Opinion on greatness

[JohnU]

Former MLB player Doug Glanville captures the essence of trying to hit against the Big Unit

RECOMMENDED READING

 

[chico ruiz]

i read this article john u. thanks for posting the link so others can read it. beyond capturing the essence of trying to hit v. the unit, it also narratively articulates what separates hall of famers from the rest. "They were the best, but what gets lost sometimes is how much their greatness rubbed off on everyone. When you played against them, you knew you belonged. And if you ever beat them — one on one — that could inspire you to overcome anything…." i wish pete had not bet on baseball, because he is the very definition of what mr. glanville elucidates and a little bit more. because, probably unknown to himself, even that was never enough for the player called 'charlie hustle.' a harder working player i do not believe ever existed. nevertheless, none of that can be changed. what can be changed, and what i couldn't help but imagine while reading the article, is making aroldis chapman a starter.

 

[chico ruiz]

here's the other end of the spectrum, in terms of journalistic integrity or, in this case, outright animus.
i don't know if any of you guys watch mlb network. but, if you ever see, or hear, joel sherman on one of their broadcasts don't forget this attached article i've linked in this post. why a professional - and, in his case, i use that term very loosely - would take the death of a beloved baseball man as an opportunity to vent some past perceived petty personal slight is beyond my understanding. beyond that, it violates unwritten moral and ethical codes of propriety. and beyond that, and when i read it, i wondered what bobby murcer would think about sherman using that forum, and his death, to write such garbage. he's a small man with a small little vindictive heart, and i wish joe girardi would have given him the beat down he so richly deserved. i wouldn't want sherman to be permanently maimed, but a good ass-whooping never hurt anybody. so, screw sherman, rosenthal, and heyman. they make livings off reporting rumor, gossip, and half assed conjecture. in short, i judge it as subhuman national enquirer-like writing, at best. at worst, making money off other's misfortune. it's a handful of crap gentlemen, either way.

REMEMBERING MURCER | New York Post

 

[Redsfan1507]

Agreed.

I think the Reds have the next Randy Johnson in Aroldis Chapman, and have wasted 4 years turning him into the next Billy Wagner. The same kind of thinking got Milt Pappas for Frank Robinson, subtracted 5 years of Johnny Bench to get 2 years of Nick Esasky. The only thing worse than lack of talent, is wasting some of the talent you have, by design.

Journalists....are like most other occupations that require the opinion of the general public-the good ones are rare, and unfortunately, probably unneeded for "success" of that industry. The bad ones are many, but they do already have more in common with most of their customers than the good ones. Slacker opportunists know ignorance abounds, controversy sells, and a thin layer of bullshit is usually enough to get a paycheck. It is a tougher pill to swallow from people that do recognize the difference, but how many people under 50 knows Bobby Mercer ? Maggots like Sherman know this.

His ilk DO have tools, however. Confusion, rumor, conjecture and a few well placed buzzwords and/or statistics (real or contrived) are enough fog to hide an army of ineptitude, and sell an inferior product.

I just read a few gems comparing the Hall of Fame worthiness of Rose and Bonds as if they were remotely similar. Rose didn't cheat-he gambled. He hid that because he knew the penalty was banishment. He didn't do it to pad his stats for HOF consideration, or to get a bigger contract. Rose will never be on a HOF ballot, and has to get permission to be recognized at a game he has to buy a ticket to attend. Bonds cheated. Even if his substance of choice wasn't banned at the time and there was no penalty, he still hid and denied it...because he knew he was cheating, padding his stats and his contract...meanwhile, Bonds name is already on a ballot, and is free to be employed in baseball, and Bud Selig gets a $6M/yr. pension for turning a blind eye to 2 decades of PED use. There is little comparative justice there, and ever fewer cognizant members of the HOF voting members. Travesty is in the forecast.

 

[JohnU]

Chico .. New York Post ... Murdoch-owned rag. No credibility in the front office, none on the street either.

Guys like Olney, Rosenthal, Heyman ... none really is a scribe ... just people who are used to generate clickthroughs. Heyman hasn't written a sentence of fact since he joined CBS.