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G95champ
Top Prospect
Joined: 14 Jun 2002
Posts: 69
Location: Gilbert, WV USA
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 Posted: 7/6/2002, 10:21 pm Post subject: With Williams gone...... |
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As long as I can remember Ted Williams and Joe Dimmago were considered the 2 greatest living hitters and players. Dimmago passed on a few years back and now Williams is gone. So who do you pick as the greatest living hitter and player.
Greatest living hitter? Pete Rose
Greatest living player? Willie Mays |
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Patrick
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Joined: 16 Mar 2001
Posts: 14799
Location: Harbinger, NC, U.S.A.
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defska17
Hall of Famer
Joined: 01 Apr 2001
Posts: 4150
Location: So. Cal (near San Diego)
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| Posted: 7/6/2002, 11:25 pm Post subject: |
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Best pure hitter: I think Tony Gwynn hands down.
Best all-around hitter: I dont think you can look past Barry Bonds.
Best player: I think Mays is a good choice, but just to throw another name out there, Rickey Henderson.
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Justin Lieber |
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G95champ
Top Prospect
Joined: 14 Jun 2002
Posts: 69
Location: Gilbert, WV USA
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| Posted: 7/6/2002, 11:45 pm Post subject: |
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Other names
Stan Mussual - great hitter and all arround player
Hank Aaron - all time HR king
Frank Robinson - AL and NL MVP over 500 HR's
Henderson IMO is great but as a hitter he was never high. His on base percentage was great and no question he may be the best lead off man ever. Exceptionsbeing Ty Cobb and Rose.
Pure hitters of the late 70's to late 90's era
Boggs
Brett
Schmitt
Gwyn
Puckett
Yoint
all are great but I will have to wait a bit to put them with the others.
I think I may still list McGwire in from of these guys although he may have only hit over .300 once in his career.
Reggie Jackson is another big name to look at but he struk out so much.
I guess the next question is who should carry the banner for baseball the way Williams and Dimmago did?
Rose can't for obvious reasons. Mays has never been that public. Nor has Aaron or Mussual. Frank Robinson is tied to baseball so it makes it hard for him as well.
With the passing of Williams I don't know if baseball has a figurehead to look to and say he was everything that was good about the game. One other name I will throw out is Nolan Ryan. Not a hitter by any means but maybe the best living player. |
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defska17
Hall of Famer
Joined: 01 Apr 2001
Posts: 4150
Location: So. Cal (near San Diego)
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| Posted: 7/6/2002, 11:58 pm Post subject: |
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Very true about Nolan, while considering hitters he slipped my mind.
When referring to Rickey, I referred to him as best overall player, not best hitter. Average defensively (he did win a GG), but being the all-time leader in runs scored has to count for something. Sometimes while being amazed by huge homerun totals, batting averages, etc. we forget that the point of the game is to score runs. Noone did that more than Rickey.
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Justin Lieber |
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G95champ
Top Prospect
Joined: 14 Jun 2002
Posts: 69
Location: Gilbert, WV USA
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| Posted: 7/7/2002, 12:20 am Post subject: |
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I agree with you about Ricky. However because we are HR crazy and Ricky never got along good with the press he will always be overlooked.
After thinking for a few min's I do believe I would have to say Ryan is the best player still alive. Plus he is the one who could take a figurehead type roll like Williams and Dimago did. Will he or someone else? Can't say. I know when I was growing up at every all-star game or World Series they would talk to Dimago and Williams about the teams and players. Rose is the only one of those mentiond that has the crisma those 2 did. |
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defska17
Hall of Famer
Joined: 01 Apr 2001
Posts: 4150
Location: So. Cal (near San Diego)
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| Posted: 7/7/2002, 1:49 am Post subject: |
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The argument against Nolan figureheading baseball is that he is a pitcher. We all know that offense gets all the credit and all the recognition in this game, so when we think of the greatest players ever, a pitcher almost never crosses your mind. And when we think of the game of baseball, we think of the bat hitting the ball, not the pitcher throwing it.
Personally, I think Willie Mays is the best option. Owner of the most famous defensive play in MLB history, obviously one of the best hitters ever, and is getting a lot of notice lately now that his godson is chasing him on the homerun charts.
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Wedge231
VIP
Joined: 20 Mar 2001
Posts: 5870
Location: South Bend, IN
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| Posted: 7/7/2002, 8:41 am Post subject: |
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I agree that pitchers don't get much credit. I'd say Mays is a good choice also.
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Patrick
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Joined: 16 Mar 2001
Posts: 14799
Location: Harbinger, NC, U.S.A.
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defska17
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Joined: 01 Apr 2001
Posts: 4150
Location: So. Cal (near San Diego)
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| Posted: 7/7/2002, 6:27 pm Post subject: |
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I wholeheartedly agree, but I cannot honestly picture either of them as figureheads for the game.
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Justin Lieber |
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lol
