Random Not Important Baseball Poll

[Snapolit1]

OK, I'm getting excited about baseball in a few months.

If there was one player past or present you could watch a game with and shoot the breeze with for a few hours, who would it be?

Many names come to mind, I'll go with Ted Williams.

[vthobby]

Lou Gehrig but damn that was a tough one! So many choices!

Peace, Mike

PS your avatar photo had no influence! Coincidence!

[Casey2296]

Post war. Willie Mays or Stan Musial (toss up)
Pre-war: Lou Gehrig
Deadball: Christy Mathewson

Honorable mention: Dock Ellis, any cat that throws a no-no on LSD has to be a lot of fun.

[Bigdaddy]

Mr. Cobbs. I'd bet he would have lots of opinions to share and it would be interesting to sit with him and watch today's players.

[Kevin]

John McGraw or Rafael Santana

[cardsagain74]

Hitting: Tony Gwynn

Pitching: Greg Maddux

[thatkidfromjerrymaguire]

George Brett

[TUM301]

Babe Ruth, Joe Jackson, Bill Lee.

[riggs336]

Watch a game with: Cobb.
Shoot the breeze with: Jim Bouton

[ajquigs]

Curtis Granderson

[egri]

Talk baseball with: Ted Williams

Talk investing with: Ty Cobb

[Tyruscobb]

Tyrus Raymond Cobb, of course!

[Jason]

Cobb is a popular choice and mine as well!

[BRoberts]

Tommy Lasorda

[71buc]

Buck O'Neill, great story teller and witnessed a lot of history. Clyde Sukeforth would be interesting too. He was a baseball lifer.

[vthobby]

Originally Posted by TUM301

Babe Ruth, Joe Jackson, Bill Lee.

I've never seen Bill Lee listed with Ruth and Shoeless Joe! Awesome!

I've literally met Bill Lee about 4 or 5 times in Vermont, sometimes by accident. He has a farm in Vermont and his nickname "Spaceman" is so appropriate!

I faced him in an over 35 baseball league (struck out). I was maybe 40, he was most likely in his 60's. He faced 9 batters on our team and struck out all 9! ugh!

Another time I faced him in a wiffle ball game for charity (Travis Roy Foundation event). I pitched the whole game against him and he even hit a HR off me. He was barking at me all around the bases.

Bill Lee is a true character and is quite fascinating!

Peace, Mike

[jimmer77]

I would go with Pete Rose, seems like he may have some interesting insights

[todeen]

Pre War: Tris Speaker
Negro Leagues: Satchel Paige
Pre-1980: Lou Brock
Modern: Aaron Boone

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[Misunderestimated]

Fun Question....

To talk baseball with - I'm a history buff -- I guess JJ McGraw or John M. Ward -- both knew the game really well and would be articulate and able to go way back... Contemporary I'm thinking Joel Maddon (but he admittedly never made the majors as a player) or maybe Billy Beane.

To just shoot the breeze I'm thinking about who is nice, interesting and intelligent so probably I'd stick with Maddon, Buck O'Neill or (to go waaay back Orator O'Rourke or Mathewson)

----
Other People who I thought about were Branch Rickey (who barely played) and Bart Giamatti (ap) (who never played but I think it would be really interesting and was supposed to be a really good guy)... Also thought of non-players Theo Epstein and Bill James - which could happen, I guess.

[Jcosta19]

Bill Dickey
Played with or coached pretty much every legendary Yankee. Imaging he would have worlds of knowledge and endless stories.

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[FrankWakefield]

Interesting answers... I liked seeing Brock, Musial, Mathewson, Cobb, and Ruth.

I think that some of the guys that played or coached or managed a zillion years would be interesting, someone like Branch Rickey, Casey Stengel, Leo Durocher, Red Schoendienst, Connie Mack, or Honus Wagner...

.... one overall, John McGraw.


I keep thinking that plotting out a genealogy of sorts for baseball managers would be neat. And I think the two people at the top of the 'trees' to trace down from would be John McGraw and Connie Mack. Think about a list of all World Series winning managers who played or coached for John McGraw or someone he coached or managed, or someone who played for someone who played for McGraw... compared to a similar list for Connie Mack.

I'd hope that if I ever got to watch a game with John McGraw that the game would go extra innings.

[Joe Hunter]

Pat Collins (Because he roomed with Babe Ruth).

[todeen]

Originally Posted by FrankWakefield

Interesting answers... I liked seeing Brock, Musial, Mathewson, Cobb, and Ruth.

I met Brock once at an auto signing, I was 14, raced from baseball practice in my gear to meet him. I was last in line and he talked to me for 10 minutes. He made me feel like an old friend. I would love to sit with him for an entire game.

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[Seven]

Lou Gehrig and Ty Cobb would be up there in terms of choices. Oscar Charleston, if he's allowed to be chosen, might be my number one. He had such a long career. All of the interesting stories he could tell about The Negro Leagues and Barn Storming would be fascinating.

[mechanicalman]

Originally Posted by ajquigs

Curtis Granderson

As a Detroit fan, I loved that guy. He genuinely seemed like a great dude.

