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Thread: I wish I had seen this guy play...

  1. #1
    Moderator The Operator's Avatar
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    I wish I had seen this guy play...

    A neat variation on the "I miss this guy" thread, they started one on the Sun Deck so I figured I'd try it out here.

    My Reds picks:
    Mario Soto - I love a filthy changeup.
    Johnny Bench - The stories my dad has told me, I'd love to have seen for myself. Actually, I'd expand this to say just about the entire BRM-era team. Or at least the core. You guys who got to witness that are truly lucky.

    Jim Maloney - Heat.
    Robbie - goes without saying.


    Non-Reds:
    Bob Gibson - Hate the Cards, but I love a guy who will fearlessly pitch inside. And I also love that he wasn't into the whole fraternization thing. The other team is the enemy, and that's how it should be imo.

    Sandy Koufax - I'm a sucker for pitching, and he was a legend.
    Jackie Robinson - Brilliant athlete and an iconic figure in the game's history.
    Willie Mays - no explanation necessary, imo.
    The '27 Yankees - I hate the Yankees, but I'm big on important pieces of MLB history. It'd be cool to see such a legendary team do their thing.
    Quote Originally Posted by BCubb2003 View Post
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  3. #2
    Sprinkles are for winners dougdirt's Avatar
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    Re: I wish I had seen this guy play...

    Josh Gibson. Not only because of the legend, but there simply isn't video out there of him to watch either. He is the only catcher in the history of the game with a legit claim to being in the conversation with Bench as the best catcher ever.

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    15 game winner Danny Serafini's Avatar
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    Re: I wish I had seen this guy play...

    Quote Originally Posted by dougdirt View Post
    He is the only catcher in the history of the game with a legit claim to being in the conversation with Bench as the best catcher ever.
    Is he though? The problem with the old Negro League guys is that they exist mainly as myth and legend. I don't doubt that there were some fantastic players there. But at the same time, they also spent a good chunk of their time barnstorming against bad opposition, which helped inflate their reputations. And it's not like you can count on Negro League stats for any kind of verifiable accuracy. He may have been a great catcher, but I think it's a pretty big stretch to essentially anoint him as the second best catcher in history. We simply don't know. Mere anecdotes aren't enough.

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    Member RedsManRick's Avatar
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    Re: I wish I had seen this guy play...

    The whole BRM, but particularly bench. It's not often you get to see arguably the greatest ever, let alone in your team's jersey.
    Games are won on run differential -- scoring more than your opponent. Runs are runs, scored or prevented they all count the same. Worry about scoring more and allowing fewer, not which positions contribute to which side of the equation or how "consistent" you are at your current level of performance.

  6. #5
    We are the angry mob cincyinco's Avatar
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    Re: I wish I had seen this guy play...

    Gehrig, Mantle, Williams, Mays, Satchel Paige, Bench.. Wish I had a time machine.. I would go watch a lot of legends..
    "I hate to advocate chemicals, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone... But they've always worked for me."

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    he/him *BaseClogger*'s Avatar
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    Re: I wish I had seen this guy play...

    If I could watch any player in history, it would be Ruth in his house without any doubt...

  8. #7
    Member corkedbat's Avatar
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    Re: I wish I had seen this guy play...

    Quote Originally Posted by The Operator View Post
    Non-Reds:
    Bob Gibson - Hate the Cards, but I love a guy who will fearlessly pitch inside. And I also love that he wasn't into the whole fraternization thing. The other team is the enemy, and that's how it should be imo.
    It wasn't that he was fearless about pitching inside - he relished it. The man had a mean streak a mile wide when he was on the mound. And if one of those inside heaters got stuck in your ribs, he'd glare at you all the way to first base just daring you to look at him cross ways.

    He was a joy to watch though. Drysdale and Marichal were two others I loved to watch from that era.

  9. #8
    Battle Toad Historian thatcoolguy_22's Avatar
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    Re: I wish I had seen this guy play...

    Ty Cobb!!!
    Babe Ruth
    Willie Mays
    Ozzie Smith at short in his prime
    Joe Morgan/Johnny Bench (or just a season or 2 live from the BRM)
    Satchel Paige
    Sandy Koufax
    Nolan Ryan
    Roger Maris during his chase

  10. #9
    Redsmetz redsmetz's Avatar
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    Re: I wish I had seen this guy play...

