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Jul-26-09
 | | chancho: Could the Babe hit today's pitching?
I doubt it. |
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| Jul-26-09 | | Jim Bartle: I would agree about Koufax's prime, except that really it was four years--63 to 66--not five. His highest ERA was 2.04. I certainly remember Radatz. Sort of a precursor to Gossage, or a better version of Ryne Duren. |
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Jul-26-09
 | | Phony Benoni: <Travis> I know you mean well, buddy, but the White Sox just scored 4 in the top of the first. Maybe you should keep your good wishes for Cubs games. <chancho> Your comment reminds me of a statement Ty Cobb made near the end of his life, around 1960. A reporter asked Cobb what he would hit against today's pitching. "Oh, about .300" Cobb replied.
"Only .300?"
"Well, son, you have to remember that I'm 73 years old!" |
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| Jul-26-09 | | Jim Bartle: I thought Joe Gordon was already in the HOF, but seems I was wrong. Rickey Henderson thanking Charlie Finley at his HOF induction: ""Charlie, wherever you're at, and that donkey, I want to say thank you for that opportunity." Unfortunately he referred to himself as "I" throughout the whole speech. Not a single "Rickey." |
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Jul-27-09
| | Phony Benoni: You mean he actually was humble? Will wonders never cease... |
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| Jul-27-09 | | Jim Bartle: Some really nice photos of Hall of Famers: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mu... In fact I realized I'd never seen any photos of several of these players, though I'm familiar with their records. |
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Jul-27-09
| | Phony Benoni: I like that picture of Yogi Berra. For once he looks like a baseball player instead of a clown. Casey Stengel, of course, is talking.
Seeing Foxx and Ott reminds us of how small the players of that era were compared to today. Foxx was a "beast" at 6' 0" and 195 pounds, though he beefed up later in his career. Ott was 5' 7" and 170 pounds. |
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Jul-27-09
| | Phony Benoni: <Game of the Day> July 27, 1922 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/... Not much of a game? It was remarkable because Ken Williams of the Browns began a 28-game hitting streak. It was even more remarkable because George Sisler of the Browns began a 41-game hitting streak. That 1922 Browns team could hit. Take a look at their starting lineup: http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/... <PLAYER OF THE DAY>
<LEO DUROCHER>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Du...
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/...
http://www.baseball-reference.com/p... Yes, it's also Alex Rodriguez's birthday, but that's too easy. |
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| Jul-27-09 | | Jim Bartle: Jim Bunning handing it over to the bullpen in 2010. |
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| Jul-27-09 | | Travis Bickle: <chancho: Could the Babe hit today's pitching? I doubt it.> The Babe could hit any pitching period. Remember Walter Johnson threw around 100 miles an hour from the forgotten age of baseball. |
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| Jul-27-09 | | Travis Bickle: Murderer's Row!
