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Unclescam777
Favorite baseball player of all time?
August 03, 2005 at 06:04AM View BBCode
Who's your favorite ball player of all time? Mine is Bob Gibson for both his ability and approach to the game.
lvnwrth
Probably Bob Gibson, then. As has been pointed out, he's probably the fiercest competitor I've ever seen in my lifetime. I've said it before, if my life depended on winning one game, I'd want Bob Gibson as my pitcher.
But how do you choose just one? Here's my list...somewhat lengthy, and limited to guys I've actually seen play:
Tom Seaver - most technically perfect pitcher I've seen
Steve Carlton - maybe the best lefty ever for his career
Sandy Koufax - most dominant pitcher I've seen
Curt Schilling - closest I've seen to Gibson as a competitor
Nolan Ryan - most unique guy I've seen. "Okay, here's #1. If I get it anywhere near the strike zone, you're dead meat."
Hoyt Wilhelm - how could you not love Hoyt Wilhelm?
Tim McCarver - I know he wasn't a great catcher, but he was a catcher on my favorite team, the 1960's Cardinals. And as a kid growing up, I was a LH-hitting catcher.
Johnny Bench - the perfect catcher. In his prime, better than Rodriguez.
Orlando Cepeda - drug bust or not, this guy was the heart and soul of the Cardinals 1967-68 pennant winners. "Bravo, bravo, El Birdos!" Made it to the HOF, but what might have been if he hadn't had such serious knee problems? Or if there'd been a DH rule ten years earlier. Line-drive machine with power, decent speed for a big man, fearsome baserunner (you didn't want to be turning a DP pivot if Cepeda was the runner on 1st).
Stan Musial - only saw him as an old man, but the way the crowds loved him, he must have been great in his prime. Horrible batting stance. If he'd had good coaching to show him how to hit correctly, he'd have probably hit .270.
Ted Williams - same as Musial. Only saw him as an old man, and he was still a picture of how to hit.
George Brett - pure class off the field, a throwback on the field. Would have fit great with the Gashouse Gang. Always played hard, April or September, in a pennant race or 20 games out. Even at the end of his career, he was looking for ways to be a better hitter.
Mike Schmidt - as a Cardinals fan, I hated to face the guy. Better fielder, IMO, than Brooks Robinson, and the best-hitting 3b ever. Walked away with money on the table when he couldn't play the game to his own standards anymore. Class act!
Cal Ripken - everything I wrote about Brett's and Schmidt's class, but in spades. Too big, too slow, he made himself a great SS by his mental approach, knowing how to position himself, knowing his pitchers. He was the Orioles #2 pick the year they drafted him. Who, pray tell, was their #1 pick? And how did every other team miss on this guy?
Ozzie Smith - fun to watch. Every night was a potential highlight reel.
Willie Stargell - how could you not love someone nicknamed "Pops"
Kirby Puckett - nice to see a guy in the 1990's who wasn't worried about the money, still having fun playing the game every day. Not much to look at, but put him on the ball diamond and he was special.
Mike Sweeney - hits the ball as hard as anyone. Not a lot of natural talent. Has worked hard to be the hitter he is. Too bad he can't stay healthy. If he was in NY, LA, Boston he'd be a huge star. Look at what happened to Johnny Damon when he finally got to a big market. Sweeney's a lot better hitter than Damon. Left money (lots of it) on the table to stay in a town where he wants to raise his family.
Sorry I broke the rules and named way more than one. Baseball is just too great a game to only have one favorite player.
August 03, 2005 at 02:09PM View BBCode
Only one?Probably Bob Gibson, then. As has been pointed out, he's probably the fiercest competitor I've ever seen in my lifetime. I've said it before, if my life depended on winning one game, I'd want Bob Gibson as my pitcher.
But how do you choose just one? Here's my list...somewhat lengthy, and limited to guys I've actually seen play:
Tom Seaver - most technically perfect pitcher I've seen
Steve Carlton - maybe the best lefty ever for his career
Sandy Koufax - most dominant pitcher I've seen
Curt Schilling - closest I've seen to Gibson as a competitor
Nolan Ryan - most unique guy I've seen. "Okay, here's #1. If I get it anywhere near the strike zone, you're dead meat."
Hoyt Wilhelm - how could you not love Hoyt Wilhelm?
