The ninth man.

[clydepepper]

Originally Posted by Klrdds

I love the article and I have told people for years that to collect anything baseball is to collect a portion of American History that is defined by a specific time frame / year. Baseball has always been a mirror of American history , both good and bad.
As I am Not an Ortiz fan either so how about for arguments sake the 9th man being the inimitable Bartolo Colon. Maybe a Hall of Famer , who knows, but his career started in Eddie Murray's last year of 1997 and in the American League too where Murray played part of his last season of 1997 with the Angels. I didn't check it but Colon could've pitched to Murray at some point in the season.
If you go for HoFers then it is Jeter but he debuted in 1995 and I was looking at last year and rookie year direct overlaps. That is why I said Colon.

I like Bartolo Colon, but he is definitely NOT a Hall-of-Famer.



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[Klrdds]

Raymond
I like your picture of the immortal Sidd Finch by your name . I wonder how many Net 54 members can remember the life and times and fleeting career of his.

[Timbegs]

And by the way, Dustin Pedroia would be a fine choice from the Red Sox had the years worked out. I am not biased against the Red Sox blindly. David Ortiz was one of the all time great hitters in baseball history - this is not in question. Clearly a special place, too, as the heart of multiple Red Sock championships.

Still, I think the stink of PEDs ruins it for me when it comes to their place in baseball history. Like Palmiero and Sosa before him, there seems to be a clear 'starting point' for use and the greatness that came after is in question. At least Bonds and Clemens had great seasons 'before.' I don't think I'm the only one who feels this way. Yes, I know we'll never know who did and did not, or when they started - maybe even my beloved Yankee captain juiced; I'd be a fool not to acknowledge it and I'd never have thought Andy 'Man of God' Pettitte would have been a juicer - but guys who failed tests or had to much smoke around them, even if the gun could not be found, are always going to be cheaters to me.

And I don't blame them for it with the money at stake, either.

[Exhibitman]

Um, I didn't know there would be math...

I'm just excited to have Dodgers-Padres tickets tomorrow night! A colleague has box seats behind home plate, so I'm going to the ballgame after work! I just hope the boys aren't too tired after the beat down they laid on the Padres yesterday. Running the bases that much can be very tiring.

[MVSNYC]

Wanted to revive this thread...

Further thoughts on that 9th man...and (now) 10th?

[Peter_Spaeth]

I'm good with Jeter or Ortiz as the successor to Eddie Murray. If the 10th man doesn't have to have started in the year the previous guy retired, then I would pick Harper as 10, he is still just 24.