Poll - Greatest Living Player

[Yankees #1]

Derek jeter

[JustinD]

Admittedly I picked Clemens, which I know people have issue. However, then I went with my top 5 for fun and three of them are being held out of the hall. That is a little sad to think about.

[vintagerookies51]

Bonds is the answer. Could list many stats, but his 7 MVPs when no one else in league history has more than 3 is ridiculous.

[Andrew1975]

Bonds

[packs]

Sincere question for people who pick Bonds; do you think Bonds was better than Willie Mays too? If the answer is yes, then wouldn't he have been the greatest living player this whole time?

My point is that stats are stats and you can use stats to discuss Bonds, but if you do, then how do you factor Mays ahead of him at all?

[ejharrington]

Originally Posted by packs

Sincere question for people who pick Bonds; do you think Bonds was better than Willie Mays too? If the answer is yes, then wouldn't he have been the greatest living player this whole time?

My point is that stats are stats and you can use stats to discuss Bonds, but if you do, then how do you factor Mays ahead of him at all?

Yes, I rank the all time top 3 as Ruth, Bonds, Mays

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by packs

Sincere question for people who pick Bonds; do you think Bonds was better than Willie Mays too? If the answer is yes, then wouldn't he have been the greatest living player this whole time?

My point is that stats are stats and you can use stats to discuss Bonds, but if you do, then how do you factor Mays ahead of him at all?

Mays was not really the best when he passed. Barry was better but it looks better to have an old guy have the spot than someone many hate. I would have also had Hank Aaron ahead of Willie while he was alive. I do not think Willie was ever the best living player.

[Hankphenom]

I know this doesn't make a lot of sense, but while you still can I think you have to give an edge to "The Greatest of the Oldest Surviving Generation" or some such, and to me, with Willie gone, that would be Koufax. As an aside, Koufax is the last surviving player talked about on Larry Ritter's "Glory of Their Times" tapes recorded in the early 1960s, with several of the old-timers being interviewed opining that he would have been great in their time, too.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by packs

Sincere question for people who pick Bonds; do you think Bonds was better than Willie Mays too? If the answer is yes, then wouldn't he have been the greatest living player this whole time?

My point is that stats are stats and you can use stats to discuss Bonds, but if you do, then how do you factor Mays ahead of him at all?

Yes, yes, N/A.

[oldjudge]

My vote is Aaron Judge. I think, for starters, that he is better than Ohtani.

[z28jd]

Originally Posted by packs

Sincere question for people who pick Bonds; do you think Bonds was better than Willie Mays too? If the answer is yes, then wouldn't he have been the greatest living player this whole time?

My point is that stats are stats and you can use stats to discuss Bonds, but if you do, then how do you factor Mays ahead of him at all?

My top three all-time right now are Ruth, Williams, Mays in that order.

So to me, Mays has been the greatest since Williams passed away in 2002. In between Ruth passing away in 1948 and Williams doing enough to move up to the greatest (while still active), I think Cobb would have been the greatest for a time. I'd have to look at Williams over the years to see when I thought he passed Cobb, who died in 1961 after Williams retired.

I have never figured out my top list after the top three, but I'd like to sit down one day and just deep dive into it. Bonds could be fourth, but I think Walter Johnson has a good case for the spot.

[Al C.risafulli]

For the record I waffle back and forth and forth between Ruth, Mays and Bonds for greatest all-time, but usually wind up with Mays as #3 for the sole reason that Ruth and Bonds were SO much better than their peers when they played than Mays was. So I usually land Ruth/Bonds/Mays/Charleston/Aaron for position players, and if I try and add pitchers my brain explodes and I stop thinking about it.

-Al

[darwinbulldog]

Originally Posted by packs

Sincere question for people who pick Bonds; do you think Bonds was better than Willie Mays too? If the answer is yes, then wouldn't he have been the greatest living player this whole time?