    Quote Originally Posted by Danny Serafini View Post
    Is he though? The problem with the old Negro League guys is that they exist mainly as myth and legend. I don't doubt that there were some fantastic players there. But at the same time, they also spent a good chunk of their time barnstorming against bad opposition, which helped inflate their reputations. And it's not like you can count on Negro League stats for any kind of verifiable accuracy. He may have been a great catcher, but I think it's a pretty big stretch to essentially anoint him as the second best catcher in history. We simply don't know. Mere anecdotes aren't enough.
    Here's a link to some thoughts on Josh Gibson. I understand that it's something that can be questioned, but by most accounts, by stellar witnesses such as Satchel Paige & Walter Johnson (the two mentioned in this piece), he's given considerable due. Not sure if he's head to toe up with Johnny Bench, but no question that he would have been among the handful of elites (which I don't know that you're questioning that point).

    http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h3778.html
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    All work and no play..... Vottomatic's Avatar
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    Re: I wish I had seen this guy play...

    Sandy Koufax
    Bob Gibson
    Ted Kluzewski
    Frank Robinson
    Stan Musial
    Joe Dimaggio
    Lou Gehrig
    Willie Mays
    Roberto Clemente (I was 5 years old when he died)

  12. #11
    Waitin til next year bucksfan2's Avatar
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    Re: I wish I had seen this guy play...

    Mickey Mantle - When I was young I read his books and was always fascinated by him.

    Bob Gibson
    Stachel Paige
    Josh Gibson
    Ted Williams
    Jonny Bench
    Walter Johnson
    Johnny Vander Meer - wouldn't it be fun to go back and watch his two game stretch?

    Babe Ruth - Just for shear comparison value. I would love to see the game played during that era.

  13. #12
    Member cumberlandreds's Avatar
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    Re: I wish I had seen this guy play...

    I would have loved to have seen all of the all time greats play that were before the 1970's. Even some of those in the 70's were past their prime like Mays,Robinson and Gibson.
    If I had to narrow it down to an everyday player and a pitcher it would be:

    Babe Ruth. Just by reading abut him he had great magnetism besides just being a great ballplayer. I would liked just once seen one of his long home runs in person.

    Walter Johnson. His records are staggering. The players of his time said he was the best they had seen. He put up great numbers while playing on a normally poor team. If he had played on the good teams of his time he may have broken Cy Young's win record. His motion was very easy and I would have loved watching him mow down hitters.

    As for Reds I would have loved to have seen Jim Maloney pitch. He seemed to measure up to all the great pitchers of the 60's. Just a shame he was injured right before the BRM blossomed. Also Ted Kluzewski. I would have loved to have seen him stroll to the plate in those cutoff sleeves and slug one out of Crosley Field.
    Reds Fan Since 1971

  14. #13
    Go Reds Go! UKFlounder's Avatar
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    Re: I wish I had seen this guy play...

    First name that came to mind when I saw the thread title was Babe Ruth.

    There would be many others, as many have mentioned here, but that was the first name I thought of, so I will just go with him as "the one."

  15. #14
    Pitter Patter TRF's Avatar
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    Re: I wish I had seen this guy play...

    Cobb and Williams.

    I'd like to see Dizzy Dean pitch, then I'd like to hear him as an announcer. Bob Gibson, Joe Jackson, Christy Matthewson.
    Dubito Ergo Cogito Ergo Sum.

  16. #15
    Sprinkles are for winners dougdirt's Avatar
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    Re: I wish I had seen this guy play...

    Quote Originally Posted by Danny Serafini View Post
    Is he though? The problem with the old Negro League guys is that they exist mainly as myth and legend. I don't doubt that there were some fantastic players there. But at the same time, they also spent a good chunk of their time barnstorming against bad opposition, which helped inflate their reputations. And it's not like you can count on Negro League stats for any kind of verifiable accuracy. He may have been a great catcher, but I think it's a pretty big stretch to essentially anoint him as the second best catcher in history. We simply don't know. Mere anecdotes aren't enough.
    You mean like when the white guys weren't playing against the black guys or just about anyone born west of the Mississippi River and were able to pad their stats that way?

    Here is what I know... the Negro Leagues produced some great, Hall of Fame players once MLB was integrated. Gibson was considered by many, to be the best Negro League player ever. That tells us a whole lot about how good he actually was. Sure, we don't have reliable stats on exactly what he did. But we don't need to have them to know how good and elite he was.


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