[sando69]

the one individual that i would most like to watch a game and shoot the breeze with, is a man who never played an inning of professional baseball, but in my opinion would be the most educated, informed, interesting and articulate student of the game.
that person would be vin scully!

[esd10]

Henry chadwick or Harry Wright

[Pack The Ripper]

I'd like to be a fly on the wall in the room where Walter Johnson and Nolan Ryan meet.

[bmattioli]

Mickey Mantle or Pete Rose..

[Andrew1975]

Ted Williams - baseball AND fishing!

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by sando69

the one individual that i would most like to watch a game and shoot the breeze with, is a man who never played an inning of professional baseball, but in my opinion would be the most educated, informed, interesting and articulate student of the game.
that person would be vin scully!

Me too! I was just thinking of Vin this morning. We've had a few days of 85 degree weather here in LA and it feels like the start of baseball.

"Hi, everybody, and a very pleasant good afternoon to you, wherever you may be."

Here's Vin with my nephew Sam, in the Dodgers press box:

[jakebeckleyoldeagleeye]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

OK, I'm getting excited about baseball in a few months.

If there was one player past or present you could watch a game with and shoot the breeze with for a few hours, who would it be?

Many names come to mind, I'll go with Ted Williams.

Dizzy Dean.

[GeoPoto]

[QUOTE=vtgmsc;2056736]I've never seen Bill Lee listed with Ruth and Shoeless Joe! Awesome!

I've literally met Bill Lee about 4 or 5 times in Vermont, sometimes by accident. He has a farm in Vermont and his nickname "Spaceman" is so appropriate!

Quick (sorta) Spaceman story: Washington Nationals fan here. In 2012, we went to a weekend road series at Fenway and my wife bought me a 100 Years 1912-2012 of Fenway shirt. Sometime in 2013, I'm wearing the shirt at breakfast in a diner in CA (near SF) and a women approaches our table and asks If I know who Bill Lee is? (I forget exactly how she got to that question, but it was triggered by my shirt.) I said Spaceman Lee? She said: "Yes, I'm his wife. He's playing (in some baseball event) today near here." She then reached in her purse and pulled out a handful of his baseball cards and handed me one like it was a business card. Spaceman was busy elsewhere, so I didn't meet him, just his wife. But I got his card.

[GeoPoto]

Back on Topic: Pete Reiser or Ray Dandridge

[SteveWhite]

Bob Uecker

[Fred]

der boss - Chris Von der Ahe

[todeen]

Originally Posted by 71buc

Buck O'Neill, great story teller and witnessed a lot of history. Clyde Sukeforth would be interesting too. He was a baseball lifer.

I was torn between Satchel Paige and Buck O'Neill. Buck was my first choice, but I ultimately went with Paige. Good choice.

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[darwinbulldog]

Nate Berkenstock

[kmac32]

Elmer Miller my great great uncle

[The-Cardfather]

Without a doubt..... Yogi Berra.

In addition to his insight & knowledge, I'm sure that he would throw in a couple of "yogi-isms".

[Shoeless Moe]

Morganna

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPQ9v3xlMQI

[Eggoman]

If we are bringing players back, can I bring my Pa back and talk with his 3 favorites???

The Mick, Whitey, & Billy Martin - over "pops" of course!

[Writehooks]

Modern: Catfish Hunter
Vintage: Urban Shocker

[sdimag]

It would have to be Joe,Dom,and Vince!

[tedzan]

Great question, Steve.

Like most who have posted here already, there are many to choose from.

But, I will narrow it down to 3 guys, which I have been fortunate to have a conversation with for at least an hour (or more) on each occasion.

First......
I met Ted in Cooperstown back in the 1980's, and we talked BASEBALL, Yankees vs Boston (1940's - 1950's), and BB cards for about an hour.





2nd......April 1984, I was on a 1st class flight from Newark to Chicago sitting with Phil. We had a great time "Talkin' Baseball" for 2 hours, plus
our old neighborhood (Phil lived 2 blocks from my home in Hillside, NJ when I was a youngster)





3rd......I met Don in Cooperstown in the early 1990's. A very friendly guy to talk with. And, of course we spent a lot of time reminiscing about
his Perfect Game in the 1956 World Series.





TED Z

T206 Reference
.

[Exhibitman]

i've had the chance to talk baseball for extended periods with Don Newcombe and Eddie Murray. Both were fascinating discussions. But if it is sit down and watch an actual game with someone, still gotta go with Vin. I can only imagine the insights as a professional "fan" that he could offer.

[Snapolit1]

Interesting re Scully. I would never assume that announcers who never played have really great insight into the game. Great stories yes. But deep insight about the game? I think of the NFL. Al Michaels and Joe Buck know more than I do, but Tony Romo has a level of insight that is miles deeper than either of those two. A-Rod and Ron Darling in baseball. Tim McCarver. John Madden a former coach. As former players-coaches, their understanding of the game is much much deeper than your ordinary announcer. Vin obviously saw a ton and is a great storyteller.

[Shoelessseb]

The Babe ! Can’t go wrong with him

[Golfcollector]

Sam Crawford...of course!

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Buck O'Neil or Curt Flood...