david@fisher.UUCP (David Rubin) (07/19/84)
[Who started this, anyway?]
Recently, the assertion of NL Western superiority again found its way
onto the net. Are NL West fans really that removed from reality? Some
illuminating facts:
(1) After the games of July 18, the NL East, as a division, leads the
NL West by 22 games.
(2) The first place eastern team (NY) leads the first place western
team (SD), the second place eastern team (Chi) leads the second
place western team (Atl), ..., and so on, all the way down to
Pittsburgh having a better record than San Fransisco.
(3) There are three eastern teams (NY, Chi, Pha) over .550, and
only one western team (SD).
(4) Four eastern teams have winning records, and only two western.
(5) No eastern team is below .400, but a western one (SF) is.
These facts show not only has the East outplayed the West, but that it
has done so uniformly, i.e. the difference between the two divisions
cannot just be atributed to the outstanding or horrendous play of just
one or two teams. Those who still assert that the Western division is
somehow "tougher" need to be reminded that it is 1984, not 1974.
David Rubin
{allegra|astrovax|princeton}!fisher!david