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You know how sportswriters will make Hall of Fame cases for players by combining an overwrought narrative with cherry-picked stats in which a player ranks high, or an arbitrary combination of stats that the player shares with Hall of Famers? poo poo like this: From 1993 through 1995, John Baller led the league in consecutive Sundays with a base hit, beating out future Hall of Famers Cal Ripken Jr., Frank Thomas and Tony Gwynn. He is one of only ten players to hit X triples, win Y Gold Gloves, and have a .ZZZ slugging percentage in a postseason series. Six of the other players are in the Hall of Fame, including Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. [  about hustle, inspiration, clutch, etc.]Instead of doing this for borderline candidates, I'm curious to see what kind of cases people could make along those lines for players who have no business being anywhere near the HoF, such as any of these memorable 90's Seattle Mariners: 2B - "Little" Joey Cora - In Game 5 in the 1995 ALDS against the Yankees, with the Mariners down by 1 in the 11th inning and facing elimination, Joey reached base on a drag bunt, then scored the tying run on The Double, followed by Griffey's winning run. He won Seattle's heart by crying in the dugout as the Mariners were eliminated by the Indians in the ALCS. After breaking down, he was consoled by rookie Alex Rodriguez. C - Dan "The Man" Wilson - Long time Mariners catcher with the 90s-est theme music. Locally renowned for his defense, but nobody else in the country cared because Ivan Rodriguez existed  .LHP - "The Sheriff" Norm Charlton - A closer who had his ups and downs, and kinda looked like Randy West. 3B - Mike Blowers - Hit grand slams in back-to-back games using Blower Power. After moving to the announce booth, he gained psychic powers. ?? - Rich Amaral - Played by tee-ball rules, spending an inning per game at each position. RHP - Bobby "Oh poo poo We're Bringing In" Ayala - Bobby Ayala sucked. IF - Luis Sojo - Mom's favorite player because he was handsome, in a Superstar Rajinikanth kind of way. During the Mariners' one-game playoff against the Angels, he hit a Little League grand slam. Afterward, he was too busy collecting World Series rings with the Yankees to capitalize on the Mariners' 2000's motto, "SoDo Mojo." RHP - Bob Wolcott - Randy Johnson was unavailable to start the Mariners' first ever ALCS opener, as he had pitched emergency relief in the final ALDS game. Lou Piniella instead started rookie Bob Wolcott, who pitched his butt off got the win. Had the series gone to Game 7, Lou Piniella was planning to start Wolcott again, but we lost Game 6, aka The Passion of the Cora. RHP - Ken Cloude - I only remember this guy because he had a no-hitter through like 7 innings in his MLB debut. The game was broadcast on Fox, and after the fourth inning or so of no-hit ball, Fox started superimposing rolling clouds over him as he walked back to the dugout between innings. The color commentator said "no pitcher has ever thrown a no-hitter in his Major League debut," and on the very next pitch he lost the no-hitter and the play-by-play guy said "and you can forget about it!" Anyway, that's the only thing I remember about him, and it appears that's basically all he did before retiring.  More added hereFor any of these players, make a dumb sportswriter case for their Hall of Fame enshrinement, using a combination of narrative and cherry-picked stats, including stat combinations they share with current Hall of Famers. For the stat part, everything is fair game, no matter how obscure or ridiculously specific. Be as creative as you need to be to prove that any of these bad-to-pretty-good Mariners should have been Hall of Famers, because they are one of only two right-handed starting pitchers who struck out the side on 10 pitches against the Chicago White Sox on a Sunday, and the other was Nolan Ryan. I have no idea how easy or difficult it is to mine those kind of stats, but I figure if ESPN knows how to find crap like that, then maybe some goons do, too. The contest will run through the weekend. Whoever makes the best stat-supported Hall of Fame argument for any of these guys wins either a Steam copy of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, or a Kindle copy of Starting Strength - Basic Barbell Training, depending on whether your New Years resolution is to play more games or to get more exercise. Shine fucked around with this message at 00:43 on Jan 9, 2015 |
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Jan 7, 2015 08:56
