HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: snichols@adobe.com (Sherri Nichols)
Subject: Re: Value of Stats
Organization: Adobe Systems Incorporated
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 19:37:51 GMT

In article <5121@transfer.stratus.com> jmann@vineland.pubs.stratus.com writes:
>Agreed. And if you told us that "Jane Smith in my office is very
>valuable. In addition to doing a great job in her coding she
>also has helped morale, done a lot of extra work helping a few
>new people, and generally contributed to a more productive 
>environment" we'd believe you, and be pretty sure that you were
>right.  But, if I state (to go back to my favorite example of this)
>the Pittsburgh Pirate players gave Willie Stargell a lot of credit
>for making them all play better in their world series year,"  we'll
>have several people who then post that these baseball players really
>don't know anything about this. 

We're still talking about different things.  In the first place, I wouldn't
say anything about morale in reporting to you how Jane Smith did.  The
extra work helping new people is hardly an intangible; I can see what she
did to help new people.  Ditto for lending help to others.  These are not
"intangibles"; they are specific things that Jane did beyond her job
description.  

However, I have not seen any reports of specific things that Willie
Stargell did to help the other players on the team learn their job or
perform their job better.

Sherri Nichols
snichols@adobe.com
From: mikeshow@milton.u.washington.edu (Mike Showalter)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: ** WIFFLEBALL **
Date: 30 Jul 92 16:06:38 GMT
Article-I.D.: u.1992Jul30.160638.11156
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle

In article <92212.012855IO20456@MAINE.MAINE.EDU> IO20456@MAINE.MAINE.EDU (Ryan Robbins) writes:
>Wiffleball has really taken off in popularity these past few years,
>especially among older teenagers and college players. The game,
>because everything is automatic and there is no running involved,
>is a good way for players to sit back and relax, playing a simple
>game of one on one or two on two in the back yard.
>
(stuff deleted)
>
>What I am interested in hearing from you is how many of you play
>wiffleball on a pretty much regular basis throughout the summer,
>and what are some of the quirks and rules of your "fields?" By
>quirks, I mean like my field has natural land mines all over the
>field for hitters, and left field has a fifty-foot tree cover for
>150 feet, with the only real chance for hitters to hit a home run
>being to straightaway center field (unless they can stroke one 120+
>feet to right).
>
I play wiffleball several times a week with my two kids (15 and
6 years old) in our front yard field. Although it is only about
50 feet to the fences from home plate, there are 2 large cedar
trees and a holly tree that ring the outfield, making it very
difficult to hit home runs on a regular basis.  Still, it is
easy enough that even my 6-year-old son can get one out on
occasion.  Most outs are strikeouts and pop flies, but you can
get a runner out by hitting them with the ball.  Pop flies
that drop through tree branches are in play, but if they get
stuck they are outs.  There are plenty of other quirky rules
about foul territory and such, so many that we are going to
write them down because my daughter is always claiming I make
them up anew each game.

BTW, I heard an interview on the local sports radio station
earlier in the summer about a formal wiffleball league that was
starting in  Seattle. So, the popularity does seem to be ggoing up.


Mike Showalter
mikeshow@milton.u.washington.edu
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: rising@zoo.toronto.edu (Jim Rising)
Subject: Congratulations to jking
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1992 14:59:56 GMT
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology

Congratulations.  However, if you are right handed and your wife is
left handed there is only a 50% chance that your offspring will be
a southpaw IF you have one left handed parent.  Hope you're right,
however, because she has a much better chance making it to the bigs
as a southpaw!
-- 
Name:     Jim Rising
Mail:     Dept. Zoology, Univ. Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada    M5S 1A1
UUCP:     uunet!attcan!utzoo!rising 
BITNET:   rising@zoo.utoronto.ca
From: dtate+@pitt.edu (David M Tate)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: GMaddux to Test Free Agency Waters
Date: 24 Jul 92 17:30:22 GMT
Organization: Factors of Ys, Inc.

In article <92206.104324U13054@uicvm.uic.edu> U13054@uicvm.uic.edu (Howard Wachtel) writes:
>In article <3644@blue.cis.pitt.edu.UUCP>, dtate+@pitt.edu (David M Tate) says:
>>
>>What exactly are the Cubs doing to him?
>
>   Not offering Andre more than a one-year contract.  

