[Archive]

Posted By: Chris Counts

Mark,

I mentioned I was just a kid when I considered Oliva to be Clemente's equal. But when I look at Oliva's stats from 1964 to 1971, I'm not convinced there was a better hitter in baseball during the peak of his career. During that eight-year span, he won three batting titles, led the league in hits five times and played in the All-Star game all eight years. As a Hall of Famer, I don't consider him even a borderline case. But then again, I'm the guy who wants to open the flood gates ...