My point is that stats are stats and you can use stats to discuss Bonds, but if you do, then how do you factor Mays ahead of him at all?

Yes, Bonds is currently the greatest living player and already was last week and I guess technically at every point since he was born, but we didn't know it until 20 years ago.

[Touch'EmAll]

Overall, yeah, a lot of you like to point to black & white stats printed on a page, and that's ok. And yes, you do have to consider all of it. But the eye test does indeed count for a lot, at least to me. Nolan Ryan was on any given night was absolutely awesome. Greatness - you just can't deny some of what Ryan did and accomplished is the Greatest we have ever seen from a pitcher, and likely will ever see.

[jingram058]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

Yes, Bonds is currently the greatest living player and already was last week and I guess technically at every point since he was born, but we didn't know it until 20 years ago.

Is he? Why isn't he in the HoF?

[MVSNYC]

Originally Posted by Yankees #1

Derek jeter

Not sure about the greatest living player, BUT I think he deserves to be in this top 20 voting list.

[quinnsryche]

Bonds??????? That cheatin' POS??? How can ANYONE vote for that clown? You know there is a reason he's not in the HOF, right? Pujols is the obvious choice. No question he is clean and did AMAZING things in his career. I get the Koufax contingent but he had 6 good years and 6 average/below average seasons. I discount almost every guy on that list as most weren't even the best player of their era except Bench.

[SyrNy1960]

Originally Posted by quinnsryche

pujols is the obvious choice. No question he is clean

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[G1911]

Originally Posted by quinnsryche

Bonds??????? That cheatin' POS??? How can ANYONE vote for that clown? You know there is a reason he's not in the HOF, right? Pujols is the obvious choice. No question he is clean and did AMAZING things in his career. I get the Koufax contingent but he had 6 good years and 6 average/below average seasons. I discount almost every guy on that list as most weren't even the best player of their era except Bench.

Because of math.

[ClementeFanOh]

That’s “new” math, G1911. The Bonds folks are voting for an asterisk “greatest” player ever. Bonds’ most noteworthy achievements are all tarnished, every single one. It boggles my mind that people have become so jaded as to willingly select someone as their “living representative” as best ever (living) at a sport they enjoy, and which he knowingly tarnished. People can argue all they want for their pick or their favorite, but your guy Bonds will always be ***. This isn’t difficult, and yes I know you aren’t the only one pining for him. Trent King

[G1911]

Originally Posted by ClementeFanOh

That’s “new” math, G1911. The Bonds folks are voting for an asterisk “greatest” player ever. Bonds’ most noteworthy achievements are all tarnished, every single one. It boggles my mind that people have become so jaded as to willingly select someone as their “living representative” as best ever (living) at a sport they enjoy, and which he knowingly tarnished. People can argue all they want for their pick or their favorite, but your guy Bonds will always be ***. This isn’t difficult, and yes I know you aren’t the only one pining for him. Trent King

I'm sorry you people are really over the top angry, but the people picking Bonds are all just doing very basic math. He's far and away the mathematical answer, and thus is the prevailing choice by a large margin. You are free to design reasons to exclude him, but this really is not difficult to understand why people follow the math. Your emotions over steroids do not make actual math '"new" math'.

I wouldn't consider a 'no steroids' allowed choice to be unreasonable, but it is pretty unreasonable that we have several people in various stages of incredulity and/or meltdown over people picking the obvious mathematical choice.

Who is the best at X and who I like best are completely different things.

[jingram058]

I'll go with 1) Sandy Koufax, 2) Johnny Bench, 3) Ichiro Suzuki as the 3 best living players.

Barry Bonds would be on the greatest living player list, maybe "the", but he cheated his way to home run stats, so he's out of the discussion.

Pete Rose, same as Barry. More hits than anyone, but he gambled when the rules very clearly say "no betting", so he's out also.

It's all subjective, as these discussions always are. My choices may not be yours. It is what it is. I'm not changing
my mind; you're not changing yours.

