HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball

Given that baseball goes to 3 division per league, would it work
to have the three division winners (and only the three division winners)
make the playoffs by having the League championship series be a
round-robin tournament?  Each team would play the other two teams,
say, 5 times.  The team with the best overall record after the round-robin
tournament goes to the World Series.  A tie for the top spot could be
broken with one more game between the two top teams.

You would lose the excitement of a one-on-one competition between two
teams, but I would prefer it over introducing a wildcard team to the
playoffs.

I know there's no way baseball would ever do this because of it's
traditions, but I thought I'd throw out the idea anyway.

Actually, the solution is for MLB to expand to two leagues of 24 teams
with four divisions of six teams in each league. :-)

David Pinedo
dp@fc.hp.com
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: tedward@cs.cornell.edu (Edward [Ted] Fischer)
Subject: Re: YANKEE REFLECTIONS ANYONE???
Organization: Cornell Univ. CS Dept, Ithaca NY 14853
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 17:51:25 GMT

In article <2021.2b6647f8@atlas.nafb.trw.com> mspede@atlas.nafb.trw.com writes:
>
>    Is this a selective memory, or what about Mike Gallego's signing last
>  year ?   The signing of Gallego, then Owen, to solve the SS position
>  seems like evidence that the Yanks still have more $ than sense.

Well, yes.  This is a given.  However, neither Gallego nor Owen cost
the Yankees anything *but* $$$ (and possibly a draft pick or two).
And neither of them displace better, younger players.  Now the Gerald
vs. Bernie issue is another question.  And if they decide there is no
room in the outfield for Tartabull, *that* would be stupid.  And if
they sign Scott Sanderson to give Militello more seasoning, *that*
would be stupid.  But these things haven't happened yet.

You *can* buy a pennant if you acquire quality players (and have a
strong base to build from or are rich enough).  And Abbott, Key,
Boggs, and Tartabull will all help the team.

-Valentine
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: andy.bgsu.edu (Ryan )
Subject: Re: Where is the '93 All-star game???
Followup-To: rec.sport.baseball
Organization: Bowling Green St. U.
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 23:59:02 GMT

In article <1993Jan21.115447.11480@cybernet.cse.fau.edu>,
tshann@transquest.oe.fau.edu (Ted Shannon) wrote:
> 
> 
> 	I think I remember something about San Diego but I'm
> not sure. (Maybe that was last year).
> 	Doesn't matter whether you post or email, please.
> 
> 				Thanks,
> 					Ted			

Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

--Ryan--
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: john@sequent.com (John Vander Borght)
Subject: Re: Change the game?
Organization: Sequent Computer Systems, Inc.
Distribution: sqnt
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 93 01:06:25 GMT

Greg Ridsdale <greg_ridsdale@ausqm1.sps.mot.com> writes:

>I recently read that Major League Baseball had sent out a questionnaire
>to (some to season ticket holders, some to general public) asking for
>opinions on some changes (GASP!) in the sport.  Among the changes were:
>Inter-league play; No DH in either league; DH in both leagues;
>Realignment of existing divisions, 3 divisions per league, wildcard teams
>in the playoffs.  I would also be interested in opinions on these topics.
> Here are a few of mine.

No interleague play.
No DH.

No American and National Leagues. (-:

When expansion takes gets both leagues to 16 teams, split it into 4 8-team
leagues along regional lines.

For example:

Pacific Coast League:
San Diego
California
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Oakland
Seattle
Denver
Phoenix (exp)

Southern League:
Houston
Texas
Miami
Atlanta
Kansas City
St. Louis
Cincinnati (because that is where Marge belongs)
Tampa (exp)

International League:
Montreal
Toronto
Detroit
Chicago White Sox
Chicago Cubs
Milwaukee
Minnesota
Buffalo (exp)

Eastern League:
New York Mets
New York Yankees
Boston
Baltimore
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Cleveland
Washington (exp)

Go back to a 22 game vs each team, 154 game season, one round of playoffs
followed by the World Series.

Have a 4-team All-Star Tournament instead of just having one game.  A
doubleheader the first day followed by the finals the second day.

You could do something similar with 4 7-team leagues today.

I might even go along with interleague play if it was limited to one other
league per year on about a 4 games vs each team max.

I think this would be great.  And it would also cut travel expenses a lot.

John Vander Borght
john@sequent.com
-- 
"Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty!"
John Vander Borght
john@sequent.com
Xref: sparky rec.sport.baseball:38215 alt.folklore.urban:34483
From: renault@CAM.ORG (Pierre Renault)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball,alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Wilt Chamberlain in the Reggie Jackson urban myth?
Date: 17 Jan 93 23:16:02 GMT
Organization: Communications Accessibles Montreal, Quebec Canada

That was Raquel Welch's cat.

 l

I think.  I *did* see the show where Raquel Welch finally showed up
on Johnny Carson after refusing to appear on his show for two years.

