I thought that chicks dig the long ball

[j. spilotro]

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Remember that season well. Was heavily betting baseball, it was always my favorite sport, the Yankees were my team, they sucked that year, Mattingly was my favorite player. I guess I kind of have an affinity for guys that aren’t super fast or strong or even athletic, guys that are above average in areas but not necessarily amazing … Jeter pops to mind but it tends to happen in baseball more than other sports anyway. But I think that was the same season he broke Dale Long’s record for consecutive games with a home run (8).

I think it was the year prior where Mattingly should have won the MVP - but it went to Cy Young winner Roger Clemens. Don’t get me started with that bs. And I think 86 was the year Boggs sat out the last couple of games of the season so Mattingly couldn’t catch him for the batting title (I think it ended up 357 vs 352). Don’t get me started with that bs wimp move either. Do it like Williams did it when he hit 406. Be a man.

 

[bcvegaspt]

“Let your fingers slow it down, not your arm” regarding his changeup.

 

[RebelScrub]

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It was only 16 million dollars..

 

[bcvegaspt]

 

[bcvegaspt]

Highway robbery!

 

[bcvegaspt]

 

[LVRebel2000]

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And never once did he win the Cy Young award in any given season...
Wow

 

[j. spilotro]

And never once did he win the Cy Young award in any given season...
Wow

Arguably the best pitcher of all time, zero cy young awards. Amazing. Really amazing.

The thing I liked about him most was he was just a gamer, so damn tough.

 

[bcvegaspt]

Arguably the best pitcher of all time, zero cy young awards. Amazing. Really amazing.

The thing I liked about him most was he was just a gamer, so damn tough.

I flip between he and Maddux as to who was my favorite pitcher. I was born into Ryan but was raised with Maddux.

Adding a great curve to 100+mph was just unfair!

 

[RebelScrub]

Any baseball players today other than Nolan Ryan that me and my roommate can watch.

 

[j. spilotro]

I flip between he and Maddux as to who was my favorite pitcher. I was born into Ryan but was raised with Maddux.

Adding a great curve to 100+mph was just unfair!

We’ve said it before - Greg was a surgeon on the mound. I can’t think of a better way to put it. He overpowered nobody but made everyone but Tony Gwynn look stupid at some point. Such precision, such control, such great late ball movement. I’m convinced you could dangle a dime on a string and he’d hit it 9 of 10 times with every type of pitch in his arsenal.

 

[dcut03]

We’ve said it before - Greg was a surgeon on the mound. I can’t think of a better way to put it. He overpowered nobody but made everyone but Tony Gwynn look stupid at some point. Such precision, such control, such great late ball movement. I’m convinced you could dangle a dime on a string and he’d hit it 9 of 10 times with every type of pitch in his arsenal.

Maddox fooled batters and Umps alike. Once they started to do so computer tracking towards the end of his career his effectiveness started to wane. Sure his stuff wasn't as good, but I think they also saw on film with the trackers that many of his called strikes were out of the zone.

 

[j. spilotro]

Maddox fooled batters and Umps alike. Once they started to do so computer tracking towards the end of his career his effectiveness started to wane. Sure his stuff wasn't as good, but I think they also saw on film with the trackers that many of his called strikes were out of the zone.

I think that’s what happens with strong trends/reputations. A strike on the corner when Boggs or Gwynn have two strikes …. They got the benefit of a tiny doubt … same thing with Maddux. It gets grandfathered because they have a long history.

 

[Rebel_Luv]

Analytics! Imagine if the pitchers and the Eighties and nineties had use of that.

 

[bcvegaspt]

They scouted player tendencies and didn't ask to come out after 5 innings. The game was better then.

 

[Rebel_Luv]

They scouted player tendencies and didn't ask to come out after 5 innings. The game was better then.

Less injuries also. I think steroids has increased injuries. Look at all the players that get injured now. I don't know the stats nor do I follow baseball as much as I used to But that little I follow.I have never seen so many players.Go down with injuries or lingering ones Is over the last twenty years.

 

[LVRebel2000]

Less injuries also. I think steroids has increased injuries. Look at all the players that get injured now. I don't know the stats nor do I follow baseball as much as I used to But that little I follow.I have never seen so many players.Go down with injuries or lingering ones Is over the last twenty years.

There's way more weight training than there used to be. Look at the players from the 80's and earlier. Not too many buff players. The steroid era hit in the 90's and we started to see more players throwing harder and hitting more HR's. Now, I'm sure there are performance altering supplements (aka steroids or similar) that help, but also just way more attention to weight training.

Most MLB pitchers don't look like Glavine, Maddux, David Cone, etc. There were a handful of more stout pitchers back in those days, like Clemens and Nolan Ryan, but not anywhere close to how they look now.

 

[j. spilotro]

There's way more weight training than there used to be. Look at the players from the 80's and earlier. Not too many buff players. The steroid era hit in the 90's and we started to see more players throwing harder and hitting more HR's. Now, I'm sure there are performance altering supplements (aka steroids or similar) that help, but also just way more attention to weight training.

Most MLB pitchers don't look like Glavine, Maddux, David Cone, etc. There were a handful of more stout pitchers back in those days, like Clemens and Nolan Ryan, but not anywhere close to how they look now.

one of the things I really liked about baseball … is you didn’t HAVE to be the biggest, the strongest, the fastest to be really good. Typically third baseman, first baseman, catchers and right fielders were the big, strong dudes.

Now it seems that many players are just beasts, sans the middle infield. Not all, but certainly a larger percentage of players, even ARod started to shatter that a bit at shortstop, he was huge for a SS.

Even hockey players are much bigger than they used to be. Football for sure, along with more speed and strength, which makes the sport ridiculously more dangerous, imo. Rules changes and the small equipment changes can’t override force=speed x mass.

Basketball, certainly bigger, stronger and faster, as well.