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Shine posted:Ken Cloude[/url] - I only remember this guy because he had a no-hitter through like 7 innings in his MLB debut. The game was broadcast on Fox, and after the fourth inning or so of no-hit ball, the Fox started superimposing rolling clouds over him as he walked back to the dugout between innings. The color commentator said "no pitcher has ever thrown a no-hitter in his Major League debut," and on the very next pitch he lost the no-hitter and the play-by-play guy said "and you can forget about it!" Anyway, that's the only thing I remember about him, and it appears that's basically all he did before retiring. Well, I have no idea how to mine B-Ref well enough to find stats proving that these M's greats deserve the HOF, but I did just laugh at this since you actually made me look Ken Cloude up on Wikipedia. "He pitched in the minors for 3 seasons after surgery but did not get a callup in neither season." Maybe it's not what you're looking for, but drat it. The grammar is awesome to me. And while the "Player A is the only guy other than HOF'ers B C and D to do Z" thing is an occasional part of Edgar supporter's mantra, the M's fan in me still feels the need to urge people to read Bill James' "Whatever Happened to the Hall of Fame" where he spends a chapter (I think) showing just how crazy such arguments can be. It's a good book even if his pre-1994 HOF predictions are laughably terrible, and double even if it contains his terrible no good Dick Allen hack job bullshit. edit - on the other hand, Bobby Ayala clearly possessed more pics of Lou Piniella in compromising positions than every other MLB player in history combined - HOFer or otherwise. It's the only way to explain Lou's continued insistence to insert him into games, and it has to count for something when you beat Walter Johnson and Sandy Koufax combined. Tony Phillips fucked around with this message at 09:56 on Jan 7, 2015 |
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Jan 7, 2015 09:53
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Tony Phillips posted:edit - on the other hand, Bobby Ayala clearly possessed more pics of Lou Piniella in compromising positions than every other MLB player in history combined - HOFer or otherwise. It's the only way to explain Lou's continued insistence to insert him into games, and it has to count for something when you beat Walter Johnson and Sandy Koufax combined. I remember as a kid asking my mom why Lou kept putting him in, and she told me Ayala was his son. The sarcasm went over my head and I thought that was true for like a month, until dad asked me why I kept referring to Ayala as "Lou's son."
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Jan 7, 2015 10:07
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Shine posted:I remember as a kid asking my mom why Lou kept putting him in, and she told me Ayala was his son. The sarcasm went over my head and I thought that was true for like a month, until dad asked me why I kept referring to Ayala as "Lou's son." Heh. Bobby Ayala's wiki page has six references. Five of them are for the last sentence. "Even years after his career was over, Ayala's name is still brought up among Seattle baseball fans to make unfavorable comparisons to struggling pitchers.[2][3][4][5][6]" Almost better - the cite for #6 in total: "Arnold, Kirby (2009-10-06). "Silva leaves a souvenir suitable for ...". Everett Herald. Retrieved 2010-01-05., "The crowd parted as though Bobby Ayala had just walked in (now, that was cruel) and the jock strap lay untouched on the concrete for a while.""
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Jan 7, 2015 10:13
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Shine posted:C - Dan "The Man" Wilson - Long time Mariners catcher with the 90s-est theme music. I think any good Dan Wilson HoF case starts by citing that theme music.
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Jan 7, 2015 13:39
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Rey Ordóñez was the best defensive shortstop in baseball for over half a decade, if not the best since Ozzie Smith, in the same era as Derek Jeter, Cal Ripken Jr., Barry Larkin, Alex Rodriguez, and Steroids.
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Jan 7, 2015 18:22
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David Eckstein, a two time All Star and World Series MVP, sacrificed his body and gave every bit of hustle he could muster on each and every play to be a leader to Angels and Cardinals teams, emotionally leading them both to World Series championships in 2002 and 2006.