The conversation went something like this...

Johnny: It seems you're on the Hollywood maps of the stars...

[I'm skipping stuff here, but Johnny then explains that in Hollowood
there are maps to the stars' homes.]

Raquel: Well, I don't really mind if people come and look at my lawns
and bushes.

Johnny: Well, I wouldn't mind having a look at your bush.

Raquel: [goes into a smirk and gives Johnny one of "those" looks, audience
goes nuts]

Johnny: Well, any hole, I had to jump in.

[audience goes even more nuts]

Now that I'm older and wiser, I realise that the whole thing was probably
set up from the start.  Just like the Burt Reynolds incident with the 
leather pants and the shaving cream, just like the Andy Kaufman/Gerry
Loller incident on the David Letterman show.

I got that one form someone of authority.
From: pjtier01@ulkyvx.louisville.edu
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Jimmy Jones
Date: 27 Jan 93 00:04:17 GMT
Organization: University of Louisville

The Expos signed Jimmy Jones to a minor league contract.  He was a starter 
for the Astros who hasn't had an ERA below 4.10 in six years.  Has this guy
ever been considered a real commodity?  The Expos have rehabed players in
the past and they could use some middle relief.  Any thoughts on this guy's
past or future?
                                                             P. Tierney
 
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: rbd@flash.ece.uc.edu (Bobby Davis)
Subject: Re: Sandberg (was Re: Ty Griffen)
Organization: University of Cincinnati
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 21:26:19 GMT

In article <1993Jan22.122112.13976@bsu-ucs> 00bjgood@leo.bsuvc.bsu.edu writes:
>So who do you think was better?  And please don't say Joe Morgan.

Gee, while you're at it you could forbid us from naming Eddie Collins and
Rogers Hornsby (the two second baseman besides Morgan who were demonstrably
better than Sandberg).  So let's see, that still leaves Charlie Gehringer...
Don Blasingame?  Ah, hell, I give up.

Bob Davis	rbd@thor.ece.uc.edu
From: brock@NeXTwork.Rose-Hulman.Edu (Bradley W. Brock)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: i want.
Date: 26 Jan 1993 21:58:17 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Department at Rose-Hulman
Reply-To: brock@NeXTwork.Rose-Hulman.Edu (Bradley W. Brock)
NNTP-Posting-Host: g210b-1.nextwork.rose-hulman.edu

In article <1993Jan26.170253.2399@adobe.com> snichols@adobe.com (Sherri  
Nichols) writes:
> _The Baseball Encyclopedia_, published by
> Macmillan and known as the Big Mac, does.

Be careful.  You don't want to be hit by any lawsuits from McDonald's now, do  
you?  (However, I'm sure _The Baseball Encyclopedia_ tastes better and is  
better for you.)

--
Bradley W. Brock, Department of Mathematics
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology  | "Resist not evil.... Love your
brock@nextwork.rose-hulman.edu       |  enemies."--Jesus of Nazareth
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: dkeisen@leland.Stanford.EDU (Dave Eisen)
Subject: Re: Ten Best Peaks (was Sandberg)
Originator: dkeisen@leland.Stanford.EDU
Organization: Sequoia Peripherals, Inc.
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 93 22:34:45 GMT

Greg Spira writes:
>>Morgan had one of the 10 best peaks ever.

Len Reed responds:
>Sounds like an interesting topic for off-season arguments.  Okay, as a Red and
>especially in 1975-76 Joe Morgan was incredible.  Who else makes the top ten? 
>To qualify, we need someone who had a peak well above what one would expect
>when looking at the rest of the career, 

No he wouldn't. Someone like Ruth would make the list of players
with top 10 peak value even if he didn't have a noticeable peak --- 
his *average* year would easily make the top 10 peak list. I haven't
checked, but probably his five *worst* years taken together would
qualify him for the top 10 list. And of course, his actual peak was 
well beyond his worst or his average year.

Or are you asking another question --- "Whose peak was most
impressive when compared with his career numbers?" Actually this 
is a more interesting question because the answers are not nearly 
as obvious as a top ten peak value list would be.

And I agree that Mantle and Koufax are good candidates for such
a list.


