Quote:
Originally Posted by cjedmonton
You’re spot on with this take, Bob. By and large, the players we admired and revered the most are those we have a direct (firsthand) or semi-direct connection with (through a parent’s or grandparent’s direct connection). Recency bias in full effect.
But there are only a handful of players whose reverence endures across generations…even if the vast majority of us never saw them play (or if we did, only a small percentage have a vivid and meaningful recollection). Seeing Roberto
patrol RF at Forbes Field in ‘66 as a 5 year old does not really count, as cool as that may be.
IMO, the list is a short one:
Babe
Lou
Jackie
Roberto
Willie
Mickey
Hank
Sandy
Not a slight to any of the other bonafide legends, but these 8 have a staying power in our consciousness and imagination like no others.
Then again, sentimentality has no place in this thread…even if we are all just fan(atics) at heart!
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Makes perfect sense, and that is a great list. But the majority of people on your list are still recent enough that we, or a family member, would possibly still be affected by that familiarity bias. Ruth and Gehrig (and possibly Robinson) are back enough that we wouldn't likely have that familiarity bias. But those earlier players have movies and shows about them to keep them in the public eye long after they were done playing. So that helps as well.