What might have been.....

Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Register Log in
Rick2583

Rick2583

Chairman of the board
Joined
Jul 9, 2013
Messages
15,629
Likes
719
Points
113
The other day I was thinking about all the players that had so much going for them only to have there career interrupted or cut short due to injuries, guys like................

Lou Gehrig
Ralph Kiner
Bo Jackson
Nomar Garciaparra
Don Mattingly
J.R. Richard
Lyman Bostock
Mo Vaughn
Thurmon Munson
Albert Belle
Mark Prior

But the #1 "WHAT IF" guy has to be Sandy Koufax who saw his career come to an AMAZING end at the age of 30. His last & final season saw him go 27-9 an ERA of 1.73 27 complete games, 323 IP & 317 strike outs. Oh & did I mention he won the CYA that season. That was his FINAL season. Over his last 4 years =

97-27, 1.84 ERA, 89 CGs, 31 shutouts, A 0.910 WHIP & an average of near 300 IP, & over 300 strikeouts. And 3 CYAs. Unbelievable would be an understatement.
 
Projecting Gehrig's career....

Bill James' extrapolation:

Home Runs: 689
BA: Lifetime .330
Hits: 3928
RBIs: 2,879 (which is about 600 more than the current holder Aaron)
Walks: 2,475

"But these are not unreasonable numbers. They only look unreasonable because they are so extraordinary." -James
 
totus44 said:
Projecting Gehrig's career....

Bill James' extrapolation:

Home Runs: 689
BA: Lifetime .330
Hits: 3928
RBIs: 2,879 (which is about 600 more than the current holder Aaron)
Walks: 2,475

"But these are not unreasonable numbers. They only look unreasonable because they are so extraordinary." -James
Click to expand...


He was 35 at the time of his last full season (157 games) so your #s might be a little high. Not taking anything away because he still would have ended up with some amazing #s Lets say he would have only played 4 more years (age 39) with the averages he had in HRs (35) & RBI (approx 140) & hits (Lets say 180-190) we're still talking about over 630 HRs, over 2,500 RBI & around 3,500 hits. Not to shabby.
 
That would have been '42.....he would have kept playing to '44 out of patriotic duty. Then like many other pros, miss '45 serving in the military.
 
Great stats on Gehrig, and all hail the true 1st-Sand Man.

Now that I get the Bums TWB-C Evil Empire TV Station, and have been watching old Koufax games, including his World Series Gems.

I venture to claim:-

Clayton Kershaw as good as his records, awards et al. Will never be a Koufaxian Epic Legend like Sandy.
No doubt Kershaw if healthy will go down in History as perhaps one of if not the best player of this era, tho' that's debatable.....IMO. But, he will never reach the heights of Koufax's legendary heights; regardless of how many Trifetca's, and Awards he brings home.

Just saying, my 2 cents of an opinion. I was glued to the TV when Koufax pitched. With Kershaw I still can predict what pitch he's going to toss in a pitch by pitch situation, like that hanging curve he threw Matt Adams in St. Louis. Kershaw unlike Sandy, stuck to much with the same repertoire of his pitch counts, determining what pitch to throw. A 2 strike count, always ALWAYS, a hanging curveball, even when he blows fastballs by guys who have not a prayer of catching up to it, so why hang one?
 
Pete Reiser ( dizziness ,concussions from crashing into walls),
Fred Lynn (broken ankle)
 
...Bo Jackson was the greatest athlete I ever saw...and it's not even close.
 
blgridesagain said:
And Tony Conigliaro
Click to expand...


1967 I remember that like it was yesterday. Jack Hamilton right to the face. Was the youngest player in the AL to lead the league in HRs (1965) & the youngest to reach 100 HRs. Missed the entire 68 season but then won comeback player of the year in 69. Only to be forced to retire a few years later due to blurred vision. Sadly he lived most of his remaining years in a coma like state before dying at the young age of 45. Yeah this was one of the most tragic stories in baseball. DEFINITELY a "What might have been" story.

BTW: I believe it because of his injury that the helmets were changed to have the ear flap. (I think).
 
...^^^used to watch them on "The Game of the Week"...with PeeWee Reese and Dizzy Dean.
 
yankeesince59 said:
...^^^used to watch them on "The Game of the Week"...with PeeWee Reese and Dizzy Dean.
Click to expand...


WOW!....................................................................................you're really old.
 
^^^lol...well, I admit it was still black and white TV back then but the PeeWee/Dizzy thing ran from 1960 to 1965.
 
Prior to that it was Blatner and Dean sponsored by Ballantine Ale. The Saturday Game of the Week was something worth looking forward to. Despite butchering the Kings English Dean was a damn good color man.
 
Yep, remember that as well, spent a summer at my uncles place in San Antonio, Falstaff was a biggie in Bexar county. My uncle was stationed at Fort Sam had a part time job managing the Alamo Drive In on the weekends. He'd always take me so I got the free movies on a consistent basis. Afterwards he'd take me to a bar called the Elbow Room owned by Retired Army friend, I was always told to shut up about that one. See all the Red Necks whopping it up boozing and dancing with the local Hillbilly Chicks. At the end of that summer ('58) I had the pleasure of seeing the Yankees come back down three games to one and kick the Braves ass, payback for '57. Cool times!
 
...though I don't recall actually noticing it or not when I was a kid, but I've heard stories about Diz drinking "a beer or 12" in the booth during the game. This was before pop top cans and supposedly Dean could be heard opening one every now and then. (if you remember, a beer can sounds different when open when a "church key")...anyway, the story was that the camera cut over to Diz and PeeWee in between innings and there was ole Diz drinking a Pabst Blue Ribbon...needless to say, the Falstaff people were not to happy about it.

...and yeah, while I don't personally remember it, they say that the '57-'58 Series were very good...Aaron, Spahn, Burdette, et al.
 
Mark Fidrych- arm problems soon after his great season. Probably from being overworked/abused.
 
The Bird, Mark Fidyrich, what happened? one too many hits of Lysergic acid diethylamide?

Mark talked to that ball, and it talked back like a clairvoyant Tarot Card....!
 
Pee Wee Reese, yes, I miss those days, Curt Gowdy I enjoyed as well, but have never cared for Tim McCarver, Tim should or retired from broadcasting the day after his 1st game. Tim seems to have a slight case of Dementia.....geez, I'm shocked he can still recall any thing.
 
Mattingly23NY said:
The Bird, Mark Fidyrich, what happened? one too many hits of Lysergic acid diethylamide?

Mark talked to that ball, and it talked back like a clairvoyant Tarot Card....!
Click to expand...


...mmmmmm... Orange Sunshine....Window Pane....good times !
 
So Dock Ellis dropped acid and pitched a no no, guess that makes it a PED. I can't believe the number of old fart PED users on this board. :devilwink:
 
totus44 said:
So Dock Ellis dropped acid and pitched a no no, guess that makes it a PED. I can't believe the number of old fart PED users on this board. :devilwink:
Click to expand...


Don't MAKE! me come over there.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top