-- 
Dave Eisen                               Sequoia Peripherals: (415) 967-5644
dkeisen@leland.Stanford.EDU              Home:                (415) 321-5154
       There's something in my library to offend everybody. 
          --- Washington Coalition Against Censorship
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: tartaris@hsi.com (Bob Tartaris)
Subject: Re: Mets reserve infielders?
Organization: 3M Health Information Systems, Wallingford CT
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 14:17:38 GMT

In article <wfKOBYy00iUyE2C2MM@andrew.cmu.edu> gs34+@andrew.cmu.edu (Gregg Matthew Sterling) writes:
>I haven't even seen a baseball schedule yet for '93. If anybody knows
>where to find one, I'd like to know...

I got a 1993 Mets schedule by writing to:
      
       Mets Ticket Department
       Shea Stadium
       Flushing, NY 11368

Bob
-- 
Robert P. Tartaris                 +  "We can do no great things;           
 3M/HIS, Wallingford, CT           +   only small things with great love."   
  tartaris@hsi.com		   +          - Mother Teresa of Calcutta
    ...!uunet!hsi!tartaris         +
From: drw3l@delmarva.evsc.Virginia.EDU (David Robert Walker)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Change the game?
Date: 27 Jan 93 20:38:44 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Virginia

In article <wfNftMO00iUy02Z4Ni@andrew.cmu.edu> "Carl J. Blake" <cb4i+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
>Since 1900, there hasn't been inter-league play.  Although
>that may not be a sufficient reason because of all the changes to the
>game since then, I'm sure most baseball fans would not want to see
>inter-league play.  Once again, baseball is for the fans.

Actually you can say since 1876. Teams in the 19th century played
non-league games regularly, but only games within your league counted
in the standings. I have always felt that any game played against a
team with whom you are NOT competing for a title is at least partially
irrelevant. 

That includes games the eastern divisions play against the western
divisions. I can handle some interdivision or even interleague play,
but I really would like to seee 2/3 of the games have real meaning.
And maybe we could get division contenders to play against each other
in September a little more often?

Clay D.
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: pjtier01@ulkyvx.louisville.edu
Subject: Re: Best BB simulators (was RE: EWBB)
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1993 22:45:46 GMT
Organization: University of Louisville

In article <C1A7y0.HA5@acsu.buffalo.edu>, v393qp56@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Viktor Brenner) writes:
> I am asking about what simulations out there are best and most complete.
> I have APBA, which is a good simulator but requires additional purchases
> to 

These responses refer to Tony Larussa's Ultimate Baseball

>1)be able to create players 

Yes.

>2)have the computer manage games 

Yes.  The computer can manage, play and manage, or you can just manage.

> 3)record stats.  

Yes.  The seasons stats are recorded.  The daily stats, however, need to be 
printed out if you want a record of them.  You can't go back and see how
you did on a particular day without it.  It works rather well.  The only
drawback is that the players are not listed in their batting order, as
is done in the newspaper.  Also, you can only get the daily stats of the
games that you actually play or manage.  You can get the season stats, 
however, for any team.

>Ideally, I think teh best simulator should 1) be graphics
> based and good playable arcade game 

The graphics are pretty good but not outstanding.  I've found that the games
with the most amazing graphics, though, greatly lack realism.

>2) be able to operate as a season
> simulator by playing games quickly without input 

Yes.  The quickness, however, depend upon the strength of your own computer.

>3)allow creating your own teams 

Yes.

>4)allow creation of new players (usually extra) and updating of plyers statsings 

Yes.  You can also alter the stats of existing players.

>5)have multiple, real ballparks. 

Yes.  You must purchase an extra disc, however, which costs about $15.  The 
ballparks are very real simulations of all the existing major league parks
as of 1989, I think.  Otherwise, the base disc contains a standard park and 
dome.  Also, the stadium disc takes up alot of space, so it is best to
upload the individual stadiums as needed.

> So, all you owners out there, what are the strengths/added costs of

The game is an excellent simulation.  As I've mentioned before on this line, 
you can buy extra disks at $15 a pop which have all of the actually stats 
of the actual players for a given year.  There are disks for '90 and '91 
with '92 coming out shortly.  You can play seasons of 162 or 81 games, or
1, 2, 3, and 4 game round robins.  Also, there are "Great Teams" player
disks which I have not purchased.  I've had this game for a few years and
I love it, but I am interested in a new one so I would appreciate suggestions.

