Home Run Derby- Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays

alcoholica

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Ken Burns Baseball Documentary Series is the ****
 

Okeechobee Joe

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I don't know if Bob Feller ever threw a pitch faster than 100 mph. That's beside the point. What made the '50s (Feller was pitching down into the 1950s) and '60s the greatest era of baseball was not just the skill of the players, but their attitude and work ethic.
 
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Captain Sasquatch

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I don't know if Bob Feller ever threw a pitch faster than 100 mph. That's beside the point. What made the '50s (Feller was pitching down into the 1950s) and '60s the greatest era of baseball was not just the skill of the players, but their attitude and work ethic.

MLB is the hardest professional league to break into. They make absolute dirt in the minors and only a select few ever make it to the show. If you think the guys who are there now don't have a great work ethic or don't work their asses off, you're sorely mistaken.
 

Okeechobee Joe

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MLB is the hardest professional league to break into. They make absolute dirt in the minors and only a select few ever make it to the show. If you think the guys who are there now don't have a great work ethic or don't work their asses off, you're sorely mistaken.

Not mistaken because I never said anything about the work ethic of today's players. The players of the 50s and 60s I think did have a greater appreciation of where they came from and less a sense of entitlement. If I am sadly mistaken about that then so be it.
 

GatorStud

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per the OP, I'm kind of a Willie Mays dude... I mean after all my little league glove had his raw hide branded signature in it... ;)
 

crosscreekcooter

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Bob Feller was 17 years old and in high school when he opened his pro career. I believe he also is the only pitcher to ever throw a no-no on opening day. Stan the Man called him the greatest pitcher he ever faced.
per the OP, I'm kind of a Willie Mays dude... I mean after all my little league glove had his raw hide branded signature in it... ;)
The Willie Mays Deluxe


Baseball players just weren't very good in the old days.
 

Captain Sasquatch

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Bob Feller was 17 years old and in high school when he opened his pro career. I believe he also is the only pitcher to ever throw a no-no on opening day. Stan the Man called him the greatest pitcher he ever faced.

The Willie Mays Deluxe


Baseball players just weren't very good in the old days.

When did I say the players from that era weren't very good? I said the pitching is better now and the hitting was better then. If you really want, I can pull out defensive plays from guys like Ken Griffey Jr. or Jim Edmonds or Nolen Arenado or Pudge Rodriguez or Omar Vizquel if we're going to compare defense across eras.
 

crosscreekcooter

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I don't disagree that on the whole pitchers are better than ever. Athletes in general are better. Training, conditioning and nutrition are light years ahead. Hell a lot of the old-time athletes smoked and drank before during and after the games. But pitchers like Satchel Paige, Juan Marichal and Feller would be just as unhittable today.
By the way, you mentioned Thompson's famous home run (1951) The Shot Heard Round The World. Kind of long but a great baseball history read. Branca, the pitcher that gave it up wasn't exactly an overpowering pitcher. https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...381214de1a3_story.html?utm_term=.11f32d084ab8
 

Swamp Donkey

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If you think the guys who are there now don't have a great work ethic or don't work their asses off, you're sorely mistaken.
Seriously? Maybe the Latinos. I used to watch good bit of minor league ball and a lot of major league ball. Not anymore. These kids just want to hit homerruns. Or strikeout. They don't GAF about getting hits and trying to score runs through small ball. Their agents tell them that homerruns are the way to the big contract. There are major league leadoff hitters that struggle to reach a .300 obp. Completely unwatchable.
 

Captain Sasquatch

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Seriously? Maybe the Latinos. I used to watch good bit of minor league ball and a lot of major league ball. Not anymore. These kids just want to hit homerruns. Or strikeout. They don't GAF about getting hits and trying to score runs through small ball. Their agents tell them that homerruns are the way to the big contract. There are major league leadoff hitters that struggle to reach a .300 obp. Completely unwatchable.
You're confusing strategy and method with work ethic.
 

AlexDaGator

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Feller also lost part of his career serving on the battleship USS Alabama during WWII. He, like many others of that era, volunteered.


Alex.
 

Captain Sasquatch

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Feller also lost part of his career serving on the battleship USS Alabama during WWII. He, like many others of that era, volunteered.


Alex.
Teddy Ballgame and Joe D. as well. DiMaggio is knocking on the door of the 500 HR club otherwise, and Williams is almost assuredly in the 600 HR club.
 

Gatorbait25

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Why all the emphasis on mph? So many of the great ones -- guys like Maddux and Spahn and Martinez -- became that way for the complete repertoire of pitches as well as being able to control the count. Heat helps. Moxxy and control are just as important.

Pedro threw gas early on, but leaned more toward the change later in his career when he was in the high 80's . Maddux is one of my all time favorites, but in the postseason missing bats is of utmost importance. It's part of why Smoltz was a much better big game pitcher, and got the ball over him if he had rest.
 

oxrageous

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I'm happy he's doing well, but excuse me if I'm not sizing him up for a bronze bust because he's on a two week hot streak against single A pitching.
You aren't happy he's doing well, you openly root against him.

He's going to make the major leagues. Not sure if he'll be there long, but at some point he's going to the show.
 

Captain Sasquatch

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You aren't happy he's doing well, you openly root against him.

He's going to make the major leagues. Not sure if he'll be there long, but at some point he's going to the show.
:jerkit:

Whatever you say, oh mighty one.
 

crosscreekcooter

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I remember going to see Smoltz against the Reds years ago and he gave up 4 home runs before we got our seats. When he was on he was deadly.
 

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