Countdown to Release OOTP 18

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by Raidergoo

Ricky Henderson...think he makes it?

I have a feeling he'll show up again at #24. Just a hunch.

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by Airdrop01

Re: Mussina and Cone.....

I'm not sure either of them is HOF material though Mussina is pretty close to sure thing probably, I always go by what uniform I most associate them with during their career.

For Mussina it's Baltimore and for Cone, who I'd be shocked and disappointed if he got in, it's either Yankees or Royals.

Mussina definitely is. He's a top 20 all-time pitcher. Surely, he has to be in. It's just that the writers are pissing all over themselves because there are no 300 game winners anymore.

As for Cone, try to ignore the anemic win total, and you can start to see it. A 121 ERA+ in almost 3,000 IP with more than 2,500 K. I would argue he's inside the top 40 pitchers of all-time, so I think he needs to be there. I doubt he'll ever get there, but I think he belongs. Hell, if the writers can't even figure out Mussina and Schilling, I don't think lesser lights like Halladay and Cone stand a bleepin' chance. Get it together ladies and gentlemen.

EDIT: Of course, Cone fell off the ballot in 2009, so his fate now rests with the Veterans Committee, who are well known for never, ever, ever welcoming new club members (unless of course you're already dead - then you can come on in - better late than never I suppose).

[Ruwisc]

One of the best Cardinals of my teen years. Wish he could have avoided the injury bug - it's #35 Matt Morris.

[Caporegime]

Just 34 days to go. I can't wait.

Speaking of waiting, any batter hoping to hit Dave LaRoche's "La Lob" pitch successfully had to do quite a bit of it.

[swoboda]

Best pitcher to never win a Cy Young Dave "Smoke" Stewart

[Sam_15]

Figured I'd jump in on this thread. As a Sox fan, it's only natural I throw this guy in.

[Germaniac]

Kerry Wood and the question "What could have been without the injuries?"

[rjl518]

34 Days Left

Hint: He hails from mighty Asgard!

This kid has HOF potential written all over him!

Tom Seaver had 375 Ks in his first two years.

This kid has 384 Ks in his first two years!

But still doesn't beat the Doctor who had 544 his first two years.

[cavebutter]

The first mania. You really had to be living here to believe it. #34, Fernando.

[actionjackson]

Simply put, The Ryan Express. The nickname says everything about his fastball, but he had a hammer curve as well. And with all due respect to Dave Stewart, Nolan Ryan is probably the best pitcher (actually Mussina, Schilling, Phil Niekro, and Blyleven probably had better careers and never won a Cy Young either, so...there's that) to never win a Cy Young Award (except those that couldn't win one because the award didn't exist when they were pitching). Nolan Ryan #34

[actionjackson]

This guy was never much good. A 39-81 lifetime record, 4.81 ERA, 83 ERA+, a 1.00 career K/BB rate. So why am I bothering to post him in this thread which features many great players? Quite simple really. He was the starting and winning pitcher for my favourite Blue Jays in the first game I ever saw live (boxscore here), so he will always hold a special place in my heart. Caporegime's guy LaRoche even showed up later in the game for the Angels (wearing the number 17 though). Jesse Jefferson #34

[actionjackson]

This guy was a real enigma for my Blue Jays (38-26 with a solid 112 ERA+ as a Blue Jay, but he still seemed to fall short somehow). The potential was so tantalizing, but the outcome always seemed somewhat less than it should've been.

He was a bit of a RL Nuke LaLoosh with that combo of "Million Dollar Arm and Ten Cent Head". Don't ask me why, but a Blue Jays' fan blog wound up posting pics of Bugs Bunny whipping boy Pete Puma everytime this guy would start. So maybe he was a cross between Pete Puma and Nuke LaLoosh? I don't know. A.J. Burnett #34

[Caporegime]

Originally Posted by actionjackson

This guy was never much good. A 39-81 lifetime record, 4.81 ERA, 83 ERA+, a 1.00 career K/BB rate. So why am I bothering to post him in this thread which features many great players? Quite simple really. He was the starting and winning pitcher for my favourite Blue Jays in the first game I ever saw live (boxscore here), so he will always hold a special place in my heart. Caporegime's guy LaRoche even showed up later in the game for the Angels (wearing the number 17 though). Jesse Jefferson #34

Wow! That's a blast from the past. The one thing Jefferson did have going for him was that he had the most luxuriant fro in MLB back in the funky '70's behind only Oscar Gamble and possibly Nino Espinosa.

