, Team A will certainly win more games.

True.

However, it's not clear this has any relevancy to the actual game of
baseball.  In the actual game of baseball, in most innings, *no* runs are
scored.  It's difficult to score a run; once you've scored a run, you're
generally in better shape to score multiple runs.  

>I hope this is sufficiently clear by now.  Again, does
>anyone have the distribution of runs/inning for either
>league?

I'm not sure exactly what you're asking for here.  Are you asking for the
number of innings in which no runs are scored, 1 run is scored, 2 runs are
scored, etc.?  I don't have that handy, but I seem to recall somebody (Dr.
Dave? Roger?) posting some numbers on this during the last debate on
one-run strategies.  If you want to know what the average number of runs
scored per half-inning is, it's just under .5.  

Sherri Nichols
snichols@adobe.com
From: joeb@cserver.plexus.com (Joe Brotz)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Hitting streak trivia (Molitor's 39)
Date: 2 Oct 92 21:13:28 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Plexus Corp. -- Neenah Wisconsin

rom@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Rommy) writes:

>Ok trivia buffs!!!
>This is worth a free meal to me from Chi-Chi's if I (or you) can get this 
>correct.  So here goes...   
>	    Who held the Milwaukee Brewers record before Paul Molitor hit
>	    safely in 39 straight games back in 1987?

>		  A. Cecil Cooper
>		  B. Davey May
>		  C. Johnny Briggs

>please, please let Tigers sweep the 3 game series in Sky Dome this weekend.
>....And former Brewer Rob Deer helps out his old teammates by cranking three
>homers in three games to sweep the Jays.....Hey it could happen.

Trust Me! 
Answer: Davey May - 23 games. Do you have a Chi-Chi's Trivia Tuesday
card that you never scratched the answer off of?

P.S. Cooper's best was 21 games (1981?). I don't think Johnny Briggs 
ever got quite that high.

--
"Bob Gibson is the luckiest pitcher I ever    <Joseph A. Brotz         >
saw. Every time he pitches, the other team    <joeb@cserver.plexus.com >
doesn't score any runs." - Tim McCarver       <UUCP: spool!cserver!joeb>
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: gerry@macadam.mpce.mq.edu.au (Gerry Myerson)
Subject: League leaders?
Originator: gerry@macadam.mpce.mq.edu.au
Organization: School of MPCE, Macquarie University, Australia.
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 01:23:48 GMT

Would someone please email or post the current league leaders in the major 
categories? That sort of information is very hard to come by here in the 
Antipodes. 

Thanks. Gerry Myerson    gerry@macadam.mpce.mq.edu.au
Organization: University Libraries - Library Automatio, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 12:38:18 -0400 
From: Richard Schall <rs0i+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Expos logo


"The Expo's logo is composed of three letters, the largest
of which is the overall stylized "M" for Montreal. 
Represented in the lower left of the logo is a lower
case "e" for expos and on the right side of the logo,
in blue, is the letter "b" for baseball. 
 
The team's name originated when Montreal's application
to the National League was accepted in 1968, on the heels
of the 1967 World's Fair held in the city. The fair was
commonly known as Expo '67, and the team was subsequently
named Expos in memory of this fair that had served to
bring international attention to the city of Montreal."
 
from Baseball Weekly, August 12-18, 1992
 


--------------------
!!!Richard Schall!!!
rs0i+@andrew.cmu.edu
From: spira@panix.com (Greg "Sarcasm Is A Way Of Life" Spira)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Sheffield is NL MVP
Date: 27 Sep 92 17:11:10 GMT
Organization: Boo!

In <17596@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> fzchen@othello.ucdavis.edu writes:

>In article <1992Sep25.021254.29808@leland.Stanford.EDU> claudius@leland.Stanford.EDU (Nelson Lu) writes:
>>In article <1992Sep24.185443.6675@island.COM> fester@island.COM (Mike Fester) writes:
>>
>>
>>And, since OBP is more valuable than SLG, Caminiti's higher OBP wins out.

>This is why I quit sabremetrics.

You quit sabermetrics?  I don't think you can do that.  My guess is that
you were fired, and you just don't want to admit it.  

  Who says OBP is more important than 
>SLG???!!!

Oh, about 100 years of baseball teams who increase their run production
more by gaining 5 points of OBP than by gaining 5 points of SLG.  

But I guess 100 years of baseball isn't more important than your
preconceived ideas.

