HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: bst@wang.com (Bruce Tannenbaum)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Rafael Bournigal for Rookie of the Year!!
Date: 9 Sep 92 13:23:04 GMT
Organization: Wang Labs, Lowell MA, USA

aardvark@locus.com (Warren Usui) writes:

>My favorite player the past week has been Rafael Bournigal, shortstop
>for the Dodgers who has been filling in for Jose Offerman.  The guy has
>the biggest grin I've ever seen on a major league baseball player.  He
>is having fun out there.

And, I don't think he's made an error yet, has he?  

-- 
Bruce S. Tannenbaum (RADAR) <bst@wang.com>
VoiceCom Systems Inc., San Francisco, CA and Tewksbury, MA.
"I have a cunning plan!"
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: hhenderson@vax.clarku.edu
Subject: Robin Yount is not ugly
Organization: Clark University
Date: 14 SEP 92 13:54:50 GMT

Jon Cohen writes:

>Robin Yount--Great as he is, he is also of great ugliness.

Listen, he is *not* ugly.  Okay, he's no pretty boy, and he
does have a beak of a nose, but his face has what I would
call Character.  Lined and weatherbeaten, and he has great
eyes.  He probably would look better in bib overalls and a
feed cap than white tie and tails, but this is not a bad thing.
Myself, I prize my green and yellow John Deere cap, an exotic
piece of headgear for a girl from New York City, so you can
tell where I'm coming from.  In any case, I wouldn't call the
guy ugly -- and I certainly wouldn't put him in the same
"league" as Otis Nixon, Zane Smith, et al.

Now Jose Canseco is an interesting case.  Here is someone
who has very handsome features, yet he is completely
unattractive (to me).  He has dead eyes.  He looks like
he was once human, but was taken over by aliens from space.
He gives me the creeps.

Once again, all this is purely subjective.

Heather
HHENDERSON@vax.clarku.edu
From: kettler@mitme5.mit.edu (KETTLER, THOMAS R.)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: MVP Awards
Date: 15 Sep 92 17:45:00 GMT
Organization: MIT Lab for Nuclear Science
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.4-b1

In article <38059@sdcc12.ucsd.edu>, demers@cs.ucsd.edu (David DeMers)           writes...
>In article <1992Sep14.173431.5552@island.COM> fester@island.COM (Mike Fester) writes:
> 
> 
>No list, but I believe that there is one per franchise; and Phil Collier of
>the Union-Tribune is the San Diego voter.  He's pretty reasonable, but kind 
>of an old fart and definitely no sabermetrician.  If Mike Downey gets a vote, all
>bets are off - he's an idiot.
> 
Actually, I think it is two per franchise area, the same as for Rookie of the 
Year.

					Sincerely yours,

					Thomas R. Kettler "Expos Fanatic"
From: jhg8680@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Jon  Hamkins)
Subject: Re: Times on Base: all-time records and Frank Thomas
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 21:28:52 GMT

rstimets@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (robert and stimets) writes:

>In article <5592@blue.cis.pitt.edu.UUCP> genetic+@pitt.edu (Dr. Dave) writes:
>>Thus spake chee1l5@jetson.uh.edu (Sam Lane):
>>>In article <5580@blue.cis.pitt.edu.UUCP>, genetic+@pitt.edu (Dr. Dave) writes:
>>Fielders' choice is different.  FC's usually occur when the fielder could have
>>put you out with a routine play, but instead chose to put out some other runner
>>with an equally routine play.  It's worse than an ordinary out, in that an
>>ordinary out at least might advance other runners ahead of you.  It is totally
>>unlike reaching on an error, and really is due to circumstances beyond the
>>batter's control.
>>
>But in certain circumstances that FC can be big.  If the batter (Jeff Branson)
>is hitting with one out in the bottom of the ninth, runners at first and
>third, and he grounds up the middle, just beating the relay to avoid the
>double play, while (Paul O'Neill) dashes home for the winning run...

