Posts: 16,097
Threads: 284
Joined: Feb 2019
Reputation:
51
(03-11-2019, 01:04 AM)TakeThePoints Wrote: (03-11-2019, 12:52 AM)lrrps21 Wrote: (03-10-2019, 09:09 PM)TakeThePoints Wrote: (03-10-2019, 06:24 PM)lrrps21 Wrote: (03-10-2019, 05:02 PM)zigbee Wrote: No way Berra over bench
He has more World Series rings than anyone 10
No catcher ever made more All-Star teams 15
No catcher ever won more MVP Awards 3Â
He threw out 49% of would-be basestealers
https://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/09/yogi-be...ankees-mlb
When I was in Little League there was a sponsored train trip to Kansas City to watch a Yankees, Royals double header. Saw all the great Yankees hit homers, Mantle, Maris, Berra, Elston Howard, Bill Skowron and more, I am sure. The Royals really sucked. Great trip for a 10 year old.
That's a cool experience. It must have been fun watching baseball then. I started watching the time Baltimore played Cincinnati in the WS.
Back in the day teams had an identity. Same players pretty much every year, so you could really get behind them and know the team. Nowadays players are here one day, gone the next. Whores for whoever will pay them a couple more bucks. Guess I can't blame them for taking what they can, but it sure dampened my enthusiasm for the game. I used to go to many Dodger and Padre games but swore them off after the second player strike.
Free Agency killed any interest I had in pro sports. It's a business - always has been - but it's no longer hidden. Players are disconnected from the fans. It wouldn't surprise me if the guy who just singed a $300+ million contract started telling people on twitter to stop complaining about ticket prices. The disconnect is what drives people away. It's not just sports it's music, hollyweird, etc. The disconnect is real. I had my own disconnect from all this burfle in the 1980's.
The America, and the American Military, that you once knew is gone.
Posts: 27,258
Threads: 477
Joined: Feb 2019
Reputation:
70
(03-11-2019, 01:22 PM)dkeener67 Wrote: (03-10-2019, 06:24 PM)lrrps21 Wrote: (03-10-2019, 05:02 PM)zigbee Wrote: No way Berra over bench
He has more World Series rings than anyone 10
No catcher ever made more All-Star teams 15
No catcher ever won more MVP Awards 3Â
He threw out 49% of would-be basestealers
https://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/09/yogi-be...ankees-mlb
Benchâ€s WAR is 47.  Best of all catchers. Yogi is 121.Â
Bench was a 14 time all star.  2 MVPs. More HRs than Yogi.  Three times RBI champion.  10 time gold glove winner.  Lou Brock famously said “I got halfway to second base, and wished I could go back to first “.  Yep, Lou Brock, probably the most efficient base stealer ever. After a while, baserunners wouldnâ€t even try against Bench. Â
And in addition to his WAR, ESPN chose him as the best catcher ever. Those last two items are probably most telling when comparing Bench to Yogi, Campanella, etc.
I thought about Berra and Campy but went with Bench because I think he played during a time and in a league with more speed and where stealing bases became an art. Guys like Brock, Davy Lopes, and others put more pressure on catchers night after night.
"Hightop can reduce an entire message board of men to mudsharks. It's actually pretty funny to watch."
Posts: 5,842
Threads: 106
Joined: Feb 2019
Reputation:
25
I donâ€t know what Johnny benchâ€s caught stealing percentage was, but it had to be pretty darn high. It got to the point that most of the prominent stealers wouldnt even try to steal. Now of course most stolen bases are on the pitcher anyways but still bench prevented a lot of guys from going to second and third just by intimidating them. He had a crazy streak going during the mid-70s during the playoffs and World Series where guys didnâ€t even try to steal. I donâ€t remember how many games it was, but it stretched over several years where there wasnâ€t even a stealing attempt. Heck I remember when Bench came up he was picking guys of first base left and right.
Iâ€m thinking it was also probably harder to throw out the average base stealer in the 60s and 70s as well compared to the 50s just because of the increased number of black athletes in baseball. And of course Davey lopes ( thatâ€s for you high top)
Quote:Hard times make hard men.
Hard men make easy times.Â
Easy times make soft men.Â
Soft men make hard times.