Guys, when I condemned Nolan Ryan's sourpuss critics over his preponderance of walks, I was referring to back in the day when Nolan was beginning to terrorize batters in the American League.
I still pound the table over the fact Nolan Ryan did not get a lot of run support. Sure, maybe the hardest luck pitcher was Greg Maddox. So what? The point of Nolan not getting good run support holds up smartly whether he was the second or 102nd hardest luck pitcher. Again, some of you go and say so and so had a worse time than Nolan. Nolan should have done this or that. You're probably right.
Be that as it may, for someone that was supposedly a lousy fielding pitcher, allowed lots of stolen bases, walked many a batter, he had enough outstanding stuff to allow the fewest hits per nine innings several times, and struck out a kazillion batters, and capture the imagination of baseball fans across the country, and continue doing so well into his 40s---no wonder collectors young and old were putting his rookie card at the top of their WANT LIST 30 years ago. I remember those years well, reading the stories in Sports Collectors Digest.
I favored Nolan Ryan way, way over Steve Carlton. I simply do not care if Lefty did this better, or that better, or isolated an isotope. It's the same argument as Willie Mays was way better, supposedly, than Mickey Mantle; therefore, Willie's cards should be worth more than Mickey's.
It'll never happen.
Why?
'Cause the far majority of fans prefer The Mick over Say Hey, just as the far majority of fans gravitate to The Ryan Express much, much more than Greg Maddux, Steve Carlton, or Jim Palmer.
It is what it is.
--- Brian Powell