Baseball’s Mount Rushmore
- Thread starter Knight
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beast of the east
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I would take the DiMAggio view of Williams: Essentially when asked about an upcoming series vs. the sox pitting him against the Red Sox superstar, DiMaggio, who was always brutally honest, said "Superstar? A superstar must hit, hit with power, field, throw and run. Williams can only do two of those things. Not a superstar"Knight" post=414347 said:
Almost in order
1. Ruth
2. Gehrig
3. Cobb
4. DiMaggio
5. Mays
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mount aetna
push em tony l
joey votto
mickey mantelli
when #7 (early in career #6) would be asked about the mays vs mantle debate, the mick would often reply - trhat the mick had 2 great years that were better than mays' best years
the best non yankee hitter i ever saw was ted williams - no one else even close.
push em tony l
joey votto
mickey mantelli
when #7 (early in career #6) would be asked about the mays vs mantle debate, the mick would often reply - trhat the mick had 2 great years that were better than mays' best years
the best non yankee hitter i ever saw was ted williams - no one else even close.
beast of the east
Active member
Knight" post=414368 said:
Spocky Ramone
Well-known member
Fair enough Joe!Beast of the East" post=414351 said:
fro Wikipedia
DiMaggio enlisted in the [URL]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Air_Forces[/URL]]United States Army Air Forces[/url] on February 17, 1943, rising to the rank of sergeant. He was stationed at [URL]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Ana[/URL],_California]Santa Ana, California[/url], Hawaii, and [URL]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_City[/URL],_New_Jersey]Atlantic City, New Jersey[/url], as a physical education instructor.[URL]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_DiMaggio#cite_note-38[/URL]][37][/url] He was released on a medical discharge in September 1945, due to chronic stomach ulcers.[URL]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_DiMaggio#cite_note-Icon-39[/URL]][38][/url] Other than being paid $21 a month, DiMaggio's service was as comfortable as a soldier's life could be. He spent most of his military career playing for baseball teams and in exhibition games against fellow Major Leaguers and minor league players, and superiors gave him special privileges due to his prewar fame. DiMaggio ate so well from an athlete-only diet that he gained 10 pounds, and while in Hawaii he and other players mostly tanned on the beach and drank. Embarrassed by his lifestyle, DiMaggio requested that he be given a combat assignment but was turned down.
Williams flew 39 combat missions in Korea, earning the Air Medal with two [URL]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/5/16_inch_star[/URL]]Gold Stars[/url] in lieu of second and third awards, before being withdrawn from flight status in June 1953 after a hospitalization for pneumonia. This resulted in the discovery of an [URL]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner_ear[/URL]]inner ear[/url] infection that disqualified him from flight status.[URL]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Williams#cite_note-148[/URL]][148][/url] John Glenn described Williams as one of the best pilots he knew,[URL]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Williams#cite_note-bullock2004-144[/URL]][144][/url] while his wife Annie described him as the most profane man she ever met.[URL]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Williams#cite_note-shribman20161208-149[/URL]][149][/url] In the last half of his missions, Williams was flying as Glenn's wingman.
also:
[URL]https://www.thesportshistorian.com/ted-williams-hall-of-fame-fly-fisherman/[/URL]
beast of the east
Active member
William's didn't see combat action in ww2 , AND YES was a wingman for another great american, john glenn in combat missions in korea. He was shot down, and refused to eject from his plane, somehow miraculously getting his plane back to base all shot up. His reason was that at his height (6'4") he feared if he pressed the eject he would break his knees in process, and his baseball career would be over.Spocky Ramone" post=414586 said:
Side note: He became best of friends with Bobby Knight, another hot tempered but pretty bright guy.
He was also considered one of the best fishermen of all time.
I dont care if he was surely or not, he was a great hitter and great patriot.
Just wasnt the definition of a 5 tool superstar
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beast of the east
Active member
Unfortunately, Seaver also. He had millions of adoring fans, and his personality just could not muster any warmth towards them.Monte" post=414589 said:
Mickey Mantle was my first idol growing up as a kid so it pains me to a certain extent to relate this story about him but here goes...a woman with a young son approached the Mick and requested an autograph for her son saying to him would you please sign an autograph for my son he has a broken arm to which the Mick replied well when he breaks his other arm come back to me. Hopefully that was the alcohol talking which reminds me of another story about Ed Coleman sports talky for the Mets at the time. He was reading a name sent in to a contest the FAN was having and he fell for it. The name he read and took seriously was Al Coholic (Ed being a known imbiber).
The scooter always tells the story of MLB players and ww2. at first the MLB players were exempt. Then the mother's of America complained about the MLB players draft exemption. So the exemption was lifted. Lawrence Peter b was off the Normandy shore on dday.
beast of the east
Active member
Berra was in the Normandy attack, perpetrated on a pitch black moonless night. When Michael kay asked him if he was afraid of being shot he said no. Kay pressed him and asked again, "you weren't afraid at all?". "Oh I was afraid. Of drowning".
Soldiers stepped out of transport ships into 4 to 20 feet of water with 80 lbs of gear strapped to their backs. You didnt know how deep the water was till you stepped off the boats. Horrible way to die. Our heroes.
Berra is very close to making my Rushmore list. 358 home runs and less than 450 career strikeouts, .290 avg, and made himself a great defensive catcher working with bill dickey.
Soldiers stepped out of transport ships into 4 to 20 feet of water with 80 lbs of gear strapped to their backs. You didnt know how deep the water was till you stepped off the boats. Horrible way to die. Our heroes.
Berra is very close to making my Rushmore list. 358 home runs and less than 450 career strikeouts, .290 avg, and made himself a great defensive catcher working with bill dickey.
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If we are really going to say need to be a 5 skill player to be an all time great, that clearly disqualifies Cobb (never hit more than 12 home runs) and makes Babe (no one would accuse him of being a great fielder) questionable. Joe D was the first of the can do it all guys I am aware of.