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Originally posted by Henry
I appreciate your value of my opinions, but on this one I'm afraid we'll have to agree to disagree. What I am saying WOULD be arrogant if you and I had the same perspective of the issue - but we don't. You see, I have no doubt that if you would have lived through and seen baseball 40 years ago - you would agree with me, simply put.
This doesn't have to do with "I know more than you" about this subject... heck - you may know more details about baseball than I ever did... you may be able to recall statistics and situations that I don't even remember ... it doesn't even have to do with baseball specifically. It does have everything to do with understanding something because you lived it - becasue you were there and you saw the things like emotions, trust, respect, excitement, that never make it into the stories.
As an example, I couldn't hope to understand what it was like as a Jew in World War II Germany. Yes, I've read all about it - World War II history is even a passion of mine... but to "truly" understand what it was like to "live" as a Jew in that environment I can only "imagine". However, when I sit down with my Jewish friend who DID live it, and survived it (even though his family did not)... I truly understand that he "sees and remembers and understands" something in his mind that I have no hope of ever understanding - and I accept that. As much as I want to understand I never will, but I do understand enough to know he knows more than I do about it.
That's all this discussion is about.... about understanding a baseball that we can't even fully explain why it was better - but we know it was.... I hope you at least understand what I'm trying to convey and don't see it as arrogance, but experience.
By all means enjoy the game to see today, because it is what you have and you won't have a chance to see it as it was - and someday, maybe 30-40 years from now, you'll look back on today's baseball and catch yourself telling someone else "it WAS better then" ... if that happens I hope you remember me 
Henry
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And THAT, my friends, is how you articulate a point as opposed to be a jackass about it. Now here's a point I want you to clarify for me...when you say it was better then, are you talking about the atmosphere around the game (your talk of respect, excitement bring this to mind) or are you talking about the quality of the play/players? Or is it both. From your explanation, it seems much more as though you are talking the atmosphere surrounding the game than the game itself.
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I think your last quote made the point; I might believe it was best now (like you think it was 30-40 years ago) because that as time when I was most interested, when I could play, or so on... My point is that it doesnt make it fact.
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Bingo. It is hard to believe that biases of what the younger crowd see now and people as a whole, that their youth is/was the best period for so much...it is hard to believe those biases are somehow not held by older folks as well. Older people tend to say their youth was better as a matter of pride as opposed to a matter of fact. However, it becomes an inarguable point, because one experienced it and the other didn't. That being the case does not make that opinion fact. It's just an opinion, and one you may genuinely believe. If so, good for you. I don't know. I know I would have loved to watch 60's and 70's baseball. As an aggressive pitcher, I think it would have been a great thrill for me. But as for the "what happened in my day was better than yours"...It's human nature...or human habit to say this, take your pick. Neither make it fact.
GH