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Post by elonpride on Jul 14, 2007 22:44:45 GMT -5
Well, this isn't a "college" thread, but there's really no other place on the board to post it. Now that we're coming close to "history" in Major League Baseball, who do you guys think is the best player of all time......MAntle, Bonds, Griffey Jr., Rose, Ruth,Mays, Boggs, Seaver, Cobb, Gwynn, Williams....the list could go on......
Personally, I think the best player to hit field will never be in the hall, Pete Rose. THe guy lacked talent, but sure made it up with hustle. He holds records for most hits, most singles, most total bases by a switch hitter, most seasons with 200 or more hits....many records. Yeah he bet on baseball and put a scar on the sport, but man was he good! There's no prettier picture of the sport than seeing Rose belly flop into 3rd, wrapping both arms around the base.
What do you guys think? It's pretty clear, even though Bonds may be cheating, he had a career for the books, but is he deserving of the distinction?
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Post by elon_phan on Jul 16, 2007 21:10:32 GMT -5
Looks like this thread is not getting much response. I will give it a try.
I would have hard time picking an all time best. However, regarding Rose, I would the think the all time best would also be the first guy you would take if you were starting a new team. While Rose had some impressive stats, I would have a difficult time justifying him as my top choice for starting a new team.
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Post by elonfirefighter on Jul 17, 2007 7:27:33 GMT -5
I think bonds does deserve it, but is verry hard to compare bonds to ruth or rose. The game is a different game now a days all the way down to the bat and ball. pitchers are throwing it faster then ever and with more tricks up there sleve its harder then ever to get a hit. my one statement is that though drugs may let you hit the ball farther, they dont gaurentee you hitting it in the first place and being able to read a pitch in that split second before the ball leaves the hand takes talent.
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Post by elonfirefighter on Jul 17, 2007 9:23:45 GMT -5
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Post by elonpride on Jul 17, 2007 17:28:03 GMT -5
Sorry this discussion didn't get many involved......I'm a big baseball fan, and I guess the sport has digressed in popularity!!!
It's no doubt Bonds' career has been stellar! Even before he was accused of juicing (when he was pretty slim like me), he was one of the best players in the league. It has always concerned me when I saw a player like Bonds that had such a sharp decline in stolen bases, in such a short time. It was from 40+/season, to about 8+/season in a fairly short time. Granted the guy is 40 now, but it wasn't like this happened at the tail end of his career.
It is hard to compare players from different eras, and pitching is different....but when was the last time you saw a guy throw as hard on a consistent basis as Bob Gibson? I think we have better athletes in these times, but I do believe pitching mechanics were better in the past. Will we ever see players like Seaver, Ryan, Clemens, Gibson, Page, Carlton, Sphan, Palmer and Maddux on the mound again......or does the current way that managerial decisions are made make it impossible?
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Post by elonfirefighter on Jul 18, 2007 10:49:58 GMT -5
I think it will happen less and less. citing a discussion i had with one of the players parents, there are a few coachs now a days that are killing there pitchers in high school. making them throw 100+ on a regular basis. This is when there still in developmental stages. Just at my high school alone i saw a couple pitchers having sugery on there rotatory cuffs. These problems are long lasting andcat sometimes end a potential pros career before he event gets out of college. Persoanlly I love baseball too. Managed 3 years in high school and 1 at Elon. I still follow players and the minors. i gave up on the majors back in 94 when all the strikes happened. Dont get me wrong i still follow a few players griffy, bonds... But now im all caught up in the progress of guys i played high school, and rec ball with as well as elon players. How many people can say i played ball with that guy, or that guy is the one who took my spot on the team, and look at him now. so for now ill keep my fingures crossed that charlotte gets there down town stadium, and untill we do get our MLB team ill watched the injured greats down in the AAA for a week or 2 and the upcomming stars. Either way nothing beets a crisp night in the stands with the smell of popcorn and dog holding a nice cold beer.
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Post by elonphoenix on Aug 1, 2007 10:23:41 GMT -5
I think too much is made of the pitch counts of younger players. Give a kid decent mechanics, keep him to fastballs and changeups, and develop his throwing arm by having him throw a ton and his arm will be fine. Where kids get into trouble is sloppy mechanics that puts too much strain on a certain part of the body, trying to throw junk before their body is mature enough for it (my rule: no breaking pitches until high school), and trying to develop arm strength by lifting weights (which leaves out all the stabilizing and other secondary muscles, again increasing the chance for injury.
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