Baseball

[Nigel]

Best in my era (early kid 80s to mid 2000s where I focused on the game)? Even w injuries hard to ignore Ken Griffey Jr. Cal Ripken is great but overrated by the meaningless steak (bunch of Balt fans here just dropped a load in their shorts). Others positional players I’d consider from my defined era might be: Schmidt, George Brett, Roberto Alomar, Winfield & Rickey.

Pitchers in my defined era: I include Carlton and Seaver though their best days were behind me. Then it comes down to three guys. Maddux/Johnson/Pedro.

Rickey was the greatest! He even said so himself.

[Farfromgeneva]

Best in my era (early kid 80s to mid 2000s where I focused on the game)? Even w injuries hard to ignore Ken Griffey Jr. Cal Ripken is great but overrated by the meaningless steak (bunch of Balt fans here just dropped a load in their shorts). Others positional players I’d consider from my defined era might be: Schmidt, George Brett, Roberto Alomar, Winfield & Rickey.

Pitchers in my defined era: I include Carlton and Seaver though their best days were behind me. Then it comes down to three guys. Maddux/Johnson/Pedro.

Rickey was the greatest! He even said so himself.

Loved him but the As are my baseball team so I’m biased.

Introduced speaking in 3rd person to the world. That’s worth like 100 HOF votes alone. Shoot he should be President for that.

Should point out the above is including only guys who’ve been enshrined because in reality bonds is the best position player in my lifetime (40+ Yrs)-better than all these.

[Brooklyn]

Thankfully, nobody withheld x-rays which gave a full scope of Bo's injuries. What was done to Roger was a gross injustice that would have cost NYY management tens of millions of dollars today.

Some claim Roger's lifetime .261 BA is too low to qualify him for the Hall. But Luis Aparicio's lifetime BA was .262 and he's in the Hall. And if someone like Hank Aaron says Roger belongs in it, who is going to argue against that??

[Farfromgeneva]

On peers while I just acknowledged Ortiz comments on Bonds/Clemens, we also see how the veterans committee has diluted the hall letting all their old buddies in so there’s that. But I do appreciate Aaron’s thoughts on any subject. Wonder how many other players he and his cohort also argue should be in. And maybe it should be more open. That’s not my position. But whether injuries were covered up or not doesn’t change that it was a 7yr career with really two great seasons and one other solid one. It’s possible that Yankees fans mentally crushing him for breaking babes record rather than The Mick contributed to his decline as well. Didnt Mickey get his start because the prior CF busted his leg in what my dad used to describe as a “pothole” in center field? Not quite Wally Pipp but got the position due to another injury.

Aparicio is considered one of the least qualified HOFers inducted the BBWAA way.

Agreed on Yankees (and Brooklyn Dodgers in the 50s BTW). Poor behavior by baseball owners appears to be ingrained in the sport.

[Nigel]

Side by side.

Smoltz: 213-155, 3.33 ERA, 125 ERA+, 3473 IP, 3084 SO, 66.4 WAR, one World Series title [FIRST BALLOT HOF]

Schilling: 216-146, 3.46 ERA, 127 ERA+, 3261 IP, 3116 SO, 80.5 WAR, three World Series titles [0/10 in HOF eligibility voting req't]


Schilling on the BBWAA voters - “a group of morally bankrupt frauds.”

BBWAA on Schilling - "Shut the front door, a**h***."

[Brooklyn]

Kirby Puckett: 207 HR, .318 BA, 1085 RBI, .837 OPS, 1071 runs, 414 doubles, 6 GGs


Albert Belle: .295 BA, .933 OPS, 381 HRs, 1,239 RBIs, 389 doubles, five All-Star Games and five Silver Sluggers



Kirby in HOF 2001

Belle is not



unlike Smoltz & Schilling numbers which are basically equal, Belle far surpasses Kirby for run production

[Farfromgeneva]

It’s all about like ability. Some said Eddie Murray wouldn’t get in either because of personality/. You could throw in Smoltz run as reliever and some saves as well but he’s Jack Morris 2.0 to me. People loved Puckett and he had long enough of a career but it was cut short because of an eye issue, glaucoma I think.

But goes back to my point that the writers are too high in themselves and misunderstand the Hall and the game they cover greatly. It’s a shame .

[Brooklyn]

Kirby's career was cut short by that eye illness. He clearly had a year or two more. Albert Belle likely had 2 or 3 or possibly more ahead of him but suffered from a hip ailment and also had to retire early. Based on the career numbers he clearly belongs in HOF.