Yes, in that case, you do help your team.  In fact, you even slightly
help the number of expected runs in the inning.  Reposting Sherri's
data from May, here's the list of expected runs in various situations:

                  Outs
Runners       0     1    2
None        .454  .249 .095
1st         .783  .478 .209
2nd        1.068  .699 .348
3rd        1.277  .897 .382
1st,2nd    1.380  .888 .457
1st,3rd    1.639 1.088 .494
2nd,3rd    1.946 1.371 .661
Full       2.254 1.546 .798

So, before Branson hit, the expected runs in the inning is 1.088, and
after, it's 1.209.  A help, but not even close to the value of getting
hit by a pitch.  Also, take a look at all of the other situations.  If
there were no outs, Branson reduces the expected runs from 1.639 to
1.209.  True, at times we'd want to also consider the probablility of
scoring _at least_ one run, which could end the game if it is the
ninth, but unless it IS the ninth (or tied in the eighth, or something
similar), I think you're better off maximizing expected runs.

     ----Jon Hamkins  (hamkins@uiuc.edu)
         University of Illinios
         Urbana, IL
From: genetic+@pitt.edu (Dr. Dave)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Winfield: Best 40-year-old ever?
Date: 5 Sep 92 03:45:25 GMT
Organization: Department of Industrial Engineering

Bill James's 1986 Baseball Abstract presents a list of the best seasons of
all time by age of player.  Among the 40-year-olds, James picked Willie Mays
as the MVP.  Mays posted on OPS of .911 in 530 plate appearances in 1971, and
played left field.

This year, Dave Winfield is on a pace to post an OPS of about .880 over a
considerably larger number of plate appearances.  Comparing Mays's line with
Winfield's projection, we get:

	AB  H  2B  3B  HR  RBI  R   BB  AVG  OBP  SLG  SB  CS
WM     417 113 24   5  18   61 82  112 .271 .429 .482  23   3
DW     600 175 38   4  28  105 97   80 .291 .375 .505   3   3

I think that the extra playing time for Winfield will offset Mays's advantage
in OBP and on the basepaths.  Mays was a below-average fielder that year, so
there's no big advantage there.

Of course, there are other candidates: Cobb '27 (4th in batting average, 5th
in OBP, 557 PA), Sam Rice in '30 (4th in hits, 648 PA), and one or two others.
But Winfield has a pretty good case...

-- 
      David M. Tate      | From my dugout sleep I fell into the Game
 dtate@unix.cis.pitt.edu | And I crouched in the circle while my insides froze
 Randall 'Chico' Jarrell | One out from death, one hit from dreamt-of glory
"Death of a Pinch Hitter"| I woke to 'Strike One!' and the nightmare sliders...
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: hhenderson@vax.clarku.edu
Subject: Stupid Injuries: Bill Lee
Organization: Clark University
Date: 15 SEP 92 13:27:48 GMT

Here's another stupid injury, a favorite of mine.  Bill Lee tells
about it in his book "The Wrong Stuff".

In 1980 he had a bad start to the season, but had a good game
against St. Louis in which he pitched eight great innings.  He
decided to celebrate, as was his wont.  He dragged himself home
that night and made the mistake of pushing himself out the door
the next morning to get his running in.  At 8:00 a.m., Lee passed
the house of "a friend" and decided to see if she was in.  He didn't
want to wake her up by ringing the doorbell, so he thought it best
to climb up the facade of the house's outer gate, grab onto its
awning, and tap on her window (I guess it made sense to him at the
time, for whatever obscure reason).

It was an older building, and when he pushed up to grab the awning,
a brick broke and he started to fall.  He tried to hang onto a
piece of wrought-iron trim, but it snapped.  He fell ten feet
and caught his left hip on a small iron fence below, chipping
his pelvis and rupturing his hip muscles.  He was out for four
weeks.

Jogging in Montreal must be a fairly risky thing.  At least it
was for him...

