# Snap answer to this: "who's your favorite baseball player ever?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 12, 2007, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snap-answer-to-this-whos-your-favorite-baseball-player-ever/411499 "2007-07-12T14:34:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![nivlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3bc359/32.png) [@nivlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nivlac)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snap-answer-to-this-whos-your-favorite-baseball-player-ever/411499/101 "2007-07-13T21:43:19Z")
The “Say Hey” kid, Willie Mays. None better and I saw it. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snap-answer-to-this-whos-your-favorite-baseball-player-ever/411499/102 "2007-07-13T22:14:58Z")
[QUOTE=cmkeller] If Patek crouched, I don’t think he’d have had any strike zone at all. [/QUOTE] 😃 , I think that was the point. Rivers had a very small strike zone. Even at the old timers game he still gets down into a pretty tight crouch. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snap-answer-to-this-whos-your-favorite-baseball-player-ever/411499/103 "2007-07-13T23:04:24Z")
[QUOTE=RetroVertigo] The wizard **Ozzie Smith**. [/QUOTE] That’s exactly who I opened this thread to say! I was in the stands and watched Ozzie make one of the most fabulous plays I’ve ever seen. I can’t recall who the Cards were playing against, but following a hit that went into the outfield, whichever fielder caught it, threw it in to Ozzie, who then “threw” it back to the pitcher. The pitcher “caught” it, then fumbled around behind the mound with the resin bag. Meanwhile, there was a runner on 2nd, and he took a nice lead-off. You can see where this is going, right? 😃 Ozzie very casually walked over to the guy, touched him with his glove, showed the ball still in it, and the runner was called out. _Sweet!_ [QUOTE=melvin coznowski] Lou Brock. No one could steal bases like he could. [/QUOTE] He would be my #2 guy. You’d never guess where I grew up, huh? 😉 I actually met him in an airport lounge once. VERY nice and gracious man. I have his autograph on a napkin somewhere (or at least I did at one time – I have no idea where it is now. Shame on me, I know.). ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snap-answer-to-this-whos-your-favorite-baseball-player-ever/411499/104 "2007-07-14T05:35:54Z")
Pete Rose. No one was more fun to watch than Charlie Hustle. ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snap-answer-to-this-whos-your-favorite-baseball-player-ever/411499/105 "2007-07-14T12:08:56Z")
[QUOTE=Trunk] Some dude asked me that once. . .“without thinking, who is your favorite baseball player ever?” Rickey Henderson. (I thought up the question today for the obvious reason) Yours? [/QUOTE] rickey will someday be the only non -pitcher in the hall of fame to do this? any idea what i am talking about? by the way - i do it also. ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snap-answer-to-this-whos-your-favorite-baseball-player-ever/411499/106 "2007-07-14T12:11:30Z")
[QUOTE=Southern Yankee] Joe Dimaggio For many reasons, but primarily for the quote below, when a reporter asked him why he was hustling so hard in a late-season, meaningless game. “There is always some kid who may be seeing me for the first or last time, I owe him my best.” [/QUOTE] you forgot the rest of the quote “and maybe someday he’ll grow up and pay $10,000 to play in a golf outing with me.” ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snap-answer-to-this-whos-your-favorite-baseball-player-ever/411499/107 "2007-07-14T12:34:51Z")
I also grew up in Pittsburgh and Roberto Clemente is without a doubt my favorite, but i would question whether Clemente actually experienced racism (in the way Jackie Robinson did) or if there was just a major cultural divide between a proud Puerto Rican (who did not want to play if there was anything wrong with him) and the hard working, hard drinking and hard playing steel workers of Western Pennsylvania. Yes, Prince and others tried calling him Bobby which he hated, that is not racism. I never heard of a fan booing him because of his race or his nationality in Pittsburgh (I’m sure it could have happened because the press was not reporting everything like they do today), but I saw a lot of games and never saw that. The one thing that did happen (and still happens today - and it is wrong, I think) is the press, whenever they would interview Clemente and quote him, they would always quote his words as they sounded (with his heavy accent) and not just the words themselves. It made him seem like a caricature. This is in retrospect of course. I too never saw anything wrong with it at the time. He was a hero, on and off the field - a true rarity in sports. ---
**Author:** ![percussion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@percussion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percussion)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snap-answer-to-this-whos-your-favorite-baseball-player-ever/411499/108 "2007-07-14T17:52:29Z")
Kelly Gruber ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snap-answer-to-this-whos-your-favorite-baseball-player-ever/411499/109 "2007-07-14T20:14:21Z")
