Off Topic - Before It's Too Late

[JackM]

Well, now that this thread has bubbled back to the surface, I have to say I'm glad I raised the Pirates praises when I did because they are already back below .500. Along with that, let's hope that the Penguins' Wednesday night playoff debut was a case of the jitters....

 

[Wulff-Man]

littlejuniata wrote:
.....I don't remember anything about players salarys being discussed, but of course that was before TV influenced everything.

That's because salaries were nothing much to talk about back then. You're right, LJ, money changes everything. I almost choke when I hear athletes and commentators talking about $10 MILLION like it's chump change.

 

[littlejuniata]

Salarys are obscene in sports, doesn't there have to be a tax break there somwhere, like do the owners write off depreciation on players like a regular business writes of depreciation on equipment? I am not sure I like the progress we are seeing in Huntingdon County, first we got Beaver, now we are getting a Starbucks sheeeesss, What next?

 

[littlejuniata]

Buccos are still fun to watch though, playing hard! Not much into hockey, used to go to the Penn State hockey games, one game an opposing player was skating along beside an official, arguing of course, suddenly the player just sucker punched the poor guy, knocked him flat, glasses went flying!!

 

[FarmerDave]

Wulff-Man wrote:
Yeah, Pete Rose will always be remembered as one of the all time great Phillies. :-D

:-? We weren't talking just Phillies.

If you are talking about Pete's ban from baseball, ... I played a lot of baseball when I was growing up, and Pete Rose was a great role model as a player, and I specifically said (as a player). You didn't have to be a Red's fan for be a fan of Bench or Rose. Rose had only one gear, all out hussle. You never saw him dog it down to first base on a ground ball. Johnny Bench is another one. He often outran base runners down to first to back up the throw. I've seen other catchers do that too, but Bench is arguably the best catcher ever. These guys were a heck of a lot better role model than guys like Dave Parker. Parker had talent, but no drive. It wasn't until his coaching days that Pete got into trouble for gambling. Pete is one of the best ball players ever.

Some Rose stats.

Batting average as a Philly, .291
first 4 years at Philly, .300 (his last year wasn't so hot, which is why they traded him)
He batted over .325 for two of the years in Philly (331 his first year, and .325 his third) Not bad..
Lifetime batting average: .303
His on base percentage at Philly was well over .300 all 5 years with .418 his first year there.
Lifetime OBP: .375
total base on balls (a sign of a smart hitter): 1566, which is part of why he scored 2165 runs!
total hits: 4256

As a player, he was only guilty of sticking around for a few too many years.

To be honest, I'm not much of a baseball fan anymore. His stats were easy to look up.

 

[FarmerDave]

JackM wrote:
Well, now that this thread has bubbled back to the surface, I have to say I'm glad I raised the Pirates praises when I did because they are already back below .500. Along with that, let's hope that the Penguins' Wednesday night playoff debut was a case of the jitters....

Yea, but they are still only 1 game out, and were still tied for first before their last game. ;-)

 

[Wulff-Man]

FarmerDave, I figured you were talking about the "old" days when players stuck with one team (or a team stuck with the players), and that you were using Pete Rose as an example (with the Reds). So I was just making a joke about him being a Phillie.

I agree with you about him being a baseball role model (on the field). He was the perfect kind of player for the Philadelphia fan.

I'm not much of a fan anymore, either. Used to be a big fan. Remember listening to Richie Ashburn with my transistor radio in bed at night when I was a kid. Remember the first time my dad took me to Connie Mack stadium when I was about 10. It was like entering OZ, with the emerald green grass, all your heroes right there in front of you like real people, the crazy old coot fans! But I lost interest a few years back, I would have to say as a result of the affects that big money have had on the game, to put it in a nutshell.

 

[RLeeP]

To me, when the words Pete Rose are spoken, they are exactly the same as describing the residue that coats the inside of a septic tank. I move we change the dictionary accordingly.

So far as I am concerned Rose deserved to be banned from the game long before he ever hung up his spikes and got into gambling trouble. The thing with Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game was a gratuitous and unnecessary act of violence in a meaningless game and it basically ruined Fosse's career. If I had been Commissioner at the time, he'd have been gone, even if he had already outperformed Ty Cobb, Henry Aaron, Brooks Robinson and Our Lord in Heaven for that matter.

I realize this is certainly a minority opinion, but I'm sticking with it...

 

[FarmerDave]

I see. The game meant nothing. If All-star games mean nothing, then why were so many people upset at the one that ended in a tie. All-star games don’t mean much today, but they did at one time. As far as the Fosse incident goes, there were two players in that collision, and Fosse didn’t have to block the plate. They both did what they did because they were both great players and great competitors. That is just my opinion. But then, I still have cleat marks on the back of my hand from when I was about 16, and that was only a practice game. Competition must mean something to some people, otherwise, why bother.

I’ll agree that All-star games don’t mean much today. It is like watching "dancing with the stars". They show up for a paycheck (the ball players). Who the heck cares. But back then, they played to win. And speaking of games that don’t mean anything, what about regular season games towards the end of the season. Once a team is out of the race, should they just not show up anymore and forfeit?

Now, if you ask me what I think of Rose today, I might agree with you. Not just because of the gambling and suspension either. His actions since then haven't been all that exemplary. I wonder what would have happened if players charged a fee for autographs back in the good old days of baseball?

In any case, feel free to remove him from the list. He may have been a poor example, but I can't think about baseball without thinking of Charlie Hustle. Blame it on my coaches. I think you saw my point. :-D