Tim McCarver - I know he wasn't a great catcher, but he was a catcher on my favorite team, the 1960's Cardinals. And as a kid growing up, I was a LH-hitting catcher.
Johnny Bench - the perfect catcher. In his prime, better than Rodriguez.
Orlando Cepeda - drug bust or not, this guy was the heart and soul of the Cardinals 1967-68 pennant winners. "Bravo, bravo, El Birdos!" Made it to the HOF, but what might have been if he hadn't had such serious knee problems? Or if there'd been a DH rule ten years earlier. Line-drive machine with power, decent speed for a big man, fearsome baserunner (you didn't want to be turning a DP pivot if Cepeda was the runner on 1st).
Stan Musial - only saw him as an old man, but the way the crowds loved him, he must have been great in his prime. Horrible batting stance. If he'd had good coaching to show him how to hit correctly, he'd have probably hit .270.
Ted Williams - same as Musial. Only saw him as an old man, and he was still a picture of how to hit.
George Brett - pure class off the field, a throwback on the field. Would have fit great with the Gashouse Gang. Always played hard, April or September, in a pennant race or 20 games out. Even at the end of his career, he was looking for ways to be a better hitter.
Mike Schmidt - as a Cardinals fan, I hated to face the guy. Better fielder, IMO, than Brooks Robinson, and the best-hitting 3b ever. Walked away with money on the table when he couldn't play the game to his own standards anymore. Class act!
Cal Ripken - everything I wrote about Brett's and Schmidt's class, but in spades. Too big, too slow, he made himself a great SS by his mental approach, knowing how to position himself, knowing his pitchers. He was the Orioles #2 pick the year they drafted him. Who, pray tell, was their #1 pick? And how did every other team miss on this guy?
Ozzie Smith - fun to watch. Every night was a potential highlight reel.
Willie Stargell - how could you not love someone nicknamed "Pops"
Kirby Puckett - nice to see a guy in the 1990's who wasn't worried about the money, still having fun playing the game every day. Not much to look at, but put him on the ball diamond and he was special.
Mike Sweeney - hits the ball as hard as anyone. Not a lot of natural talent. Has worked hard to be the hitter he is. Too bad he can't stay healthy. If he was in NY, LA, Boston he'd be a huge star. Look at what happened to Johnny Damon when he finally got to a big market. Sweeney's a lot better hitter than Damon. Left money (lots of it) on the table to stay in a town where he wants to raise his family.
Sorry I broke the rules and named way more than one. Baseball is just too great a game to only have one favorite player.
whiskybear
Yaz is awesome.
Mine is Babe Ruth, for hotdog-eating, overratedness, and inferiority to slap hitters.
August 03, 2005 at 02:37PM View BBCode
Originally posted by youngallstar
Rey Ordonez
Yaz is awesome.
Mine is Babe Ruth, for hotdog-eating, overratedness, and inferiority to slap hitters.
ME
You named 18. Don't you like some of those guys more than others?
August 03, 2005 at 04:40PM View BBCode
Originally posted by lvnwrth
Only one?
Probably Bob Gibson, then. As has been pointed out, he's probably the fiercest competitor I've ever seen in my lifetime. I've said it before, if my life depended on winning one game, I'd want Bob Gibson as my pitcher.
But how do you choose just one? Here's my list...somewhat lengthy, and limited to guys I've actually seen play:
Tom Seaver - most technically perfect pitcher I've seen
Steve Carlton - maybe the best lefty ever for his career
Sandy Koufax - most dominant pitcher I've seen
Curt Schilling - closest I've seen to Gibson as a competitor
Nolan Ryan - most unique guy I've seen. "Okay, here's #1. If I get it anywhere near the strike zone, you're dead meat."
Hoyt Wilhelm - how could you not love Hoyt Wilhelm?
Tim McCarver - I know he wasn't a great catcher, but he was a catcher on my favorite team, the 1960's Cardinals. And as a kid growing up, I was a LH-hitting catcher.
Johnny Bench - the perfect catcher. In his prime, better than Rodriguez.
Orlando Cepeda - drug bust or not, this guy was the heart and soul of the Cardinals 1967-68 pennant winners. "Bravo, bravo, El Birdos!" Made it to the HOF, but what might have been if he hadn't had such serious knee problems? Or if there'd been a DH rule ten years earlier. Line-drive machine with power, decent speed for a big man, fearsome baserunner (you didn't want to be turning a DP pivot if Cepeda was the runner on 1st).
