Quote:
Originally Posted by Snapolit1
You can only judge a man by who he played against. Or was allowed to play again. The whole exercise of comparing leagues and comparing eras is interesting of course, but can only recognize greatness where and when it existed. Would be like arguing that Hoagy Carmichael couldn't write a hit song today for Britney Spears. Who knows.
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Lifelong Carmichael fan here.
Your point brings to mind a story which could practically apply to our baseball discussion as opposed to the music world if he was talking about older players vs. new!
Shortly before rock & roll exploded, Hoagy could already see the tides of music turning. According to a late in life interview, Hoagy claimed to have written a trunk full of songs that would have all been hits in an earlier time. He knew they wouldn't go anywhere with how the world had changed, so they never saw the light of day.
If practically any other songwriter had claimed to have a trunk full of unreleased hits, I'd be a bit dubious. I take Hoagy's claim as gospel. He wasn't a braggart, nor an egomaniac. Man, I hope those songs will see the light of day in the right hands and be properly arranged and recorded.