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Jan 7, 2015 18:31
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*puts on sportswriters hat* Dan Wilson gets my HoF vote because he was legitimately one of the best defensive catchers of all time. He led all catchers in putouts and caught stealing in 1995 and 1997. It's no surprise that the Mariners were in the playoffs in those years, which led to one of the most exciting climaxes in any playoff series with Edgar Martinez's double to defeat the New York Yankees. Additionally, he led all catchers in range factor in 1995, and double plays turned as a catcher in 1997. In 2001, he had the best fielding percentages of all catchers. The result of the season? 116 wins, an American League record to this day. To lead the league in these categories during this timeframe when everyone was juicing on steroids and running faster than ever is a testament to how great of a player Dan Wilson was. When Randy Johnson first entered the league, he was incredibly wild, and led the league in HPB in 1992 and 1993. This number decreased significantly along with his walk totals in 1994, the year that the Mariners acquired Dan Wilson. With Randy entering the Hall of Fame, it should be noted that the Big Unit never would have gotten to that point without the study guidance of his battery mate, Dan the Man. Although he was known for his defensive prowess, he was no slouch with the bat. He consistently was in the top 5 for batting average for catchers in the American League, usually only falling behind suspected steroid abuser Ivan Rodriguez and Yankee legend Joe Girardi. On May 7, 1998, Dan the Man achieved something more rare than a no-hitter when he hit an inside the park grand slam, no small feat. On an 8 pitch at bat, Wilson fought off pitches until he got the right one, and launched it into deep center field, clearing the bases. Only 7 catchers in baseball have achieved this feat, and it has only been done 8 times since the 1990s. Off the field, Dan Wilson's character spoke more than his words. He supported local businesses by advertising for local companies, such as Eagle Hardware and Garden. You would always find him in church on Sundays, as well as visiting cancer-struck kids at Seattle Children's Hospital, setting an exemplary example to follow for Seattle's next great player with the same last name, Russell Wilson. To this day, his charity work continues around the Seattle area. He may not be the sexy choice, but if I'm up on the mound, I don't want anyone else behind the plate other than Dan Wilson. seiferguy fucked around with this message at 22:47 on Jan 8, 2015 |
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Jan 7, 2015 19:20
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I don't think Ayala is eligible because he didn't play 10 seasons so I think anyone who can convince us should get bonus points. I can't wait to work on this. I was looking for a dumb/great reason to re-up my B-R play database subscription.
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Jan 7, 2015 20:30
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This owns. Joey Cora was my favorite Mariner growing up. I gave my brother a hard time for taking the "easy" way out and being a Griffey fan while I rejoiced over every little single Cora hit
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Jan 7, 2015 21:38
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On April 11th, 1996 future(?) Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez hit a home run. On that same day, Dan Wilson hit 3 - tripling that day's HR output of every member of the Hall of Fame combined. Enshrine this man.
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Jan 7, 2015 22:08
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seiferguy posted:*puts on sportswriters hat* Nice! Had you submitted this to the Seattle Times a few years back, they would have run it in earnest.  tadashi posted:I don't think Ayala is eligible because he didn't play 10 seasons so I think anyone who can convince us should get bonus points. I can't wait to work on this. I was looking for a dumb/great reason to re-up my B-R play database subscription. I will laugh my rear end off if anybody can make a complimentary case for Ayala. The entire Kingdome would be like  as soon as they announced him.ManifunkDestiny posted:This owns. Joey Cora was my favorite Mariner growing up. I gave my brother a hard time for taking the "easy" way out and being a Griffey fan while I rejoiced over every little single Cora hit I remember one time Cora was leaving the Kingdome in his convertible, and he got mobbed by a bunch of fans (including preteen me) and was basically forced to sign autographs for an hour. He was probably annoyed that people were literally sitting all up on his car, but he was cool about it and signed my mitt and I think also a mini-bat. I remember one year he hit three home runs in the first few weeks of the season, which was as many as he'd hit the previous season. People were like "cool, Joey Cora is gonna hit for power now!" and then he didn't hit any more until September v  v.Man, I need to dig out that mitt. It has autographs from Cora, Norm Charlton, Alex Rodriguez, Chris Bosio, Sterling Hitchcock, and I think Luis Sojo. I always wanted Jay Buhner's autograph but we never caught him before or after games. Buhner was the poo poo. If Griffey had the sweetest home run swing, then Buhner had the most "gently caress you" swing. That A-Rod/Griffey/Edgar/Buhner lineup was so much fun to watch. We had poo poo for pitching those years, but at least there were tons of homers.
