From: RSK113@psuvm.psu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.sport.hockey
Subject: Re: Renegotiation
Date: 22 Jul 92 18:26:20 GMT
 <1992Jul21.183241.2221@cs.cmu.edu> <1992Jul21.230601.3677@leland.Stanford.EDU>
Organization: Penn State University

In article <1992Jul21.230601.3677@leland.Stanford.EDU>,
claudius@leland.Stanford.EDU (Nelson Lu) says:
>
>In article <1992Jul21.183241.2221@cs.cmu.edu> lli+@cs.cmu.edu (Lori Iannamico)
>writes:
>
>>Because unlike Barry "King of the Choke" Bonds, Barrasso and Jagr proved
>>they can handle the pressures of the playoffs and perform well.  If Barry had
>>just shut up and put up during the playoffs, no one would be complaining
>about
>>his salary demands and calling him greedy.  But for 2 years in a row, he's   n
>bee
>>a bust during the playoffs.  In the opinion of a lot of fans, he's done      g
>nothin
>>to prove he's worth 30 million.  And that's why they're complaining.
>
>Lori, no offense intended, but I think this is a *very* unfair
>characterization
>of Bonds' performance.  Remember, first of all, 4 teams make the playoffs in
>baseball, while 16 do in the NHL, so the regular season (i. e., making sure
>that the team gets to the playoffs) is much more important.  It is also 162
>games long, with the playoffs going a maximum of 14 games (8.6% of the regular
>season).  The NHL season is 84 games long, with the playoffs going a maximum
>of 28 games (33.3% of the regular season).
>
>Thus, if a player fails to perform in the Stanley Cup playoffs, it is more
>justifiable to say that he's choking, since the playoffs are significant as
>far as their lengths are in the NHL; however, anything can happen in 7 (or 14)
>games.  Gretzky has gone through scoreless streaks in his career.  Did that
>mean he was a bad player?
>
    However, Bonds is a proven choke artist. Two years in a row he has
disappeared come playoff time. Now he is asking to be the highest payed
player in the league.  By contrast, both Barrasso and Jagr, more than once
each in the last two playoff years, have risen to the occasion and "saved"
the teams' hope of winning the championship. (Barrasso could very well have
won the Conn Smythe this year and Jagr single-handedly scored several game
winning goals in both Cup runs.) And neither of these two are even asking
to be the highest payed players on the team.
    I have to agree with Lori and say that these two are justified in asking
for more money.  Without either of them, I don't think the Pens would have
won two in a row. With both of them still around, I think they have a good
chance of winning a couple more.
>==============================================================================
>=
>GO LOS ANGELES KINGS!  Go for Next Year! :-(
>GO SAN JOSE SHARKS!  Ray Whitney for Calder!  Jeff Hackett for Vezina!
>        Pat Falloon for Hart! :-) Neil Wilkinson for Norris!  ('92-'93)
>==============================================================================
>=
>Nelson Lu (claudius@leland.stanford.edu)
>rec.sport.hockey contact for the San Jose Sharks
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Rob Klemz Jr.                        "... Innocence gave me confidence
RSK113@PSUVM                          to go up against reality..."
                                                        -Rush
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