Heather
HHENDERON@vax.clarku.edu
From: jtchern@ocf.berkeley.edu (Joseph Hernandez)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: MLB Magic Numbers for Sun, Sep 13th, 1992
Date: 13 Sep 92 18:02:05 GMT
Organization: Joseph TeleCommunications Enterprises; Berkeley, California, USA
Via: JTC Enterprises Major League Baseball Department (Statistics Division)
     JTC Enterprises Sports Sector (Information Department)


     MAGIC NUMBERS OF DIVISION LEADERS FOR SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1992

          [NOTE: Includes all of yesterday's games; i-idle yesterday
           z-won yesterday or split a doubleheader; EL-eliminated.]

NATIONAL WEST		 MN	        	NATIONAL EAST		 MN
Atlanta	Braves		z--		        Pittsburgh Pirates	z--
Cincinnati Reds         z12		        Montreal Expos		z18
San Diego Padres         11		        St. Louis Cardinals     z12
Houston Astros            2		        Chicago Cubs             11
San Francisco Giants     EL		        New York Mets             4
Los Angeles Dodgers	zEL		        Philadelphia Phillies	 EL

AMERICAN WEST		 MN 		        AMERICAN EAST		 MN
Oakland Athletics	z--		        Toronto Blue Jays	z--
Minnesota Twins         z15		        Baltimore Orioles	 17
Chicago White Sox        12		        Milwaukee Brewers	z15
Texas Rangers		  3		        New York Yankees        z 7
California Angels        EL		        Cleveland Indians       z 5
Kansas City Royals       EL		        Boston Red Sox            4
Seattle Mariners	 EL		        Detroit Tigers          z 3
-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Joseph TeleCommunications Enterprises World Headquarters
*****  *****  *****  jtchern@ocf.Berkeley.EDU          jtcent@soda.Berkeley.EDU
    *    *    *      jhernand@nyx.cs.DU.EDU                    josephhz@IDS.NET
    *    *    *      cb085@cleveland.Freenet.EDU      jph@m-net.ann-arbor.MI.US
*****    *    *****  University of California, Berkeley, California, USA  94720
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: uzogg@mcl.ucsb.edu (Kevin Galinsky)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: REPOST: Information on MLB Stadiums
Date: 9 Sep 92 20:22:15 GMT

In <9209091631.AA138675@sub.aix.rpi.edu> sullis@RPI.EDU (Sean C. Sullivan) writes:
>Baltimore Orioles         Camden Yards       47,000

Baltimore plays at Oriole Park AT Camden Yards

>---
>-Sean Sullivan
> sullis@rpi.edu

 -- Kevin Galinsky
From: g_waugaman@nac.enet.dec.com (Glenn R. Waugaman)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Ripken Watch Replaces Galarraga Watch
Date: 10 Sep 92 17:44:34 GMT
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation


In article <BuDCMr.Iz6@news.cso.uiuc.edu>, hbrooks@uiatma.atmos.uiuc.edu (Harold_Brooks) writes...
>
>Cal Ripken   April-August   .249 BA  .355 SLG  .329 OBA
>Cal Ripken (1 Sep.- 9 Sep.) .152 BA  .182 SLG  .222 OBA

Yes, even as one of the original defenders of The Streak, I must admit 
that the time has come for the Orioles to start sitting Cal Ripken down 
once and a while.  The body is not the same at 32 years of age as it might 
have been 5 years ago (or even last year!).  I never defended The Streak
for The Streak's sake in the first place, but rather because I did not
believe there was any loss in playing a 25-HR-per-season man every day as 
opposed to occasionally substituting Juan Bell, and I still believe that. 
But there is no way that on a contending team that playing Ripken every
day at this season's rate of production can be justified.  It's time. 

