[QUOTE=Atomicktom]
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).
[/QUOTE]
The advantage in average isn’t because they’re closer to first; it’s because there are more righthanded pitchers. 99% of all hitters hit substantially better against pitchers of the opposite side, so lefties have that advantage much more often than righties.
[QUOTE=RickJay]
The advantage in average isn’t because they’re closer to first; it’s because there are more righthanded pitchers. 99% of all hitters hit substantially better against pitchers of the opposite side, so lefties have that advantage much more often than righties.
[/QUOTE]
so the question still remains: why is ricky the only great left handed hitter who throws right (why did Ricky not become a switch hitter?) The only other above average major leaguer in my lifetime who did it (excepting pitchers) was Cleon Jones of the Mets.
[QUOTE=spoke-]
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.
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, but the question is about baseball players.
And there’s no mandate that anybody, regardless of occupation, “contribute to the community.”
[QUOTE=Shoeless]
Nolan Ryan made it to the top of my list the day that Ricky Henderson broke Lou Brock’s stolen base record. Henderson was awfully full of himself that day, I think he said something like “Today I am the greatest”… and later that day Ryan went out and threw a no-hitter, something like the fifth or sixth of his career. Heh.
[/QUOTE]
I haven’t read the rest of this thread yet but…
May 1st 1991 was the day that Henderson broke the base stealing record and is quoted as saying: “I am the greatest of all time” . On the same day Nolan Ryan pitched his
SEVENTH
no hitter at home in Texas’ Arlington Stadium, and he is paraphrased as saying “I’m just happy that I could pitch it at home for the Rangers’ fans.”
I too would say Nolan Ryan is my favorite player of all time, second is Charlie Hough. You gotta love a pro sports player who sits in the dugout smoking between innings. That always cracked me up.
On a side note, I was beer vendor (“Coooooollllllldddddd BEEEEEEERRRRRRR”) at Arlington Stadium at that time. Good Times.
[QUOTE=Enright3]
I too would say Nolan Ryan is my favorite player of all time, second is Charlie Hough. You gotta love a pro sports player who sits in the dugout smoking between innings. That always cracked me up.
[/QUOTE]
Hey, whaddya know? It’s the most- and least-feared fastballs in history, sitting right beside each other.
[QUOTE=JohnT]
And there’s no mandate that anybody, regardless of occupation, “contribute to the community.”
[/QUOTE]
Not unless they want to be regarded as a part of that community. Guess that didn’t matter much to Maddux. And so, I don’t regard him as highly as I do Glavine and Smoltz.
[QUOTE=spoke-]
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.
[/QUOTE]
Sounds like me. If I were the same person I am - a good person, IMHO, but introverted, and not a schmoozer - but were gifted like Maddux, I’d be the same way. Just go out, play the game, have fun, do your job, be one of the best pitchers ever. I like Maddux a lot - he doesn’t make waves, just kicks ass on the mound. I don’t owe anything to the community other than simply being a good citizen.
Plus, and I have no idea if Maddux does this himself, I’d donate sizable amounts to charities very quietly. You’d never see the wheresgeorge04 Animal Shelter, but I assure you I’d donate enough to make it happen anonymously.
I too would say Nolan Ryan is my favorite player of all time, second is Charlie Hough. You gotta love a pro sports player who sits in the dugout smoking between innings. That always cracked me up.
[/QUOTE]
And you just can’t beat (no pun intended) Nolan Ryan Vs Robin Ventura!
[QUOTE=wheresgeorge04]
I don’t owe anything to the community other than simply being a good citizen.
[/QUOTE]
Agreed. Everyone is perfectly free to sit on their sofas and contribute nothing. Everyone is perfectly free to leave town and stay away whenever their job permits. But then they can’t expect the rest of the community to love them for that.
And so I don’t love Maddux the way I love Glavine and Smoltz.
[QUOTE=JohnT]
Yeah, but the question is about baseball players.
And there’s no mandate that anybody, regardless of occupation, “contribute to the community.”
[/QUOTE]
Spoke didn’t say Maddux is evil, or deserves to go to prison. He didn’t even say that Maddux had an obligation to do more than he did.
Spoke merely says that other players in Atlanta DID contribute to the city, DID reach out to the community, and are loved for it. Maddux isn’t. If that’s okay by Maddux, it’s okay by me.
Look, by way of analogy, a waiter/waitress has no obligation to smile at me. There’s no law that says he/she has to make small talk or act like my friend. He/she can argue, legitimately, “My job is just to take your order and bring you food- if you demand more than that, it’s your problem.”
True enough. But if you take that attitude, don’t expect to be popular or to get good tips.
Actually, I shouldn’t imply that Maddux never does anything off the field. As I understand it, he has always been quite active with charity work – in Las Vegas. (Not so much in Atlanta.) So I don’t think he’s a bad guy.
I just think that when a city worships a sports hero (as Atlanta worshiped Maddux back in the day) it would be nice if that sports hero reciprocated in some way.
It’s hard for me to pick a favorite, but Dave Stewart is a strong contender. He meant so much to the A’s in the late 80s and early 90s, both on the field and in the clubhouse, and he is a genuinely good person. Stew was one of those guys who would show up for any event where public support would help, be it a school function or an opening of an art gallery. Many people outside of Oakland didn’t know about this side of him, because he didn’t do anything to call attention to it - he didn’t have his agent notify the press every time he helped a charity.
The morning after the earthquake that interrupted the 1989 World Series, Dave Stewart was down by the collapsed Cypress Freeway handing out coffee and doughnuts to rescue workers.
