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Bubbles
07-22-2008, 01:23 PM
This was sparked from the top-100 thread. You get to pick any player from any era at any position for the baseball game to end all baseball games. Loser leaves town, shaves head, removes mask, etc. You get four pitchers, one player to start at each position, a back-up catcher, two back-up infielders, and a back-up outfielder. Pitchers hit.

So who's your team? Mine's as follows...

C: Josh Gibson
1B: Mark McGwire
2B: Rogers Hornsby
SS: Ozzie Smith
3B: Mike Schmidt
LF: Barry Bonds
CF: Willie Mays
RF: Babe Ruth

Bench

C: Yogi Berra
IF: Lou Gehrig
IF: Eddie Mathews
OF: Frank Robinson

Pitchers

Starter: Sandy Koufax
Long Reliever: Bob Gibson
Set-up: Nolan Ryan
Closer: Dennis Eckersley (sorry Mo)

OTM Al
07-22-2008, 03:41 PM
Okay, I'll play

C: Yogi Berra
1B: Lou Gehrig
2B: Rogers Hornsby (this was the toughest spot I think)
SS: Alex Rodriguez (runs created will FAR outweigh runs given up with Smith)
3B: George Brett (Schmidt was very close here, but have enough mashers)
LF: Hank Aaron (He played a little LF and he's not getting RF, but he starts)
CF: Mickey Mantle
RF: Babe Ruth

Bench
C: Johnny Bench
IF: Robby Alomar
IF: Ozzie Smith
OF: Barry Bonds

Starter: Walter Johnson
Long Relief: Bob Gibson
Set Up: Goose Gossage
Closer: Mariano Rivera

njcurveball
07-22-2008, 04:00 PM
WOW! Ted Williams anyone? :bang:


I have to think this one out, but when I read the title I thought it would be something like pick the ONE player ALL TIME for your team in ANY era.

Ted Williams #1 in my book, he could go backward and dominate and still be a Superstar today.

Polls like this are hard since Babe Ruth could be hitting against a guy throwing his 250th pitch of the game (pitch counts DO matter when they go over 200).

I have to do some thinking, but Teddy Ballgame is my #1 pick for ANY era.

OTM Al
07-22-2008, 04:08 PM
Shows you how many very good outfielders there have been. Would have him on the bench for sure if Bubbles would have given me a full 25 man roster. His indifference to fielding make him the ultimate pinch hitter

njcurveball
07-22-2008, 04:16 PM
His indifference to fielding make him the ultimate pinch hitter

You have added another dimension I was not even considering. For defense is or was there any better Right Fielder than Shane Victorino? Monster ground coverage, incredible energy, no fear of any wall, great arm. He would definitely go on my "ALL defense" team.

For this one, I have to go by their stats. I have no way of knowing if Josh Gibson was a better catcher than Yogi Berra. And certainly have no way to compare them to someone like Ivan Rodriguez.

This is a fun game though. Much like putting together a list of top 10 movies. :ThmbUp:

Now where am I going to put Ty Cobb and Pete Rose? :faint:

OTM Al
07-22-2008, 04:25 PM
Take a player with good range that is a big contributer in runs scored over a player with great range but is very limited in offense any day. This is why Ozzie ended up on my bench. Late inning defense with the lead, sure, but I want the lead first

njcurveball
07-22-2008, 04:26 PM
I think I have to go with Gehrig at first and Ruth at DH. We are adding a DH right?

Perhaps the greatest season in baseball history was Gehrig in 1927. 47 home runs and 175 rbis are eye popping, even by todays lofty standards. Mix in 218 hits, 149 runs and a 373 average and you have one for the ages. That is even with eight less games than they play now. (154 back then).

Of course that same year Ruth hit 356 with 60 home runs, 158 runs and 164 rbis. Put those two together and it may be a season for teammates that will never be seen again.

Now why were these teams pitching to these two guys? They had 107 of the teams 158 home runs. Don't know if that has been done again where two guys had over 2/3s of the total.

I have to use A rod and Pujouls as well.

Hard, hard choices here!

OTM Al
07-22-2008, 04:31 PM
Nope. Bubbles went old school on us, so pitchers have to hit

Forgot about Albert P. but chose Brett as on on base guy. Mashers need someone to drive in

Marshall Bennett
07-22-2008, 05:32 PM
Okay, I'll play

C: Yogi Berra
1B: Lou Gehrig
2B: Rogers Hornsby (this was the toughest spot I think)
SS: Alex Rodriguez (runs created will FAR outweigh runs given up with Smith)
3B: George Brett (Schmidt was very close here, but have enough mashers)
LF: Hank Aaron (He played a little LF and he's not getting RF, but he starts)
CF: Mickey Mantle
RF: Babe Ruth

Bench
C: Johnny Bench
IF: Robby Alomar
IF: Ozzie Smith
OF: Barry Bonds

Starter: Walter Johnson
Long Relief: Bob Gibson
Set Up: Goose Gossage
Closer: Mariano Rivera
I really agree with this lineup , My only change would be at 3rd ( Ron Santo ) and I'd start Bob Feller , all others look good . :ThmbUp:

njcurveball
07-22-2008, 05:32 PM
Here ya go!

C: Johnny Bench (but can he drive in runs batting 8th?)
1B: Lou Gehrig bats 4th
2B: Pete Rose leadoff
SS: Alex Rodriguez bats 6th
3B: Albert Pujols (I would have to bat him 7th)
LF: Babe Ruth (he has to lose weight to play right. :D ) bats 3rd, he is the babe!
CF: Willie Mays (speed to bat 2nd)
RF: Ted Williams bats 5th

Bench

C: Yogi Berra (all he did was WIN championships!)
IF: Honus Wagner
IF: Ty Cobb (he played a few games in the infield and beat up the other infielder for this spot) :D
OF: Henry Aaron
OF: Barry Bonds <-- added one, hey we got 2 infielders, only fair!

Pitchers

Starter: Sandy Koufax (He will not be allowed to slide at any base!)
Long Reliever: Steve Carlton
Set-up: Randy Johnson (remember him doing this in the world series?)
Closer: Mariano Rivera

Tough choices!

Jens
07-22-2008, 05:59 PM
I think it's a shame no one has made passing mention of Roberto Clemente in right field as an alternate. Granted, he was cut down in his prime in an airplane crash, which kept him from having the numbers some of the others mentioned here. But he was a great hitter, a great fielder, and had an absolutely unbelievable arm.

Marshall Bennett
07-22-2008, 06:50 PM
I think it's a shame no one has made passing mention of Roberto Clemente in right field as an alternate. Granted, he was cut down in his prime in an airplane crash, which kept him from having the numbers some of the others mentioned here. But he was a great hitter, a great fielder, and had an absolutely unbelievable arm.
I agree . So many greats and only a few spots to fill . Perhaps a second team or even third . How about Maris , hmm , talk about an arm .

Fwizard
07-22-2008, 08:00 PM
Anybody ever play strat-o-matic with alll the baseball cards with the old and new players --when I was in high school(25 yrs ago) we would play constantly--I had Aaron, Mantle and Gehrig....pitching I had Cy Young and Christy Matthewson ---geez sometimes I miss those days...

Dave Schwartz
07-22-2008, 08:17 PM
I have known a lot of horse players and it is amazing how many of us played APBA, Strat-o-matic or BLM. I'd say that APBA dominated by far.


Okay, here goes...

C: Bench
This is the toughest selection - could not possibly be Berra. I considered Gary Carter as his challenger.
1B: Gehrig
2B: Hornsby
before my time but I believe the stories
3B: Schmidt
If Robinson was a hitter...
SS: A-Rod
I would consider Wills as well.
LF: Aaron
So many honorable mentions here.
CF: Mays
How can you have an all-anything team without Mantle?
RF: Clemente
Hitting, speed, arm.
DH: Williams
his bat has to be there
P: Ryan (R) Koufax (L)

And the greatest pinch-hitter of all time: Jerry Lynch.


Sorry, but I just could not find a place for Bonds. :lol:
(In either my heart or my lineup.)

JustRalph
07-22-2008, 09:31 PM
Mine's as follows... Great Thread Bubs!!
C: Bench
1B: Tony Perez
2B: Morgan
SS: Barry Larkin
3B: Brooks Robinson
LF: Pete Rose
CF: Willie Mays
RF: Paul O'Neill

Bench

C: Gary Carter
IF: Schmidt
IF: Ryne Sandburg
OF: Clemente

Pitchers

Starter: Tom Seaver
Long Reliever: Bob Gibson
Set-up: Nolan Ryan
Closer: Lee Smith

njcurveball
07-22-2008, 09:44 PM
Granted, he was cut down in his prime in an airplane crash, which kept him from having the numbers some of the others mentioned here.


God Bless Bobby Clemente in heaven, but your opinion here is a bit optimistic. In the 3 seasons before his tragic death he averaged less than 13 home runs and 70 rbi. Hardly "prime" for an All Star. He became a much more selective hitter at the plate, but also averaged less than 120 games a year in those 3 years as well.

He would have turned 39 during the next season and like most players "pre mcguire" that meant a decline rather than "prime".

Definite Hall of Famer, but line him up next to Mays, Aaron, Bonds, Williams, Mantle, Ruth, and at least a dozen others and he would be the last one picked by most Major League Managers.


But everyone is certainly entitled to their opinions and we can agree to disagree on this.

166 home runs and 1305 RBIs in 18 seasons is not up to par for me.

Jim

SilverSow
07-28-2008, 03:41 PM
Ruth pitches!

Dave

dav4463
07-29-2008, 01:40 AM
Anybody ever play strat-o-matic with alll the baseball cards with the old and new players --when I was in high school(25 yrs ago) we would play constantly--I had Aaron, Mantle and Gehrig....pitching I had Cy Young and Christy Matthewson ---geez sometimes I miss those days...


Go to www.stratfanforum.com and you will see that there are still quite a few of us old guys that still play Strat-o-matic. In fact, I'm playing Strat tonight. I play three innings, then handicap a race, three more innings, handicap another race, etc. (in between checking both forums) !

dav4463
07-29-2008, 01:54 AM
Strat-o-matic is great! They also have football, basketball, and hockey. I play the football and basketball as well.

In real life, I would never waste time watching a random game between the Royals/Mariners, or the NBA's Clippers vs. Sonics......but with Strat-o-matic, every game is fun and you see that every team has their own "hometown stars" that make it interesting for their fans. To me, it is more fun than watching a real game on TV and you really learn the strengths and weaknesses of all the teams which makes following the real thing better.

skate
08-03-2008, 09:47 PM
Woo Woo Woo!:eek:

No team is good enough without "Stan The Man", wont happen.

Simple the Best;)

JPinMaryland
08-05-2008, 06:11 PM
God Bless Bobby Clemente in heaven, but your opinion here is a bit optimistic. In the 3 seasons before his tragic death he averaged less than 13 home runs and 70 rbi. Hardly "prime" for an All Star. He became a much more selective hitter at the plate, but also averaged less than 120 games a year in those 3 years as well.

He would have turned 39 during the next season and like most players "pre mcguire" that meant a decline rather than "prime".

Definite Hall of Famer, but line him up next to Mays, Aaron, Bonds, Williams, Mantle, Ruth, and at least a dozen others and he would be the last one picked by most Major League Managers.


But everyone is certainly entitled to their opinions and we can agree to disagree on this.

166 home runs and 1305 RBIs in 18 seasons is not up to par for me.

Jim


First of all he had approx. 240 HRs. the last time I checked this out but it's been a long time, it's somewhere in that neighborhood. You are right he was at the end of his career and did not seem the same player in the last few games I saw. He actually compares very similarly to Al Kaline in terms of career, although Kaline had a spectacular first half of a career and then messed up his shoulder real bad about 1964 or so. So they were sort of different in the latter half of careers.

Still you can actualy justify putting Clemente in RF over Aaron if you are playing in a league/park w/ huge distance to the walls. CLemente played in the Caribbean league sometime and I think Aaron might have too. You should check out his stats in these games, where defense in RF and arm strength matter more than power. Clemente did everything very well including run hte bases extremely well. Although he did not have discipline at the plate he still led the league in hitting 4x I think.

According to geeks at Baseball THink factory. 1B is consensus Gehrig. most probably do not think McGwire deserves Hall of Fame. Foxx is usually chosen 2.

At 2B I have to go with Joe Morgan he had all the tools and very heady. I would think at the highest level we at for this game, you really need to have guys who can play off/def. there are going to be balls just out of reach and any marginal fielding is going to show up as weakness.

You can also go with Eddie Collins in this slot. I dont see Lajoie as again fielding was nowhere near Collings. Same for Rod Carew.

At SS I think Wagner is the pick at Think Factory, cant see anybody else. Seems to have all the tools. Theres a clip of him swinging a bat on that site and he really turns the hips and gets into it.

At 3B the consensus seems to be Schmidt, no one else is near. Brett and Mathews are decent back ups. Matthews career really tailed after age 30a apparently due to drink, he died a few years back.

LF Ted Williams seems to be consensus on that site, although Bonds might be the pick in a few years/ Doesnt seem to be any major contenders.

CF. I'd go with Mays or Tris Speaker for the defense. Cobb might get a few more hits than Speaker but this made up for in defense. Mantle also near the top.

At C; Josh GIbson seems to be a consensus pick over there Believe it or not. With Berra and Bench not far behind. Also Gary Carter is picking up some votes and I think he is overlooked some, he's not above these three but he's close.

Pitcher. I dunno: Lefty Grove? Seaver; Rivera seems to be consensus pick for reliever.

boomman
08-05-2008, 06:30 PM
Mine's as follows... Great Thread Bubs!!
C: Bench
1B: Tony Perez
2B: Morgan
SS: Barry Larkin
3B: Brooks Robinson
LF: Pete Rose
CF: Willie Mays
RF: Paul O'Neill

Bench

C: Gary Carter
IF: Schmidt
IF: Ryne Sandburg
OF: Clemente

Pitchers

Starter: Tom Seaver
Long Reliever: Bob Gibson
Set-up: Nolan Ryan
Closer: Lee Smith

Ralph: I think you must be doing your George Carlin impression to have come up with such a great list only to put Paul Oneill???? in right field. You're pulling our leg right? I can think of 9 or 10 rightfielders in front of him immediately in this poll, and there are probably many more......Please say it aint so!! LOL:lol:
PS...Looks like you're a Reds fan, too!! :D
Boomer

njcurveball
08-05-2008, 06:56 PM
First of all he had approx. 240 HRs. the last time I checked this out .


Spot on call, my 10 minutes editing time was up, so good catch! :ThmbUp:

Now does it make a difference? 240 home runs certainly does not get anyone in the Hall of Fame, even players from the 60s and 70s.

Marlin
08-05-2008, 10:02 PM
In Batting Order

1)LF Rickey Henderson
2)RF Tony Gwynn
3)3B A-Rod
4)P Babe Ruth:)
5)CF Mickey Mantle
6)1B Lou Gehrig
7)C Joe Mauer
8)2B Roberto Alomar
9)SS Ozzie Smith

C)Johnny Bench
IF)Honus Wagner
IF)Jeff Kent
OF)Barry Bonds

Long) Pedro Martinez
Setup) Dennis Eckersley
Closer) Mariano Rivera
Fun exercise. Set my lineup to be a real lineup benefitting from offense, defense, base running, etc.....