Posted By:
Jeff ObermeyerLet us not forget, my friends, that DiMaggio and Mathewson both played in New York City.
With respect to DiMaggio, consider all the factors... he was the best player on his team, playing for the best team in the league, in the most popular sport in the country, in the biggest city in the country. Williams was certainly a better hitter (although DiMaggio was truly great), but what did his teams accomplish? Nothing, frankly. DiMaggio played on 9 World Series champs in 13 seasons... Williams only played in 1 World Series in 19 seasons, and the Sox lost that one. Let's also not forget that DiMaggio also lost time to the service - three years. He was a far superior fielder and runner when compared to Williams. A final factor about DiMaggio - he was injured a lot and played in pain. The fans knew it, and it made him even more of a "tragic hero" much like Mantle.
As for the Mathewson/Johnson debate... look who they played for. Mathewson spent his entire career in New York with the Giants, Johnson spent his entire career in Washington with the usually lowly Senators. Matty also gets the "tragic hero" treatment by history - becoming seriously injured by poison gas during World War I and dying at a fairly young age.
Jeff Obermeyer