1973 Topps #1
My thoughts on seeing this card were, "Those are certainly three of the all-time greats. You could put them on a Mount Rushmore of baseball." Yes, but Rushmore has four Presidents. If we start with Ruth, Aaron and Mays, who would be the fourth? I know, this isn't an original thought but it did pop into my head as I described. Care to share your thoughts? Would you start with the home run kings? I can't imagine a baseball Mt. Rushmore without The Babe. Or maybe you could. Who's on your baseball Mt. Rushmore?
Mantle.
ReplyDeleteGuess your logo says it all.
DeleteI think you have to throw a pitcher up there unless you have separate Rushmores for pitching and offense.
ReplyDeleteHard to say this as a Cubs fan, but probably Stan the Man rounds out that top 4 offensively.
It's almost an impossible task, I agree. Much easier to do by position, era or team. But even a Cubs Rushmore might be tough. Banks, Santo, Williams and Jenkins are easy but you have to leave out guys from the early days.
DeleteTeddy Ballgame
ReplyDeleteI'm currently at about page 420 in the most recent Williams bio, "The Kid". I think it's a better read than the Montville book. Assuming he avoided the injury bug Ted's offensive numbers would have been much closer to Willie's had he not spent so much time in the service.
Deletemy mount rushmore is garvey, cey, russell, and lopes. but to answer your question - ruth, aaron, mays, and cobb sounds about right.
ReplyDeleteHard to argue with Cobb. I guess pitchers need their own monument.
DeleteI'd have to go with Cobb as well, though Ted Williams is a close runner-up.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that Cobb and Williams did have a friendship of sorts. Cobb was critical of Williams for not trying to beat the shift by hitting to left. Here's a photo of the two of them together, where else but by the batting cage,
Deletehttp://blogs.eagletribune.com/smittyonbaseball/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Ty-Cobb-and-Williams.jpg
With Ruth, Aaron and Mays there, it seems a crime to include anyone who isn't Ted Williams.
ReplyDeleteGonna have to go with Williams. Pitchers would need their own monument.
ReplyDeleteI suppose many will see this as an "easy cop-out," but in all seriousness, how do you not have Robinson in a Rushmore of baseball? People who don't even follow the game know his name and his significance to the game and beyond.
ReplyDeleteNot a cop-out but starting the with home run kings skews things a certain way I think.
DeleteI'm liking Ted Williams
ReplyDeleteWilliams is certainly the leading candidate
DeleteThe Splendid Splinter. 1st all-time in OBP, 2nd all-time in SLG (to Ruth). Missed almost 5 seasons to two different wars.
ReplyDeleteOne estimate was that Ted would have hit 669 home runs.
DeleteAnd Mantle had bad knees for 17 seasons.
DeleteToo easy...Barry Bonds, aka the best baseball player to ever play the game.
ReplyDeleteHa! That's funny!
DeleteSomeone beat me to it, but I gotta agree with David above.
ReplyDeleteHow does anyone create a Mount Rushmore of baseball and neglect Jackie Robinson?
Can't be done.
I suppose you can't choose just four. Impossible mission.
Tough to leave off Jackie. He needs a monument of his own though. I wish there was a different way to honor him than having everyone wear 42 once a year. I may be in the minority but I find it too gimmicky and it annoys me.
DeleteYou may be in the minority, but you have company. It's like "Everyone be PC for a day, because the commissioner said so".
DeleteIt IS a gimmick, and takes the focus away from the game. Did baseball really need these gimmicks?
Michael Jordan attempting to play baseball
Garth Brooks attempting to play baseball
Minnie Minoso attempting to play baseball after the 1960s
I will weigh in with Cy Young, 511 Wins a whole lot of other impressive things via baseball reference
ReplyDeletehttp://www.baseball-reference.com/players/y/youngcy01.shtml
You're the first to actually go with a pitcher. I guess guys and chicks "dig the long ball". Maybe If I had started with Cy Young, Walter Johnson and Christy Mathewson the answers would have been different.
DeleteHmmm.... I thought he began by saying this round was for HR kings (which would exclude pitchers and Jackie Robinson).
ReplyDeleteI'd go with Ruth, Aaron, Mays, and Mantle. (Yes, Williams has more HRs, but I need to put Mantle in there somewhere.)
Superb topic! Glad to hear no one is pushing the dope fiends. Lou Gehrig would be my choice for fourth. Ty Cobb could and should be up there two but that would mean dropping Mays or Aaron.
ReplyDelete