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Jan 7, 2015 22:26
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Shine posted:I will laugh my rear end off if anybody can make a complimentary case for Ayala. The entire Kingdome would be like It's not that laughable. Ayala had an above-average ERA+ in 6 of his 10 seasons, including a spectacular 171 in his 1994 debut with the Mariners (Pedro Martinez himself had a sub-171 ERA+ in no fewer than 12 seasons!). Hell, he even ended on a high note, posting a 163 with the Cubs and Expos in his final season of pro ball (avg against was only .222 that year!). From 1994-1998, he never dipped below 8 SO/9 and his career average was 8.45. Other HoF relievers? Gossage averaged 7.47, Bruce Sutter 7.43, Rollie Fingers 6.87, Dennis Eckersley 6.53, and Hoyt Wilhelm only averaged 6.43. Even the shoe-in Mo averaged a mere 8.2 SO/9. If those guys are in the Hall, Ayala should be too. In the same period, 1994-1998, he never gave up more than 6 steals despite pitching at least 67 innings (and as many as 92!) per season (Eckersley gave up at least 6 in each season from 1991-1998 except the strike-shortened 1994). Look at the leaderboard of the guys who struck out the most against Ayala: John Kruk (#1), Mo Vaughan (#2), Chili Davis (#5), Derek Jeter (#6), Tim Raines (#7). Dude could shut down the best. Only gave up 3 doubles to one player (Domingo Cedeno - an obvious fluke), so he could clearly adjust well, too. And he did all that for only $3,267,000 over a ten-year span, which factors in to only $5,671/inning pitched. Let's see how some of our other favorite relievers do, listed by WAR leaders among relievers: Mariano Rivera: $131,998/IP Lee Smith: $44,071/IP Billy Wagner: $102/860/IP Trevor Hoffman: $73,723/IP Not only was Bobby Ayala a great pitcher, he was a steal. And he had a fearsome reputation, as well. Numerous articles attest to the fact that Ayala's goatee was considered "intimidating," as was Ayala (a promotion in June 1995 even allowed fans with goatees like Ayala's free entry into the Kingdome!). We've argued at length on this forum that postseason numbers are of such small sample sizes as to be almost meaningless; are we really going to keep Bobby Ayala out of the Hall for the results of 5.2 IP (in which his BABIP was .476)? Come on.
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Jan 8, 2015 04:18
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Xenophon posted:It's not that laughable. Ayala had an above-average ERA+ in 6 of his 10 seasons, including a spectacular 171 in his 1994 debut with the Mariners (Pedro Martinez himself had a sub-171 ERA+ in no fewer than 12 seasons!). Hell, he even ended on a high note, posting a 163 with the Cubs and Expos in his final season of pro ball (avg against was only .222 that year!). From 1994-1998, he never dipped below 8 SO/9 and his career average was 8.45. Other HoF relievers? Gossage averaged 7.47, Bruce Sutter 7.43, Rollie Fingers 6.87, Dennis Eckersley 6.53, and Hoyt Wilhelm only averaged 6.43. Even the shoe-in Mo averaged a mere 8.2 SO/9. If those guys are in the Hall, Ayala should be too.  I'm dying e: It gets better each time I read it hahahahahahahahaha Shine fucked around with this message at 04:24 on Jan 8, 2015 |
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Jan 8, 2015 04:20
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ManifunkDestiny posted:This owns. Joey Cora was my favorite Mariner growing up. I gave my brother a hard time for taking the "easy" way out and being a Griffey fan while I rejoiced over every little single Cora hit Career Home Runs off Mike Mussina: Ken 'no doubt, first ballot HOF slam dunk with a backwards hat' Griffey: 2 in 59 AB. Joey 'ditto' Cora: 2 in 49 AB. Says it all, really. Kundus fucked around with this message at 05:33 on Jan 8, 2015 |
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Jan 8, 2015 05:29
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Kundus posted:Career Home Runs off Mike Mussina: Joey 'Ditto' Cora is a way better nickname than 'Little' Joey Cora. There's a giant thread in Let's Play about a baseball management game, and the OP made this post: Smasher Dynamo posted:Hey, they're doing a contest in SAS about writing the hall of fame case for Joey Cora, but I don't know if you're supposed to post it in that thread, and I don't want the prizes, but here's my 15-minute version. He just wins ball games. 
