Countdown to Release OOTP 18

[Airdrop01]

Gone too soon. Dick Howser:

[Sam_15]

This guy is better known for his stint in Oakland, as he was a key part in the Moneyball team of the early 2000s. With us, he was a catcher until he ruptured a nerve in his elbow. He was a good hitter, actually, and decent behind the plate too until the elbow problem. #10 Scott Hatteberg

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by westendcards

Cant forget Michael Young and Juan Pierre!

(lots of blue language) something, something, something, for Esteban Loaiza? Really Gord Ash? Really? Ugh!

[Caporegime]

Originally Posted by Airdrop01

Gone too soon. Dick Howser:

Yet another brilliant baseball man that King George hounded and badgered into the arms of another organization.

[rjl518]

10 Days Left!

Rusty Staub

Another player that i feel should be in the Hall of the Very Very Good!

[Sam_15]

Teddy Ballgame. The Splendid Splinter. There isn't much I can say about him that hasn't been said already. Certainly one of the 5 best baseball players of all time...nobody has ever gotten on base as much as he did, still holding the all-time OBP record at .482(!). And we're all left wondering what his career totals would've been if it hadn't been for his service in WWII, and a handful of injuries. The last man to hit .400 in a season, and the only one to do it while being born in the 20th century, #9 Ted Williams

[Chico Guilbault]

That's all I got with Teddy taken...

[Sam_15]

Originally Posted by Chico Guilbault

That's all I got with Teddy taken...

Yeah sorry bout that... you can have Yaz tomorrow!

[Chico Guilbault]

Originally Posted by Sam_15

Yeah sorry bout that... you can have Yaz tomorrow!

Ha! You know, I used to get my hair cut like Yaz when I was a kid.

[Caporegime]

Originally Posted by Chico Guilbault

That's all I got with Teddy taken...

If it makes you feel any better, the guy you posted had a much cooler soundtrack put to his exploits than Teddy Ballgame ever did.

https://youtu.be/P3Wnnvqk5_Y

Then again, none of his exploits were real.

[Airdrop01]

I'm going to bed but someone please put up Roger Maris! 61 legit non PED HR.

61 in 61!!!!!

[Caporegime]

And the magic number is down to 9 .

No asterisk will be placed here, that's for sure. If ever there was a player who possessed the perfect swing for Yankee Stadium, it was Roger Maris. Sadly, however, he was mistreated by both the media and the fans in New York when he broke the Babe's cherished single-season HR record with 61 in 1961. The Yankees would eventually honor him and retire his number, but there was always a kind of sadness about Maris. I'm not sure things were ever made right with him.



Like Maris, former Yankee captain Graig Nettles had a stroke that seemed tailor-made for the short right field porch at Yankee Stadium. He was probably the best defensive third baseman I ever saw. He also possessed a sharp, acerbic, rapier wit that was clearly evident in his 1984 book Balls. Unfortunately, it was this book that got him traded to the SD Padres when King George took umbrage.

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[actionjackson]

There have been a lot of pure, pretty, sweet swings in the history of the Blue Jays, but nobody came close to this guy for me. He was also a spectacular defensive first baseman. John Olerud #9

[actionjackson]

The nephew of Rick Dempsey took up the tools of ignorance himself, and among many other teams, put up five solid seasons for us and then became a Canadian citizen and joined the broadcast crew. He was fiery as heck. One time he disagreed vehemently with a safe call at the plate and fired his custom made goalie style mask into the turf and it split up into various pieces. He had a great rapport with Canadian rock legend Geddy Lee, who still sits in the seats right behind the plate. One time this guy came up to the plate to "Limelight" by Rush and crushed a dinger. As he crossed the plate, he pointed to Geddy as if to say: "That one's for you!". Gregg Zaun #9

[actionjackson]

As far as I know, he's the only player to play MLB in five different decades. A very, very good player who may get overlooked due to his smaller counting stats. Great smile too. Minnie Minoso #9

[Germaniac]

Originally Posted by actionjackson

As far as I know, he's the only player to play MLB in five different decades. A very, very good player who may get overlooked due to his smaller counting stats. Great smile too. Minnie Minoso #9

I agree ... but this gimmick bringing him back in 1976 at age 50 for 3 games and 8 AB's and in 1980 at age 54 for 2 games and 2 AB's for me overshadow an otherwise good career.
Heck, they even tried to bring him back in 1990 at age 64 to have him play in 6 decades but were overturned by MLB.

Let's get away from these useless accomplishments and let us judge the players by what is really important - and that's what they did on the field to help their team win. And batting a couple of times at age 50+ does not fall into that category as far as I'm concerned.

For me Minnie Minoso remains a very good player, but "only" for 11 seasons, from 1951 to 1961.

[Germaniac]

So on to another Hall of Famer ... not necessarily as a hitter obviously, but as a broadcaster as he is entering his 47th year as the voice of my Milwaukee Brewers. And if there was a Hall of Fame for quotes, he'd be in there, too ... Mr. Bob Uecker

[Caporegime]

Originally Posted by actionjackson

There have been a lot of pure, pretty, sweet swings in the history of the Blue Jays, but nobody came close to this guy for me. He was also a spectacular defensive first baseman. John Olerud #9

Olerud was quite a pitcher in college as well. There were some organizations that actually liked him better as a pitcher.

He was yet another erstwhile star the Yanks picked up long after all his eggs were boiled.

[Caporegime]

Bob Uecker is a national treasure. I'm actually impressed by the fact the Cards issued him #9. The way he always jokingly denigrates his abilities as a ballplayer, you would've thought they issued him "00", or forced him to wear a chicken outfit and dance on top of the dugout between innings.

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by Germaniac

I agree ... but this gimmick bringing him back in 1976 at age 50 for 3 games and 8 AB's and in 1980 at age 54 for 2 games and 2 AB's for me overshadow an otherwise good career.
Heck, they even tried to bring him back in 1990 at age 64 to have him play in 6 decades but were overturned by MLB.

Let's get away from these useless accomplishments and let us judge the players by what is really important - and that's what they did on the field to help their team win. And batting a couple of times at age 50+ does not fall into that category as far as I'm concerned.

For me Minnie Minoso remains a very good player, but "only" for 11 seasons, from 1951 to 1961.

Agreed re: the gimmicky nature of that accomplishment. It would've been nice to have seen what he could've done had he signed with the Indians (or whoever would've signed him) at the same age as he started in the Cuban League (he was 19 in 1945 I think). But then again "gentleman's agreement" rabble, rabble, rabble. He was an All-Star in the Negro Leagues in 1947 and 1948, so he might've been good enough to have a job in the big leagues earlier than he eventually did, had it not been for the colour barrier and therefore the volume of his stats might've been larger. But, I guess we'll never know (except through OOTP of course ).