---
Glenn Waugaman
Digital Equipment Corporation
Littleton, MA
g_waugaman@nac.enet.dec.com
---
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: claudius@leland.stanford.edu (Nelson Lu)
Subject: RC/27 for 3Bs
Organization: DSG, Stanford University
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 92 08:40:18 GMT

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Gary Sheffield, San Diego	9.45
Ken Caminiti, Houston		6.42
Terry Pendleton, Atlanta	6.22
Dave Hollins, Philadelphia	5.77
Dave Magadan, New York		5.77
Jeff Kent, New York		4.84
Steve Buechele, Chicago		4.77
NL AVERAGE			4.73
Todd Zeile, St. Louis		4.52
Chris Sabo, Cincinnati		4.42
Bret Barberie, Montreal		3.75
Tim Wallach, Montreal		3.61
Matt Williams, San Francisco	3.38
Dave Hansen, Los Angeles	3.17

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Edgar Martinez, Seattle		9.60
Robin Ventura, Chicago		6.32	; notice big gap
Leo Gomez, Baltimore		6.30
Gregg Jefferies, Kansas City	5.90
Rene Gonzales, California	5.61
Dean Palmer, Texas		5.20
Wade Boggs, Boston		5.09
Carney Lansford, Oakland	5.03	; the Huckabay effect
AL AVERAGE			4.84
Kevin Seitzer, Milwaukee	4.75
Scott Leius, Minnesota		4.48
Brook Jacoby, Cleveland		4.09
Charlie Hayes, New York		4.07
Scott Livingstone, Detroit	3.63
Kelly Gruber, Toronto		3.25
Gary Gaetti, California		3.10

===============================================================================
GO CALIFORNIA ANGELS!
===============================================================================
Nelson Lu (claudius@leland.stanford.edu)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: carl@warper.jhuapl.edu (Carl Lamy)
Subject: Pursue the Pennant
Organization: Johns Hopkins University
Date:  8 Sep 92 12:34:59 GMT

Sorry for bringing up old news, but I figured you all out there could
help me.

I'm thinking of buying a friend of mine "Pursue the Pennant" for his
birthday, but the discussion on the .net has me a little confused. There
has been talk about "Cards" which leads me to believe that its a type
of board game (Good for me because my friend doesn't own an IBM clone), and
there's been talk that you NEED an IBM or clone to run the game.

Is "Pursue the Pennant" a board game, or a computer game, or a mix of both?
Any info. I receive will be greatly appreciated.

			See you later, Carl

INET: carl@warper.jhuapl.edu
UUCP: {backbone!}mimsy!aplcomm!warper!carl

Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: fester@island.COM (Mike Fester)
Subject: Re: Lies, Damn Lies, & Statistics (was Re: The Monthly Cecil Fielder Thread
Organization: /usr/local/rn/organization
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 14:28:54 GMT

In article <1992Sep8.203854.28309@midway.uchicago.edu> thf2@midway.uchicago.edu writes:
>In article <1992Sep8.161341.2574@island.COM> fester@island.COM (Mike Fester) writes:
>>In article <1992Sep3.231135.16962@cs.cornell.edu> tedward@cs.cornell.edu (Edward [Ted] Fischer) writes:
>>>Why is it that the people who purport to *least* believe in statistics
>>>are so ready to bet the bank on the least significant ones?  Roger,
>>
>>Probably for the same reason the people who most decry the "mediots" are the
>>same who will spend the most time this winter defending the "mediots" MVP
>>selection.
>
>Hey, if a mediot managed to mention that the sky was blue, I wouldn't
>discredit it; they're bound to get something right accidentally occasionally.
>
>Now, nine mediots last year said (and voted) that Cecil Fielder was the
>AL's MVP, when he wasn't (1) the MVP of the Tigers, or (2) the MV first
>baseman.  And Fielder still complained.

I thought you were talking about the "mediots". In any event, Cecil did not
win the award, now did he? And you very vocally defended that choice. It
would seem you're saying, if there's a disagreement between you and them, THEY
are idiots, but if you agree, they again are idiots. YOU, however, remain a 
reasonable observer under all circumstances.

In any event, as mentioned before, take it up with Bill James; he spends a 
good deal of his Historical Abstract explaining WHY the MVP award works well
overall. I'd have to say I mostly agree.