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Jan 8, 2015 19:03
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Everyone comes up with a bunch of reasons as to why offense in baseball is down. And it's true. It is down. There are fewer extra base hits now than at any time before the peak of the steroids era. But the reason for the decline has less to do with MLB cleaning up its act (look no further than former MVPs Ryan Braun and Alex Rodriguez missing tons of games for PED-related suspensions) and more to do with managers getting smarter. The reason offense is down is because pitchers don't throw complete games anymore. Just as Tony LaRussa pioneered the "closer" role, baseball has morphed into a game where starting pitchers are expected to throw no more than 6 innings and then turn it over to the bullpen. From there, the smart manager can absolutely supress offense by deploying a series of specialist relievers. And no such reliever is more special than Norm Charlton, the best of the Cincinnati Reds' "Nasty Boys" trio and later a premier part of a dominant Mariners team. Charlton was a lockdown lefty before they existed. Charlton was Aroldis Chapman before Chapman's balls dropped. Let's put this in perspective: from 1989 to 1995, while roided-out monsters like Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire were destroying the integrity of the game, Charlton put up an ERA+ of 137, striking out nearly a batter per inning and being more than one-third better than the average pitcher. You might think that "one third better" isn't that much, but consider that as a reliever Charlton only pitched 1 inning per game. Projected out, that 1 inning per game multipled by 1/3 better = Charlton was 3 times better than the average pitcher over this span. How good was Charlton? Consider his Hall-of-Fame counterpart, Dennis Eckersley. Eckersley, as we all know, was the Cy Young Award winner and MVP 1992, the mid-point of Charlton's dominant span. Yet over that period of 1989-1995, Eckersley put up an ERA+ of 144, striking out slightly better than one batter per inning. Eckersley's 144 is clearly 7% better than Charlton's 137, but thankfully eligibility for the Hall doesn't mean you have to be the best at your position--just that you were clearly head-and-shoulders above the competition. Eckersley was elected on the first ballot with over 83% of the vote. If you subtract out the 7% better that Eckersley was, that still leaves Charlton with 76% of the vote--enough to enshrine him in Cooperstown where he belongs. Now, you might make a case that Charlton had a relatively short career. That's true, but consider another short-career lefty, Sandy Koufax. He's in the Hall of Fame despite only pitching in 12 seasons (during which he compiled an ERA+ of 131, inferior to Charlton.) Charlton pitched in 13 seasons. If you disqualify Charlton on a longevity basis, you have to take Koufax out of Cooperstown too, and surely no reasonable-minded baseball fan would do that. Lastly, consider the enduring legacy that Charlton left (pun intended) on the game. Had managers been savvy enough to use men like Norm Charlton in the early days of baseball, "greats" like Mel Ott (.983 OPS vs. Righties, .667 vs. Lefties) might not be considered in such high esteem. Thanks to the trail blazed by Charlton, pitchers like Tony Fossas and Randy Choate had their careers extended. It's shameful enough that Marvin Miller, who did more in the aggregate for the rights of all ballplayers, isn't in the Hall of Fame. We should not compound the problem by failing to ensconce Charlton, a dominant lefty who ushered in the era of the specialist lefty and prolonged the careers of many veterans. I am proud to cast my ballot for Norm Charlton. FairGame fucked around with this message at 20:22 on Jan 8, 2015 |
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Jan 8, 2015 20:17
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Ted Williams. Ty Cobb. Nap LaJoie. Tony Gwynn. Many consider these some of the greatest players of all time, but none ever won a championship, instead focusing on individual glory. This columnist knows why boys spend starry nights in their yard, throwing balls with their father until they’re ready to drop from exhaustion. They dream of winning a World Series, and no one was better at that than Luis Sojo. The story doesn't begin with championships however, Luis’ greatest glory may have come in 1995. Little Luis began the year on the Seattle Mariners bench behind an overhyped young upstart named Alex Rodriguez. Just 19 years old Rodriguez thought he