Interesting thought I had about Griffey...

[crzyjournalist03]

Watching Baseball Tonight last night, they showed some of Ken Griffey Jr.'s most memorable home runs, and I started wondering what his legacy will be 20 years from now when kids don't remember ever seeing him play.

It made me wonder, is Ken Griffey Jr. the greatest athlete of all-time in any sport to have never won a championship? Was he better than Ted Williams in his own sport? What about Dan Marino?

What do you guys think?

[Old Tiger]

Originally posted by crzyjournalist03
Watching Baseball Tonight last night, they showed some of Ken Griffey Jr.'s most memorable home runs, and I started wondering what his legacy will be 20 years from now when kids don't remember ever seeing him play.

It made me wonder, is Ken Griffey Jr. the greatest athlete of all-time in any sport to have never won a championship? Was he better than Ted Williams in his own sport? What about Dan Marino?

What do you guys think? I would say so...

NBA - Charles Barkley
MLB - Ken Grifey Jr.
NFL - Dan Marino

[CenTexSports]

I would put him in front of Marino but I don't know about Ted Williams. About the only contemporary athlete I would put ahead of Jr. is Bo Jackson as far a pure athletic ability.
so I guess if I were to vote on your question, I would vote yes.

[IrishTex]

Here's my list

10. Charles Barkley
9. Warren Moon
8. Barry Sanders
7. Carl Yastremski
6. Eric Dickerson
5. Elgin Baylor
4. Ted Williams
3. Marcel Dionne - NHL
2. Karl Malone
1. Dan Marino

[Txbroadcaster]

IMO baseball does not have the whole a player was great BUT he did not win a title category like other sports do

[eagles_victory]

QUOTE]Originally posted by IrishTex
Here's my list

10. Charles Barkley
9. Warren Moon
8. Barry Sanders
7. Carl Yastremski
6. Eric Dickerson
5. Elgin Baylor
4. Ted Williams
3. Marcel Dionne - NHL
2. Karl Malone
1. Dan Marino [/QUOTE]

Some notable names I see missing from this list the first one is Barry Bonds. Another and I know he is still playing but Lebron James, Stockton, and Malone would be on my list too simply because quarterback in football and star player in basketball are the two areas most defined by titles.



Originally posted by Txbroadcaster
IMO baseball does not have the whole a player was great BUT he did not win a title category like other sports do Depends on who you played for since Griffey played most of his career for the Mariners and the Reds I agree with you when talking about him. But if you play for a team like the Yankees, Cubs, or Red Sox the winning a championship thing becomes bigger. But, I have always thought greatness in baseball was always based much more on individual accomplishments rather than team success.

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by Txbroadcaster
IMO baseball does not have the whole a player was great BUT he did not win a title category like other sports do

I agree that it doesn't carry the stigma usually associated with the Marinos and Barkleys of the world, but I was curious from an ability and talent standpoint where he'd rank among professional sports non-winners.

[IrishTex]

Some notable names I see missing from this list the first one is Barry Bonds.

I don't count athletes that took performance enhancing drugs.



:D

[eagleqb_14]

Originally posted by IrishTex
I don't count athletes that took performance enhancing drugs.



:D

most intimidating hitter to ever play the game...top 5 hitter of all time

[IrishTex]

I've been thinking (which is really dangerous) lol

What about Steve Nash?

Nolan Ryan?

Fran Tarkenton?

Ernie Banks?

Just to name a few

[Buckeye1980]

Originally posted by IrishTex
I've been thinking (which is really dangerous) lol

What about Steve Nash?

Nolan Ryan?

Fran Tarkenton?

Ernie Banks?

Just to name a few

Nolan Ryan won a championship with the 1969 Mets

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by IrishTex
I've been thinking (which is really dangerous) lol

What about Steve Nash?

Nolan Ryan?

Fran Tarkenton?

Ernie Banks?

Just to name a few

Is Nash better than Nowitzki? :thinking:

[IrishTex]

Originally posted by crzyjournalist03
Is Nash better than Nowitzki? :thinking:

That's like asking me if oranges are better than apples. :D

The rumor is they might get back together in Phoenix.

[Txbroadcaster]

Originally posted by IrishTex
That's like asking me if oranges are better than apples. :D

The rumor is they might get back together in Phoenix.

It would take something DRASTIC for Dirk to leave Dallas..not sure where th rumor got started that Dirk was looking to leave..he opted out to gt one more big contract before he is thru playing

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by Txbroadcaster
It would take something DRASTIC for Dirk to leave Dallas..not sure where th rumor got started that Dirk was looking to leave..he opted out to gt one more big contract before he is thru playing

Also it gives Dallas a little more flexibility once the free agency period opens. Since he's their player, they could sign another free agent, then re-sign him after the fact and exceed the cap with his Larry Bird rights.

