Players who fell off a cliff

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Yastrzemski Sports

For a player with a short career to go in the hall it has to be spectacular. Sandy has 3 cy and an mvp to go with 3 ws rings. Joey has no MVP awards. No World Series. He was caught using a corked bat. He was a huge slugger and had a very nice career. I would agree that he should be strongly considered for the HOF. But I think Maris, Mattingly and Murphy belong first. They were all the best players in baseball at one point in their careers. Belle was not.

Do you support Gooden then on the pitching side? Santana? Maybe Oswalt?

[Yastrzemski Sports]

Johan and Gooden have fair cases - edge to Johan. Oswalt has none. Oswalt has no CY. Gooden and Johan each have 1 20 win season. All HOVG.

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Do you support Gooden then on the pitching side? Santana? Maybe Oswalt?

[brian1961]

A name that should be mentioned is Bill James, the hurler for the 1914 World Series champion Boston Braves. He went 26-7 with them that great year. Bill also won 2 games in the Series, and must have been Manager Johnny Evers's ace, for they sweep the A's in what was their swan song season of that era.

Mr. James followed with 5-4, for what I am sure is a plausible reason, but sadly, a long fall from the cliff. Thereafter, no wins in MLB.

Returning to Roger Maris, while he never returned to the season numbers and performance of 1960-61, a major cause was the near-constant emotional and mental abuse heaped upon the poor man from the kazillion Yankee fans who believed Roger did not deserve to be the single season home run king. In tandem were the writers, who almost to a man wrote him off as surly, grouchy, and ill-fit to carry the Babe's jockstrap. In his memoirs, Roger Maris wrote that the worst season he felt all this was not 1961, but 1962. Thereafter, I imagine the drive to hit homers the way Yankee management had traded for him to do so had left him entirely.

His trade to the Cardinals was a win-win for the Cards and Roger. The Cardinals' management and moreover, all their loyal and non-front running fans took the beleaguered and tormented Roger into their huge hearts. The Rajah's regal World Series performance was a fitting climax to his first season in St. Loo, and no doubt Yank fans were gnashing their teeth about it, while bashing whoever they had turned upon once Mr. Maris left them.....Joe Pepitone perhaps?

Anyway, it took Yank management a long time to realize what they had had in Roger Maris, and I salute George Steinbrenner for his tenacious efforts and humility to bring Roger back to the Stadium, and lavish long overdue praise, nice treatment, and build a monument for him in their exclusive little park for such better Bombers. In my mind, Roger Maris is still MLB's single season home run king.

I'll leave it alone. ---Brian Powell

[akleinb611]

Actually, the degree to which the hostile atmosphere of the New York press and public was responsible for Maris' decline has long been exaggerated. Yes, he was treated badly by the press, but that changed from abuse due to his not being Babe Ruth (totally unfair, of course), to abuse over the fact that his performance declined catastrophically (unfortunate, but entirely normal - it would have been amazing if he DIDN'T get some grief over that).

The REASON for the decline is rarely talked about, given that all people remember now is how mean the newspapers were. The real reason is that Maris broke his hand in 1963, and the crude x-ray technology of the time completely missed the hairline fracture. He wasn't properly diagnosed for several years, by which time he'd been playing with a broken/improperly healed hand for several years, which ultimately caused permanent damage.

I'm at work so I don't have access to all the details, but that's the real cause of his decline - injury, not emotional abuse. It's not as interesting a story, which is why it's not remembered that way.

[Peter_Spaeth]

The Boston press ravaged Ted Williams for most of his career. He hit .345. I don't think Maris' on field play was due to his treatment by the press.

[brian1961]

Originally Posted by akleinb611

Actually, the degree to which the hostile atmosphere of the New York press and public was responsible for Maris' decline has long been exaggerated. Yes, he was treated badly by the press, but that changed from abuse due to his not being Babe Ruth (totally unfair, of course), to abuse over the fact that his performance declined catastrophically (unfortunate, but entirely normal - it would have been amazing if he DIDN'T get some grief over that).

