Randy Johnson retires
Picking "the best lefty ever" is ambiguous at best. What's best? Best regular season stats? Best postseason stats? Best from the dead ball era? Best from the 3-man rotation days?
I'm going w\ Sandy Koufax. To quote Willie Mays, "I knew every pitch he was going to throw and still I couldn't hit him."
Trying to compare Randy Johnson w\ someone like Whitey Ford is like trying to compare a modern day power hitter to someone like Jimmie Foxx. Damn near different games.
I'm going w\ Sandy Koufax. To quote Willie Mays, "I knew every pitch he was going to throw and still I couldn't hit him."
Trying to compare Randy Johnson w\ someone like Whitey Ford is like trying to compare a modern day power hitter to someone like Jimmie Foxx. Damn near different games.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Warren's got some impressive as all hell stats. Sandy's career was shortened by arthritis & he often pitched in a good deal of pain. & he still kicked ass.TheCatt wrote:I never realized Koufax's career was so short. I ended up picking Spahn based purely on the numbers.
But Whitey Ford still has the most impressive postseason stats (which arguably matters more than the regular season).
If someone put a gun to my head & tied my life to a southpaw striking out any given batter, I'd go w\ Koufax.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
If you are picking best ever then I think you need to pick todays players. I just don't think Babe Ruth is anything other then a average player if he steps into a time machine and plays today. I don't think Murderers Row out hits the 2009 Royals.
That extents to every sports. Johnny Unitas is a slow weak arm back up QB if he even makes the team today. Pele is just a small slow guy who really wants to be good at soccer.
I think you need to break up everything by generations and name the best of an era. I think Wilt Chamberlain could still get things done but probably isn't a hall of famer.
That extents to every sports. Johnny Unitas is a slow weak arm back up QB if he even makes the team today. Pele is just a small slow guy who really wants to be good at soccer.
I think you need to break up everything by generations and name the best of an era. I think Wilt Chamberlain could still get things done but probably isn't a hall of famer.
Why? Because they'd actually shorten up their grip on a 2-strike count & play the hit instead of the 50/50 home run/strikeout odds? Because they aren't shooting up human growth hormone in to their eyeballs every day? Because the game has become more batter-friendly in the past 75 or so years?WSGrundy wrote:If you are picking best ever then I think you need to pick todays players. I just don't think Babe Ruth is anything other then a average player if he steps into a time machine and plays today. I don't think Murderers Row out hits the 2009 Royals.
I'll put Mickey Mantle from 1956 up against any of today's switch hitters.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
No because they are shit athletes compared to todays athletes just like tomorrows athletes will be supioror to todays.
You take Mickey Mantle, you can also have a rotation Sandy Kofax, Whitey Ford, Cy Young, Satchel Paige, Bob Gibson, with Dizzy Dean as a middle reliever, and Warren Spahn as your closer and it would be a great season if you didn't finish in last place.
I would add Jim Brown along with Wilt as players who I think could preform at a high level in todays game. Maybe Ted Williams(he isn't averaging .350 for a career though.) but I don't think any are for sure hall of famers outside of their era.
Edited By WSGrundy on 1262831393
You take Mickey Mantle, you can also have a rotation Sandy Kofax, Whitey Ford, Cy Young, Satchel Paige, Bob Gibson, with Dizzy Dean as a middle reliever, and Warren Spahn as your closer and it would be a great season if you didn't finish in last place.
I would add Jim Brown along with Wilt as players who I think could preform at a high level in todays game. Maybe Ted Williams(he isn't averaging .350 for a career though.) but I don't think any are for sure hall of famers outside of their era.
Edited By WSGrundy on 1262831393
WSGrundy wrote:No because they are shit athletes compared to todays athletes just like tomorrows athletes will be supioror to todays.
Their complete games stat says otherwise.
EDIT : Most pitchers today would crumble if they had a three-man rotation.
Edited By Malcolm on 1262835823
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
So some inferior athletes were able to dominate some even crappier athletes.Malcolm wrote:Their complete games stat says otherwise.WSGrundy wrote:No because they are shit athletes compared to todays athletes just like tomorrows athletes will be supioror to todays.
EDIT : Most pitchers today would crumble if they had a three-man rotation.
There stats don't mean anything because too much is different. Babe Ruth was the best of his time, Ted Williams the best of his, Mantle/Mays the best of theirs, Pujols the best of his. There is a late 70's early 80's guy in there somewhere but can think of one. The rules might be the same but the games are completely different.
It's a bit early on Pujols to be making a statement like that. The guy is a great player, but let's give him a few more years.
"Happy slaves are the worst enemies of freedom." - Marie Von Ebner
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
Is this in reference to not naming anyone for the 70-80s? For the most part I would love it if baseball ceased to exist so this wasn't a comment that anyone from that era was crap I just don't like the sport enough to sit down and think who was the best of that time. A while later Reggie popped into my head by Rose can be in that group too.Malcolm wrote:I suppose Pete Rose just slacked off on his way to 4K plus hits.