"long-term mediocre major-league pitchers"

Wed Sep 24 19:59:37 UTC 2008

Though in my recollection, several years ago when he was with the Braves (back when the Braves were not mediocre), Mercker pitched a no-hitter!

--Charlie
_____________________________________________________________

---- Original message ----
>Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:09:27 -0400
>From: Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>Subject: Re: "long-term mediocre major-league pitchers"
>
>At 12:52 PM -0400 9/24/08, ronbutters at aol.com wrote:
>>My understanding of "mediocre" is something like 'not up to
>>average'.  This is more or less confirmed by the American Heritage
>>definition: "ADJECTIVE: Moderate to inferior in quality; ordinary."
>
>Note that "moderate...in quality" and "ordinary" are not
>interchangeable with "inferior in quality" or "not up to average".
>There's a range of application here.
>
>>I'd say that "18 years, 9 different teams, lifetime 74-67, ERA 4.16"
>>is extradordinary even when compared to most other major league
>>baseball players, many of whom last less than one season. So this
>>particular player, in my book, does not qualify as "mediocre" or
>>even particularly ordinary.
>
>Just to see if I was being idiosyncratic or unfair, I tried googling
>"Kent Mercker" + mediocre.  From the first page of hits:
>
>The problem is that as mediocre as Mercker has aspired to be for the
>last couple of years,...
>[from a BaseballProspectus web analysis for the 1999 Red Sox]
>
>Kent Mercker, mediocre reliever and professional tattletale...
>[from a blog on the 2004 Cubs]
>
>I guess in that sense, Mercker is an upgrade; but I'd just as well
>have Reyes or Thompson or Tavarez pitch in these situations that call
>for leftys rather than adding a mediocre left-hander. [from a blog on
>the 2005 Orioles]
>
>His [K.M.'s] fantasy value gets a boost from a few extra saves, but
>his numbers will otherwise be pretty mediocre.
>[from a fantasy blog on the 2006 Cincinnati Reds]
>
>Another postings cite his "mediocre" work, talents, or status as a
>member of the Indians, Red Sox, etc.
>
>At least if my judgment is off, I'm not alone!
>
>LH
>
>>I would be more inclined to agree with Larry that "mediocre
>>major-league pitcher" could apply to one of those pitchers who has
>>not been in the majors for "longtime." Even then, though, it makes a
>>difference whether or not one takes "major-league" as a restrictive
>>or nonrestrictive modifier. I took Larry's phrase to mean 'mediocre
>>pitcher who spent a long time in the majors' and not 'pitcher who
>>was mediocre by big-league standards'. Pitchers who make it to the
>>big leagues for any oength of time at all are pretty likely to be
>>something better than "ordinary" or "mediocre" when compared to all
>>professional pitchers.
>>
>>As for how to tell who is a "long-time mediocre Ivy league
>>professor," Larry is totally wrong that there are not fairly
>>reliable stats. They are called "c.v.'s." And they give one a pretty
>>good idea of which professors are ''mediocre players who have
>>nonetheless spent a long time in the majors." These are the folks
>>who are not-so-politely referred to by their col leagues as "dead
>>wood" and "departmental mistakes." Unlike professional baseball,
>>universities have something called "tenure."
>>
>>At 1:22 PM +0000 9/24/08,
>><mailto:ronbutters at aol.com>ronbutters at aol.com wrote:
>>>"longtime mediocre major-league pitcher" is an oxymoron
>>>(unlike >"longtime mediocre Ivy-league professor"--please note that
>>>I am NOT >suggesting that Prof. Horn is anything but brilliant)
>>
>>No more of an oxymoron than "NBA small forward", referring to
>>basketball players ranging from 6'4" to 6'10" or so. "Mediocre",
>>like "long", "small", etc. etc., is a relative scalar adjective
>>whose extension depends on the comparison class. Are you saying it's
>>oxymoron to refer to the Kansas City Royals as "a bad baseball team"
>>because if they were in a different league (e.g. the Atlantic Coast
>>Conference) rather than in the American League they might go
>>undefeated? Mercker, by most definitions, has been a
>>middle-of-the-pack pitcher, and hence mediocre qua major-league
>>pitcher, while (in part because of being a southpaw) hanging around
>>forever. 18 years, 9 different teams, lifetime 74-67, ERA 4.16--in
>>my book, that makes him a mediocre journeyman--nothing personal,
>>although for all I know he'll be superb at vodka conversion. And
>>yes, there are indeed longtime mediocre Ivy league professors, even
>>at Yale, whether or not that includes present company. Luckily, it's
>>harder to confirm this by looking a t the career stat sheet.
>>
>>LH
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
>>To: ronbutters at aol.com; ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>Sent: Wed, 24 Sep 2008 9:50 am
>>Subject: Re: notable quotable on post-retirement plans
>>
>>At 1:22 PM +0000 9/24/08,
>><mailto:ronbutters at aol.com>ronbutters at aol.com wrote:
>>>"longtime mediocre major-league pitcher" is an oxymoron
>>>(unlike >"longtime mediocre Ivy-league professor"--please note that
>>>I am NOT >suggesting that Prof. Horn is anything but brilliant)
>>
>>No more of an oxymoron than "NBA small forward", referring to
>>basketball players ranging from 6'4" to 6'10" or so. "Mediocre",
>>like "long", "small", etc. etc., is a relative scalar adjective
>>whose extension depends on the comparison class. Are you saying it's
>>oxymoron to refer to the Kansas City Royals as "a bad baseball team"
>>because if they were in a different league (e.g. the Atlantic Coast
>>Conference) rather than in the American League they might go
>>undefeated? Mercker, by most definitions, has been a
>>middle-of-the-pack pitcher, and hence mediocre qua major-league
>>pitcher, while (in part because of being a southpaw) hanging around
>>forever. 18 years, 9 different teams, lifetime 74-67, ERA 4.16--in
>>my book, that makes him a mediocre journeyman--no thing personal,
>>although for all I know he'll be superb at vodka conversion. And
>>yes, there are indeed longtime mediocre Ivy league professors, even
>>at Yale, whether or not that includes present company. Luckily, it's
>>harder to confirm this by looking at the career stat sheet.
>>
>>LH
>>
>>>
>>>------Original Message------
>>>From: Laurence Horn
>>>Sender: ADS-L
>>>To: ADS-L
>>>ReplyTo: ADS-L
>>>Sent: Sep 24, 2008 12:30 AM
>>>Subject: [ADS-L] notable quotable on post-retirement plans
>>>
>>>I don't know if he invented the line, but longtime mediocre
>>>major-league pitcher Kent Mercker has been widely quoted on the web
>>>and now TV for his elegant response last week as to where he thought
>>>his career would be heading now: "I'm starting my new
>>>profession--turning vodka into urine."
>>>
>>>LH
>>>
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>>>The American Dialect Society -
>>><http://www.americandialect.org>http://www.americandialect.org
>>>
>>>
>>>Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
>>>
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>>>The American Dialect Society -
>>><http://www.americandialect.org>http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>
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