Who is the greatest BB player you ever SAW?

[tbob]

Red Barber (who saw almost every player in the majors from Babe Ruth to Griffey Junior): "If I could have any one pitcher in history to pitch a game for me with my life on the line, there is no doubt who I would want to pitch that one game: Carl Hubbell."
Just thought I'd mention that since no one ever mentions King Carl. I understand that no one here is old enough to have seen him play in person. I just think he never gets his due.

[FrankWakefield]

When I first saw this thread I was thinking Mr. Musial was the greatest I'd seen. But as I mentioned above, after reading through posts and consulting Mr. James' Historical Abstract, Willie Mays must have been the greatest. Musial had a better average, more games, more doubles, more triples, a better on base percentage, a better slugging average, more walks, and Mr. Musial was infinitely nicer when signing an autograph for someone... Willie could play, though. I remember seeing him the first time, knowing about his basket catches and how I shouldn't be doing it. I can still see that first basket catch... and he almost always was in motion when catching a ball; if it was far from him he'd be flying across the outfield grass, if it were only a few steps away he'd wait the ball out and drift over at the last moment. I can see him wheeling around third base, dead set on scoring, hat flying off and arms churning. Willie brought excitement to the ballpark.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by tbob

Red Barber (who saw almost every player in the majors from Babe Ruth to Griffey Junior): "If I could have any one pitcher in history to pitch a game for me with my life on the line, there is no doubt who I would want to pitch that one game: Carl Hubbell."
Just thought I'd mention that since no one ever mentions King Carl. I understand that no one here is old enough to have seen him play in person. I just think he never gets his due.

2 years ago, I was at a dinner and found myself sitting next to an older fellow who taught at a university in California. We got to talking about baseball, and when he told me his age and that the Giants were his favorite team as a boy, I asked him if he'd ever seen Hubbell pitch. His eyes lit up and he told me he saw him pitch many times. He described his motion, his arms, the break of the pitches. I felt like I'd seen him, too. Near the end, he leaned over and said, "you know, I think I saw Bill Terry, too."

[howard38]

Jeremy, it was Terry Pendleton that "robbed" Bonds of an MVP early in his career although in his defense he had an outstanding season and was not to my knowledge linked to PEDs. When Caminiti won a few years later it was Mike Piazza that finished second in the voting and Bonds was fifth.

[JasonL]

was my favorite player, Ozzie Smith. I just never saw such a high level of mastery at playing his position than the performances he turned in every day.

But the most incredible thing I ever saw in person at a game, was Ichiro's right field play. I don't recall the particulars, except that I was attending a Yankees game vs. Seattle in 2002 (I think), seated several rows up and even with the first base bag. A Yankee hitter lifted a deep fly to right field, a runner tagged at third, Ichiro drfits over towards the corner and ctahes the ball. He then made the most amazing throw I have ever been witness to in person. You could almost hear the ball zing past us in a straight line, and the catcher cathes the ball at knee height on the third base side of the plate for the out.

I would like to have answered Kirby Puckett for this question, but unfortunately, I never got to see him play in person. I had centerfield seats for a Twins game at Comiskey, but it was the first game cancelled due to the strike, and the game then lost me for 10 years.

[margoaepi]

During his prime I don't think I saw anyone swing the bat or field the way Vlad did. What an arm on that guy. If only his back had held up and he didn't waste all those years up north.