knew it all and despite Sojo’s support on the bench he couldn't put it together. He struck out, missed balls, and thought the world owed him fame. Through all this, Luis didn't complain to his manager like players today would. Knowing his time would come, knowing that Alex would disappoint over and over as he would throughout his career, Luis waited with calmness in his eyes. Tired of the losing that saw the Mariners drop 13 games behind the Angels the Mariners came to their senses, demoted Rodriguez to AAA and placed Luis at shortstop. Making the most of his chance he saw to it that the Mariners won. And won again. And again. And again. Until much like Little Luis the Mariners clawed their way to the top and took the division from the Angels. Ultimately, the Mariners couldn't overcome the stench Rodriguez left on the team and were taken down in the ALCS, but Sojo’s best days were yet to come, when he was paired with one of the all time greats, a then unknown young man by the name of Derek Jeter. In his first year with The Captain, the Yankees won the World Series. In his second year, Sojo and Jeter lead the Yankees to the playoffs but tragically Luis was lost to injury in August. Without their double play combination the Yankees, hearts torn from their bodies, were dropped from the playoffs by an Indians team that was more steroid than man. Sojo wouldn't take this lying down, he trained his mind, his body, his soul, and for the next three years Sojo and Jeter took baseball by storm, captured three rings, and brought the Yankees to greatness one last time. A lot of people will tell you to look at the numbers, well I have a number for them: .400. The mark of immortals, a number that will take you beyond the legends. Some put up that number in the regular season, but Luis did it when it counts: the World Series. Facing the most scientifically enhanced pitchers the world had seen Luis went up on the biggest stage of them all, and showed them what matters. Not drugs, not weights, pure heart and soul. Destination unknown? No. Destination Hall of Fame. regfairfield fucked around with this message at 00:06 on Jan 9, 2015 |
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Jan 8, 2015 21:39
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I made some revisions to Dan Wilson, since I forgot his crowning achievement at the plate: http://m.mlb.com/sea/video/v23178555/detsea-wilson-hits-an-insidethepark-grand-slam
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Jan 8, 2015 22:49
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God drat, this is going even better than I imagined. You guys are amazing. People are welcome to do write-ups on any player already covered, but here are some more 90's-early 00's Mariners in case anybody wants a fresh one: Willie Bloomquist - A versatile guy used in almost any position whenever someone good needed a day off. Kazuhiro Sasaki - A Japanese star who signed with the Mariners just in time to be overshadowed by Ichiro. The Mariners could never seem to find a reliable closer, and Kazu's arrival was hotly anticipated due to his accomplishments in Japan. The first time he threw "The Fang," a splitter that dropped about 5 feet, Seattle was in love. Kazu also fell in love with Seattle, to the point where he was shipped back to Japan due to his "indescreet philandering." Raul Ibanez -  Doug Strange - In the deciding game of the legendary 1995 ALDS, with the Mariners down by 1 run in the 8th inning, Strange had one of the greatest pinch hitting performances of all time, scoring the tying RBI without actually batting anyone in or even having an at-bat, as he walked with the bases loaded. Baseball terminology is stupid. seiferguy posted:I made some revisions to Dan Wilson, since I forgot his crowning achievement at the plate: http://m.mlb.com/sea/video/v23178555/detsea-wilson-hits-an-insidethepark-grand-slam Hahaha, I remember this! My brothers and I were watching and we laughed our asses off at "GET OUT THE RYE BREAD—NO!!!!!" e: I just noticed they set off the home run fireworks for this 
Shine fucked around with this message at 23:55 on Jan 8, 2015 |
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Jan 8, 2015 23:29
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seiferguy posted:I made some revisions to Dan Wilson, since I forgot his crowning achievement at the plate: http://m.mlb.com/sea/video/v23178555/detsea-wilson-hits-an-insidethepark-grand-slam If these jerks don't make more of this in a size large I will go nuts. Or just start eating a lot lot more. http://www.homage.com/products/grand-salami-time Edit: This shirt sucks. http://www.homage.com/collections/baseball/products/the-impossible-return Tony Phillips fucked around with this message at 23:49 on Jan 8, 2015 |
