European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 8, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Friday May 8. 1987 the stars and stripes Page 23 commentary James abstract pulls no punches opening Day came a in Only Lilc for me. Thai s because 1 just munched on the 1987 Bill James baseball abstract the Book that has the aftertaste of hot dogs and nachos. Bless Bill James. He s the Kansan who a decade ago started the trend toward scrip us Basab la re search. And had the guts 10 till myths. Hitting .300 and Bunting Are tickets to winning forget it said James Home runs and walks Are More crucial. La s Tough for old baseball tans to respect James. They grew up hearing that Rogers Hornsby was the greatest second baseman. Ana when this Guy with the weird statistics declares that Homs by Rales be Hind Joe Morgan they dismiss him. That s exactly Why i m a Dill James Reader. He s different. He s intriguing. He s no establishment Guy. He s pot with a publication that pressures him from writing embarrassing facts. He appears to be a baseball fan period. His figures show that Black players outperform White players so he digs into that sensitive subject. He sees that adored heroes of the press namely Steve Gar vey and Bill Buckner. Can t Cut it so he writes it. James on Garvey Steve Garvey is an awful player a poor defensive first baseman who does l hit for average and has limited Power. Somebody sometime has got to face up to the fact that Steve Garvey is killing the James on Buckner. Does this Jerk Ever Slop complaining i videotaped the playoffs and world series. Buckner was mad about something from begin Ning to end. After the series he reportedly told reporters that they were All bleeps and did t know anything about baseball. Bill Buckner a Man who knows about James has Long praised Dick Williams Rickey Henderson and Tim Raines. He docs it again in the 1987 Book. James writes that under Williams the Seattle mariners will have the Best record in the history of the they re headed that Way. James shows that Henderson in 86 produced inc most impressive combination of Power and Speed in the history of the of Raines James details Why he was the Best and most valuable player in the National league not Mike Schmidt. James does t Jab. He Upp Cruis. He makes you feel his punches. He declares that Toronto reliever Mark Eichhorn was the american league s of Rookie nil Oakland left fielder Jose Canseco. He lauds Texas right fielder Ruben Sierra As better than Canseco and Cleveland s Cory Snyder. I m not sure if i would Trade him for both of them he writes. James unveils a system that rates the cardinals Vince Coleman the fastest player and the astros Alan Ashby the slowest. He proves that strikeout pitchers last a lot longer than the control Type Piteh he rates the Best Outfield in history leaning toward the Yankees 1920s Trio of Bob Meusel Carle Combs and babe Ruth As the greatest. James is most entertaining on the attack. On Chuck Tanner manager of the Hrul i he 15 so out of touch with the Talent that he gave 359 Al lots a a player ii a Moreno who his no pent lives a .234 hitter with no Power and a 4-1 Sirit out to walk ratio who is a 52-Pcrccm base steal or he has no concept of How it is. Exactly that he is going to win except that he figures if everybody has a Good year Well on Jackie Moore Oakland s fired manager by the Middle of june Moore s Only notion of How to run a pitching staff was that if anybody pitched Well As a starter lie would try Hirn in the bullpen and if anybody was of in the bullpen he would try him As a on Moore s slugger Dave Kinsman Kingman had sent a rat in a Pink Box to a female reporter. Fora few Days the a s players rallying 10 Kingman s defense stopped talking to the press. This was a new role for Kingman team leadership. Before Kingman has always been dismissed As merely an immature Jerk. It turns put Allic needed was me right team to bring out this new Side of his personality a team full of immature James looks wrong with his Milwaukee Ruppi he writes that no Brewer Prospect looked anything la a major league Star of the future. The Milwaukee Brewers in 1987 will have a Tough Lime winning As Many games As they won in 1986. You can pick up the abstract at stars and stripes bookstores in a few weeks. Maybe by then James will prove right about the Brewers Loo the Burn ind i trip i Browns release kicker Moseley he looks for Job Berea. Ohio a place kicker Mirk Mosley ranked fourth in the National football league s All Lime scoring list was released by the Cleveland Browns on wednesday. Moseley. 39, was told on april 29 that he would no longer be with the team. Moseley asked to be officially released so that he would have an Opportunity to play for another team. Browns coach Marty Tchouen Heiner said. Sch Ottenheimer said Moseley indicated a willingness to return to the team should a need for a Kokker exist. Moseley kicked for the Philadelphia eagles in 1970 and the Houston oilers in 1971 and 1972. After silting out a sea son he joined the Washington redskins in 1974, with whom he scored 1,206 of his 1,382 career Points. After making Only six of 12 Field goal attempts Moseley was released by the redskins Midway through last season. When Cleveland place kicker Matt Bahr suffered Lorn knee ligaments on nov. 23, the Browns signed Moseley who made six of seven Field Goat attempts and 13 of 14 extra Point tries in Cleveland s final four regular season contests. Moseley kicked a 27-Yard Field goal to give Cleveland a 2320 double overtime Victory in a divisional playoff game against the new York jets. He holds the nil record for most consecutive Field goals made 23, a Streak that began in 1981 and ended in 1982. He also holds the record for highest Field goal percentage for a season 95.24 per cent in 1982. He also scored the most Points Ever by a kicker in one season 61, in 1983. Cleveland also announced the retire ment of eight year Veteran Center Mark Dennard signed last season As a free agent for the team s playoff games. Cleveland places 3 starters on Aba All Rookie team App to Ca Villers John Williams third leading scorer new York a lira Daugher by Ron Harper and John hot Rod Williams who became starters for the Cleveland Cavaliers wednesday were named to the Aba All Rookie team by the league s 23 head coaches. Chuck person of the Indiana pacers and Roy Tarpley of the Dallas Mavericks also were chosen to the team. Daugherty Harper and person were unanimous choices Landing 22 Voles apiece. Williams and Tarpley each received 12 votes. The coaches who weren t allowed to vote for their own players voted at the completion of the regular season regard less of position. It marked Only the second time in he history of the Aba Rookie team which dates Back to 1962-03, that three players from the same team made the squad. Willis Reed Howard Komives and Jim Barnes of the new York kicks made the team in 1965 when six players were chosen because of a tie. Daugherty the Only Rookie Starling Center in the Aba this season averaged 15.7 Points and a team High 8.1 re Bounds. From North Carolina daughterly was the league s no. 1 draft Choice. Harper the no. 8 pick out of Miami Ohio is the Only guard on the squad. He led All first ear players with a 22.9 scoring average to rank 16th in the league. Williams who made the switch from Center to Power Forward in the Aba was the Cavaliers third leading scorer with a 14.6 average their second Best rebound or with 7.9 average and their top Shol Blocker with an average of 2.09 a game. Daugherty Harper he was 3 second round pick in 1985 but sat out one season Bufore being absolved in the Tulane Point shaving investigation. Person a Forward and the no. 4 pick out of Auburn led the pacers in scoring with a 18.8-Point average and led the team in rebounding with 677, although his average was just behind teammate Steve Lipanovich s.27 to 8.26. Tarpley was a key Reserve at Center and Forward averaging 7.5 Points. 7.1 rebounds and 1.05 blocks. The Michigan product was he no. 7 draft pick. Others receiving Voles were Walter Berry san Antonio 6 Dennis Rodman Detroit and David Wingate Phila Delphia 4 each Nate Mcmillan Seattle and Brad Sellers Chicago 3 each Johnny Dawkins san Antonio 2 Billy Thompson Las Angeles lakers Kenny Walker new York and John Williams Washington 1 each