                                                             P. Tierney
From: thf2@ellis.uchicago.edu (Ted Frank)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Whitaker
Date: 25 Jan 93 04:50:00 GMT
Reply-To: thf2@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: University of Chicago

In article <1jvou2INN55v@stimpy.css.itd.umich.edu> sweda@css.itd.umich.edu (Sean Sweda) writes:
>Ted Frank (thf2@ellis.uchicago.edu) wrote:
>>His OBA improved also.  His career high came in 1991, and he almost
>>beat that in 1992.  Once you park-adjust and age-adjust, his career
>>stats are about as good as Sandberg, but he's been considerably less
>>durable.  
>
>Actually, Lou has had only 1 real injury -- the infamous dancing incident
>in the middle of the 1988 pennant race.  The fewer AB's is a direct result
>of Sparky deciding (around 1986 I beleive) that Lou would be better off
>not starting against LH pitching.  His strikeouts dropped tremendously
>after this, so maybe Sparky made a good decision, as until very recently
>Lou had fits with lefties.  As for durability, there's no doubt in my mind
>that Lou could play 2b for 160 games, but he probably wouldn't be posting
>as high averages (OBP, SLG) as he is now.

Well, if you look at GABSB, his ratio of facing LHP to RHP wasn't *that* 
much different than his teammate Trammell from 1984-91, though he was
averaging about 30 PA v LHP a year less.  But, yeah, he is pretty bad
against LHP.

As for durability, he only played 153 games or more once in his
career.  We can probably also give him the 1981 strike year when he
played 109 games.  Sandberg has played less than 153 games only once,
1987, when he played 132.  I don't know how long Sparky has been sitting
Whitaker against LHP, but I'd still give Sandberg the durability nod.
-- 
ted frank                     | thf2@ellis.uchicago.edu 
standard disclaimers          | void where prohibited
the university of chicago law school, chicago, illinois 60637
From: ts3m+@andrew.cmu.edu (Thomas Swann)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: 1993 MLB WS odds
Date: 25 Jan 93 09:00:44 GMT
Article-I.D.: andrew.kfN3XQO00iV1I4oM5F
Distribution: na
Organization: Masters student, Industrial Administration, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

Excerpts from netnews.rec.sport.baseball: 22-Jan-93 Re: 1993 MLB WS odds
by ajsmith@ualr.edu 
> I dunno I have this fantasy of seeing Florida and Colorado fighting it out
> in the NLCS (hey stranger things have happened!)
               ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Such as ? ? ?

Just curious.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thomas H. Swann
ts3m+@andrew.cmu.edu
University of Virginia (commie 1988)
now appearing at GSIA (Carnegie Mellon University - 1994)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Monday, 25 Jan 1993 17:09:47 EST
From: <RVESTERM@vma.cc.nd.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: i want.

i want many things.  specifically, though, i want a baseball encyclopedia
with the following characteristics:

     1) huge

     2) player stats, team stats and league stats since whenever they
        kept track of them

     3) cross-indexed so that joe dude's 1938 stats appear in at least
        two places: under joe dude's career entry, and under the 1938
        (hitter/batter/whatever joe was) section

     4) splits versus lefties and righties, whenever available

     5) none of this cheesy stuff like ignoring walks or caught stealings

     6) fielding stats (as complete as possible, but bare minimum of
        games played per position, put outs, errors, stuff like that,
        and none of this cheesy ignoring that the shortstop frank dude
        played an inning at catcher)

     7) none of this cheesy ignoring when a batter pitches, or a pitcher
        bats

     8) whatever other stuff you think up

so what do i get, and where do i get it? thanks.

bob vesterman.

Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: nlu@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (Nelson Lu)
Subject: Re: Cecil signs :-( :-( :-(
Organization: Computer Science Department, Stanford University.
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 05:27:15 GMT

In article <1993Jan21.201733.2749@midway.uchicago.edu> thf2@midway.uchicago.edu writes:

>Is it?  Let's take a sport where there are two positions, call them
>1B and SS.  The talent distributions are as follows:
>
>1B: +250, +220, +150, +100, +100, +50, +50, -20, 16 x -50, 2 x -100
>SS: +200, +40, 24 x -10
>
>If you have the first and fourth draft-picks, do you take the top 
>first-baseman or the top shortstop?

Well, for simplicity's sake, looking at last year's AL stats, here were
the actual distributions for 1B and SS, using 14 players who have started
the most games in each position...