Good heavens, why would anyone with 3/8 of a brain offer Andre more than one
year?  He could self-destruct at any moment, and he's not much of a player
any more as things stand.  This sounds like the first well-thought-out thing
the Cubs have done in ages.

-- 
        David Tate         |  "Complacencies of the fungo, and late 
  dtate@unix.cis.pitt.edu  |   Infield and B.P. in a sunny field
     "Sunday Afternoon"    |   [...]         mingle to dissipate
  Wallace "Vern" Stevens   |   The holy hush of Pastime National..."
From: claudius@leland.Stanford.EDU (Nelson Lu)
Subject: Re: Mock NL Expansion Draft (Long)
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 92 00:01:51 GMT

In article <27JUL199215251009@pierre.mit.edu> kettler@pierre.mit.edu (KETTLER, THOMAS R.) writes:

>2. It does not include the fourth round of the draft. By round, I mean the 
>series where a one player from each team is drafted by the Marlins or the 
>Rockies. As a concession to the AL, the NL agreed to having a fourth round 
>where only players from NL franchises would be drafted.

I don't think it was quite the case.  I thought that the agreement is that
only 8 of 14 AL clubs would lose a player in the third round.

===============================================================================
GO CALIFORNIA ANGELS!
Committee to Elect Johnny Ray as Angels Second Baseman
Committee to Elect Mike Witt as Angels Ace
Committee to Elect Cookie Rojas as Angels Manager
===============================================================================
Nelson Lu (claudius@leland.stanford.edu)
From: ddyte@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Message for Chuck McMath
Date: 27 Jul 92 15:45:16 +1000
Organization: Computer Centre, Monash University, Australia


MESSAGE FOR CHUCK MCMATH RE: Larry Whisenton
--------------------------------------------

(Apologies to netters- email appears not to be working)

Chuck,
      I have received your messages about Larry Whisenton
cards, and I am most grateful for your efforts. I have now sent
four messages to you, my guess is that they haven't got there.

      Accordingly, please send the cards to:

                             David Dyte
                          24 Fenton Street
                             Huntingdale 3166 (Australia)

      Also, please send an address so I can send card sets of
the Melbourne Bushrangers and the Waverley Reds...

                                thankyou again,
                                               David Dyte
                                         (and for Dave Rogerson)
From: ocf.berkeley.edu!jtchern@overmind.mind.org
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Talkin' Baseball
Date: 22 Jul 92 20:07:00 GMT
Organization: U. C. Berkeley Open Computing Facility
X-mailer: Stadel 3.4a-227
X-Spam-content: irrelevant

Does anyone have the lyrics to Terry Cashman's song titled "Talkin' Baseball:
Mickey and the Duke?" I just love that song!

If anyone has the lyrics to that song or any other team version (e.g. Talkin'
Baseball: Tha Giants by the Bay), I would like a copy of it.

I already have the lyrics to the 1988 Dodgers' version "Talkin' Baseball 
(Forever Dodger Blue).

I would appreciate any information via e-mail to jtchern@ocf.berkeley.edu

Thanks in advance,
Joe Hernandez (avid Dodger fan stuck in Northern California)
-- 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
            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: dtate+@pitt.edu (David M Tate)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Dawson, was: Re: GMaddux to Test Free Agency Waters
Date: 27 Jul 92 17:34:25 GMT
Organization: Factors of Ys, Inc.

In article <1992Jul27.155444.25257@tamsun.tamu.edu> rlm7638@tamsun.tamu.edu (Jack McKinney) writes:

>     The standard by which he was to be judged was 25 HR just a couple of
>articles ago. 

??  Not from me.  I'm not responsible for things other people post.

