The Top 5 Hofer's

[Archive]

Posted By: JimB

I suppose it depends what the question is asking. Is the question: Who are the best 5 baseball players of alltime? Who are the most popular HOFs among pre-war collectors for collecting purposes? I think the answer would differ depending on what question is being asked.

I think the most popular among collectors of pre-war cards are:

Wagner
Cobb
Johnson
Mathewson
Ruth

Best players of all-time:

Cobb
Ruth
Williams
Mays
Johnson


Close runner-ups:

Gerhig
Young

[Archive]

Posted By: Anonymous

You're basing your idea that Stan was a better team mate than Ted on what?

[Archive]

Posted By: peter chao

Guys,

Ted was well-respected by his teammates and maintained a closed relationship with them after his playing days.

He got a bad rep only because he had a running feud with the Boston media.

I really have no idea whether he was a better or worst teammate than Stan Musial.

Peter

[Archive]

Posted By: Frank Wakefield

The Musial-Williams beliefs would probably have been founded on hearsay, or what's been read or said by their teammates, or by reading the first Historical Baseball Abstract and reading what Bill James had to say. Cogent.

I share their views. Williams seems to have been the better pure hitter, though. Still, Stan was no slouch at the plate.

So go read what Bill James said in that first book, then come back and post.

[Archive]

Posted By: Don

"You're basing your idea that Stan was a better team mate than Ted on what?"

Williams had a close relationship with his teammates (Dom DiMaggio for example) and opposing players (Joe DiMaggio for example). He was also a class act in many ways. But he could also be selfish and very stubborn. His refusal to go the other way was both selfish and stubborn. There have been references to Williams placing personal statistics above team success. I don't think anybody would dare say the same about Musial. Musial went out of his way to help out younger players, and many of those players simply adored him.

My statement wasn't that Williams was a poor teammate, it was that Musial was a BETTER teammate.

[Archive]

Posted By: John Kalafarski

Your notion that Ted put his stats over team is pure rubbish. Only from a Yankee fan!

PS: Try The Teammates by David Halberstam and Lee Montville's Ted Williams. You might change your tune.

[Archive]

Posted By: peter chao

Guys,

Paige should have been on somebody's top five list. All the stories about him asking his outfielders to sit down in the field while he pitched have to have some validity. And to then subsequently strike out the side, that kind of story creates a legend.

Peter

[Archive]

Posted By: George Dreher

That reminds me of the stories that he had them remove the plate during warmup because it was too big of a target and he would throw strikes over a thimble. Also, he used to kill birds with rocks while they were flying overhead.

[Archive]

Posted By: dennis

before ol satch was born rube waddle called in his team and struck out the side on 9 pitches.