Mike
-- 
Disclaimer - I'm only doing what the little voices tell me to do. 
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: kirsch@epx.cis.umn.edu (Dave Kirsch)
Subject: Re: Famous Netters
Organization: Paul Spoljaric mean-and-nasty club
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 22:04:52 GMT

In article <1992Sep4.220251.20223@midway.uchicago.edu> nss3@midway.uchicago.edu (Noel 'more often mistaken for a queer than a' Steere) writes:
>
>Gosh, this is becoming even bigger than when I got published in
>Penthouse! :-)

  And folks, that time it wasn't in the letters section :-) That was one
heckuva photo spread; Bob 'Hoochie' Guccione must've shot it himself.  
(I still can't figure out how the dog and the midget were supposed to fit in 
though, Noel.) 
 
>Seriously, I'm surprised more people from the Net haven't gotten their
>names in: it's McWeekly's quarter (1-800 number), and the lines never
>seem to be busy.  I figure we can blitz them with phone calls when
>they ask "Should Cecil Fielder get the MVP this year?"

  Well, I'm waiting for a question worthy of response. Last week's is pretty 
much a lame duck question now that Vincent has resigned. Maybe this week's
will be something like, "Who will be the first Uzzi-toting fan to get to
Sandy Alderson?" 

-- 
Dave Hung Like a Jim Acker Slider Kirsch            kirsch@epx.cis.umn.edu 
"Blue Jays - break my heart again in '92"    Roberto Hernandez throws peas  
"I believe virtually everything I read, and I think that is what makes me
   MORE of a selective human" - Joe Average, baseball fan and media puppet
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: tedward@cs.cornell.edu (Edward [Ted] Fischer)
Subject: Re: GET OFF THE BANDWAGON!
Organization: Cornell Univ. CS Dept, Ithaca NY 14853
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1992 04:39:30 GMT

In article <1992Sep4.203730.1289@newsgate.sps.mot.com> jeffh@pisces.sps.mot.com (Jeff Heilner) writes:
>
>Why, because a team makes a personnel decision that you don't agree with,  
>do you suddenly feel that you can no longer support the team as you once  
>did?

Some of us are fans of the players as much as of the teams.  And why
not?  What is there to love about a team?  I'm sure you know me as one
of the more rabid fans on the net.  Yet I would instantly jump ship if
Clemens were traded.  And I can see how Canseco personifies the A's in
the same way that Clemens is the life and soul of the Red Sox.

>OAKLAND A'S FAN **CONTINUOUSLY** since 1977!!! 

And I've been a Red Sox fan since spring '86, when I was introduced to
baseball by a Mets fan.  I suppose it helped that the Red Sox won the
division.  But I wasn't really jumping on the bandwagon, I just hadn't
followed baseball at all before then.  And I've certainly stuck with
them through their failures since...

Cheers,
-Valentine
-- 
Make outs, not walks!					tedward@cs.cornell.edu
Clemens four Cy Young!
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: zuhars@madrone.eecs.ucdavis.edu (Gary Owners' Lackey Huckabay)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Personal Attacks on the Net
Date: 10 Sep 92 22:19:01 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Bud Selig L'il Commissioners' Club [Rising Division]

(robert and stimets) writes:
>Anyway, but participants in the discussion had reduced themselves to some 
>rather vicious personal attacks (on such relevant issues as looks and sex
>life) which is evidently INAPPROPRIATE ON THIS NET!!!

Definitely an election year sentence.  However, I don't remember
attacking Mr. Maynard's sex life.  Perhaps I would find your news feed
more entertaining.

Roger and I have corresponded through email a bit, and I think you'll
find that there was a discussion in my post about Cecil Fielder,
particularly in regards to his value compared to Whitaker and
Tettleton.  (Both of whom are vastly superior ballplayers, by the way,
albeit with fewer RBI.)

>GH finishes by telling his combatant that he should "kill" Mr.Huckaby.