-- 
        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."
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: claudius@leland.stanford.edu (Nelson Lu)
Subject: RC/27 for 2Bs
Organization: DSG, Stanford University
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 92 18:06:43 GMT

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Ryne Sandberg, Chicago		6.47
Delino DeShields, Montreal	6.25
Luis Alicea, St. Louis		5.59
Craig Biggio, Houston		5.57
Robby Thompson, San Francisco	4.75
Mickey Morandini, Philadelphia	4.70
Bill Doran, Cincinnati		4.58
Willie Randolph, New York	4.14
Lenny Harris, Los Angeles	3.54
Kurt Stillwell, San Diego	3.13
Mark Lemke, Atlanta		2.79
Jose Lind, Pittsburgh		2.65

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Roberto Alomar, Toronto		7.82
Lou Whitaker, Detroit		7.15
Carlos Baerga, Cleveland	6.46
Chuck Knoblauch, Minnesota	6.42
Keith Miller, Kansas City	5.95
Rene Gonzales, California	5.61
Lance Blankenship, Oakland	5.56
Jeff Huson, Texas		5.52
Scott Fletcher, Milwaukee	5.36
Luis Sojo, California		5.29
Mike Bordick, Oakland		5.26
Jody Reed, Boston		4.13
Mark McLemore, Baltimore	4.02
Harold Reynolds, Seattle	3.64
Steve Sax, Chicago		3.30
Billy Ripken, Baltimore		3.10
Jim Gantner, Milwaukee		2.87
Pat Kelly, New York		2.71
Al Newman, Texas		2.66

===============================================================================
GO CALIFORNIA ANGELS!
Committee to Elect Johnny Ray as Angels Second Baseman
Committee to Elect Mike Witt as Angels Ace
Committee to Elect Cookie Rojas as Angels Manager
===============================================================================
Nelson Lu (claudius@leland.stanford.edu)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: mit@b30.ingr.com (Timothy A. Turner)
Subject: Everything is coming together.
Organization: Intergraph
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 14:44:14 GMT

End of July and all four divisions have tight races.
That hasn't happened in a while, has it?

Any thoughts.

Tim
From: vulcan.spd.louisvil!bmbrow01@overmind.mind.org
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Oriole tickets
Date: 22 Jul 92 19:58:00 GMT
Organization: University of Louisville
X-mailer: Stadel 3.4a-227
X-Spam-content: irrelevant


Does anybody out there know how I can get Oriole home game tickets for
the week of Aug 2-7.  I will be in Baltimore that week and they are 
home.  I have been wanting to go to the new park.  Unfortunately the
only seats available are single seats.  I wuold need about four to six
tickets.  If anyone knows how I might get a hold of some please let me
know.

Brian Brown
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: niccum@cs.umn.edu (Tom Niccum)
Subject: Re: Twins release Donnie Hill
Organization: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, CSci dept.
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 15:38:30 GMT

In <1992Jul21.150112.882@news2.cis.umn.edu> kimmel@epx.cis.umn.edu (Eric Kimmel) writes:

>In article <1992Jul20.152841.8341@cs.umn.edu> niccum@cs.umn.edu (Tom Niccum) writes:
>>In <1992Jul20.141749.231@brtph560.bnr.ca> Paul Schroeder writes:
>>
>>>A few days ago I read in the newspaper that the Twins released Donnie Hill and
>>

[Reason for Hill release deleted]

>It was also hinted at that he doesn't play good defense on turf (having played
>in California for several years).  I don't know if Reboulet will help out
>that much.  I can just see the bottom of the lineup when Erickson pitches:
>Lenny Webster, Jeff Reboulet, Greg Gagne.  I bet pitchers are scared about
>that one.

Nothing says that Reboulet has to play on the same days as Webster of
course, though this happened against Clemmens on Saturday.  According
to Kelly, Reboulet spelled Leius because of the Day-game after night
game situation.  

>I thought it was a pretty bad move.  If Reboulet can learn 3rd base, Hill
>probably could.  And he hit better.

I think the point is that Reboulet (in management's opinion) doesn't have
to "learn" third base.  He was up earlier in the year (when Hill was on
the DL) and showed that he could play an adequate third, short and second.

>>
>>-Tom
>>
>>-- 
>>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>Thomas M. Niccum  | Army High Performance Computing Research Center
>>niccum@cs.umn.edu | University of Minnesota
>>        	  | 612-626-8084 or 612-624-7807

>ewk
-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thomas M. Niccum  | Army High Performance Computing Research Center
niccum@cs.umn.edu | University of Minnesota
        	  | 612-626-8084 or 612-624-7807
From: sivaram@plains.NoDak.edu (Sivaram Hariharan )
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: As/Twins Show-Down 9 ...... 7/28/92
Date: 29 Jul 92 15:25:38 GMT
Article-I.D.: plains.19419
Organization: North Dakota State University, Fargo

The As won a slug-fest, as they beat the Twins 12-10 and
crept within 1 game of the Twins in the AL-west.    

The As looked all set to roar as Mcguire hit a 2 run homer
in the top of the 1st to lead 2-0, but the Twins came back
to tie it 2-2 in the bottom of the 1st. The Twins made it
6-2 by the end of 3 innings, however, Oakland came back
with Mcguire again crunching a 3-run homer to LF to make it
6-5. Then on, it was all As as they added 6 more to make it
11-6. But the Twins crept back to within 2 runs to make it
11-9. Oakland got one more in the top of the 7th to make it
12-9, and the twins replied with one more to make it 12-10
after 7. 

However, Larussa brought on the ever-relaible EK to the 
mound, who shut the door on the Twins.... 

Oakland has got some new guys like Fox, who is just plain
hot. I consider this nw look As to be a greater threat than
the older team.

Today, Bill krueger, who has never won a game in his career
with the As takes the mound for the Twins against Stewarts
of Oakland.

S.H
Forever a Twins' fan....
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: tedward@cs.cornell.edu (Edward [Ted] Fischer)
Subject: Re: Ok
Organization: Cornell Univ. CS Dept, Ithaca NY 14853
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 20:03:30 GMT

In article <1992Jul22.143226.15096@cpqhou.compaq.com> carlr@cpqhou.UUCP (Carl Rempert) writes:
>
>You know, stat-heads and anti-stat people can co-exist, as long as neither
>group gets an holier than thou attitude.  So people, post your opinions. 
>And let he (or she) who is without fault cast the first stone.

Agreed.  You've made mistakes too, you know...

My brother ended up having to choose between Barberie and Jay Bell in
a fantasy league.  After all the fuss, I thought Barberie would be the
obvious choice.  After looking more closely at the stats, however,
(and at Bill James' predictions) I decided that Bell was the better
pick.  I'm actually not quite sure why people were going nuts over
Barberie.  His minor league career wasn't *that* good.

As for Plantier, I stand by him.  He may have had a miserable
April/May, but since then he has looked a lot better.  I still expect
him to some day hit .300 with 30+ HR.  He is still bothered by the
surgery he had in the off-season (which nobody saw fit to tell the
press about).  He will finish this year at .270/20, and that will be
his worst year until he turns 35.

Cheers,
-Valentine
-- 
If Plantier goes, I go!				tedward@cs.cornell.edu
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: alchemy@cs1.bradley.edu (Mike Swiston)
Subject: Re: GMaddux to Test Free Agency Waters
Organization: salt of the earth in open wounds.
Distribution: na
Date: 22 Jul 92 00:12:41 GMT

zacca@en.ecn.purdue.edu (The Grand Pooh-Bah) writes:

% Just to add my two cents,  I don't think it has anything at all to do with
% the money.  Greg Maddux had been one of the best pitchers in the National 
% league for the last 3 years, consistently.  I think that he feels that he
% should have a shot at winning a penant, and doesn't think he has a chance of
% obtaining that goal with the Cubs.  Believe me, I am a die-hard Cubs fan, but
% one must be realistic, and that is what I think he is doing.

I was told that the Cubs are something like 8-23 against
the Pirates, Reds, and Braves this season, and 34-27
against everybody else [this was second hand, so those
numbers may be slightly off, but you get the idea].
Since all three of those teams will be in the East next
season, it would seem that the Cubs have an excellent
shot at a division title next year.
I think their chances will be greatly diminished without
Maddux in the rotation.


alchemy@cs1.bradley.edu    
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: djohnson@cayley.waterloo.edu (David Johnson)
Subject: Re: Value of Stats
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 16:04:53 GMT

In article <10010654@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM> mjs@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Marc Sabatella) writes:
>In rec.sport.baseball, djohnson@cayley.waterloo.edu (David Johnson) writes:
>
>> in r.s.b statistics are used too much and other factors such as the players
>> attitude, effort and enthusiasm is rarely mentioned.  I believe that these
>> are very important to a players evaluation and should definitely be used
>> more often when evaluating players.  I was not trying to suggest that you 
>> don't like or watch baseball but that players can't be evaluted on 
>> statisics solely and I would like to see more evaluation on players effort
>> and attitude.
>
>OK, fine.  When the subject is, "who has better attitude, George Bell or Dave
>Winfield", I promise not to quote statistics.
>
>When the subject is "who contributed more to the offense of their respective
>teams", will you promise not to get sidetracked into "enthusiasm"?

