• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

MLB General Discussion (Official Thread)

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
[quote='BusNative;114303;0]Did anyone else see ESPN "surprise" Miguel Tejada with his Dominican birth certificate on sportcenter? Maybe its just me, but I'm getting tired of "investigative" sports journalism.

If you didn't see it, and I don't know why this is bothering me so much, but some ESPN douche brings Tejada in for an interview and then springs the birth certificate on him during the interview like he was friggin' Mike Wallace. Tejada, obviously surprised, leaves the interview.

I just hate how enititled sports journalists are these days, especially on ESPN. Just give me the scores and maybe some practice update, please.

Who gives a crap if Miguel Tejada is 2 years older than he said he was almost 15 years ago?

Ok, sorry, Im done.

[/rant][/quote]

I saw it and thought the same thing. Who really gives a shit about him being 2 years older?
 
Upvote 0
Sloopy45;107944; said:
Ok, here's where the fun begins. Here's where I came to this conclusion. I took the next eight players that I thought would round out the Top 10. I plugged all their totals into Excel, and prorated their stats over 162 games (yes, I know that most of these guys didn't play a 162 game schedule, but bear with me).

What I came up with is this: there are only two men of the eight who can vie for the # 3 slot: Ted Williams, and Lou Gehrig. But, if you look at the numbers, there really is only one man for the spot. I know I'm gonna get murdered for this, I know I'm gonna be told, "Put those Yankee pom-poms away," and all that crap, but I'll make my case. That man's name is:

3. Henry Louis "Lou" Gehrig. The Iron Horse: Gehrig and Williams' careers can be compared with some ease because they played in almost the same amount of games (2,292 for Ted, and 2,164 for Gehrig). Now here's where the seperation begins:

Stats:
Even though Gehrig played in about 128 less games (almost a full season in those days) than Ted, he blew him away in a lot of categories: he scored 90 more runs than Williams. He has 67 more hits than Williams, slightly more doubles (534 to 525), WAY more triples (163 to 71), are about the same in Home Runs (493 for Gehrig and 521 for Williams), are the same in average (.344 to .340), Slugging (.634 to .632), but Lou has a decided advantage in Total Bases (5,060 to 4,884). Williams only significantly beats Gehrig in two categories: OBP, which Williams is # 1 all-time with a .482 clip, and Lou's lifetime total is .447, and walks, where Williams has about 500 more.

But here's where the seperation is confirmed: RBIs. If you prorate Gehrig's run production over 162 games, he averaged (yes, AVERAGED) 149 RBIs per season. Wow! Williams came in with an impressive 130 clip, too. Gehrig has 156 more RBIs than Williams and played in 128 less games. You can't argue that. Gehrig topped 175 RBIs three times in his career! Just simply unbelivable.

Awards:
Gehrig is a two time MVP ('27 and '36) and won the AL Triple Crown in 1934 with .363, 49, and 165.

Bottom Line:
When Gehrig's stats are prorated, he's the only man (of a list that includes the cream of the crop in baseball history) to project to 200+ hits, 40 Doubles, 12 Triples, 37 Home Runs, 140+ RBI, 100+ Walks, and blows every other man out of the water in Total Bases (379) over 162 games.

You can make an argument that Gehrig batted behind Ruth and then later DiMaggio, and you can tell me that Williams lost five prime seasons because of WWII and the Korean War. They're both valid points, but remember this: Gehrig had to give up baseball with a lot in the tank at age 36, and if you work out the numbers yourself, they will not lie: the 3rd best hitter in baseball history is the Iron Horse, Henry Louis Gehrig.

Oh, and he also played in 2,130 straight games too. Teddy Ballgame and someone else to come tomorrow.
Click to expand...


On this day in 1941 - Upon their arrival in Detroit, the Yankees learn the sad news that their captain, Lou Gehrig, seventeen days prior to his 38th birthday, has died in his sleep due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in his Riverside home. It was on this day exactly 16 years ago the “Iron Horse" broke into the Bronx Bombers' starting line-up.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
This post is exactly what baseball is all about. Stats.....different eras, different coverage, no way to compare. In many ways this is exactly why baseball lives in many people's hearts. To say Babe or the "Iron Horse' or the "Georgia Peach" or the Mick or Say Hey or Hammering Hank or Roberto Clemente (on of my faves) is better or the best is totally impossible to compare. But the mere arguement factor is the zest of baseball.