Really interesting that we’re three pages in and no one has even mentioned **Babe Ruth**. (Except in the context of him being struck out by a girl.) Poor **Babe**. Taken for granted. ---
**Author:** ![Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/48db29/32.png) [@Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Key_Lime_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snap-answer-to-this-whos-your-favorite-baseball-player-ever/411499/110 "2007-07-14T20:20:27Z")
**Kirby Puckett** for me. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snap-answer-to-this-whos-your-favorite-baseball-player-ever/411499/111 "2007-07-14T20:21:28Z")
[QUOTE=denquixote] rickey will someday be the only non -pitcher in the hall of fame to do this? any idea what i am talking about? by the way - i do it also. [/QUOTE] Throws left, bats right. Same with George H.W. Bush (played first base for Yale in college) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snap-answer-to-this-whos-your-favorite-baseball-player-ever/411499/112 "2007-07-14T20:42:51Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] Really interesting that we’re three pages in and no one has even mentioned **Babe Ruth**. (Except in the context of him being struck out by a girl.) Poor **Babe**. Taken for granted. [/QUOTE] It is surprising, if you asked me who was the greatest plater of all time, I would say Ruth in a heart beat. If you asked me the most famous of all time, I would say Ruth. But, he is not my favorite. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snap-answer-to-this-whos-your-favorite-baseball-player-ever/411499/113 "2007-07-14T21:17:24Z")
Nolan Ryan Joe ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snap-answer-to-this-whos-your-favorite-baseball-player-ever/411499/114 "2007-07-14T21:24:12Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] Willie was also one of the best percentage basestealers of all time, better even than Rickey. [/QUOTE] By 3%, if I read the tables correctly… ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snap-answer-to-this-whos-your-favorite-baseball-player-ever/411499/115 "2007-07-15T12:53:00Z")
[QUOTE=Atomicktom] Throws left, bats right. Same with George H.W. Bush (played first base for Yale in college) [/QUOTE] And me, you forgot me. Very good. It is amazing how rare this is, i guess because most lefties make the transition to switch hitting easier (just a guess.) ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snap-answer-to-this-whos-your-favorite-baseball-player-ever/411499/116 "2007-07-15T18:38:41Z")
[QUOTE=denquixote] And me, you forgot me. Very good. It is amazing how rare this is, i guess because most lefties make the transition to switch hitting easier (just a guess.) [/QUOTE] So sorry. Rickey Henderson, George Bush, Sr., and denquixote. I think it is rare because left handed bastters are closer to first than righties, so they have a natural hitting advantage (which, IIRC, is corroborated by the stats that show lefties tend to bat for a higher average than righties). Thus, a lefty wouldn’t _want_ to bat right handed, although many righties do bat left handed. You three are just freaks. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snap-answer-to-this-whos-your-favorite-baseball-player-ever/411499/117 "2007-07-15T18:39:43Z")
Greg Maddux ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snap-answer-to-this-whos-your-favorite-baseball-player-ever/411499/118 "2007-07-15T22:11:48Z")
[QUOTE=JohnT] Greg Maddux [/QUOTE] I just can’t get behind Maddux. I love him as a pitcher, but he never seemed like one of those guys who contributed much to the community. For all those years he was in Atlanta, it always felt as though he were just passing through. He always maintained a home in Nevada, where he always lived in the off-season. And even when he was _in_ Atlanta he was never visible in community projects the way Glavine and Smoltz were. When sportswriters ask him now about the time he spent with the Braves, he seems to have put it entirely behind him, without a second thought. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snap-answer-to-this-whos-your-favorite-baseball-player-ever/411499/119 "2007-07-16T00:44:36Z")
_Favorite_? No question, man. Yogi Berra! ---
**Author:** ![Frosted\_Glass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frosted_glass/32/3926_2.png) [@Frosted\_Glass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frosted_Glass)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snap-answer-to-this-whos-your-favorite-baseball-player-ever/411499/120 "2007-07-16T00:47:28Z")
Ken Griffey Jr. I saw him rob a homerun when I was little and it was the most amazing play I had ever seen. I didn’t even know that you could climb up the wall like that at the time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snap-answer-to-this-whos-your-favorite-baseball-player-ever/411499.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snap-answer-to-this-whos-your-favorite-baseball-player-ever/411499.md?page=7)