[jayshum]

Originally Posted by G1911

I'm sorry you people are really over the top angry, but the people picking Bonds are all just doing very basic math. He's far and away the mathematical answer, and thus is the prevailing choice by a large margin. You are free to design reasons to exclude him, but this really is not difficult to understand why people follow the math. Your emotions over steroids do not make actual math '"new" math'.

I wouldn't consider a 'no steroids' allowed choice to be unreasonable, but it is pretty unreasonable that we have several people in various stages of incredulity and/or meltdown over people picking the obvious mathematical choice.

Who is the best at X and who I like best are completely different things.

If someone feels that the actual math you are talking about is tainted by the use of PEDs, I understand why they would discount Bonds' numbers and not pick him as their choice for greatest living player. It's interesting that Roger Clemens has only received 2 votes when his actual math (as you call it) would seem to make him the greatest living pitcher. I'm not sure I understand why Clemens is being treated differently than Bonds - Clemens has received 2 votes out of 53 that were given to pitchers on the list - but clearly there is a difference in how they are being viewed.

[Gorditadogg]

Originally Posted by G1911

Because of math.

Bonds is definitely the greatest living juicer. The things that man could do with a needle! Too bad we don't have highlights, it would be fun to watch.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

[ClementeFanOh]

Al Gorditadogg gets it! It’s much easier than some folks are making it…. G1911- you flatter yourself, I don’t hate you. Never even met you and don’t want that “pleasure”. All of my posts have been on topic, and the cracks in your flimsy comebacks are showing. You got trucked on this one. Memory Lane deceit =bad, Bonds’ clear PED abuse= good. You really need a t-shirt that reads “Because the math”, it would make as much sense as you. Lots of defendable ideas for “greatest living player”, but your guy Barry ain’t it… Trent King

[G1911]

Originally Posted by ClementeFanOh

Al Gorditadogg gets it! It’s much easier than some folks are making it…. G1911- you flatter yourself, I don’t hate you. Never even met you and don’t want that “pleasure”. All of my posts have been on topic, and the cracks in your flimsy comebacks are showing. You got trucked on this one. Memory Lane deceit =bad, Bonds’ clear PED abuse= good. You really need a t-shirt that reads “Because the math”, it would make as much sense as you. Lots of defendable ideas for “greatest living player”, but your guy Barry ain’t it… Trent King

I’m actually against using PED’s and I dislike Bonds. The gap between Bonds and any of your approved people is just so enormous that I don’t see good enough reason to ignore the math to select someone else. As I’ve already said multiple times, I get the argument against allowing a steroid user, but I and many others (who you seem able to not screech about constantly) put the math first. That’s not difficult to understand, whether one agrees or disagrees with a math centric approach.

This has absolutely nothing to do with my position against fake and fraudulent auctions, or your bizarre off topics attacks over things you’ve completely made up and can’t find in transcripts because they never happened. Write me an email with your feelings if you have too, you hijack a third parties legitimate topic every 2-4 weeks to do this weird shit lol

[Peter_Spaeth]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexrei...fairly-judged/

[G1911]

Originally Posted by Gorditadogg

Bonds is definitely the greatest living juicer. The things that man could do with a needle! Too bad we don't have highlights, it would be fun to watch.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

Yes he is. I don’t think I’d want to watch him stick a needle in his ass, but he was definitely the best of the steroid players.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by G1911

Yes he is. I don’t think I’d want to watch him stick a needle in his ass, but he was definitely the best of the steroid players.

Were amphetamine users "juicers"? I would lean yes.

How about people who received cortisone injections regularly? I don't know. It's pretty clear Koufax couldn't have pitched successfully without them. Is it the performance enhancing thing people object to, or the "cheating"?

What if a player now has a medically documented condition requiring HGH?

[Mark17]

I went with Bench because, in my opinion, he's the only guy alive who is probably the greatest player at his position.