To avoid confusion - GH IS Mr. Huckabay.

My point, to Roger Maynard, and Mike Fester, and anyone else who
considers Cecil Fielder in 1991, or in 1992, a viable MVP candidate,
is this:

Cecil Fielder plays a position that almost anyone in the major leagues
can field.  He makes outs voraciously, more so this year than in the
past, and the cost of his production needs to be considered when
evaluating him as a ballplayer.  That cost, in my opinion, is
prohibitive in terms of Cecil being the Most Valuable Player.  For
that matter, I consider his out consumption prohibitive in terms of
Cecil being even a particularly valuable player.

Bottom line:  In the real world, if you want to be TRULY the most
valuable player in the league, you have to help your team win by
contributing heavily towards a positive run differential for your team
during the year.

I don't see Cecil Fielder, this year, doing that any more than a
roughly league average player.  I'd rather have any number of other
first basemen than Cecil.  Despite his 3.9 * 10^13 RBI, or however
many he currently has.

I say the Tigers should sign this Fafoofnik guy in the offseason, and
put him behind Phillips and Whitaker.



-- 
* Gary Huckabay * 'The thing that I'll miss most about Dave Parker's *
*  "Not often   *  leadership is his 25 home runs.  Leadership falls *
* mistaken for  *  on my shoulders.  Anyone who tells you different  *
*  Joe Lundy."  *  is selling papers.' - Tony LaRussa.               *
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: silber@m.cs.uiuc.edu (Ami A. Silberman)
Subject: Terry McDaniel, where is he?
Organization: University of Illinois, Dept. of Comp. Sci., Urbana, IL
Distribution: rec
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 17:45:10 GMT

What ever happened to the Mets' minor league outfielder Terry McDaniel?
I haven't seen his stats in the BB Weekly minor league reports, but I may
have missed them. (It would be nice if they came out with cumulative minor
league stats sometimes during the season.) He was called up last year, but
not, so far, this year. Is he still in baseball?
thanks

-- 
ami silberman - janitor of lunacy
	silber@cs.uiuc.edu
From: psg+@pitt.edu (Paul S Galvanek)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Opinions, give 'em to me and make it hurt!
Date: 8 Sep 92 18:25:57 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh

What does the collective think or know about A's 3bman Jerry Browne?

It seems that he's hitting okay this year but not for much power.  Is
he a legitimate major league prospect?  I know nothing of him so any
opinion, fact, minor league stats etc etc would be helpful in helping
to determine whether he's a pick of mine in next years ABPA draft.

Thanks 

Paul
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: fester@island.COM (Mike Fester)
Subject: Re: roy NL
Organization: /usr/local/rn/organization
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 15:11:18 GMT

In article <1992Sep2.232156.24743@leland.Stanford.EDU> claudius@leland.Stanford.EDU (Nelson Lu) writes:
>In article <1992Sep2.170328.14290@meaddata.com> daves@meaddata.com (Dave Spencer) writes:
>
>>   Huh???  There is no possible way excluding death, that the writers
>>   will give the NL ROY to anyone other than Mr. Eric Karros. An
>>   average pitcher like Williams can even compare to the stats Karros
>>   has put up with the hapless Dodgers. Williams may have a shot at
>>   the Rookie Pitcher's award, but the ROY, that would be a crime!
>
>If Karros does get the ROY it would be a crime (not to say that it won't
>happen; in fact, it has a good chance of happening).  Both Reggie Sanders and
>Moises Alou have contributed more than he has.

Why do you have this fascination with part-timers? It is a FACT that neither
Alou nor Sanders have nearly as much playing time as Karros. It is also a 
FACT that Karros plays in a much more difficult park for hitters: in fact, the
5-year average for SLG and HR increase is higher for Riverfront than for any
other park in the majors (yes, including Wrigley, Tiger Stadium, and Atlanta).

Mike
-- 
Disclaimer - I'm only doing what the little voices tell me to do. 
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball