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runscottIt seems like the best way to judge how great a pitcher was, is by talking with his contemporaries - people who actually saw him perform. All we have is stats and history books to go by.
Having said that, I remember as a kid in the mid-'60s, the truly great pitchers were Koufax, Gibson, Drysdale, Ford, Marichal. The rest were all 2nd tier. That doesn't mean there weren't other great pitchers out there, but they weren't phenomenal. And I realize that Drysdale's numbers weren't super-fantastic over his career, but in the '60s he was right up there with the rest of them. As far as hitters, it was Mantle, Mays, Aaron, Clemente, Banks, Brock...and Maris because '61 hadn't worn off yet. Others might have been great, but they weren't the ones your sister had heard of.
No, none of us were yelling "Hey, I wannabe Don Sutton!"