Realto Margarino wrote:

For the same reason that the guy who had the greatest number of relief
pitches should not be known as the greatest relief pitcher: a relief
pitcher's function is not best described as throwing relief pitches and
a hitter's function is not best described as getting hits.

You are of course free to believe that a hitter's function is best
described as getting hits - but that is an opinion - it is not by
definition and without qualification.

Josh Rosenbluth

jrosenbluth@comcast.net trolled:


Nonsense. Getting hits contributes to winning. Relief pitches may
contribute to winning, or may not. Getting the most hits is a
standard of excellence. Simple relief pitches are not.

Saves are though. As we pointed out, closers should be called
saviours.


A hitter's function is to get hits. By definition and without
qualification. If you want to say that a hitter's function is
something else, then you'll have to redefine "hit" and qualify your
redefinition.

G'nite Wilma,

cordially, as always,

rm

Realto Margarino wrote:

Statement "A": A hitter's function by definition and without
qualification is to get hits because the word "hit" is the root of the
word "hitter"

Statement "B": A relief pitcher's function by definition and without
qualification is to throw relief pitches because the words "relief
pitch" are the root of the words "relief pitcher".

You claim "A" is true, but "B" is false. However, your logic is flawed
because if A is true, B must also be true. Knowing that B is false, we
must conclude that A is false.

Josh Rosenbluth

jrosenbluth@comcast.net wrote:

The whole discussion is moot because the word "hit" as it pertains to
"hitter" is a verb describing the batter's actions....not a noun that
describes the scorer's account of the result of the batter's actions.

"Realto Margarino" <rm@youasked.org> wrote in message
news:sDWJg.16681$Df2.10714@fe05.news.easynews.com. ..

So what is a batter's function? And is the greatest batter the one that has
the greatest number of bats? By definition, without qualification?

And, if so, what kind of bats? Baseball? Cricket? Fruit?

Bernie

grossman <SavoyBG@aol.com> trolled:


It's the same word and whether it is used as a verb or a noun
depends only on the context of the sentence.

cordially, as always,

rm

Bernie White <bernie_nospam_white@hotmail.com> trolled:

"Greatest batter" is not a category that is recognized as having any
value. If counting career at bats meant anything, then you are
right, the greatest batter is the one with the most at bats, by
definition and without qualification.

However, most of us regard the batter's primary function as somehow
making a contribution to the team's scoring. If he contributes to
scoring, he is successful. If he does not, then he is not
successful. In any case, this is much different from hitting.

cordially, as always,

rm

In article <QxUJg.469073$Em2.283933@fe10.news.easynews.com>,
Realto Margarino <rm@youasked.org> wrote:

our correspondent, rm, seems to fail to acknowledge that
"great as in quantity" aint the same thing as "great as in
distinguished". FWIW, the unabridged dictionary lists 21
meanings for "great" - not many of which apply to Rose or his
accomplishments.

If you want to equate the relatively obsolete use of "great" as
size (greatest number of hits = the largest) to "greatest hitter",
the only comparability is with "the largest-sized hitter",
who might be the tallest, which Rose was not, or the heaviest,
which Rose was not, or perhaps the one with the largest hat size
(hmm, may be close, but that one might be Bonds).

Cheers,

Mitch Edelman

In article <sDWJg.16681$Df2.10714@fe05.news.easynews.com>,
Realto Margarino <rm@youasked.org> wrote:


So that would make Jesus Christ the greatest relief pitcher of all time.

And hitters should be called batters (and sometimes are). And Pete Rose
is not the greatest batter of all time.

--
Hank Gillette

"A general rule of thumb when it comes to looking for love in the modern world
is to stop being so picky. If you include your nightmares, the person of your
dreams is within your reach." -- Carina Chocano