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Jan 8, 2015 23:47
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 /drops mic
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Jan 9, 2015 04:51
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Raul Ibanez is a goddamn shoe-in first ballot candidate beyond his playoff heroics. All those math statheads living in their parents' basements who never played an inning of pro ball are easy to call him a bad defender, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. He led the league in fielding percentage and assists as a left fielder MULTIPLE times, and is the current leader among active players in double plays turned by a left fielder. In addition to left field, he's fielded every position except middle infield and pitcher, twice as many positions as Joe DiMaggio dared to play. He's a bona fide Ozzie Smith on defense, if you have a lick of sense beyond nerdy numbers that is. But, I agree with you, hall of famers need offensive numbers to back up their stellar defense. You don't have to look to far to see the strong case this 6 time player-of-the-week and 3-time MVP vote-getter made for himself. Yessir, All-Star Raul Ibanez hit double digit home runs 13 straight years, a feat that neither of fellow left-field hall of famers Ted Williams or Rickey Henderson can lay claim to. And just like Cal Ripken, Ibanez played 162 games multiple times, showing that he was made of sterner stuff than your regular Joe. Hundreds of home runs and doubles, thousands of hits, RBIs, and games play, he's got numbers in the same denomination as the best who have ever played. He had two intentional walks in the playoffs, proof of the fear he instilled in opposing managers when the bright lights were on. Beyond the hitting, beyond the defense, there was the character. Ibanez, more than any other player, looked out for his teammates. When his pitchers use balls so slick with spit and vaseline that upon fielding a hit he simply could not throw them without essentially falling down, he didn't snitch on them. He honored the clubhouse. He took integrity personally, and chose to be the butt of jokes in videos on This Week in Baseball rather than rat out cheating pitchers on his own club. That's a man in your locker room you take a bullet for. That's old school character, the type the hall of fame demands.
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Jan 9, 2015 05:50
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Unironically, though, there should be a monitor in the Hall of Fame that just plays RaulIbanez.gif on loop, all day every day.
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Jan 9, 2015 12:58
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Mornacale posted:Unironically, though, there should be a monitor in the Hall of Fame that just plays RaulIbanez.gif on loop, all day every day. This would make it worth the trip alone
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Jan 12, 2015 01:02
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Mornacale posted:Unironically, though, there should be a monitor in the Hall of Fame that just plays RaulIbanez.gif on loop, all day every day. which
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Jan 12, 2015 01:16
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Mornacale posted:Unironically, though, there should be a monitor in the Hall of Fame that just plays RaulIbanez.gif on loop, all day every day. You and Pander just proved that he's a HoF'er, so there's hope! There's some really funny poo poo in this thread and I'm glad we got so many great entries. I'll pick the winner tomorrow!
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Jan 12, 2015 01:38
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Monicro posted:which There's got to be one gif that combined all of the best Ibanez moments into one file. Here's some of the best of him in Seattle: http://www.lookoutlanding.com/pages/raul-ibanez-takes-pride-in-his-defense
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Jan 12, 2015 07:39
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Little Joey Cora Little Joey Lil' Joey LiJoey Common mispronunciation of "Lajoie"?! Nap Lajoie... one of the greatest hitting 2B of all time? Joey Cora also a 2nd baseman. Joey Cora is the reincarnation of Nap Lajoie. It would be a crime to keep a true legend out of the Hall of Fame.
