Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 10:21:09 -0500
Reply-To: Discussion of Texas Rangers Major League Baseball Team <RANGERS@TAMU.EDU>
Sender: Discussion of Texas Rangers Major League Baseball Team <RANGERS@TAMU.EDU>
From: Beau Sharbrough <beau@CONNECT.NET>
Subject: Winners and Losers

It's interesting to me to see who won more games (or lost more) than last year. I'm also curious -- how much change is significant of an improved or flagging team?

AL West
Texas     88 wins, last year 77 wins, +11
Anaheim 85 84  +1
Seattle    76 90 -14
Oakland 74 65  +9 (and thinking of firing the manager)

Two better, one flat, one worse. With the level of free agency in MLB these days, there's very little to base an expectation of next year on. Who's going to be signed where? How will they play together? The thrill is back.

AL Central
Cleveland    89 86  +3
Chicago       80 80  --
Kansas City 72 67  +5
Minnesota   70 68  +2
Detroit        65 79 -14 (and they fired theirs a month ago)

This is a flat division. I don't see a significant change besides the injury riddled Tigers.

AL East
NYankees 114 96 +18
Boston        92 78 +14
Toronto      88 76 +12
Baltimore    79 98 -19
Tampa Bay (ineligible for the award, but they presented other major league teams with 99 victories)

Wow, this group beat up the expansion team, and everyone else in baseball. It looks like Toronto is a coming team, unless the Rocket leaves.

NL West
San Diego 98 76 +22 Where'd that come from, KBrown?
SF            89 90   -1  How do they do it?
LA           83 88   -5  Let's fire some more people.
Colorado 77 83   -6  and they fired their manager.
Arizona -- also ineligible, and they surrendered 97 victories.

NL Central
Houston    102 84 +18  I wish they'd get a real manager.
ChiCubs     90 68 +22  A breakout year for everyone.
StL             83 73 +10  and they considered their season a disappointment
Cincy         77 76  +1  Will anything change while Marge is alive?
Milwaukee 74 78  -4  (in a new league)
Pitts           69 79 -10  and fading fast

NLEast
Atl           106 101 +5 are they any better?
NYMets    88 88 -- Valentine is a great manager, no?
Phila          75 68   +7
Montreal    65 78 -13 Rebuilding again
Florida       54 92 -38 The shame of the major leagues

That was some season, now let's have a playoff for TV.

--
Beau Sharbrough | The Imaginary Invalid, Oct 15,17,19
Grapevine, Texas | Grapevine High School
<beau@connect.net> |
www.connect.net/beau | GENTECH99, Salt Lake City, 22-23 Jan 99