[frankbmd]

Arguments like the speed and effectiveness of Johnson’s fast ball in the modern era are futile. Would the dead ball era have been so dead if Kingman, Deer, Dunn & Judge (trying to avoid the PED crew and that discussion) had been playing then? It’s all speculation.

Dunn, or any of them, might have changed the hitting game before Ruth did and put up big power numbers with far fewer strikeouts, and their T206 cards would be just as valuable as the Cobbs.

If all the current major leaguers had played 111 years earlier, the Hall of Fame we see today would be entirely different. Who knows what names would be on the plaques? Most assuredly any Net54 board member would not know.

My original concept included an inner circle of immortality for this reason, but also required an interval of time to pass before achieving the most elite status.

All of the dead ball superstars would be included in the inner circle. A few of those closer to the “cut” line might drop off the board due to the unpopular concept of deselection.

WaJo was clearly one of the elite pitchers of his era and I would leave it at that, regardless of the speed of his fastball. Period.

By the way, did Babe Ruth have the optimal launch angle?