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Jan 12, 2015 08:01
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Time for the winners! I couldn't pick just one. First prize goes to Xenophon for his piece on Bobby Ayala, which days later still blows my goddamn mind because BOBBY AYALA WAS TERRIBLE AND YOUR FANCY STATS CAN'T CONVINCE ME OTHERW— Your prize is either a Steam copy of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, or one of the following fitness books on Kindle (which, if you weren't aware, can be read on phone, tablet or PC via apps). I added some more books because gently caress it, why not?: Intervention: Course Corrections for the Athlete and Trainer, by Dan John (My favorite fitness book) Mass Made Simple, by Dan John ("I have a fast metabolism and can never put on weight  ")Easy Strength, by Dan John and Pavel Tsatsouline (I haven't read this yet, but between Dan John's wisdom and charm, and Pavel being more or less a pro wrestling character, it probably owns) 5/3/1: The Simplest and Most Effective Training System for Raw Strength, by Jim Wendler (I love this program. It's not the best option for beginners, though.) Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training, by Mark Rippetoe ("I don't know anything about lifting weights. Please teach me everything I need to know and tell me exactly what to do for six months") Second prize goes to  seiferguy for his piece on Dan Wilson, which I would love to see presented in earnest to the Fire Joe Morgan guys. Your prize is whichever one Xenophon doesn't pick. So you can pick a book if he picks XCOM, or you'll get XCOM if he picks a book.I'll touch base with you both via PM after we sort the prizes out. Thanks to seiferguy, Tony Phillips, Xenophon, Kundus, Smasher Dynamo, FairGame, regfairfield, Mornacale, Pander and HulkaMatt for all the hilarious, sometimes mind-blowing sportswriter fluff!
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Jan 13, 2015 01:09
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Could we do this for basketball? I would like to see if I could make a realistic sounding argument that Christian Laettner should have had Shaquille O'Neal's place on the 1992 Dream Team.
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Jan 13, 2015 05:49
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I thought about a post for Jack Perconte but gave up fast. Really fast.
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Jan 13, 2015 06:10
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Can I nitpick Xenophon's post now? I thought it would be in bad taste, especially since the post was so masterfully constructed. Ayala didn't have a 163 ERA+ in '99. 
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Jan 13, 2015 19:24
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Badfinger posted:Can I nitpick Xenophon's post now? I thought it would be in bad taste, especially since the post was so masterfully constructed. Whoops, I misread the split! Whatever, rephrase it this way: "Hell, he even ended on a high note, posting a 163 in his final stint with the Cubs in the latter half of 1999. His avg against was only .222 for that whole year, better that year than other supposedly great pitchers like Curt Schilling, John Smoltz, Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina, Roy Halladay, Greg Maddux, Andy Pettite. And this is the tail end of his career!" I'll be the first to admit that I'm not making the most convincing case but if that's your decision then sweet, I'll take the Starting Strength book - I'm one of those awful people who just started showing up to the gym about 12 days ago whom I'm sure you all hate, so that will help.
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Jan 13, 2015 19:43
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Xenophon posted:Whoops, I misread the split! Whatever, rephrase it this way: "Hell, he even ended on a high note, posting a 163 in his final stint with the Cubs in the latter half of 1999. His avg against was only .222 for that whole year, better that year than other supposedly great pitchers like Curt Schilling, John Smoltz, Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina, Roy Halladay, Greg Maddux, Andy Pettite. And this is the tail end of his career!" I ain't hating on anybody who's trying to get in better shape. Plus I lift in the sort of gym that doesn't get a New Years rush  .Anyway, I hope you enjoy the book! One of the biggest and most frequent mistakes people make in the gym is going in there without a specific, effective plan, so this book will help you avoid that pitfall, and serve you better than any of the (probably useless) personal trainers at your gym. Starting Strength is a simple, structured plan that will teach you the basics of lifting, and provide you with a plan for the next 6-9 months that will get you hella strong and build some muscle. Regardless of your long-term fitness goals, building some strength now will serve you well. quote:Why strength training? Good question. The answer— Brett Jones once told me this— “Absolute strength is the glass. Everything else is the liquid inside the glass. The bigger the glass, the more of everything else you can do.” Lifting weights is the quickest way to build strength. As your strength goes up, everything else can be expanded, too. It’s a simple point, so don’t miss it! We have a companion thread in YLLS, and you are welcome to PM me anytime if you have questions or need help with anything. I'll PM you in a bit to get your email address.
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Jan 13, 2015 20:41
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In my near 10 years of posting at SA I think this is like the first ever thing I think I've won so cool  I've never played an XCOM game in my life, so this might be fun. My steam ID is also seiferguy, and I don't think you need my e-mail to gift me anything there.
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Jan 13, 2015 21:02
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Shine posted:I ain't hating on anybody who's trying to get in better shape. Plus I lift in the sort of gym that doesn't get a New Years rush PM sent. And thanks for the support! I'll check it all out.
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Jan 13, 2015 21:23
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