Comments on: This Day In MLB History…

By: Donal

Donal — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:41:53 +0000

You just need to deal with reality. This is not fantasy baseball. you don’t just get to take and keep everyone you like because you found them first.

By: alex68

alex68 — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:01:47 +0000

yeah, i am sure most of you sandy apologist will say well, reyes was greedy or sandy gets 2 draft picks, or “well, we are a 4th place team with him anyways”.. any excuse possible to make alderson look good, i guaranteed you that

By: Travers

Travers — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:06:43 +0000

Super Jew! Greenberg would have easily been a 500 HR club member if not for missing some prime years to his military service. What a great player!

By: jessep

jessep — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 16:15:37 +0000

By the way worth putting on record that if Reyes leaves, I’d like the Mets to sign Vizquel to be a mentor for young Ruben.

By: jessep

jessep — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 16:15:00 +0000

Right and Gaylord Perry used a vaseline ball, he’s in the Hall. Whitey Ford uses his wedding ring to cut the baseball, George Brett had too much pinetar, Don Sutton was suspended for scuffing and threatened to sue so they backed down.

Players have been cheating forever.

I’m not totally against the Vizquel thing by the way. Although Ozzie has 2 more GG’s than him I believe…

By: jessep

jessep — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 16:00:48 +0000

Possibly Alex, but you’re mixing guys like Manny who failed drug tests with a guy like Belle who realistically has never once been discussed in the steroid era to my knowledge. There have not been any reports that he used, so to say he isn’t a viable candidate because of roids then you’re also saying you think its quite alright if a guy like Piazza doesn’t make it. There are plenty of people who “think” Piazza may have used, but that won’t stop him from getting in.

Guys like Manny, ARod, Bonds, Raffy, Roger all have either tested + or been in a report linking them to steroids.

I’m not suggesting Ozzie Smith deserves to be there based on his offensive resume. I don’t think anybody who seriously expect that kind of statement to be taken seriously. He’s there because he was supremly talent at SS. Whether that is right or wrong doesn’t matter because it’s done

By: Donal

Donal — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:33:51 +0000

He can express it all he wants, if he chases the big $$$ to MLB’s version of the Witness Protection Program, you know it was bunk.

“is showing he’s willing to part ways with him, which is not a good sign”

It shows he plans for any situation, which is his job.

By: alex68

alex68 — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:29:13 +0000

if reyes leaves? or if sandy lowballs him. let’s use all alternatives here, is not only about him leaving, he’s expressed many, many times his love for NY and wanting to stay here. is not only up to him but sandy as well who by saying “we will get 2 draft picks for reyes” is showing he’s willing to part ways with him, which is not a good sign

By: alex68

alex68 — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:06:08 +0000

yeah, but rememebr jesseP, he TOO was suspended for using a corked bat, god only knows what else he cheated with or how many of those home runs were hit with corked bats. if you cheat, you will finds ways to be cheating no??
and about ozzie, all i gotta say is omar vizquel. who at least was a better hitter and had 11 GG’s

By: jessep

jessep — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:48:52 +0000

Alex, I’ll start with where I agree with you.

I believe the HOF should be a 3 part vote. A) Writers B) Managers during the players era and C) Current HOF’ers

This way the writers still get their right to vote, but the guys who see and plan “against” these players has a say and then current HOF’ers get a say.

However, what I don’t agree with is basically the Revis argument against Francesa that you use against Jayson Stark. To try and say a guy like Stark doesn’t know enough about the game to decide a players fate for the HOF is totally unfair. He’s more qualified than you or I that is for sure. But just because he never played professional baseball doesn’t mean he doesn’t know the game.

Jon Daniels “never picked up a bat”, you seem to have no problem with him in his role? I don’t think you have to have played the game to discuss, analyze or make informed decisions regarding it.

However, when you talk about relationship with the media and HOF, the first guy I think about is Albert Belle.

1993: 38HR, 129 RBI, .290 AVG, .922 OPS, AS, Silver Slugger, 7th in MVP
1994: 36HR, 101 RBI, .357 AVG, 1.152 OPS, AS, Silver Slugger, 3rd in MVP
1995: 50HR, 126 RBI, .317 AVG, 1.091 OPS, AS, Silver Slugger, 2nd in MVP
1996: 48 HR, 148 RBI, .311 AVG, 1.033 OPS, AS, Silver Slugger, 3rd in MVP
1997: 30 HR, 116 RBI, .274, .823 OPS, All-Star
1998: 49 HR, 152 RBI, .328 Avg, 1.055 OPS, Silver Slugger, 8th MVP
1999: 37 HR, 117 RBI, .297 Avg, .941 OPS

Then his “non HOF years”

1991: 28 HR, 95 RBI, .282, .863
1992: 24 HR, 112 RBI, .260, .797 OPS
2000: 23 HR, 103 RBI, .281 avg, .817 OPS

5 time All-Star, won ML Player of the Year in 1995, 5 time Silver Slugger, Top 10 in HR 8 times, Top 10 in RBI 8 times including 3 times leading. Albert Belle was dominating when he played.

I’m not saying he should be in the HOF. I think it’s an interesting argument, but because he was a bad guy in 2006 he received 7.7% of the vote and then in 2007 he was eliminated with 3.5%

By: alex68

alex68 — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:20:24 +0000

yes, but i too also think he was steroid’d out of his mind, there has been many players that were hurt by steroids big time or by their relantionship with the media. some players were inducted in the hall of fame just for being good players but extremely liked by the media. for example, 13 GG’s and career batting avg of 260 is a hall of famer.
another guy who will not make it from this era will be manny ramirez.

By: alex68

alex68 — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:13:52 +0000

Musico8, Great piece, hank was a great baseball player. Other facts about greenberg is that he was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY(for most part in NY), he also won his first MVP award at the age of 24, and his best season was in 1938, when he hit 315 with 58 hr’s(Led the league), 175 RBI’s, scored 144 runs (Led the league) and STILL did not win the MVP, in fact finished third behind jimmie foxx who that year batted 350 with 50 hr’s and 175 Rbi’s and for some stranged reason bill dickey, it was said that NY and Boston on those decades used to dominate the headlines and voters were very biased, that is why hank who should’ve been the MVP in 1937 as well lost the MVP to his teammate just because voters did not have a great relantionship with Hank… just as ted williams who easliy could’ve been MVP 7 or 8 times but his relantioship with the media was very rocky. is a truly shame how guys like jayson stark get to have a vote on who’s a BASEBALL hall of famer or not, guys who have NEVER EVEN PICKED up a bat get to decide if a TRUE BASEBALL PLAYER is a hall of famer or not… THAT IS A SHAME