1B:	+218 (Thomas), +213 (McGwire), +68 (Olerud), +29 (Palmeiro),
	+27 (Sorrento), +26 (Fielder), +8 (Hrbek), -13 (Milligan),
	-15 (Mattingly), -30 (Martinez), -31 (Vaughn), -34 (Joyner),
	-97 (O'Brien), -120 (Stevens)
SS:	+90 (Fryman), +86 (Grebeck), +60 (Listach), +51 (Vizquel),
	+48 (Ripken), +44 (Stankiewicz), +20 (Thon), +18 (Lee),
	+18 (Lewis), -15 (Gagne), -77 (DiSarcina), -86 (Weiss),
	-87 (Howard), -94 (Rivera)

I think in these cases, the top first basemen were far more valuable, but 
this can very well be a one-year fluke.
From: pjtier01@ulkyvx.louisville.edu
Subject: Re: Change the game?
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 23:42:54 GMT
Organization: University of Louisville

In article <roney.728014794@sfu.ca>, roney@selkirk.sfu.ca (Chris J. Roney) writes:
> Greg Ridsdale <greg_ridsdale@ausqm1.sps.mot.com> writes:
> 
> 
>>I am in favor of either no DH or both leagues using the DH.  The current
>>system is awkward for both teams in the Series and the All star game.  
> 
> (stuff deleted)

What's so awkward about it?  I think it's one of the interesting quirks
of the game and I see harm in continuing it in its current split form.
                                                              P. Tierney
From: kbos@carina.unm.edu (K. Mitchell Bose)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Cecil signs :-( :-( :-(
Date: 26 Jan 1993 23:29:53 GMT
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
NNTP-Posting-Host: carina.unm.edu

In article <1993Jan26.134040@IASTATE.EDU> tloughin@IASTATE.EDU (Thomas M Loughin) writes:
>
>In that case, I wonder:
>Does it make any difference (in terms of run-scoring ability, and hence, in 
>terms of wins and contributions) whether a team's .360 cumulative slugging 
>average comes from one 1.000 slugger and eight .280 sluggers, or from nine 
>.360 sluggers, or from eight .405 sluggers and one .000 slugger?
>
My guess would be that it does.

Look at it this way.  Assume, for the moment, that you have three teams, A, B,
and C.  Team A has nine slots filled with nine players who bat at the league
average (across the whole league, not by position...), while team B has one mega
superstar and eight scrubbinies whose combined output is the same as team A.
Team C is similarly comprised of eight solid, above average contributors and 
a pitcher, so that their combined totals are the same as teams A and B.  Ho'od
win, given that all of them have average pitching?

For team A, of course, the scoring potential is the same every inning, since no
matter which three batters are up, they've got the same chance to manufacture a
run or start a rally.  Over time, the scoring would even out.

Team B is a different matter.  Their one good player will certainly get up in
the first inning, since he'd bat third (or first, if you subscribe to that 
theory), but because his teammates are all Dick Schofield, he might not get a
chance to bat again until the fourth, and once more in the seventh.  The scoring
potential for those innings would be higher, but when he _did_ get a hit, would
there be anyone on base?  Or who would drive him in?  I don't think the presence
of one superstar in a putrid lineup would be any better than having a solid, 
nine man lineup.

Finally, team C would have the opposite case, of many good scoring innings, 
punctuated by an offensive sink at the bottom of the order.  Intuitively, my
guess would be that it, again, is worse than team A.  In the AL, an average team
should score 700 runs or so, a figure that would be the mark of an above average
NL team.  Certainly there are teams in the NL that have been able to put eight
pretty good players on the field, and they'd be lucky to score 750 runs, while
a well constructed AL offense with a standout or two would easily top that
figure.  

I don't think, though, that the difference is major...maybe about 20 or 30 runs
over the course of the season.

Team A: 83-79
Team B: 79-83
Team C: 81-81


-- 
Kurt Bose (as in Daisy, not Rose) * kbos@carina.unm.edu * Walks: not that sexy.
Me: "The relationship just didn't work.  She had this...Chaplinesque quality."
Lisa: "You mean, you didn't like her because she was always being funny?"
Me: "No. [pause] I didn't like her because she was a little tramp."
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
From: snichols@adobe.com (Sherri Nichols)
Subject: Re: Tom Tippett and Defensive Average
Organization: Adobe Systems Incorporated
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 16:55:42 GMT

In article <1993Jan23.234008.11295@meteor.wisc.edu> stvjas@meteor.wisc.edu (Stephen Jascourt) writes:
>Does this mean Tippett is aware of DA?

Yes, Tippett is aware of DA.  Why doesn't he use DA in the game?  Timing.
He needs the data earlier than I can get it to him.

> The range ratings he assigned for PTP
>the past several years have been abominable, both compared to DA and the
>subjective judgements of astute observers, but this year's ratings look
>pretty good. Do you (Sherri or Dr. Dave or anyone else) know how he came up
>with range ratings in the past and what he did differently this year? 

I don't know the details of how Tom comes up with his range ratings, though
I do know he relies mostly on Stats, Inc. for data.

Sherri Nichols
snichols@adobe.com