Stan Musial - only saw him as an old man, but the way the crowds loved him, he must have been great in his prime. Horrible batting stance. If he'd had good coaching to show him how to hit correctly, he'd have probably hit .270.
Ted Williams - same as Musial. Only saw him as an old man, and he was still a picture of how to hit.
George Brett - pure class off the field, a throwback on the field. Would have fit great with the Gashouse Gang. Always played hard, April or September, in a pennant race or 20 games out. Even at the end of his career, he was looking for ways to be a better hitter.
Mike Schmidt - as a Cardinals fan, I hated to face the guy. Better fielder, IMO, than Brooks Robinson, and the best-hitting 3b ever. Walked away with money on the table when he couldn't play the game to his own standards anymore. Class act!
Cal Ripken - everything I wrote about Brett's and Schmidt's class, but in spades. Too big, too slow, he made himself a great SS by his mental approach, knowing how to position himself, knowing his pitchers. He was the Orioles #2 pick the year they drafted him. Who, pray tell, was their #1 pick? And how did every other team miss on this guy?
Ozzie Smith - fun to watch. Every night was a potential highlight reel.
Willie Stargell - how could you not love someone nicknamed "Pops"
Kirby Puckett - nice to see a guy in the 1990's who wasn't worried about the money, still having fun playing the game every day. Not much to look at, but put him on the ball diamond and he was special.
Mike Sweeney - hits the ball as hard as anyone. Not a lot of natural talent. Has worked hard to be the hitter he is. Too bad he can't stay healthy. If he was in NY, LA, Boston he'd be a huge star. Look at what happened to Johnny Damon when he finally got to a big market. Sweeney's a lot better hitter than Damon. Left money (lots of it) on the table to stay in a town where he wants to raise his family.
Sorry I broke the rules and named way more than one. Baseball is just too great a game to only have one favorite player.
You named 18. Don't you like some of those guys more than others?
ME
August 03, 2005 at 04:42PM View BBCode
For me, of the players I've seen play, it's probably Vladimir Guerrero or Melvin Mora. Of the players that played a long time ago, it would be Ed Yost, the walking man, my dad told me about all of the old Senators and this guy was by far the coolest. A Moneyball player 40 years before the term was invented.
Cubsfan13
[Edited on 8-19-2005 by Cubsfan13]
August 03, 2005 at 05:13PM View BBCode
Henderson is my favorite, aside from him my favorites are Ozzie Smith and Carlos Zambrano. Bernie Williams is a guy I probably would have really liked if he hadn't played his whole career with the Yankees. As it is, he is one of the few Yankees that I don't hate.[Edited on 8-19-2005 by Cubsfan13]
Benne
August 03, 2005 at 05:43PM View BBCode
My favorites are pretty much anyone from the Mariners glory days (Griffey, Edgar, A-rod before he left, Buhner, Johnson).
drunkengoat
August 03, 2005 at 07:24PM View BBCode
My favorite hitter that I've actually watched during my days of the relatively complete understanding of the game of baseball was the sweet swinging Mo Vaughn. If the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man ever played baseball, that's who'd play the part in the movie of his life.
Unclescam777
Lvnwrth listed a lot of exciting players. I grew up on stories about Tom Seaver so he's got a place in my heart as well.
August 03, 2005 at 07:41PM View BBCode
Hey ME, Vlad is my favorite current player too. Of all the players I've actually seen in real life my favorite might shock some of you, but it's Barry Bonds earlier in his career. I've seen him a few times when he was with the Pirates and I was always in awe at his all around playing ability. I also enjoyed watching Canseco when he was a 40/40 guy. Those two guys had some real talent a few years back.Lvnwrth listed a lot of exciting players. I grew up on stories about Tom Seaver so he's got a place in my heart as well.
lvnwrth
RE: Henderson. Defined surly arrogance until Barry Bonds came along. The best leadoff hitter who ever played, but also one of the biggest jerks.
August 03, 2005 at 09:42PM View BBCode
Do I like one more than the others? I've tried to think about that one and the answer is probably no...well, I guess Gibson, like I said in the post. But baseball is such a great game, and there have been so many tremendous players, why be limited to one guy?RE: Henderson. Defined surly arrogance until Barry Bonds came along. The best leadoff hitter who ever played, but also one of the biggest jerks.