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by Caporegime

Wow! That's a blast from the past. The one thing Jefferson did have going for him was that he had the most luxuriant fro in MLB back in the funky '70's behind only Oscar Gamble and possibly Nino Espinosa.

Yep. Oscar Gamble's in particular was tremendous.

[Caporegime]

Originally Posted by cavebutter

The first mania. You really had to be living here to believe it. #34, Fernando.

He was quite the national sensation too from what I recall. After he started 8-0 and had an ERA of 0.something or other, he actually knocked both the Yanks and Mets off the back page of both local NY newspapers, and even grabbed a decent sized blurb on the front page of I think the NY Post, if I recall correctly. No doubt, that pleased George Steinbrenner to no end, who would often go into a jealous rage if the Mets dared to hog up media coverage he thought belonged to him & the Yanks. But for an L.A. Dodger player to steal his press....pfft!

Trust me, before the strike hit on June 12, Fernando mania was very much a nationwide phenomenon. There were seemingly images of him everywhere, especially of him in mid-windup with his eyes looking up to the heavens.

[Caporegime]

Originally Posted by actionjackson

Yep. Oscar Gamble's in particular was tremendous.

Hands down the best fro in the history of professional sports, maybe anywhere. I always thought Gamble would've made the perfect sidekick to Jim Brown in one of the many blaxploitation flicks he made during the 70's. Gamble would not have even had to fight, talk or anything......just stand next to Brown and look "bad" under his fro, just as he does in that famous pic you posted.

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by Caporegime

He was quite the national sensation too from what I recall. After he started 8-0 and had an ERA of 0.something or other, he actually knocked both the Yanks and Mets off the back page of both local NY newspapers, and even grabbed a decent sized blurb on the front page of I think the NY Post, if I recall correctly. No doubt, that pleased George Steinbrenner to no end, who would often go into a jealous rage if the Mets dared to hog up media coverage he thought belonged to him & the Yanks. But for an L.A. Dodger player to steal his press....pfft!

Trust me, before the strike hit on June 12, Fernando mania was very much a nationwide phenomenon. There were seemingly images of him everywhere, especially of him in mid-windup with his eyes looking up to the heavens.

8-0, 0.50 ERA through his first 8 big league starts in 1981. 8-0 on May 14th! Don't forget he also had 17.2 IP of relief and gave up just two unearned runs in 1980 and went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA. Also, in his 8th start, he gave up 2 earned runs to the Expos in a CG 3-2 win, so his season ERA went up from 0.29 to 0.50. So, at that point in his career, he was 10-0, with a 0.40 ERA in 18 G/8 GS and 89.2 IP, with 5.1 H/9, 2.2 BB/9, 8.4 K/9, 0.2 HR/9, and a 0.81 WHIP. Wow! Nowhere to go but down I guess. The rest of the way in 1981, he went 5-7 with a 3.66 ERA to finish 13-7 with a 2.48 ERA and take home the Cy Young. Cavebutter and his Dodger fan friends must've thought the guy would never lose a game early in 1981. Fernandomania indeed!

[swoboda]

Originally Posted by actionjackson

Simply put, The Ryan Express. The nickname says everything about his fastball, but he had a hammer curve as well. And with all due respect to Dave Stewart, Nolan Ryan is probably the best pitcher (actually Mussina, Schilling, Phil Niekro, and Blyleven probably had better careers and never won a Cy Young either, so...there's that) to never win a Cy Young Award (except those that couldn't win one because the award didn't exist when they were pitching). Nolan Ryan #34

Nice group, I may have to concede

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by swoboda

Nice group, I may have to concede

Stew wins in one category though: Best death glare of all-time.

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by Caporegime

Just 34 days to go. I can't wait.

Speaking of waiting, any batter hoping to hit Dave LaRoche's "La Lob" pitch successfully had to do quite a bit of it.

The funniest thing about this gif is not the "La Lob". It's Gorman Thomas flailing at it like a beer league softballer as the Yankee Stadium crowd erupts.