http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/de... |
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| Jul-27-09 | | Jim Bartle: George Brett digs the Royals out of an 0-2 hole: http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/... If I remember correctly, the two "flied out to right"s in the Royals 4th were both brilliant catches by Barfield, the second stealing a triple with a flat out dive for the ball. |
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Jul-27-09
| | Phony Benoni: Yes, sometimes you wish they could get a little more color into the play-by-play. <Travis> Good photos, but there's something funny about the one near the end where "Ruth Embraces Gehrig inside Yankee Staduim on the field during the '27 World Series victory celebration". Why is Ruth wearing street clothes? Actually, I have a memory of that photo being shot during the Gehrig Tribute ("Luckiest man on the face of the earth" speech). |
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| Jul-27-09 | | Travis Bickle: <Phony Benoni> yes I thought that also. |
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| Jul-28-09 | | playground player: Could Babe Ruth hit today's pitching??? Good grief--I could hit today's pitching! The other day I saw the Orioles start a guy with an ERA of 10.26. I think the Babe might've been able to handle him. If Mario Mendoza were playing today, he'd hit .300. Has John Franco retired yet? |
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| Jul-28-09 | | Jim Bartle: John Franco, yes. Not so sure about Julio Franco. |
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| Jul-28-09 | | dakgootje: <The other day I saw the Orioles start a guy with an ERA of 10.26.> ERA doesn't say everything. Take Gio Gonzalez who started 3 days ago for the Oakland A's coming into the game with an ERA of 9.33 against the Yankees who were playing great offense. Gave up 1 run on 2 hits over 6.2 IP. Now that, should really not have happened if one would only look at the ERA. |
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Jul-28-09
| | Phony Benoni: Of course Ruth could hit today's pitching. And Albert Pujols could hit 1920s pitching. It took the same skills to hit a ball in 1927 as it does today. The real question is whether the skill level of major league baseball players is better today than in the 1920s. Now, don't confuse this with being bigger and better athletes. There's no doubt that today's players are better physical specimens. But I don't see anybody saying Bo Jackson was a better baseball player than Wee Willie Keeler. It's hard to say whether the talent pool is diluted. Yes, there are twice as many major league teams, but the talent available has skyrocketed. In 1927, there were no Black players and very few Latinos, aside from the rare Cuban--to say nothing of Japan, China, Taiwan, and Aruba. Teaching and training tools are much more sophisticated, as are statistics. Much less seat-of-the-pants guesswork these days. But does it produce better baseball players? On the average, I'd say yes--but superstars are superstars. The special abilities they possess have not, and will not change. But I doubt Ruth would hit 714 home runs today. he wouldn't last long enough, with his peccadillos, in the media frenzy of today. He would have been TMZed, sent to rehab, suspended and tossed out of the majors long agon. |
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| Jul-28-09 | | Jim Bartle: Yes, many variables to consider. One you didn't mention is that in the 1920s baseball was clearly the sport of choice for all the best athletes. Today other sports compete, or have even passed baseball in this regard. One trend that I don't like is how fewer and fewer American blacks play baseball today. Once there were many black stars, but beyond Jimmy Rollins and maybe a couple others I can't think of any playing today. |
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Jul-28-09
| | Phony Benoni: What the greater opportunities in professional sports provide are more chances for participation among those unsuited to play baseball. If a kid is growing into a beefy behemoth, he's probably not going to be able to play baseball (except maybe catcher)--but football lwill give him a chance. And, with a few exceptions, very tall players don't excel either. So I don't see the choice as being bad, nor do I worry about one group or another not participating as much. It is, and should be, a decision made by the person on the basis of their abilities and preferences. |
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| Jul-28-09 | | Jim Bartle: I agree the choice is fine; I'm just saying that baseball draws from a smaller pool of American athletes than it used to. |
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| Jul-28-09 | | whiskeyrebel: Ruth not only would hit todays pitching, he would succeed as a pitcher too. He was simply a great athlete who played sports non-stop at the orphanage he was raised at. I assume that if the bambino were to grace us with his presence he wouldn't be dropped from the sky, but rather have a chance to develope like other young players. He would establish himself for several years before his carousing would be an issue. He would profit from air travel and modern sports medicine methods. His career would be even longer and more productive. Perhaps in our era he'd be allowed to fulfill his dream of managing once his career was over. |
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Jul-28-09
| | chancho: There's a good possibility that Pete Rose will be reinstated by MLB if I'm hearing Keith Olbermann correctly.
I hope so. Rose was a jerk, but no doubt he's one of the greats, and should be in the Hall. |
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| Jul-28-09 | | Jim Bartle: Many bad things about Rose, and many good things as well. It's been twenty years now, time to put him in. |
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Jul-28-09
| | Phony Benoni: It will be interesting to see if Rose gets voted into the Hall, even if he is reinstated. I don't think it's a slam dunk. And it's a shame, since Rose is one player you would want in the Hall based on playing style as well as numbers. What a great role model was lost to the Dark Side. |
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