INDIANSFORLIFE
[Edited on 8-3-2005 by INDIANSFORLIFE]
August 03, 2005 at 10:13PM View BBCode
I also more seriously like Vizquel, Kenny Lofton (Cleveland Days), and Travis Hafner. Thome was my favorite for eyars until he stabbed us in the back. That one really hurt too.[Edited on 8-3-2005 by INDIANSFORLIFE]
bobcat73
August 04, 2005 at 01:12AM View BBCode
Randy Learch and Ted Simmons until 1987. When asked on the live local T.V. news how it felt for the Giants to make the playoffs against the Cards Will Clark said with a beer in his had and a big shit eating grin, "It feels fucking great" it made it across the air from then on he was the man.
youngallstar
My second favorite player of all time.. Will Clark. Why? Watching him stare down pitchers from time to time after a brush back was very cool.
August 04, 2005 at 03:40AM View BBCode
Nolan Ryan is my favorite player of all time, and he is the greatest SP of all time too ( :D ) "I may walk 5 batters in a row, but hell if I wont strike out the next 10"My second favorite player of all time.. Will Clark. Why? Watching him stare down pitchers from time to time after a brush back was very cool.
folifan19
As for all time faves, I loved Sandberg as a kid, and saw him on TV in "84 when he hit the 2 HRs vs. Sutter, and saw him in Cincinnati a few times. The Splinter, Frank and Brooks Robinson rate way up there for me too.
August 04, 2005 at 04:22AM View BBCode
Bo Jackson was fun to watch. He could hit the ball a mile, run up a wall to make a catch, break a bat over his kne after whiffing for the fourth time in a game, and he didn't take the fall and winter off either.As for all time faves, I loved Sandberg as a kid, and saw him on TV in "84 when he hit the 2 HRs vs. Sutter, and saw him in Cincinnati a few times. The Splinter, Frank and Brooks Robinson rate way up there for me too.
Big_Johnny
August 19, 2005 at 03:25AM View BBCode
I'm surprised not to see his name already. My favorite is Roger Clemens, but I have to say Nolan Ryan is right there as well.
skierdude44
Mariano Rivera is probably my favorite, but Bernie is up there as well. It's tough watching him struggle this year both at the plate and in the field. In his prime he could run down almost any ball in center, but now if it's not hit right at him it's an adventure. His knees have really deteriorated and left him a shell of his former self.
August 19, 2005 at 03:49AM View BBCode
Originally posted by Cubsfan13
Bernie Williams is a guy I probably would have really liked if he hadn't played his whole career with the Yankees. As it, he is one of the few Yankees that I don't hate.
Mariano Rivera is probably my favorite, but Bernie is up there as well. It's tough watching him struggle this year both at the plate and in the field. In his prime he could run down almost any ball in center, but now if it's not hit right at him it's an adventure. His knees have really deteriorated and left him a shell of his former self.
Duff77
For pitchers... I'd say both Pedro Martinez and Greg Maddux were fun to watch when at their best.
August 19, 2005 at 05:51AM View BBCode
Miguel Tejada. There are better shortstops, but he plays the hell out of the game, and does a lot for a little guy. I like Mora too, for similar reasons.For pitchers... I'd say both Pedro Martinez and Greg Maddux were fun to watch when at their best.
ShaggySanchez
August 20, 2005 at 05:49AM View BBCode
My favorite all time player would be Eric Davis but as for current players it would be Ken Griffey jr.
folifan19
Are you a Reds fan Shaggy?
August 20, 2005 at 11:17AM View BBCode
Originally posted by ShaggySanchez
My favorite all time player would be Eric Davis but as for current players it would be Ken Griffey jr.
Are you a Reds fan Shaggy?
Big_Johnny
August 20, 2005 at 05:16PM View BBCode
I would have to say my favorite current player is without a doubt Roger Clemens, but I love watching Jr. play. He's got probably the sweetest swing in baseball.
ShoelessJoes
August 20, 2005 at 07:53PM View BBCode
My all time favorite is Hank Aaron. He could hit, field, and man could he double a team to death. He has to be one of the most consistant players ever.Pages: 1