[Spread It Out]

Ted Williams was a better hitter than Griffey.

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by Spread It Out
Ted Williams was a better hitter than Griffey.

But was he a better player? Griffey was the best centerfielder in the game for a decade and was a lot faster too.

[GreenMonster]

Originally posted by Spread It Out
Ted Williams was a better hitter than Griffey. These were two totally different types of hitters that played in completely different eras. This is another apples to oranges comparison. Griffey was asked to hit the ball out of the park and fill the stands in the Home Run era of baseball and he was VERY good at it. Had the Kid stayed healthy all of the power records would be his by now. The last 10 years he's been hurt and still is in the top 5 in HR's. Williams was a contact hitter that played in the Oldschool era of baseball where you played station to station and the HR was much less important. I think the best way to measure who the better player is would be to imagine them flipping roles and eras. I think Griffey could have been a Ted Williams type of hitter if that is what was expected of him, but I do not think Ted Williams could have been a Griffey type of hitter in any era. Don't get me wrong he was very good at what he did, I just don't think he could be a Griffey type player.

[IrishTex]

Originally posted by GreenMonster
These were two totally different types of hitters that played in completely different eras. This is another apples to oranges comparison. Griffey was asked to hit the ball out of the park and fill the stands in the Home Run era of baseball and he was VERY good at it. Had the Kid stayed healthy all of the power records would be his by now. The last 10 years he's been hurt and still is in the top 5 in HR's. Williams was a contact hitter that played in the Oldschool era of baseball where you played station to station and the HR was much less important. I think the best way to measure who the better player is would be to imagine them flipping roles and eras. I think Griffey could have been a Ted Williams type of hitter if that is what was expected of him, but I do not think Ted Williams could have been a Griffey type of hitter in any era. Don't get me wrong he was very good at what he did, I just don't think he could be a Griffey type player.

So if you were going to hypothetically assemble a baseball team, would you go for Williams' avg, or Griffey's power....assuming you were going to start a team tomorrow and both players were in their prime?

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by GreenMonster
These were two totally different types of hitters that played in completely different eras. This is another apples to oranges comparison. Griffey was asked to hit the ball out of the park and fill the stands in the Home Run era of baseball and he was VERY good at it. Had the Kid stayed healthy all of the power records would be his by now. The last 10 years he's been hurt and still is in the top 5 in HR's. Williams was a contact hitter that played in the Oldschool era of baseball where you played station to station and the HR was much less important. I think the best way to measure who the better player is would be to imagine them flipping roles and eras. I think Griffey could have been a Ted Williams type of hitter if that is what was expected of him, but I do not think Ted Williams could have been a Griffey type of hitter in any era. Don't get me wrong he was very good at what he did, I just don't think he could be a Griffey type player.
Good comparison. Griffey was a .300/40-type player who'd still give you 20 steals in his prime. Williams was a .350/33-type player who wasn't much of a threat on the basepaths during his prime. Junior won one MVP during 11 years of consistently healthy baseball. Williams won two during 16 years of consistently healthy baseball. Junior was most often measured against Bonds. Williams most often measured against DiMaggio and Musial.

On a side note, interesting comparison as these two players had quite possibly the two prettiest swings in baseball history.


Originally posted by IrishTex
So if you were going to hypothetically assemble a baseball team, would you go for Williams' avg, or Griffey's power....assuming you were going to start a team tomorrow and both players were in their prime?
Depends on what I needed for my lineup. Don't forget that Junior offered more speed than Williams, though he didn't get on base as much.

[Old Tiger]

Originally posted by crzyjournalist03
Is Nash better than Nowitzki? :thinking: Yes, how many MVP's has Dirk won?

[Emerson1]

Originally posted by Old Tiger
Yes, how many MVP's has Dirk won?
How many finals has Nash been in?

[GreenMonster]

Originally posted by IrishTex
So if you were going to hypothetically assemble a baseball team, would you go for Williams' avg, or Griffey's power....assuming you were going to start a team tomorrow and both players were in their prime? Good question. I think I'd take Griffey if I was an expansion team with all new players and washed up has beens for his star power to fill the stands and build a fan base. If I just took over a team that already was established I'd take Williams. I like the more standard station to station traditional baseball. Now that the steroid era of baseball is over we are seeing a return of the prominance of the pitcher and a return to the aggressive baserunning and doubles type hitters, which is what I love to see. I think a team full of hustlers that stretch singles to doubles and doubles to triples combined with pitchers that throw strikes in a big ballpark is the most exciting form of baseball. So my answer would definitely depend on the circumstances.

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by Old Tiger
Yes, how many MVP's has Dirk won?

The same number that Kobe and Shaq have won.