All-Time All-Stars: Part II (Thomas Sowell)

Creators Syndicate ^ | July 6, 2012 | Thomas Sowell

[jazusamo]

Trying to choose the greatest pitcher of all time is at least as difficult as trying to choose the greatest hitter of all time. In both cases, the best we can do is narrow down the list.

Outside a charmed circle of five batters, no one had both a higher lifetime batting average and a higher lifetime slugging average than any of those five. In alphabetical order, they are Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby, Babe Ruth and Ted Williams. There are other batters whose lifetime records came close, including Barry Bonds, Jimmie Foxx and Hank Greenberg. But close cannot define the greatest.

[Figment]

That’s a dog that knows some baseball history :)

[razorback-bert]

Steve Carlton

[Notary Sojac]

There's a great story or two about Gibby brushing guys back in an old timers' game.

[rawcatslyentist]

Back then it was real people with real jobs that played.

The hitters had it easier, with less capable pitchers.

Here in the 21st, it has become a steroid mechanized E German precision like machine.

They took the people out of it. I care not to watch even more felonious millionaires on TV. Aren't there enough already?

[jazusamo]

I tend to agree. Years ago the great players had their natural ability, worked at it and gave the sport their all.

Some players now and in the not so distant past have chosen to enhance their game in various ways subverting the rules, for me the game has lost much of its appeal.

[boop]

That's why Ruth IS the greatest. It's fun to compare people from different eras and how they would do if placed at a different time, but we can't do that. All we can do is look at how someone performed in their own era.

By any measure, Ruth was literally levels above anyone else.