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I figured the board could use one since it often comes up in other threads.

Here's a starter question: Worst team to win a World Series?

I'd go with the Cardinals in 2006.

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How can that be debated?

'87 Twins would be a close second.

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Bleacher Bum Wannabe

Exactly. The Cardinals had the worst record of any team in a non-strike year to win the World Series. It can't be debated.

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"It's 106 miles to Chicago. We've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes. It's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses. Hit it."

Ya, I guess worst World Series team is pretty much a no-brainer.

Here's one that is probably very debatable. If you had to chose two men that have been elected (by the writers) to the HOF in the past 20 years that you would take out of the hall, who would they be?

Candidates are:

Willie Stargell
Johnny Bench
Yaz
Joe Morgan
Jim Palmer
Rod Carew
Ferguson Jenkins
Gaylord Perry
Rollie Fingers
Tom Seaver
Reggie Jackson
Steve Carlton
Mike Schmidt
Phil Niekro
Don Sutton
George Brett
Nolan Ryan
Robin Yount
Carlton Fisk
Tony Perez
Kirby Puckett
Dave Winfield
Ozzie Smith
Gary Carter
Eddie Murray
Dennis Eckersley
Paul Molitor
Wade Boggs
Sandberg
Bruce Sutter
Cal Ripken
Tony Gwynn
Goose Gossage

I'm going with Tony Perez and Sutter

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Was Ozzie Smith really that much better than, say, Omar Vizquel? The Wizard of Oz could be the worst hitter in the HOF. Of course, he's not in it for his hitting, so it's hard to say.

Perez, though, for sure. Sutter, Winfield arguable.

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The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was to convince the world he didn't exist.

Ozzie Smith and Vizquel are so similar, at least as far as offensive output is concerned.

Smith: .262/.337/.328, 9396 AB's, 2460 hits, 28 HR, 402 2B, 69 3B, 793 RBI, 580 SB
Vizquel: .273/.339/.356, 9565 AB's, 2615 hits, 77 HR, 419 2B, 71 3B, 876 RBI, 381 SB

So, Vizquel has more power and Ozzie more steals. Looks like a wash offensively.

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1. Dennis Eckersley
2. Dennis Eckersley
3. See Above

yes, ozzie smith is the best-fielding shortstop of all time, by a pretty significant margin, which combined with respectable offense makes him a no-brainer for coopertown.

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theres some names on that list i couldnt imagine anybody ever questioning their status

Sutter and Perez for sure. Gossage probably doesn't belong either.

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Seriously, Nolan Ryan not in the HOF? Also, Perry, Bench, and Jackson.

I gotta go with Eck and Sutter.

and another player not yet mentioned who's the greatest player at his position in the history of the game

Some really unique and rare pictures:

Babe Ruth:



Ruth practicing his bunting skills for some strange reason:



I don't think he wants to shake President Harding's hand:



Shoeless Joe:



Roger Maris and Sadaharu Oh:



Imagine getting a .400 hitting 2nd baseman for $700 bucks??



Willie Mays:



Mantle's catastrophic knee injury. Mantle was considered to be one of the fastest players ever before this injury at age 19. DiMaggio is in center:




Big Train:



Gehrig in college:



Babe wasn't the only one who drank and smoked a lot...apparently Gehrig did too:



Hank Aaron had some good ups:



Tris Speaker:



Christy Mathewson:



Before Jim Edmonds and Piazza, there was Jimmie Foxx and Ted Williams:



Mantle looking terribly uncomfortable with a geezerific Ty Cobb:



The Detroit Tigers outfield in 1915 might have been the best outfield of all time with Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford, and Bobby Veach. In 1915, Cobb led the league in runs scored and hits, Veach led in doubles, Crawford led in triples. Cobb led the league in total bases, Crawford second, and Veach in third. Veach and Crawford tied for the league lead in RBI, with Cobb third.

But they HATED each other and never spoke but communicated through nods. How apparent is this fact in their body language?



Eddie Collins:



Walter Johnson hitting. He hit over .400 in 1925:



Stan Musial's wacky stance:



Mantle:



Babe Ruth diving:



Ruth at Gehrig's funeral:

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Context. Look at the offensive environments the guys played in.

Cool pictures you posted, Jimmie Foxx was frikkin jacked. He'd certainly get some baseless steroid accusations thrown his way.

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Great photo of Willie Mays showing off his amazing vertical leap, which was legendary at the time:

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wow on mays... those are some hops

musial's stance is really bizarre... if i saw someone come to the plate looking like that, i'd laugh... until i saw the results anyway.

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If you've got more great baseball pics, I'd love to see them, OMC. Where did you find all those -- probably just all over the place?

The Ruth/Harding one and Mantle/Cobb ones are pretty hilarious.

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"The sight of an elderly man riding a child's merry-go-round in the rain will resonate deeply with you today as a metaphor for absolutely everything." -- The Onion, 9/20/06

Great photos, OMC.

My favorites: Speaker rides a 'gator, and the Babe's "Free Willy." They are just so . . . weird.

huh... i thought the toe tap was a new invention. shows what i know.

musial had quite the stride into that pitch.... his stance started off very narrow but it looks like the used that front leg to get a lot of his power.

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Some pictures of the big boys in uniform:

Joe D, Army, WWII:



Babe Ruth, Army, WWI:



Ted Williams, Army (WWII), Marines (Korean War). Williams flew 38 combat missions.



Grover Cleveland Alexander, Army, WWI. He suffered from extreme post traumatic stress disorder for the rest of his life.



Ty Cobb, Army, WWI:



Cobb and Christy Mathewson. They both served in the same unit (along with Branch Rickey) and were gassed pretty badly while in Europe. It ended up eventually causing Matty's death and messed with Cobb's lungs so much that his speed was cut nearly in half upon his return because he claimed he couldn't ever breath well enough to run (he averaged 61 steals in the five years before the war and averaged 17 in the five years after).



Bob Feller was the first major leaguer to volunteer after Pearl Harbor. He served with the Navy in the Pacific Theater.



Hank Greenberg saw combat in Europe with the Army:



Willie Mays served in the Army during the Korean War and missed almost two seasons:



Yogi Berra, Navy, WWII:



Jackie Robinson, Army, WWII:



Stan Musial, Navy, WWII:





Other HOFers who served in the military:

Army
Luke Appling
Robin Roberts
Red Schoendienst
Hoyt Wilhelm
Enos Slaughter
Early Wynn
Warren Spahn (wounded at Battle of the Bulge)
Monte Irvin

Navy
Mickey Cochrane
Charlie Gehringer
Bob Lemon
Larry Doby
Phil Rizzuto
Billy Herman
Duke Snider
Ralph Kiner
Johnny Mize
Pee Wee Reese

Marine Corps
Ted Lyons
Gil Hodges (won Bronze Star in WWII)
Rod Carew
Tom Seaver
Roberto Clemente

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Most overrated player of the last 20 years?

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Jack Morris

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ozzie smith

[/someone who never saw him play]
[/biting off more than he can chew]

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"The sight of an elderly man riding a child's merry-go-round in the rain will resonate deeply with you today as a metaphor for absolutely everything." -- The Onion, 9/20/06

I'm gonna go with Jeter.

This obviously isn't to say that Jeter isn't a very, very good player, but with the hype he has gotten the last ten years, you'd think he was one of the all time greats.

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