For me growing up, Pete Rose, was my hero. I snuck a transitor radio into bed at night to quietly listen to the Reds to see how many hits he got. Pete obviously had many flaws, but at that moment in time, it was one of the best parts of a young boys life.

Comparing athletes of different era will always be subjective but great discussion.
 
Upvote 0
Sloopy45;206412; said:
bb73: "I wonder if we'll be leaving that town for pick number 10?"

Staying in St. Louis, MO for Player # 10, we have none other than:

10. Stanley Frank Musial. "Stan the Man." Musial was an offensive machine. There's really no other way to put it. I think I'm gonna get carpal tunnel typing this write up:

Stats:
Wow. 1,949 Runs (9th All-time), 3,630 Hits (4th), 6,134 TB (2nd), 725 Doubles (3rd), 177 Triples (19th), 475 Homers (23rd), 1,951 RBI (5th), 1,599 Walks (11th), & a .331 lifetime average (30th). Musial led the National league in OBP, SLG, Hits, & Total Bases 6 times each, Runs & Triples 5 times each, Doubles EIGHT times, RBIs twice, and Bases on Balls once. Interestingly enough, for all his greatness & 475 Homers, Stan never won a Home Run Title. Hm.

He had over 100 runs 12 years in a row, 200+ hits six times, 10 seasons with 100+ RBI, and hit .300 or better in 17 seasons. What more can you say? Musial even lost a year of his prime in 1945 to military service.

Awards:
20 time All-Star, 3 time NL MVP ('43, '46, & '48), 7 time Batting Champion, & 2 time TSN Player of the Year ('46 & '51).
Click to expand...

Stan Musial Has Alzheimer?s

109137529_8.jpg

Stan Musial receives his Medal of Freedom on February 15, 2011 in Washington, DC. (Getty/ Alex Wong)


Stan Musial one of the greatest living former baseball players is suffering from Alzheimer?s Disease. KMOX Radio reports a book set to be released May 10th says the 90-year-old St. Louis Cardinals legend developed symptoms of the disease in his mid 80′s.
Advance copies of NY TImes writer George Vecsey?s book ?Stan Musial, An American Life? indicate the Baseball Hall of Famer?s family has helped Musial keep as active as possible, to reinforce his contact with the world.
​
Stan the Man was a 24-time All-Star, 3 time World Series winner and member of MLB?s All Century team. He had 3,630 hits (fourth all-time) and 475 homers during his 22 seasons in St. Louis.


Entire article: http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2011/04/09/stan-musial-has-alzheimers/
 
Upvote 0
Sloopy45;206412; said:
bb73: "I wonder if we'll be leaving that town for pick number 10?"

Staying in St. Louis, MO for Player # 10, we have none other than:

10. Stanley Frank Musial. "Stan the Man." Musial was an offensive machine. There's really no other way to put it. I think I'm gonna get carpal tunnel typing this write up:

Stats:
Wow. 1,949 Runs (9th All-time), 3,630 Hits (4th), 6,134 TB (2nd), 725 Doubles (3rd), 177 Triples (19th), 475 Homers (23rd), 1,951 RBI (5th), 1,599 Walks (11th), & a .331 lifetime average (30th). Musial led the National league in OBP, SLG, Hits, & Total Bases 6 times each, Runs & Triples 5 times each, Doubles EIGHT times, RBIs twice, and Bases on Balls once. Interestingly enough, for all his greatness & 475 Homers, Stan never won a Home Run Title. Hm.

He had over 100 runs 12 years in a row, 200+ hits six times, 10 seasons with 100+ RBI, and hit .300 or better in 17 seasons. What more can you say? Musial even lost a year of his prime in 1945 to military service.

Awards:
20 time All-Star, 3 time NL MVP ('43, '46, & '48), 7 time Batting Champion, & 2 time TSN Player of the Year ('46 & '51).
Click to expand...

My favorite Stan Musial stat: His career hit total was evenly split between 1,815 hits at home and 1,815 hits on the road.
 
Upvote 0
so i'm a little late finding this thread, but i'd like to weigh in on it

Sloopy45;107944; said:
you can tell me that Williams lost five prime seasons because of WWII and the Korean War. They're both valid points, but remember this: Gehrig had to give up baseball with a lot in the tank at age 36,
Click to expand...


i realize that we can't really assume what could have been, but it's fun to try.

