Pete Rose tells the story of Cobb sitting in the Yankees dugout before a game. One of the Yankees saw him and told him to get out "you SOB". Cobb just glared at him but didn't say a word. The Tigers are taking batting practice with the Yankees waiting their turn. Cobb gets into the batting cage and hits 16 straight balls into the Yankees dugout.
I have about 20 letters from Cobb to my grandfather who won 4 World Series himself as a member of the Red Sox and Indians. They were mostly about setting up a pension for ex players. Ty cared about his fellow competitors. My grandfather was Larry Gardner.
Glad to hear some love for Honus and Roberto. Roberto was my first sports hero. He sent me an autographed picture after I sent him a get well card when he was injured. When he died, I went into mourning for a week, (and I am getting teary eyed typing this!). The man had dignity and class!! Honus ranks very high for me, and for what he did on the diamond, I would have to rank him ahead of Roberto as the best Pirate ever with Roberto 2nd. Honus was a very humble man and was also a great fielder for his day. I think he was a better, more natural athlete than Ty Cobb, but I also think Ty Cobb is the smartest and most competitive player to ever play the game. I still take Honus as my all time short stop, though I admit I am biased as I have been a Pirates fan since late in the 1969 season.
I consider Pittsburgh to be one of the great baseball towns. As a high school kid in Charleston, WV in the early seventies my uncle and I would go to the Charlie's games. Pirate's AAA affiliate at the time. Greatest minor league team ever in my eyes. Dave Parker,willie Randolph, Tony Solaida, John Candeleria among others. Real quality baseball and my uncle Bob loved that team. Largest centerfield I have ever seen and I went to Tiger Stadium since the 60's when I was eight until 1999 for me. Willie, one of the great teammates and leaders not to mention ambassadors of baseball.
@@kentonpriestley3173 That's cool about seeing Charlie's games. I was stationed for a short time in Charleston when I was in the Navy. I caught I think a couple Charlie's games and saw Dale Berra. I also won an album they were giving away when I knew the answer to a trivia question was Dave Parker.
Clemente was frequently criticized by hometown media, whether warranted or not, for being injury prone, for being a complainer, and for less than 100% effort. I have a baseball signed by the 1960 World Series Pirates, which I received as a gift from my parish priest. Obviously Roberto's signature is included. Saw him in Philly in '66.
When I was a kid I remember the stories about the Babe. He is highly talked about on the HR side of the conversation. Now Cobb didn’t come into my life until my IQ of the game reached a strategic point. That’s when Cobb became my hero.
Ty Cobb was maligned by that sportswriter Al Stump or however ya spell his name. I watched a video a few days ago that sets the record straight about Cobb. The author wrote a book called A Terrible Beauty sounds like it should put all the misinformation to bed. For l heard a lot of things, but never really believed much of the stories about Cobb off the field. He was a hell of a player!
@@carywest9256 You should read the book. His research was phenomenal, and it is an interesting story. My favorite is what he was really doing in the picture where it looks like he was trying to mule kick the catcher.
actually, it was before the game that he decided to hit those home runs. he told a reporter, "today i'm going to go for home runs for the first time in my career." he went 6 for 6 that day, including three home runs, then the next game hit two more. then he said he was going back to playing the way he wanted. and this was at the end of his career, in i think his 21st season, when he was a player/manager.
Wonderful and brilliant man, Bert Sugar. I had the honor of meeting him and having my picture taken with him the day Larry Holmes was inducted into the boxing hall of fame.
My favorite Cobb quote: Reporter: What do you think that you'd hit today? Cobb: About .200. Reporter: Is that because of new pitches like the slider? Cobb: No, it's because I'm 70 years old.
@@wvu05 Apocryphal story, but true that Cobb as an aging player over 20 years in the game still one of hte highest average hitters. Never hit under 300 after this very first season.
@@chlduiowks Indeed. One time, I was rereading _Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty,_ and I was trying to show my daughter how he swung the bat. To be able to make a decision and adjust his hands based on that decision in less than half a second is just phenomenal.
Actually Cobb hit 5 homers in two straight games. One of his former teammates claimed he really was a natural talent; much more than Cobb ever claimed to be.
Ty Cobb had the ability to hit home runs, but he liked the more mental aspects of the game during the dead ball (and what we now call small ball). Wade Boggs and Ichiro were both more than capable of hitting a lot of home runs, but they didn't do it because they saw their job as getting hits. However, Cobb was no natural. He worked very hard and studied to know how to hit so well.
Bert Sugar had one of the most remarkable brains this world has ever known. This guy knew more about sports than anybody, perhaps in the history of this country. And he is right on about Ruth, best ever. RIP Bert. RIP Babe.
I'm glad he mentioned "Gentleman George" Sisler, one of the greatest players of all time. he was an outstanding pitcher, and both George Brett and Stan Musial were pitchers before making major league rosters.
Cobb didn't "hate" Babe. He actually admired him! Read his autobiography My Life In Baseball and he said of Ruth of how good of a hitter he was who although known for his home run production, Babe would not always swing for the fences. He would hit a single to left field just as much as a blast. Ruth knew how to hit and Cobb did admire his hitting
Baby Ruth was the greatest ball player of all-time. He single handedly saved and changed the game. Mantle was the greatest physical talent. He might have been the greatest with healthy legs and less booze.
@@alexbergquist3110 now you and Mikey play nice. I heard the Babester was known to knock down a few bottles in a night, not to mention whatever else, and still make game time. they were all as great as we think. baseball was a hard tough serious business back then and with the way they travelled and time spent without the distractions of a 24 hour news cycle they actually lived the game hard in season and often barnstormed in off season. ty wasn't bad either and I could never say anyone was better.
If Mantle wasn’t an Alcoholic I would agree! He may have hit more homers than the babe! Ted Williams if not for WW2 and Korean wars not even Bonds would have beaten his home run record!
@@chuckthedog6725 Bert Randolph Sugar. Very knowledgeable about boxing in particular, but obviously well-versed in many sports and enjoyed the discussions and controversies concerning sports: who's the greatest, are modern athletes better, etc. Quite a character, too. Whenever he was involved in a discussion, I felt compelled to listen in.
The subtle beauty of baseball is also the "what if's." What if Mantle had always had good knees, and hadn't had Whitey Ford and Billy Martin as running buddies? What if Ernie Lombardi, the "slowest man" in baseball history (according to newspapers in his day) had possessed just average speed? Would Ernie have been the best hitting catcher ever?
I like to think that if Eddie Joost had played in New York, he would have far surpassed for respect and accomplishment Phil Rizzuto, Pee Wee Reese, and Al Dark. Great ballplayers not based in New York often got lost in the shuffle.
What the hell are you talking about? You can do the samething with any other sport. What if Mario Lemieux stayed healthy and never got cancer? What if Gretzky was never traded? What if Jordan's father never died and he continued playing?
Regardless of what people may think , Cobb was the greatest of all. He simply knew the game and invented how it's played today. Power,,,skill,,,,speed,,,strategy,,, you name it. He coined it and made baseball.
Actually you are not correct. Babe Ruth is the greatest baseball player because he is the ONLY player to be a Hall of Fame pitcher and Hall of Fame hitter. But Cobb played in an era where you didn't hit home runs but tried to hit singles and then steal. One day toward the end of his career he announced he would try for one week only to hit home runs. He hit more home runs in one week and had more RBIs in one week than anyone up to that time and then went right back to hitting singles. He did it because he was tired of hearing that Babe was the greatest who ever lived. Joe DiMaggio has to rank 1st as an all round player - hitter and fielder and runner - because when he played the Yankees won. He got the hit when you needed the hit. Joe is like the Bill Russell of Baseball. Mays has to be second to Joe - even Willie says Joe was his hero. Joe's home run to strikeout ratio is the best ever.
The thing about him wanting to hit home runs at will is nonsense.if he could have hit home runs at will he would have. Even taking away Ruth's pitching it'd absurd to say cobb was a better player.ruth was out homering every team in the league.you clearly don't understand how valuable that is.robb hit 21 points higher which is about ten singles a year.ill take ten more outs and take a guy who hits 50 more home runs.its not even close.
Tommy Fu First you have to understand baseball history. So here is the proof of what I wrote. After enduring several years of seeing his fame and notoriety usurped by Ruth, Cobb decided that he was going to show that swinging for the fences was no challenge for a top hitter. On May 5, 1925, he began a two-game hitting spree better than any even Ruth had unleashed. Sitting in the Tiger dugout, he told a reporter that, for the first time in his career, he was going to swing for the fences. That day, he went 6 for 6, with two singles, a double and three home runs.[87] The 16 total bases set a new AL record, which stood until May 8, 2012 when Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers hit four home runs and a double for a total of 18 bases.[88] The next day he had three more hits, two of which were home runs. The single his first time up gave him nine consecutive hits over three games. His five homers in two games tied the record set by Cap Anson of the old Chicago NL team in 1884.[87] Cobb wanted to show that he could hit home runs when he wanted, but simply chose not to do so. At the end of the series, the 38-year-old veteran superstar had gone 12 for 19 with 29 total bases and then went happily back to his usual bunting and hitting-and-running. For his part, Ruth's attitude was that "I could have had a lifetime .600 average, but I would have had to hit them singles. The people were paying to see me hit home runs."[89] Even so, when asked in 1930 by Grantland Rice to name the best hitter he'd ever seen, Cobb answered, "You can't beat the Babe. Ruth is one of the few who can take a terrific swing and still meet the ball solidly. His timing is perfect. [No one has] the combined power and eye of Ruth."[50] BABE RUTH'S WIFE was previously Ty Cobb's girlfriend. She flat out said that Ty Cobb was the better baseball player but Babe Ruth was a much nicer person. CASEY STENGAL said Ty Cobb was superman. The reason Babe is always the greatest baseball player was that he is the only one of Hall of Fame pitching and hitting. The FACT that Cobb had that week of amazing production and then went back to hitting singles is simply he thought the game was more exciting to watch. People got more excitement from watching Cobb, get a hit, then steal second, then steal third and then steal home, THAN watching Ruth hit a home run. I am not taking anything away from Ruth (he changed the game forever), but Cobb came from the different era and different style of play. But if he wanted to he could easily have matched the Babe. He just didn't want to play baseball that way. Second: regarding DiMaggio - you don't really understand how a baseball game works. The idea is to win the game. So "clutch" is coming through so you end up winning the game. You don't have to have a great game as long as you win. WHAT DIMAGGIO'S TEAMs did was win and win more consistantly than any other team in history and DiMaggio was the leader on those teams. Without DiMaggio, the Yankees still win but don't win nearly as many pennant AND world series. DiMaggio, by the way he played and the way he held himself was considered to be the greatest player BY THE PLAYERS. THEY KNOW, because he was their inspiration. . Willie Mays said he was his hero. Mickey Mantle said, No one could equal Dimaggio, Yogi Berra said he never saw him make a mistake. Ted Williams said he was the best player he ever saw. The idea is to win the game. Tommy Henrich said that when he first joined the Yankees it took him only three days of watching DiMaggio to realize he was seeing the greatest player he ever saw AND the greatest player anyone on his team had ever seen. He said you could look at statistics and point to this player and that player, but if you wanted to win a 9 inning game Joe D would be his choice all the time. Enough said
Recent scholarly research of primary historical source material has revealed that much of what this gentleman claimed to know about baseball was false and based on cultural myths. Some egregious, harmful, and diametrically wrong claims may have significant racial underpinnings. For example, the assertion that Ty Cobb was a terrible racist. The opposite is true. Ty Cobb, whose father was a staunch abolitionist, openly and emphatically advocated for racial integration of baseball.
Come on man. The Babe, Mickey Mantle before his knees, and obviously Teddy Ballgame. I will give you Cobb was the greatest ever at the psychological aspects, but those guys I mentioned were arguably much more physically gifted than Ty.
Babe Ruth is the greatest baseball player. He was a HOF hitter and HOF pitcher. He stands alone . No one else was so versatile. Also batting aveerage is overrated. I would rather have a life time batting average of .342 and hit 714 home runs than Cobb's 366
I think Ruth is the GOAT but an argument could be made for others as Cobb, Mays, Bonds, Aaron, Williams, Musial and DiMaggio all had long and spectacular careers. The power of Ruth was so overwhelming during his era he would regularly hit more Home Runs than entire baseball teams. This shows how dominant he was. I think you must also mention his great pitching prowess which further separates him from the pack.
I agree....Babe Ruth went from terrific pitcher to terrific hitter.... No one else, that I am aware of ever did that. He was extreme in whatever he focused on... and it came naturally.... Even if he was boozed up.....
Quite intriguing ! I read Ty Cobb became a very wealthy man. I wonder if he invented the Corn Cobb Pipe. They were very popular at one time. Even Gen. Douglas MacArthur smoked one !
A record that will most likely never be broken. Not to mention records stealing home. 54!!! As a former pitcher myself, I can’t even imagine someone stealing home that many times. That would scare me to death! LOL
I guess I'm the oddball here. My favorite players were never the big stars, but the guys who did the "little things" to help the team win. Sure...I loved and appreciated Mantle, Aaron and Mays growing up, but I always loved the utility guy who could hit behind the runner, execute the suicide-squeeze or play any position on the field.
Entertaining. Yes, Honus Wagner is not valued enough for the great player he was...and Ernie Harwell was an amazing broadcaster and an an even more amazing person. I also agree with Bert's assessment of your favorite player. Mike Schmidt was the first player I fell in love with as a ballplayer and he's still my favorite.
@@countryboyred Really? Mays is widely considered to be one of the best defensive Center Fielders of all time as well as an amazing five tool athlete. In his 20s he was consistently a 30/30 player and was consistently a 40 homerun hitter in his 30s.
@@countryboyred Oh ok that's respectable. It's kind of like how I'm biased towards Yadier Molina on the whole Hall of Fame debate because I'm a Cardinals fan.
Nobody was better than Babe Ruth. As the host wrote, he not only was the greatest Home Run hitter of all time but before he was really into hitting home runs he was a hall of fame calliber picture winning 20 games in some seasons. The final game of Babe's career he was 41 years old batting .150 way below his career average of .250 & playing for Pittsburgh. He hit three home runs one of which was his final at bat & he hit the ball right out of the ballpark. UNREAL!! I love listening to Bert Sugar, r.i.p..
What other player in the entire 150 year history of baseball started out as a dominant starting pitcher, but was such a good hitter that his team was forced to make him an everyday player? A lot of people don't know that Ruth was such a good pitcher that he held the record for consecutive scoreless innings pitched in the world series for decades. Ruth was a force of nature.
The greatest is obviously Ruth. Great hitter, great pitcher, and changed the game. He was hitting more home runs than every team almost for chrissakes.
Deadend kid from the wrong side of the tracks, who smoked and drank whiskey and threw rocks at cops when he was ten years old. Or so they say. Talk about the phoenix rising out of the ashes..
"Steroids don't help hand-eye coordination". --The guy named Barry who apparently is unaware that when you damage your eyes they tend to give you steroids to help restore your vision.
What a naive comment about Barry Bonds and steroids. I'm sorry the late, great Bert Sugar never got around to explaining how Barry's hand-eye coordination and bat speed and power were all better at age 39 than they were at age 29. Give it a rest. Players like Bonds would never mess around with poison if it wasn't significantly benefitting their performance.
I was on steroids when I had cancer. Barry Bonds career exemplifies steroids. When I had cancer, I went from not being able to move 3 inches to grab my remote control for my TV to moving furniture out of a moving van. Once he brought steroids doesn't help into question, he lost all credibility.
I have a little bit of difference on the statement about steroids compared to hand-eye coordination. Yes, someone has to have the coordination to hit, but how many of those hits that would have been outs made it over the fence because of the extra muscle?
fehner27...Injuries to Junior compare him to Mickey Mantle in my mind. Neither is generally considered top 10, but we'll never really know. Both were eye-popping in their youths. The biggest "what if" when it comes to injuries is Sandy Koufax. He was the greatest pitcher the game has ever seen before an arthritic arm forced him to retire at 30 years old. J.R. Richard was a sure-fire HOFer before suffering a stroke early in his career. That guy was unhittable.
Baseball is the only sport where you can honestly rank the early players evenly and ahead of the modern players. Will anyone other than Sugar put Sammy Baugh ahead of Montana or Elway; Cousy equal to Jordan or Bird? I think it's because baseball hasn't changed as much over the last fifty years as the other sports. Night ball and relief pitchers are the biggest changes I can see.
The question about whether the old timers would be able to play against the superstars of the day? Of course, because they did. Mantle/Mays played with DiMaggio, who played with Gehrig, who played with Ruth and Cobb, who played against Wagner --- Teddy Williams played from the 30's to the '60s, and was a star in every year. These guys overlapped. So yeh, they'd be superstars today as well. But they wouldn't hit for the incredible stats they did because the rest of the team players are so much better, the relief pitchers come in now, etc. Some advantages with the live ball, no throwing at batters now, and the mound lowered. But as Goose Goslin said, there were the stars and then a lot of guys who just played but weren't very good. Today's players overall are much better. Better athletes, better trained. The averages would be way down (as they are for hitters today), because the pitchers are much stronger, everyone throws over 90 and has incredible movement on the ball, back then mostly fastball pitchers and many not too good. But Cobb, Ruth, Wagner -- they'd all be superstars still but they would facing shifts constantly and much tougher pitching. No more .400 hitters in this day and age. The discrepancy between teammates is so much less now, which is why overpaying for some players is so risky, becasue even a little slowing down or injury and you are just another average dude.
Okay heres the measure of a great player, first I'm going to say that Cobb was a big mouthed baby. now Ill tell you why. The measure of a great player is how he performs in crunch time. The babe was just that. I see on an interview here that Cobb named the Babe as the best player he ever saw, and he was right about that. Cobb's world series record> .231 5 rbi's choke. The babe? something like 15 home runs .370 ave. It has been awhile since I looked at it but its somewhere c around there . Your horses need to do what they did to get you there when the heat is on. Cobb could hit .400 as long as it wasn't crunch time then he'd choke. on the other hand The Babe had to deal with Cobb calling him an N word across the diamond and shoved it up Cobb's ass every time. The rumor was that Babe Ruth was black, and if you look at pictures of him young. He does have some traits. But Cobb was still fighting the civil war angry little minded man. and jealous of Ruth. He was a punch and judy hitter who made a living bunting, drawing walks and then using his speed. very effective drive a pitcher crazy. But a Power hitter will make a pitcher shit his pants. Nuff said. Babe Ruth hands down.
Yeah Ruth was a greater player, but just for the record Cobb played great in one of the three world series (three consecutive) he appeared in. In 1908 he went .368 with 3 runs scored and 4 rbi in 5 games. Detroit only had one other hall of famer on the team: Sam Crawford, who didn't like Cobb very much to begin with. Each world series they lost was to the clearly superior club. You're right though, his lifetime WS stats were very lackluster: .262 with 7 runs and 9 rbi, and uncharacteristically got caught on 4 of his 8 stolen base attempts.
Greg Jay oh, well... I'm glad you set the measure of a great player straight! Wonderful!! Oh and dey wasn't "Kangs and shiiiiiit"!!! That's all already been debunked! Hahaaaa Ruth, Lincoln, Shakespeare, Mozart, Galileo...none of them were black! Lmbo
@@ronriggs9954 Is that all you took from his statement? Of all the things he said all you're focused on is that he said there was a possibility that Babe Ruth may or may not have been black? Lol smh
What are you smoking dude? First off. Cobb only played in 3 world series. Only 17 games. 262 avg not 231. Second take a look at his 1909 and 1911 seasons. Enough said. They both were great hall of fame players with different styles. Hard to compare.
@@stevenmiller1416 It is not very hard to compare. The reason Joe DiMaggio was a much greater hitter than Ted Williams (inspite of Joe DiMaggio having less home runs and less of a batting average is that Joe was clutch. But when Ted Williams needed to produce he hit poorly. So it is not just stats it is PERFORMANCE. BABE was the only hall of famer pitcher and hitter in history. Babe stands alone.
Yes, steroids can increase batting averages. And no, batting does not necessarily involve less thinking than batting. Steroids can affect the brain in a way that improves reaction time because the brain is a muscle. Also, when fly balls become home runs because the batter takes steroids those are cases of outs turning into hits which obviously increases batting average. As far as pitching being more intellectual, just read Ted Williams’ book on batting or talk to Tony Gwynn.
I won't keep repeating this. You don;t realize that the important thing is to win the game. The Yankees won the games. So it is like saying that Wilt Chamberlain was a greater basketball center than Bill Russell but Bill Russell's team' were in the finals 13 years in a row and won 11 Championships. BILL RUSSELL IS IN A CLASS BY HIMSELF. Bill Russel was the center of the team, the main REASON they won, but he wasn't the statistically greatest player. THAT IS NOT IMPORTANT. WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS THAT HE DID THE THINGS NEEDED TO WIN THE GAME. In baseball you have different heroes every day. It is not important that Joe D was greatest in the world seriesor the greatest statistically. It is important that the Yankees won more consistantly with him on the team than anyone else. If they were in a game when they would have have lost, Joe D did something that would change that and played the hero. But it is the leader's responsiblity to make sure they win the game. Joe D's teams did that better than all other teams. The leader doesn't care if he is the best every single game. In baseball every day there are going to be different heroes But day in and day out when he played the Yankees won largely do to him (same as with Bill Russell). That didn't happen with any player in history as much as it did DiMaggio. Yogi Berra won more World Series than anyone and Casey Stengal said that the reason the Yankees won so many pennants and world series was that "He always played with his Man". The man he was referring to was Yogi Berra. Well Joe D, percentage wise was in the same way the Man for the years 1936 to 1951. You never heard anyone say Yogi was Better than Joe D. They are both in the same class. THEY did the things you need to do when you needed them to win the game. that is why Yogi had three MVP. Same with Joe. Statistics are ALWAYS overrated. The idea is to win the game. STOP LOOKING AT STATISTICS TO GIVE YOU THE IDEA WHO IS GREATER. If you look at statistics Willie and Aaron and Mantle could be considered power hitters who couldn't hit for average. There are 6 GODS in basball - RUTH, GEHRIG, WILLIAMS, FOX, DIMAGGIO AND MUSIAL. They all hit many home runs and still batted over 325. You can't say that about Mays, Aaron or Mickey.
Wilt averaged 30 points per game on 54% shooting. Russell averaged 15 points per game on 44% career shooting. Their rates of rebounds and assists are comparable. Russell played on more talented and better coached teams than did Wilt. You put Wilt in Boston and Russell in Philadelphia, you think Russell still wins more championships? You probably do. Pity you, reality is a tough pill to swallow when you are blind and drunk.
As an all- round baseball player there are about 20-25 greater than Cobb. He created the game as it was later played ? Ridiculous? He was the last player of the old era and players were then reinventing the game . Have you heard of Babe Ruth , Rogers Hornsby etc, the actual great players of the 1920s.
So according to the guy below it doesn’t matter what people think... we’ll, that includes him especially because he’s completely wrong about Ty Cobb... not only was Ruth a superior player, he was FAR superior...just check the numbers for proof not uninformed and dumb opinion.
Stan Musial, Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio,, Jackie Robinson, Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb, and Christy Mathewson, Sandy Koufax, and Derek Jeter were all the greatest player ever.
Ruth is the greatest ballplayer in history, because he was as good a pitcher as he was a hitter. But without question, the greatest hitter in history crown, belongs to Tyrus Raymond Cobb.
You know you can bring a horse to water but it doesn't mean he will drink. I just proved to you what I said and you still don't want (can't believe it). Oh, well. Nothing to be said about that. But the facts are the facts. COBB announced his intentions and he did what he said he would do and then PURPOSEFULLY went back to hitting singles and for average. He announced it before he did it. Amazing.
Cobb did NOT invent how the game is played today... ridiculous, infact.For one thing Cobb was no power hitter- ever notice how big a factor home runs are since 1920 or don’t you follow baseball?
Jim Truscott home runs had to travel further back then. Ruth lost over 300 homers because center field was 500 feet away in some stadiums. He hit 460+ foot FLYOUTS. Today that would be a monster homer, back then it was an out
I didn't know he died but he always praised his old white players and never gives black players any credit. He also criticized Muhammad Ali's boxing Style.
Your opinion does not make Ruth he best. It just makes it your opinion. But that's too broad a question, and too open to debate. So what if Ruth could pitch. This is coming from a guy who realizes that he was a dynamite pitcher. We'll never know how many great players could have played other positions.
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Pete Rose tells the story of Cobb sitting in the Yankees dugout before a game. One of the Yankees saw him and told him to get out "you SOB". Cobb just glared at him but didn't say a word. The Tigers are taking batting practice with the Yankees waiting their turn. Cobb gets into the batting cage and hits 16 straight balls into the Yankees dugout.
Must not have been a cage, maybe movable backstop? A cage would only allow balls to be hit into fair territory.
I have about 20 letters from Cobb to my grandfather who won 4 World Series himself as a member of the Red Sox and Indians. They were mostly about setting up a pension for ex players. Ty cared about his fellow competitors. My grandfather was Larry Gardner.
Glad to hear some love for Honus and Roberto. Roberto was my first sports hero. He sent me an autographed picture after I sent him a get well card when he was injured. When he died, I went into mourning for a week, (and I am getting teary eyed typing this!). The man had dignity and class!!
Honus ranks very high for me, and for what he did on the diamond, I would have to rank him ahead of Roberto as the best Pirate ever with Roberto 2nd. Honus was a very humble man and was also a great fielder for his day. I think he was a better, more natural athlete than Ty Cobb, but I also think Ty Cobb is the smartest and most competitive player to ever play the game. I still take Honus as my all time short stop, though I admit I am biased as I have been a Pirates fan since late in the 1969 season.
I consider Pittsburgh to be one of the great baseball towns. As a high school kid in Charleston, WV in the early seventies my uncle and I would go to the Charlie's games. Pirate's AAA affiliate at the time. Greatest minor league team ever in my eyes. Dave Parker,willie Randolph, Tony Solaida, John Candeleria among others. Real quality baseball and my uncle Bob loved that team. Largest centerfield I have ever seen and I went to Tiger Stadium since the 60's when I was eight until 1999 for me. Willie, one of the great teammates and leaders not to mention ambassadors of baseball.
Well said. It's not the autograph that has value, but the moment we spent with the superstar.
@@kentonpriestley3173 That's cool about seeing Charlie's games. I was stationed for a short time in Charleston when I was in the Navy. I caught I think a couple Charlie's games and saw Dale Berra. I also won an album they were giving away when I knew the answer to a trivia question was Dave Parker.
Clemente was frequently criticized by hometown media, whether warranted or not, for being injury prone, for being a complainer, and for less than 100% effort. I have a baseball signed by the 1960 World Series Pirates, which I received as a gift from my parish priest. Obviously Roberto's signature is included. Saw him in Philly in '66.
Also when they retired Cobb and Ruth became friends and would often play golf together.
Indeed.
When I was a kid I remember the stories about the Babe. He is highly talked about on the HR side of the conversation. Now Cobb didn’t come into my life until my IQ of the game reached a strategic point. That’s when Cobb became my hero.
Ty Cobb was maligned by that sportswriter Al Stump or however ya spell his name.
I watched a video a few days ago that sets the record straight about Cobb.
The author wrote a book called A Terrible Beauty sounds like it should put all the misinformation to bed.
For l heard a lot of things, but never really believed much of the stories about Cobb off the field.
He was a hell of a player!
@@carywest9256 You should read the book. His research was phenomenal, and it is an interesting story. My favorite is what he was really doing in the picture where it looks like he was trying to mule kick the catcher.
actually, it was before the game that he decided to hit those home runs. he told a reporter, "today i'm going to go for home runs for the first time in my career." he went 6 for 6 that day, including three home runs, then the next game hit two more. then he said he was going back to playing the way he wanted. and this was at the end of his career, in i think his 21st season, when he was a player/manager.
Wonderful and brilliant man, Bert Sugar. I had the honor of meeting him and having my picture taken with him the day Larry Holmes was inducted into the boxing hall of fame.
What a wonderful talk. He's right. Name your hero. He will always be your hero. They are slowly degrading the game little by little.
It's incredible how Bert Sugar saw Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, Babe Ruth, Di Maggio , Ali, and Willie May's all on the same day
Would love to see the Great Ty Cobb play in the modern game.. Would also have enjoyed watching him brawl with opponents.. What a ballplayer~
My favorite Cobb quote:
Reporter: What do you think that you'd hit today?
Cobb: About .200.
Reporter: Is that because of new pitches like the slider?
Cobb: No, it's because I'm 70 years old.
@@wvu05 Apocryphal story, but true that Cobb as an aging player over 20 years in the game still one of hte highest average hitters. Never hit under 300 after this very first season.
@@chlduiowks Indeed. One time, I was rereading _Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty,_ and I was trying to show my daughter how he swung the bat. To be able to make a decision and adjust his hands based on that decision in less than half a second is just phenomenal.
Actually Cobb hit 5 homers in two straight games. One of his former teammates claimed he really was a natural talent; much more than Cobb ever claimed to be.
He tried to hit the homers. I think that a couple more hit the top of the fence and fell back in for triples in those games. Just amazing!!
Ty Cobb had the ability to hit home runs, but he liked the more mental aspects of the game during the dead ball (and what we now call small ball). Wade Boggs and Ichiro were both more than capable of hitting a lot of home runs, but they didn't do it because they saw their job as getting hits. However, Cobb was no natural. He worked very hard and studied to know how to hit so well.
@@wvu05 Smokey Joe Wood: "Cobb would outthink you. He was always step ahead."
Bert Sugar had one of the most remarkable brains this world has ever known. This guy knew more about sports than anybody, perhaps in the history of this country. And he is right on about Ruth, best ever. RIP Bert. RIP Babe.
Ty Cobb is the greatest ever baseball player
I think Ty Cobb was the greatest baseball player ever.
Al Stump was a fraud
Ty Cobb is nothing but a racist joke.
You’re right
I'm glad he mentioned "Gentleman George" Sisler, one of the greatest players of all time. he was an outstanding pitcher, and both George Brett and Stan Musial were pitchers before making major league rosters.
Cobb didn't "hate" Babe. He actually admired him! Read his autobiography My Life In Baseball and he said of Ruth of how good of a hitter he was who although known for his home run production, Babe would not always swing for the fences. He would hit a single to left field just as much as a blast. Ruth knew how to hit and Cobb did admire his hitting
Ruth hit .342, and his on-base percentage is 2nd only to Ted Williams. Ruth was a great all-round hitter.
Baby Ruth was the greatest ball player of all-time. He single handedly saved and changed the game. Mantle was the greatest physical talent. He might have been the greatest with healthy legs and less booze.
Bull shit tu cobb is the greatest it takes more than home runs and a fake point to left field
@@alexbergquist3110 now you and Mikey play nice. I heard the Babester was known to knock down a few bottles in a night, not to mention whatever else, and still make game time. they were all as great as we think. baseball was a hard tough serious business back then and with the way they travelled and time spent without the distractions of a 24 hour news cycle they actually lived the game hard in season and often barnstormed in off season. ty wasn't bad either and I could never say anyone was better.
If Mantle wasn’t an Alcoholic I would agree! He may have hit more homers than the babe! Ted Williams if not for WW2 and Korean wars not even Bonds would have beaten his home run record!
@@jerrybeck7749 Mantle was hated in NYC until Maris.
@@free-energy-systems why?
RIP - love sitting down and listen to the story behind the sports explained by Bert.
A great sports writer who is missed.
Who is this man?
@@chuckthedog6725 Bert Randolph Sugar. Very knowledgeable about boxing in particular, but obviously well-versed in many sports and enjoyed the discussions and controversies concerning sports: who's the greatest, are modern athletes better, etc. Quite a character, too. Whenever he was involved in a discussion, I felt compelled to listen in.
Michael, thank you man.
The best ever hes simply the best
The subtle beauty of baseball is also the "what if's." What if Mantle had always had good knees, and hadn't had Whitey Ford and Billy Martin as running buddies? What if Ernie Lombardi, the "slowest man" in baseball history (according to newspapers in his day) had possessed just average speed? Would Ernie have been the best hitting catcher ever?
I like to think that if Eddie Joost had played in New York, he would have far surpassed for respect and accomplishment Phil Rizzuto, Pee Wee Reese, and Al Dark. Great ballplayers not based in New York often got lost in the shuffle.
What the hell are you talking about?
You can do the samething with any other sport.
What if Mario Lemieux stayed healthy and never got cancer?
What if Gretzky was never traded?
What if Jordan's father never died and he continued playing?
@@robrick9361 Hey! Lighten up! What if Rob Rick hadn't been such a Debbie Downer?
Regardless of what people may think , Cobb was the greatest of all. He simply knew the game and invented how it's played today. Power,,,skill,,,,speed,,,strategy,,, you name it. He coined it and made baseball.
regardless of you say he wasn't-not even close.
Actually you are not correct. Babe Ruth is the greatest baseball player because he is the ONLY player to be a Hall of Fame pitcher and Hall of Fame hitter. But Cobb played in an era where you didn't hit home runs but tried to hit singles and then steal. One day toward the end of his career he announced he would try for one week only to hit home runs. He hit more home runs in one week and had more RBIs in one week than anyone up to that time and then went right back to hitting singles. He did it because he was tired of hearing that Babe was the greatest who ever lived. Joe DiMaggio has to rank 1st as an all round player - hitter and fielder and runner - because when he played the Yankees won. He got the hit when you needed the hit. Joe is like the Bill Russell of Baseball. Mays has to be second to Joe - even Willie says Joe was his hero. Joe's home run to strikeout ratio is the best ever.
The thing about him wanting to hit home runs at will is nonsense.if he could have hit home runs at will he would have.
Even taking away Ruth's pitching it'd absurd to say cobb was a better player.ruth was out homering every team in the league.you clearly don't understand how valuable that is.robb hit 21 points higher which is about ten singles a year.ill take ten more outs and take a guy who hits 50 more home runs.its not even close.
As far as DiMaggio getting clutch hits-simply not true.if it was he would have hit better in the world series.
Tommy Fu
First you have to understand baseball history. So here is the proof of what I wrote.
After enduring several years of seeing his fame and notoriety usurped by
Ruth, Cobb decided that he was going to show that swinging for the
fences was no challenge for a top hitter. On May 5, 1925, he began a
two-game hitting spree better than any even Ruth had unleashed. Sitting
in the Tiger dugout,
he told a reporter that, for the first time in his career, he was going
to swing for the fences. That day, he went 6 for 6, with two singles, a
double and three home runs.[87] The 16 total bases set a new AL record, which stood until May 8, 2012 when Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers hit four home runs and a double for a total of 18 bases.[88]
The next day he had three more hits, two of which were home runs. The
single his first time up gave him nine consecutive hits over three
games. His five homers in two games tied the record set by Cap Anson of the old Chicago NL team in 1884.[87]
Cobb wanted to show that he could hit home runs when he wanted, but
simply chose not to do so. At the end of the series, the 38-year-old
veteran superstar had gone 12 for 19 with 29 total bases and then went
happily back to his usual bunting and hitting-and-running. For his part,
Ruth's attitude was that "I could have had a lifetime .600 average, but
I would have had to hit them singles. The people were paying to see me
hit home runs."[89] Even so, when asked in 1930 by Grantland Rice
to name the best hitter he'd ever seen, Cobb answered, "You can't beat
the Babe. Ruth is one of the few who can take a terrific swing and still
meet the ball solidly. His timing is perfect. [No one has] the combined
power and eye of Ruth."[50]
BABE RUTH'S WIFE was previously Ty Cobb's girlfriend. She flat out said that
Ty Cobb was the better baseball player but Babe Ruth was a much nicer person.
CASEY STENGAL said Ty Cobb was superman. The reason Babe is always the greatest baseball player was that he is the only one of Hall of Fame pitching and hitting.
The FACT that Cobb had that week of amazing production and then went back to hitting singles is simply he thought the game was more exciting to watch. People got more excitement from watching Cobb, get a hit, then steal second, then steal third and then steal home, THAN watching Ruth hit a home run. I am not taking anything away from
Ruth (he changed the game forever), but Cobb came from the different era and different style of play. But if he wanted to he could easily have matched the Babe. He just didn't want to play baseball that way.
Second: regarding DiMaggio - you don't really understand how a baseball game works.
The idea is to win the game. So "clutch" is coming through so you end up winning the game. You don't have to have a great game as long as you win. WHAT DIMAGGIO'S TEAMs did was win and win more consistantly than any other team in history and DiMaggio was the leader on those teams. Without DiMaggio, the Yankees still win but don't win nearly as many pennant AND world series. DiMaggio, by the way he played and the way he held himself was considered to be the greatest player BY THE PLAYERS. THEY KNOW, because he was their inspiration. . Willie Mays said he was his hero.
Mickey Mantle said, No one could equal Dimaggio, Yogi Berra said he never saw him make a mistake. Ted Williams said he was the best player he ever saw. The idea is to win the game. Tommy Henrich said that when he first joined the Yankees it took him only three days of watching DiMaggio to realize he was seeing the greatest player he ever saw AND the greatest player anyone on his team had ever seen. He said you could look at statistics and point to this player and that player, but if you wanted to win a 9 inning game Joe D would be his choice all the time. Enough said
Recent scholarly research of primary historical source material has revealed that much of what this gentleman claimed to know about baseball was false and based on cultural myths. Some egregious, harmful, and diametrically wrong claims may have significant racial underpinnings. For example, the assertion that Ty Cobb was a terrible racist. The opposite is true. Ty Cobb, whose father was a staunch abolitionist, openly and emphatically advocated for racial integration of baseball.
Bert Sugar RULES
This was a very good video. He backs his opinions with thoughtful diagnoses.
Ty Cobb is the greatest baseball player of all time....Nobody comes close to second!!!!
Come on man. The Babe, Mickey Mantle before his knees, and obviously Teddy Ballgame. I will give you Cobb was the greatest ever at the psychological aspects, but those guys I mentioned were arguably much more physically gifted than Ty.
A case can be made for that but really there's an argument.
.366 lifetime average
Babe Ruth is the greatest baseball player. He was a HOF hitter and HOF pitcher. He stands alone . No one else was so versatile. Also batting aveerage is overrated. I would rather have a life time batting average of .342 and hit 714 home runs than Cobb's 366
I think Ruth is the GOAT but an argument could be made for others as Cobb, Mays, Bonds, Aaron, Williams, Musial and DiMaggio all had long and spectacular careers. The power of Ruth was so overwhelming during his era he would regularly hit more Home Runs than entire baseball teams. This shows how dominant he was. I think you must also mention his great pitching prowess which further separates him from the pack.
Bert Sugar is wonderful and brilliant!
Bert is just the best, love listening to him.
I agree....Babe Ruth went from terrific pitcher to terrific hitter.... No one else, that I am aware of ever did that. He was extreme in whatever he focused on... and it came naturally.... Even if he was boozed up.....
Quite intriguing ! I read Ty Cobb became a very wealthy man. I wonder if he invented the Corn Cobb Pipe. They were very popular at one time. Even Gen. Douglas MacArthur smoked one !
Bert Sugar understood sports in general, not just boxing.
Bert Sugar looks exactly what a sportswriter should look like
Ty Cobb .367 lifetime ...that's huge 👏
A record that will most likely never be broken. Not to mention records stealing home. 54!!! As a former pitcher myself, I can’t even imagine someone stealing home that many times. That would scare me to death! LOL
@@platecrumb7161 yes 👍 agree ...54 stealing home 🏡 remarkable record 👏
As a kid , greatest like : Jerry West , Bart Starr, Willie Mays.
As a kid, my favorite players were: Willie Mays/Juan Marichal; Len Dawson and Jerry West. Favorite Coach: Vince Lombardi
I guess I'm the oddball here. My favorite players were never the big stars, but the guys who did the "little things" to help the team win. Sure...I loved and appreciated Mantle, Aaron and Mays growing up, but I always loved the utility guy who could hit behind the runner, execute the suicide-squeeze or play any position on the field.
Entertaining. Yes, Honus Wagner is not valued enough for the great player he was...and Ernie Harwell was an amazing broadcaster and an an even more amazing person. I also agree with Bert's assessment of your favorite player. Mike Schmidt was the first player I fell in love with as a ballplayer and he's still my favorite.
R.I.P. Bert Sugar.
Glad to hear this man let it be known that he was politically incorrect!
The sad thing about Cy Young is he never won a Cy Young award.
I miss you Bert Sugar.
Such an interesting guy. A real classic.
Glad I found your channel...always liked this cigar-chomper. Babe Ruth is numero uno! Burt Sugar, fire that cigar up!
Great takes. Agree with all, except: I would Mays ahead of Jolting Joe.
No way. Mays was great but nothin compared to DiMaggio
@@countryboyred Really? Mays is widely considered to be one of the best defensive Center Fielders of all time as well as an amazing five tool athlete. In his 20s he was consistently a 30/30 player and was consistently a 40 homerun hitter in his 30s.
The Coaster Reviews I’m just biased. Always been a fan of joltin joe. Objectively mays was probably the better player. I concede the point good sir.
@@countryboyred Oh ok that's respectable. It's kind of like how I'm biased towards Yadier Molina on the whole Hall of Fame debate because I'm a Cardinals fan.
The Coaster Reviews I’m a cards fan too, and yadi definitely deserves to be in the hall of fame!
Bert talks about everything having a different connotation and I can only imagine what he would think of the hot mess the world has become.
Finally! Nobody even mentions Clemente as one of the best of all time, even though there was a time that Clemente was seen as better than Willie Mays
Nobody was better than Babe Ruth. As the host wrote, he not only was the greatest Home Run hitter of all time but before he was really into hitting home runs he was a hall of fame calliber picture winning 20 games in some seasons. The final game of Babe's career he was 41 years old batting .150 way below his career average of .250 & playing for Pittsburgh. He hit three home runs one of which was his final at bat & he hit the ball right out of the ballpark. UNREAL!!
I love listening to Bert Sugar, r.i.p..
Playing for the Boston Braves, not playing for Pittsburgh. Babe started and ended his career in Boston, Red Sox and Braves.
What other player in the entire 150 year history of baseball started out as a dominant starting pitcher, but was such a good hitter that his team was forced to make him an everyday player? A lot of people don't know that Ruth was such a good pitcher that he held the record for consecutive scoreless innings pitched in the world series for decades. Ruth was a force of nature.
The greatest is obviously Ruth. Great hitter, great pitcher, and changed the game. He was hitting more home runs than every team almost for chrissakes.
Deadend kid from the wrong side of the tracks, who smoked and drank whiskey and threw rocks at cops when he was ten years old. Or so they say. Talk about the phoenix rising out of the ashes..
I would love to hear what Bert Sugarman would say about Ohtani today.
"Steroids don't help hand-eye coordination". --The guy named Barry who apparently is unaware that when you damage your eyes they tend to give you steroids to help restore your vision.
He's right ...first hero for me was Tony Esposito in hockey 🏒 ...Joe Montana in football 🏈
What if Mays had not gone into the army at his prime age?
Ted Williams, Joe D and brother Dom, Bob Feller, and Hank Greenberg all lost far more time.
TheBatugan77 apples and antelopes none of your list were in the running for HR king.
What a naive comment about Barry Bonds and steroids. I'm sorry the late, great Bert Sugar never got around to explaining how Barry's hand-eye coordination and bat speed and power were all better at age 39 than they were at age 29. Give it a rest. Players like Bonds would never mess around with poison if it wasn't significantly benefitting their performance.
Yep Ruth was THE natural!
I was on steroids when I had cancer. Barry Bonds career exemplifies steroids. When I had cancer, I went from not being able to move 3 inches to grab my remote control for my TV to moving furniture out of a moving van. Once he brought steroids doesn't help into question, he lost all credibility.
11 homers in around 300 at bats in the deadball era.
Perhaps Ty was able to "slow 🐌 the game down"
My hero was Al Kaline great player and amazing human being.
Ruth-#1
Ruth was the greatest ever. Period.
No doubt about Ruth far and away greatest ever. Mays probably next. Also Ruth's pitching he had a ton of complete games.
Cobb.
I have a little bit of difference on the statement about steroids compared to hand-eye coordination. Yes, someone has to have the coordination to hit, but how many of those hits that would have been outs made it over the fence because of the extra muscle?
Always watch him he was awesome
considering all the greats who played this game, I love Griffey Jr. Would he be considered top 10 all time? I still think Babe Ruth is the best ever.
fehner27...Injuries to Junior compare him to Mickey Mantle in my mind. Neither is generally considered top 10, but we'll never really know. Both were eye-popping in their youths. The biggest "what if" when it comes to injuries is Sandy Koufax. He was the greatest pitcher the game has ever seen before an arthritic arm forced him to retire at 30 years old. J.R. Richard was a sure-fire HOFer before suffering a stroke early in his career. That guy was unhittable.
Cobb was great but the Babe, Mays and Aaron were better.
Babe was, the other two were not.
Baseball is the only sport where you can honestly rank the early players evenly and ahead of the modern players. Will anyone other than Sugar put Sammy Baugh ahead of Montana or Elway; Cousy equal to Jordan or Bird? I think it's because baseball hasn't changed as much over the last fifty years as the other sports. Night ball and relief pitchers are the biggest changes I can see.
bert sugar was the king ! . when he talks , you listen
I am sorry,what did you say again?!
The question about whether the old timers would be able to play against the superstars of the day? Of course, because they did. Mantle/Mays played with DiMaggio, who played with Gehrig, who played with Ruth and Cobb, who played against Wagner --- Teddy Williams played from the 30's to the '60s, and was a star in every year. These guys overlapped. So yeh, they'd be superstars today as well. But they wouldn't hit for the incredible stats they did because the rest of the team players are so much better, the relief pitchers come in now, etc. Some advantages with the live ball, no throwing at batters now, and the mound lowered. But as Goose Goslin said, there were the stars and then a lot of guys who just played but weren't very good. Today's players overall are much better. Better athletes, better trained. The averages would be way down (as they are for hitters today), because the pitchers are much stronger, everyone throws over 90 and has incredible movement on the ball, back then mostly fastball pitchers and many not too good. But Cobb, Ruth, Wagner -- they'd all be superstars still but they would facing shifts constantly and much tougher pitching. No more .400 hitters in this day and age. The discrepancy between teammates is so much less now, which is why overpaying for some players is so risky, becasue even a little slowing down or injury and you are just another average dude.
Okay heres the measure of a great player, first I'm going to say that Cobb was a big mouthed baby. now Ill tell you why. The measure of a great player is how he performs in crunch time. The babe was just that. I see on an interview here that Cobb named the Babe as the best player he ever saw, and he was right about that. Cobb's world series record> .231 5 rbi's choke. The babe? something like 15 home runs .370 ave. It has been awhile since I looked at it but its somewhere c around there . Your horses need to do what they did to get you there when the heat is on. Cobb could hit .400 as long as it wasn't crunch time then he'd choke. on the other hand The Babe had to deal with Cobb calling him an N word across the diamond and shoved it up Cobb's ass every time. The rumor was that Babe Ruth was black, and if you look at pictures of him young. He does have some traits. But Cobb was still fighting the civil war angry little minded man. and jealous of Ruth. He was a punch and judy hitter who made a living bunting, drawing walks and then using his speed. very effective drive a pitcher crazy. But a Power hitter will make a pitcher shit his pants. Nuff said. Babe Ruth hands down.
Yeah Ruth was a greater player, but just for the record Cobb played great in one of the three world series (three consecutive) he appeared in. In 1908 he went .368 with 3 runs scored and 4 rbi in 5 games. Detroit only had one other hall of famer on the team: Sam Crawford, who didn't like Cobb very much to begin with. Each world series they lost was to the clearly superior club. You're right though, his lifetime WS stats were very lackluster: .262 with 7 runs and 9 rbi, and uncharacteristically got caught on 4 of his 8 stolen base attempts.