There are two question which I feel can be asked when comparing players.
1)  Who is more talented?  This requires statistics alone.  Attitude,
    enthusiasm etc. won't change talent.
2)  Who is more better for the team?  This requires the combination of using
    statistics and analysing the intangibles.

>
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Marc "Dave" Sabatella		Disclaimer: OPS is not the One True Statistic
>marc@hpmonk.fc.hp.com		that makes all others obsolete
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>"Mmmm - po-ta-to chips!" - John Stuart Mill

Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball,rec.sport.baseball.fantasy
From: hora@ecf.toronto.edu (HO ROBERT ANDREW)
Subject: Re: OLERUD
Organization: University of Toronto, Engineering Computing Facility
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1992 04:30:38 GMT

In article <1992Jul27.200451.5806@cbnewsl.cb.att.com> starg@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (tony.a.stargel) writes:
>
>Does anyone know what is wrong with John Olerud.
>I noticed he didn't play in Friday's or Saturday's
>game and pinch hit in Sunday's.
>And I didn't see anything in today's USA Today.
>
>Thanks.
>
>Tony Stargel




Olerud sustained a pulled hamstring in the second inning of Thursday's game.
An article in today's paper suggests that with the day off on Monday, he
should return to the starting lineup in Tuesday's game.

-- 
=============================================================
Robert Ho               | "Have you got a plan m'lord?"
Univ. of Toronto        | "Yes, and it`s so cunning you could
hora@bullet.ecf.toronto.|     brush your teeth with it."
From: dtate+@pitt.edu (David M Tate)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Home/road differentials (was ARTIFICIAL TURF: EMBARRASSMENT)
Date: 28 Jul 92 20:43:35 GMT
Organization: Factors of Ys, Inc.

In article <sybesmer.712350152@uther> sybesmer@uther.calvin.edu (Eric W Sybesma) sneers:

>For all you home/road differential whiners, please notice these figures:

>1992 Minnesota Twins 
>Home: 29 and 19 ====>  .604
>Road: 31 and 20 ====>  .607 (BEST IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES!)

Fine.  Now, for the rest of the story.  The variance of number of games won
out of n games is n*p*(1-p), where p is the actual probability of winning.
To get an approximate 95% confidence interval around the observed winning
percentage, take plus-or-minus two standard deviations.  Thus: the Twins'
*true* winning percentages at home and on the road, given the evidence of
this season's numbers are

	Home:	.604 +/- .137
	Road:	.607 +/- .137

From which we can conclude... exactly.  Not a damn thing.  In fact, notice
that it is really not that unlikely for a sub-.500 team (in terms of actual
ability) to play division-leading baseball over 50 games.  Over 100 games,
the width of the confidence interval shrinks to .010 or so.

>	Brought to you from today's paper,

Supplemented by Stats 101.



-- 
        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."
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: gidi@Hilbert.Stanford.EDU (Gidi Avrahami)
Subject: Re: Both Canadian teams in first place
Organization: Brotherhood Of Breath
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 23:24:41 GMT

Amit Likhyani <al1x+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
>We don't need the Canadian supremecy.  [...]
>what is the relevance of 2 Canadian teams in first place. [...]
>a Canadian team has never won a World Series [...]
>an all Canadian world series would suck
>and I would not take time out of my semester to watch it.  [...]

While I can see why any good red-blooded US citizen would hate and
despise Canada, is it really fair to call the Blue Jays and Expos
"Canadian"?

How many of their players are from Canada?  How many have become
naturalized Canadians?

And is there really an inherent difference between "Canadian" and
"American" baseball, something that would make a Jays-Expos series
much less interesting than, say, Seattle-Houston?


--Gidi (yet another bloody foreigner)