Williams lost 5 years from his mid 20's to his mid 30's.
Gehrig lost 5 years(ish) in his late 30's.
I think the years Williams is a bigger hit on your career numbers than the years Gehrig lost.

since they both have an identical 37 hr/162 averages for their careers, let's assume they would have put up at least similar numbers at around the same ages.

plug in Gehrig's numbers on Williams' stat line for the ages 24-26 and 33-34 (years Teddy missed fighting in wars).
and Williams' numbers on Gehrig's line for the ages 36-41 (age Gehrig retired until age Williams retired).


For the ages Williams missed, Gehrig hit 195 hr, and drove in 754 runs
For the ages Gehrig missed, Williams hit 155 hr, and drove in 452 runs

add those numbers to their career stat lines:
Williams: .344/716/2291
Gehrig: .340/640/2447


Williams could have potentially finished with a near identical st line to Babe Ruth, with Teddy actually having a slight lead in all 3 categories.
Ruth .342/714/2213
Teddy .344/716/2291

Gehrig's numbers would also be absolutely phenomenal, but Williams being virtually equal to the Babe puts him on top in my IMO.

of course if we do this, we'd have to give Ruth the 5 years at the beginning of his career when he wasn't in the lineup every day, and his numbers would once again dwarf everyone else.

edit to add:
giving Williams at/near his career averages for those 5 years, he would have finished no worse than 2nd (at time of his retirement) in the following offensive categories:
HR, RBI, OBP, Slg%, OPS, OPS+, Walks, Hits, Runs, total bases

not even Babe Ruth can claim that.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
Wow - 6 years since this stupid conversation?

Anyway, a friend of mine found this:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=290412129&prov=ap

Trailing 1-0 in the second, Los Angeles had Andre Ethier on third base and Juan Pierre on second with one out when Wolf hit a line drive that was caught by Arizona starter Dan Haren (0-2). He wheeled and threw to second baseman Felipe Lopez, who tagged Pierre a few feet off second base for an inning-ending double play.
Ethier was running on contact, and he crossed the plate before Pierre was tagged out. The Diamondbacks left the field, apparently thinking the run didn?t count.
But the umpires said it did after meeting with Dodgers manager Joe Torre and Arizona manager Bob Melvin?and by then it was too late for the Diamondbacks to appeal that Ethier had failed to tag up. Had they done so, they would have recorded a fourth out and erased the run.
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0
Bucklion;2038395; said:
There will also apparently be 10 playoff teams now, though I'm not sure how that's going to work unless there is a Wild Card round I guess.
Click to expand...

Yep, the only way I can see five teams from each league making the playoffs is for the two wildcard teams in each league having a 3-5 series, with the winners moving to the divisional series against the division winner with the best record.
 
Upvote 0
Love it. Great move for baseball. What I'd like to see now is one interleague series a week or so. With 15 teams in each league you could always have 7 intraleague series' and one interleague series. I mean hell, you already have to beat the best team from the other league to win the whole thing, why not take it to the regular season? I understand the logistics are obviously more delicate than that, but the point is to create more interesting match-ups and have the best team in baseball be rewarded. Disclaimer: I love interleague baseball and would love to see more of it. Outside of the DH rule, it's the same sport in both leagues.
 
Upvote 0
Purists hate interleague play...I am somewhat of a purist, but I also know it is here to stay, and I like the Reds/Indians series every year, so...let's take advantage of it. Schedule like the NFL does with opposite conferences or something, either keeping a "rivalry" matchup every year...or just scheduling opposite divisions for regional interest (i.e. AL East plays NL East, etc., which would always get Yankees/Mets, Rays/Marlins, Indians/Reds, Giants/As, etc.)...and take the ridiculous All Star game home field advantage bullshit and stick it straight up Selig's ass...and replace it with the league winning the overall interleague title getting home field advantage. That would make it a more fair assessment across hundreds of games and all the teams.
 
Upvote 0
I still won't be too interested in it unless the Reds are in the hunt like two seasons ago. Until they adjust the payrolls I have no interest in watching 1,345 games or whatever they play these days. Plus, 5 playoff teams per is not making sense to me. But I went to Wilmington so what do I know.
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top