  I think Caminiti vs. Pendleton is simple.  Poll the GM's and
>managers of both leagues and ask who they would want on their team if
>either could be had at the same salary...Caminiti.  Not!

That's good.  If the GMs actually picked Caminiti, I might want Pendleton.
But seeing that these are the same group of GMs that pursued Storm Davis
because of his W-L record and include at least one GM that traded Ken Hill
for Andres Galaragga, it assures me that my pick of Caminiti (for 1992) 
would be right.


Greg 

-- 
  spira@panix.com       "The one-O delivery to Fisk.  He swings.  Long drive,  
 cmcl2!panix!spira      left field!  If it stays fair, it's gone!  Home Run!"  
158-17 Riverside Dr.                     Ned Martin, 10/22/75   
Whitestone NY 11357          (Insert your favorite baseball moment here)
From: masuda@fcs280b.ncifcrf.gov (Michiaki Masuda)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Japan Central League
Date: 2 Oct 92 01:37:12 GMT
Distribution: rec
Organization: Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center

In article <HARKCOM.92Sep28101506@spinach.pa.yokogawa.co.jp> harkcom@spinach.pa.yokogawa.co.jp (Alton Harkcom) writes:
>In article <Bv6A4u.E8K@news.cso.uiuc.edu> ken@uxc.cso.uiuc.edu (Ken Primer)
>   writes:

> =}    The "hateful" Giants? You mean they aren't held in high regard by
> =}everyone in Japan? Hmmmmm that pops another bubble for me!

>   The Giants are popular amongst many Toykoites, but even in Tokyo
>there are enough non-fans to make bubble development a rather difficult
>task :)  Congratulations on your efforts :)

  As I recall it, there was a cartoon story titled "Kyojin no hoshi (The
Star of Giants)" in Shonen Magazine. It was also televised. I remember
watching the program with my cousins in Nishino-miya, a city of Hankyu
Braves and only 10 miles away from the home ground of Hanshin Tigers.

  Yes, there are anti-Giants fans. But I don't see anti-Tigers fans,
anti-Dragons fans or a cartoon like "Yakult no hoshi". 
  I wonder why... B-)

Michiaki Masuda
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: smm@sei.cmu.edu (Stephen Masters)
Subject: Re: Bonds "choke"?
Organization: Software Engineering Institute
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 17:21:18 GMT

In article <92279.190003JPIERCE@MIAMIU.BITNET> Jeff Pierce <JPIERCE@MIAMIU.BITNET> writes:
> 
>Series     AB  R  H  2B  3B  HR  RBI  BB
>'71 ALCS    3  0  0   0   0   0    0   ?
>'72 ALCS   17  1  1   0   0   0    1   ?
>'72 WS     23  5  8   1   0   4    9   ?   Impressive!
>'73 ALCS   17  3  4   1   0   0    0   ?
>'73 WS     19  0  3   1   0   0    0   ?
>'74 ALCS   11  1  0   0   0   0    1   ?
>'75 ALCS    9  0  0   0   0   0    0   ?
>'82 WS      6  0  0   0   0   0    0   ?
> 
>I'm not sure how Tenace got an RBI in '74 with an 0 for 22 streak with
>runners on base that started in '73.  Anyone know the details?  Maybe
>the RBI was a typo.

You don't have to get a base hit to get an RBI.

>I will stand by the comment about the possibility of seeing a pinch-
>hitter for him in game 6 or 7 if he does another 0 for 16 with runners
>on base.  If the Pirates have a chance to put the Braves away in Game
>6 or 7 and Bonds isn't productive, I could see pinch-hitting for him
>(particularly if someone on the bench is having a good year against
>Atlanta pitching).  Pinch-hitting for Bonds is not the equivalent of
>sending Willie Mays down to the minors after an 0 for 16 slump (is this
>an example of the stathead arrogance which is being debated on another
>thread or just an innane comment).  It would be a managerial decision
>acknowledging that another player might have a chance to succeed in a
>situation where Bonds has been unproductive due to pressure, bad luck,
>or the voodoo doctor on the mound with the Bonds doll in his glove.
> 

There is no way Jim Leyland would pinch hit for Bonds with the game on the
line unless he is injured.  Bonds is arguably the best player in baseball 
today.  He won the NL MVP in 1990, was robbed of the MVP last year, and 
should win the MVP this year.


Steve Masters
smm@sei.cmu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball