Comments on: **DiMaggio Pozterisk

By: Bob Kelly

Bob Kelly — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 20:39:33 +0000

Didn’t the great Joe D lead all outfielders in errors in 1937?

Lemme Know if you can.

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:53:58 +0000

Joe D had a great season in 1941, but you have to discount his numbers to account for the fact that he didn’t have to compete against African-American ballplayers at that time. Frankly, I’d put an asterisk next to all pre-integration statistics for that very reason.

By: Josh in DC

Josh in DC — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:42:46 +0000

I’m pretty sure that the votes for DiMaggio were based on the standard BBWAA belief that the MVP is, essentially, the best player on the best team. If that’s your criteria, then DiMaggio is a pretty darn good choice. Where it says that OUGHT to be your criteria, I have no idea.

By the way — Alex Ovechin won the NHL’s Most Valuable and Most Outstanding Player awards yesterday. I bring this up because I think it’s pretty cool that they have both awards in the NHL.

By: Ode

Ode — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 05:03:50 +0000

Joe had 9 World Series rings. That stat is what sets him apart from Jr. and why I’d choose him for my team.

By: Creston

Creston — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:49:30 +0000

“SOHU:

Prince”

Hey now!

By: Creston

Creston — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:45:48 +0000

“On the other hand, as big game heroes go Tyree is more of a Bucky Dent or Aaron Boone. And we donâ€™t know if the Giants will go on to win more championships.”

True. But everyone I’ve talked to anywhere says that that was the absolutely pivotal play of the game (with the flubbed interception by whatshisface second), and it did lead to the defeat of what everyone was already hailing as “The Greatest Team Ever!”.

Hehehe, I can’t help but chuckle when I think of how white Dan Shaughnessy must have gotten because of that play. There went his pretty 19-0 book. The idiot.

By: Creston

Creston — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:39:47 +0000

“DiMaggio hit .315/.391/.522 with 20 homers, 97 RBIs in 141 games and won the MVP.

Williams hit: .343/.499/.634 with 32 homers, 114 RBIs, 125 runs in 156 games.”

That’s just robbery right there. Ofcourse, New York was by far the best team, and Boston was kinda so-so. How many times have we seen guys from better teams with the MVP over a guy from a worse team with better numbers?

The BBWAA everybody!

The idea that DiMaggio was overrated is kind of absurd. He’s easily one of the 30 best ballplayers ever. He never helped himself by wanting to be called “The Best Living Ballplayer” though, since he clearly wasn’t.

By: Creston

Creston — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:35:19 +0000

“he did make the single greatest play in NFL history.”

I dunno. Manning to Tyree pretty much beats that, if you ask me.

By: Josh in DC

Josh in DC — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:54:51 +0000

He’s terrific. There, I admitted it: Joe DiMaggio was a terrific ballplayer.

I just think the case for him begins with playing centerfield and batting third (I think?) for a team that basically never lost. Others base the case on the hit streak and the HR/K ratio. That’s not a number I care about for anyone else. (Does anyone know, off the top of his or her head who ELSE hit more than 200 homers with fewer than 400 strikeouts? Is there a list somewhere?)

I’d imagine it was cool, having the entire county following the hitting streak. They were overrating it, too. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: Ted Williams was a better hitter for those 56 games, too.

Comparing him to Junior (which is what started this), DiMaggio had all the benefits of avoiding many of the best ballplayers in country, who were denied access because of the color of their skin. He probably never faced a righty specialist out of the bullpen. And he got to play, what, half his games against the Washington Senators, Philadelphia A’s, and St. Louis Browns? That couldn’t hurt.

Ah, whatever. Nevermind.

By: Buchholz Surfer

Buchholz Surfer — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:31:58 +0000

If you’ve ever played a lot of baseball, trying to play at the highest level you could, until you finally got to the one level where you were so completely overmatched by the pitching that you could no longer even make a team, then you have to be impressed by anyone hitting home runs more often than they struck out, playing against the greatest pitchers in the world.

I just don’t understand how you could NOT be impressed by that.