Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!rochester!pt.cs.cmu.edu!h.cs.cmu.edu!nichols
From: nichols@h.cs.cmu.edu (David Nichols)
Newsgroups: net.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: least discussed team
Message-ID: <296@h.cs.cmu.edu>
Date: Sun, 16-Feb-86 17:42:59 EST
Article-I.D.: h.296
Posted: Sun Feb 16 17:42:59 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 18-Feb-86 06:46:53 EST
References: <12@npois.UUCP>
Reply-To: nichols@h.cs.cmu.edu.UUCP (David Nichols)
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, CS/RI
Lines: 52

In article <12@npois.UUCP> jay@npois.UUCP (Anton Winteroak) writes:
>	Which team is the least discussed major league baseball team
>on net.sport.baseball? My guess is the Texas Rangers, with the
>San Francisco Giants taking the NL honors.

I would guess the Astros for the NL.  Aside from the stadium problems,
the most interesting Giants news I've heard is that they're going to
try to move Brenly to first.  They have a young catcher that they
got from Detroit that they think highly of (Melvin) and they want to
let him catch a lot.  Brenly may have to platoon with Driessen and
both of them may sit if the Giants rush up Will Clark as fast as
they hope to.

Of course, being in Pittsburgh, my main team is the Pirates.  They have
a lot of young players that Joe Brown got while being the interim GM.
The only move I see Syd Thrift (what a great name) making is possibly
trading Rhoden during spring training.  Rhoden wants out, and Thrift
has promised to try to accommodate him.  I heard a rumor of Pena and
Rhoden to the Braves for Virgil and two top prospects, but it doesn't
make a lot of sense to me.  The Pirates have new or good players in
every position right now.  They don't need more AAA guys that are ready
to come up this year.  They need to sit back and see which of the
current guys is going to make it.  Maybe some good AA prospects that
will be ready in two years would be good.

My guess at the Pirates opening day lineup (against Gooden probably;
the Mets open the season here):
	Joe Orsulak	cf
	Johnny Ray	2b
	Steve Kemp	lf	(or RJ Reynolds. I'd bat RJ first or second.)
	Mike Brown	rf
	Jason Thompson	1b	(or Sid Bream)
	Tony Pena	 c
	Denny Gonzales	3b
	Sammy Khalifa	ss
	Larry McWilliams p	(or Rhoden if he's not traded, or just about
				 anyone else)

I don't really know what Leyland will do about the #2 and 3 spots.  Ray
has batted third before.  The Bucs would love to see Kemp come back
from his shoulder problem, especially since they're paying him $1M/yr.
Orsulak, Brown, Gonzales, and Khalifa are all young players.  Reynolds
and Bream are waiting in the wings for their chance.  The pitching
staff has people like DeLeon, Bielecki, Tunnell, and Winn trying to
make it, with Reuschel, McWilliams, Robinson and Guante being fairly
solid.  I think we need pitching help more than anything.

It should be fun to watch the Bucs this year.  I don't think they'll be
in last place again, and there are a lot of young players to watch.
-- 
ARPA: David.Nichols@h.cs.cmu.edu
UUCP: {seismo,decvax,allegra}!rochester!cmu-cs-pt!cmu-cs-h!nichols