The REASON for the decline is rarely talked about, given that all people remember now is how mean the newspapers were. The real reason is that Maris broke his hand in 1963, and the crude x-ray technology of the time completely missed the hairline fracture. He wasn't properly diagnosed for several years, by which time he'd been playing with a broken/improperly healed hand for several years, which ultimately caused permanent damage.

I'm at work so I don't have access to all the details, but that's the real cause of his decline - injury, not emotional abuse. It's not as interesting a story, which is why it's not remembered that way.

--Well said, Alan, though I do stand by what I wrote. However, I was not aware of how long Roger had to suffer with that broken hand. I recall reading how he would tell Yank management about it, and they felt he was just making excuses or not trying hard enough. He probably had permanently damaged it by the time it was properly diagnosed and dealt with, so he could never use his full power I would think. Regardless, good post, bro. Best regards. ---Brian Powell

[akleinb611]

Brian:

I don't disagree with you regarding the case for Maris' enshrinement. He had several good years as an up-and-comer, two outstanding MVP seasons, and another (1962) that wasn't bad either. That's not enough. If he hadn't broken his hand, had played three or four more years, and had put in one or two more top quality seasons, would he be at least an arguable HOF candidate? Sure. But he didn't. It's fine to give someone the benefit of the doubt, but this is much too speculative.

Maris' career reminds me in some ways of the late Al Rosen, who had a ten-year career with Cleveland, was a consistently very fine batter and third baseman, won an MVP and could have won another, and who was forced to retire very suddenly at 31 or 32 when he injured his hand quite badly, bad enough so that he felt there was no question that he couldn't play anymore. If he'd been able to play another four or five years, with only one or two more at the level he'd shown previously, he'd be a very strong candidate. But he didn't, and he's just short of inclining me to speculate. Rosen is my working example of a player who's just about as good a player that you can be without being a Hall of Famer.

[Den*nis O*Brien]

.... the sad story of Roger Maris that aKlein and Brian shared. He was a great player and person in my opinion. But going back to the "Cliff" theme I would like to submit Bo Belinsky. It seems that the last image I have of him is sitting in his tomato red Cadillac with his arm around Mamie Van Doren after his no hitter. Then.......a career W & L of 28-51. He is sadly deceased.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Den*nis O*Brien

.... the sad story of Roger Maris that aKlein and Brian shared. He was a great player and person in my opinion. But going back to the "Cliff" theme I would like to submit Bo Belinsky. It seems that the last image I have of him is sitting in his tomato red Cadillac with his arm around Mamie Van Doren after his no hitter. Then.......a career W & L of 28-51. He is sadly deceased.

Bo never had even a single good season though did he?

Tragic story anyhow. Read this.
http://www.lamag.com/longform/fallen-angel-1/

[sycks22]

I think people are overlooking Johnny Vander Meer. He only had 2 no hitters in a row. Seems pretty easy to do. Maintaining that couldn't have been that hard.

[brian1961]

Though these pitchers did not by any means fall off a cliff per se, this trio of twirlers reached some amazing heights, then never came close afterwards:

Big Ed Walsh (Chicago White Sox)

Smoky Joe Wood (Boston Red Sox)

Colby Jack Coombs (Philadelphia Athletics)

One made the Hall, but all three of the above were outstanding for a time. As with the case for Roger Maris, as someone else astutely observed, it's the Hall of FAME, not the Hall of Super Stats.

I really don't care anymore if Roger Maris is enshrined; he was a great Yankee and player to me, and he's enshrined in my heart. I had to pay a lot of dough for my favorite Maris piece in the late 80s. I never regretted it one second. Guess I should say what it is---a 1962 JELL-O complete unfolded box in gem mint condition. A few years ago I was the winning bidder in a LOVE OF THE GAME auction for a scarce 1962 Gehl's Gold Mine Ice Cream Roger Maris, graded 6.5 by PSA. Paid almost twice what I paid for the Maris box, and love it.

Now, this has nothing to do with Rog's career falling off a cliff, but to underscore the fact that some of us love non-HOFers that mean something to us, and will treasure them more than most of the guys who are enshrined in Cooperstown.

Nice cardboard hot stove league discussion! --- Brian Powell