Greg Jay oh, well... I'm glad you set the measure of a great player straight! Wonderful!!
Oh and dey wasn't "Kangs and shiiiiiit"!!! That's all already been debunked! Hahaaaa Ruth, Lincoln, Shakespeare, Mozart, Galileo...none of them were black! Lmbo
@@ronriggs9954 Is that all you took from his statement? Of all the things he said all you're focused on is that he said there was a possibility that Babe Ruth may or may not have been black? Lol smh
What are you smoking dude? First off. Cobb only played in 3 world series. Only 17 games. 262 avg not 231. Second take a look at his 1909 and 1911 seasons. Enough said. They both were great hall of fame players with different styles. Hard to compare.
@@stevenmiller1416 It is not very hard to compare. The reason Joe DiMaggio was a much greater hitter than Ted Williams (inspite of Joe DiMaggio having less home runs and less of a batting average is that Joe was clutch. But when Ted Williams needed to produce he hit poorly. So it is not just stats it is PERFORMANCE. BABE was the only hall of famer pitcher and hitter in history. Babe stands alone.
Head games I love this
Respect other people's opinions, people. Especially mine, which are always brilliant.
You have got to be kidding me,moron.
@@nibiruplanetx784
Watch it x.
Or you'll find out y.
@@nibiruplanetx784
You better check yourself. Or you'll get a steel toed boot jammed up your ass.
Fucker.
Sugar !!!!
Rogers Hornsby
cobb was by far better than ruth, the stats prove it
But don't forget, Ruth was not only a hitter, but he was a great pitcher as well
Ruth Is The Only Player In The Top Ten In 9 Major Offensive Categories:B.A./RBI/Runs/HRS/Total Bases/EBH/Slug.%/On Base%/OnBase Plus Slug.%
@@thecyclone8195 your wrong Ty Cobb is in there more than the babe
Joe DiMaggio Joe Montana Rocky Marciano all the best!!!
Regardless all hall of famers were great. Personal choices are just that .
Greatest player...Ted Williams
Yes, steroids can increase batting averages. And no, batting does not necessarily involve less thinking than batting.
Steroids can affect the brain in a way that improves reaction time because the brain is a muscle. Also, when fly balls become home runs because the batter takes steroids those are cases of outs turning into hits which obviously increases batting average.
As far as pitching being more intellectual, just read Ted Williams’ book on batting or talk to Tony Gwynn.
I won't keep repeating this. You don;t realize that the important thing is to win the game. The Yankees won the games. So it is like saying that Wilt Chamberlain was a greater basketball center than Bill Russell but Bill Russell's team' were in the finals 13 years in a row and won 11 Championships. BILL RUSSELL IS IN A CLASS BY HIMSELF. Bill Russel was the center of the team, the main REASON they won, but he wasn't the statistically greatest player. THAT IS NOT IMPORTANT. WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS THAT HE DID THE THINGS NEEDED TO WIN THE GAME. In baseball you have different heroes every day. It is not important that Joe D was greatest in the world seriesor the greatest statistically. It is important that the Yankees won more consistantly with him on the team than anyone else. If they were in a game when they would have have lost, Joe D did something that would change that and played the hero. But it is the leader's responsiblity to make sure they win the game. Joe D's teams did that better than all other teams. The leader doesn't care if he is the best every single game. In baseball every day there are going to be different heroes But day in and day out when he played the Yankees won largely do to him (same as with Bill Russell). That didn't happen with any player in history as much as it did DiMaggio.
Yogi Berra won more World Series than anyone and Casey Stengal said that the reason the Yankees won so many pennants and world series was that "He always played with his Man". The man he was referring to was Yogi Berra. Well Joe D, percentage wise was in the same way the Man for the years 1936 to 1951. You never heard anyone say Yogi was Better than Joe D. They are both in the same class. THEY did the things you need to do when you needed them to win the game. that is why Yogi had three MVP. Same with Joe.
Statistics are ALWAYS overrated. The idea is to win the game. STOP LOOKING AT STATISTICS TO GIVE YOU THE IDEA WHO IS GREATER. If you look at statistics Willie and Aaron and Mantle could be considered power hitters who couldn't hit for average. There are 6 GODS in basball - RUTH, GEHRIG, WILLIAMS, FOX, DIMAGGIO AND MUSIAL. They all hit many home runs and still batted over 325. You can't say that about Mays, Aaron or Mickey.
Wilt averaged 30 points per game on 54% shooting. Russell averaged 15 points per game on 44% career shooting. Their rates of rebounds and assists are comparable.
Russell played on more talented and better coached teams than did Wilt. You put Wilt in Boston and Russell in Philadelphia, you think Russell still wins more championships? You probably do. Pity you, reality is a tough pill to swallow when you are blind and drunk.
Clemente was great but he never hit 30 homers and rarely hit 20 homers or drove in 100 runs.
As an all- round baseball player there are about 20-25 greater than Cobb. He created the game as it was later played ? Ridiculous? He was the last player of the old era and players were then reinventing the game . Have you heard of Babe Ruth , Rogers Hornsby etc, the actual great players of the 1920s.
So according to the guy below it doesn’t matter what people think... we’ll, that includes him especially because he’s completely wrong about Ty Cobb... not only was Ruth a superior player, he was FAR superior...just check the numbers for proof not uninformed and dumb opinion.
Stan Musial, Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio,, Jackie Robinson, Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb, and Christy Mathewson, Sandy Koufax, and Derek Jeter were all the greatest player ever.
Jimmie Foxx too.
Ruth is the greatest ballplayer in history, because he was as good a pitcher as he was a hitter.
But without question, the greatest hitter in history crown, belongs to Tyrus Raymond Cobb.
Ted Williams and Pete rose baseball I q the best
Pop Lloyd. Wagner and Ruth both said he was the greatest so who can argue with them?
Nobody remember's HONUS WAGNER? Another stupid statement.
You know you can bring a horse to water but it doesn't mean he will drink. I just proved to you what I said and you still don't want (can't believe it). Oh, well. Nothing to be said about that. But the facts are the facts. COBB announced his intentions and he did what he said he would do and then PURPOSEFULLY went back to hitting singles and for average. He announced it before he did it. Amazing.
42
Rest in peace, Bert. But you are amazingly clueless.
Those are his opinions.
You have yours.
Cobb did NOT invent how the game is played today... ridiculous, infact.For one thing Cobb was no power hitter- ever notice how big a factor home runs are since 1920 or don’t you follow baseball?
Jim Truscott home runs had to travel further back then. Ruth lost over 300 homers because center field was 500 feet away in some stadiums. He hit 460+ foot FLYOUTS. Today that would be a monster homer, back then it was an out
I didn't know he died but he always praised his old white players and never gives black players any credit. He also criticized Muhammad Ali's boxing Style.
Your opinion does not make Ruth he best. It just makes it your opinion. But that's too broad a question, and too open to debate. So what if Ruth could pitch. This is coming from a guy who realizes that he was a dynamite pitcher. We'll never know how many great players could have played other positions.
DETROIT BITCH!!!!!!!