Gordon was MVP in 1942, ahead of Triple Crown winner Ted Williams -- though in retrospect, Joe was second to Mr. Ballgame in WAR.
However, according to the Yankees scout who signed him, Gordon was "at his best when it meant the most and the going was toughest." That might not mean much to some modern fans convinced that such qualitative data is meaningless... now try telling that to guys next to him in foxholes back in the real war.
Maris is on the very short list of eligible players with two MVP awards that are not in Cooperstown. I’m ok with the number being retired for him. (Dale Murphy and Juan Gonzalez are the rest of the list.)
Nettles should be best remembered for stuffing a bat with super balls, only to have it break and scatter super balls all over the diamond…
Yankee fans were just confused by Earle. When they looked closely, they saw no real need for Combs...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Earle_b_combs.jpg
Yes, but it’s very odd.
There are not many Hall of Famers who don’t have their numbers retired as it is (John Smoltz and Alan Trammell don’t), but the list of Hall of Famers whose number was retired for a much lesser player has to be really short.
It would be like watching the Red Sox retire #24. Not for Dwight Evans and not for Manny Ramirez, but instead for Mike Stanley…
Last edited by notin; 02-28-2022 at 02:10 PM.
I liked the team pullover look that Tito popularized. Anything is better than wearing a suit and tie, like in other sports. You're running up and down the sidelines of a sweaty, athletic game -- not sitting at a business meeting.
For that matter, nobody should have to wear a tie ever. Unless women also have to -- then it's a true dress code that doesn't break gender bias laws.
Anybody that thinks MLB survives without the top 200-400 players playing is kidding themselves.
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?