[Farfromgeneva]

I agree on Albert/Joey. He was pretty much loathed as a person if I recall and that’s how the BBWAA rolls as moral authority unfortunately. He may have the unproven but specter of roid use that’s hammered many, some of whom did eventually get in like Bagwell and Piazza, despite no conclusive proof of use.

Some people will probably bug out, and I liked him but, I’m not sure Ryan Sandberg belongs over a number if guys who haven’t been enshrined or didn’t in the main channel in .

[Nigel]

Classic Albert.



Why did he refuse to speak with the media frequently?

"I don't get excited talking about myself", he explained. "Guys such as Sandy Koufax, Joe DiMaggio and Steve Carlton did not interview, and it was no big deal. They were quiet. I am also quiet. I just want to concentrate on baseball. Why does everyone want to hear me talk, anyway?"

[Brooklyn]

Google honors Toni Stone of the Indianapolis Clowns today:


https://www.google.com/search?q=Toni+St ... ulD6YQPQgB



https://s3.amazonaws.com/sfc-datebook-w ... 24x874.jpg



The ballfield at St Paul's Midway section is named for her. I have attended many games there.

[Brooklyn]

MLB cancels games after no deal before deadline March 1, 2022 — MLB commissioner Rob Manfred cancels the first week of regular season games as the league-imposed deadline for a new labor deal passes without an agreement. The first two series are canceled.



https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/ ... 20canceled.


I can wait. Plenty of minor league, indy league, and college ball online or on TV.

[Brooklyn]

Blame baseball, not younger people's short attention spans, for the decline of baseball


https://www.newsday.com/sports/columnis ... 1.50527216


Some sports are better than they were in the 20th century. Hockey is a far more entertaining game now. Some are just different. Whether that is good or bad is a matter of taste. Football and basketball fall into that category.

Baseball, indisputably, is an inferior product to what it was at any time in its first 150 years, an endless parade of strikeouts and walks interrupted by the occasional Aaron Judge or Pete Alonso dinger.

... games from the 1970s seem like drag races compared to the 2020s version.

Most American sports fans are less upset about the lockout than baseball would like them to be, and part of that is because of a lack of interest in the game itself.

... Baseball’s decline is not the fault of young people. It is the fault of baseball.



The game is just too long, too slow paced, and too boring to merit much attention. If the season is cancelled I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

[Brooklyn]

MLB baseball is back!

A full season is promised, all games will be played, universal DH, playoffs expanded, season will go into November. Many free agents had not signed up to now so the next few days should be interesting.

[44WeWantMore]

However, this is a good time to celebrate Curt Schilling’s accomplishments. His career WAR (wins above replacement player) is 80.5. That’s just behind Bob Gibson and just ahead of Tom Glavine and Carl Hubbell. All three are generally considered upper tier Hall of Famers.
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/ ... litics.php

And I thought Gibson was the greatest baseball player I ever saw.

Since Spahn I think the short list on pitchers is (not in order)

Koufax
Gibson
Seaver
Steve Carlton
Randy Johnson
Clemens
Maddux
Pedro

But ball player or pitcher?

My appreciation for Gibson might be partly a "Park Effect"
https://arnoldkling.substack.com/p/bob- ... ts-311?s=r

[youthathletics]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcDya_0jPWI/

[Nigel]

Saw that this is 15 years old today and it's still hilarious!

[youthathletics]

This pitcher would love COMA slides. https://old.reddit.com/r/baseball/comme ... bsolutely/

[Brooklyn]

old fashion wooden bat amateur baseball:


https://northwoodsleague.com/


Its director is Dick Raddatz, Jr (yes, he is the son of the Monster and looks exactly like his legendary dad). Check the schedule for free online and for cable tv broadcasts.

[Brooklyn]

'Absolute joke': St Louis Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty slams five Tampa Bay Rays players for refusing to wear team's rainbow logo for Pride Night


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... -logo.html



The Rays issued rainbow-colored uniforms and caps for Saturday's game against the Chicago White Sox, but at least five pitchers refused to wear the logos
Reliever Jason Adam said the choice was 'faith based,' adding that neither he, nor the other four players, were discriminating: 'All are welcome and loved here'
In response to the news, Cards pitcher Jack Flaherty tweeted: 'Absolute joke'
The club did not reprimand or single out the players who refused to wear the rainbow logo as part of the team's 16th annual Pride Night
Rays manager Kevin Cash said the team would stand 'to support our players that choose to wear or choose not to wear to the best of our capabilities'


Utterly shameful. Since the NFL banned Colin Kapaernick for doing what he did, MLB should do the same for these bigots. All on this forum who condemned Kap should do the same for these haters. This would show some consistency on your part (yeah, good luck with that).