who is the greatest all-time player for your team?

[leftofthedial]

I live in Denver, so the greatest Rockies player of all time IMHO is . . .




Dante Bichette

[DaveinMD]

1. Babe Ruth

Best of all time for any team.

[leftofthedial]

2. better than Lou Gehrig

and Joe Dimaggio

better even than Bobby Murcer? LOL

[DaveinMD]

3. Gehrig was great

Ruth was best ever and he saved the sport. I love Bobby. He's being treated for a cancerous tumor in his brain. I hope he's doing okay.

[leftofthedial]

4. I always liked Murcer

I also wish him well.

Ruth was great. He was no Ted Wiliams, but he was pretty good . . . ;-)

[JackRiddler]

25. Who?

Oh, that fat guy who slugged deadballs in the era of slow-pitch. Right. Sort of like Steve Balboni, except before they invented sliders.

(Lord yes, I fear the baseball gods too much not to admit I'm kidding and please forgive the sacrilege.)

[Auggie]

5. I'd say Bob Feller, Cleveland

[leftofthedial]

6. even better than Vern Fuller?

really?


Hard to go wrong with Bullet Bob.

[Auggie]

7. LOL! Only a long-time Cleveland fan could remember that name.

A career .232 hitter and charter member of a dynasty of really lousy teams.

[leftofthedial]

8. how you Indians fans survived

some of the times your team put you through is a wonder . . .

[Auggie]

9. The entire city seems cursed. Sports-wise, that is.

[leftofthedial]

10. you sent Dan O'Dowd here

and infected Denver

[Auggie]

11. Well, I didn't send him. I moved from Cleveland in '79

Still follow the Tribe out of habit though.

O'Dowd was Director of Player Development for Cleveland from 1989-92, and Director of Baseball Operations / Assistant General Manager from 1993-98. A lot of great talent was brought up during those years -- Kenny Lofton, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Albert Belle, Charles Nagy... Dan O"Dowd was right in the middle of it.

[leftofthedial]

12. he seems to just LOVE "AAAA" utility players

The farm system has come a long way

but the Rockies keep trading players as soon as they get good at the major league level

[dflprincess]

13. I'd have a hard time picking between

Harmon Killebrew and Kirby Puckett, probably Kirby, but Harmon is a sentimental favorite.

[leftofthedial]

15. c'mon!

what about the eternally magnificent

Bombo Rivera?

[JackRiddler]

14. The Franchise - Tom Seaver

But here's hoping Jose Reyes joins him in the Hall of Fame - with five golden rings!

Mets over Red Sox in seven!

[leftofthedial]

16. the greatest Mets player of all time was and always will be

Marv Throneberry

no question about it

[JackRiddler]

17. Ed Kranepool, if we must go there.

No one's Mettier than him! Or Buddy Harrelson. (One thing about the Mets is, there's always hope for a greater day. It's not like the Yankees will ever exceed their past greatness, even if they win 27 championships this century.)

Well no, given that the Mets are the National League in New York City, I hereby on their behalf lay claim to Willie Mays (the real one, not the nice old fellow who actually played for the Mets).

I suppose the true greatest Mets of all time are those who tragically weren't: Gooden & Strawberry. (To think I was jealous of the former, back when we were both 19 and he was making a million dollars a year more than me.)

[leftofthedial]

18. I always loved this line about AMrvelous Marv

Jimmy Breslin--"Having Marv Throneberry play for your team is like having Willie Sutton work for your bank."

I might have to consult the judges on your Willie Mays claim, since another Mational League city seems to have a somewhat stronger claim . . .

Gooden and Strawberry . . . makes you wonder, doesn't it? How a culture can create such tragic self destruction. Two guys who seemed to have everything going for them.

[JackRiddler]

20. Bah, are you telling me Andre Dawson was a Washington National?

Aristotle says: The Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants are no more. The true successor is the Mets. Ergo, Jackie Robinson was a Met.

Go ahead, argue otherwise. My logic is impenetrable! Ha ha ha!

Or how did the elder generation of my city put it? "Hitler, Stalin and Walter O'Malley."

[leftofthedial]

22. No. Andre Dawson was a Cub.

Barry Foote was a Washington National.

O'Malley did Brooklyn a favor. Paved the way for getting rid of that eyesore, Ebbet's Field.

[JackRiddler]

23. Okay, I see someone here wants enemies!

Them's fighting words, Brooklyn hater. You are challenged to bring your gang to the alley for a fight with rocks and stickbats, if you dare. (Actually, I hate Brooklyn too, but from Queens, where that's allowed. If you're outside the 5 boroughs, you'd better show some respect!!!)

[leftofthedial]

24. would that be "rocks, stickbats and scissors"?

LOL

[JackRiddler]

28. This afternoon, right after the ice-truck delivery!

We're gonna getcha!

[LaStrega]

33. he was ...

for a while. *sigh*

He (and the wife) named his daughter Amber ... can't be all bad!

(edit: fixed year)

[Loge23]

40. Seaver - Mr. Met

I have to agree with your pick of Tom Terrific.
Over the years I have thought a lot about this question - fortunately, after 45 years, we have a several good candidates.
But there's only one Seaver. He brought credibility to the team and along with the Great Jerry Koosman, Gary Gentry, and the rest of the 69er's brought us the first Mets WC. When he went to the Reds, I was devastated. Of course, it wasn't long after that Tom pitched his no-no - ours really. After 45 years we're still waiting for a Met no-hitter.
Other short-list worthy candidates IMO:
Keith Hernandez - 86 wouldn't have happened without him.
Ron Swoboda: No HOF'er, but a Met through and through.
Jerry Koosman: The great underrated lefty alongside Tom.
Doc Gooden: What could've and should've been.
Darryl Strawberry: Our own Willie Mays - sad, what a player!

Honorable mention: Carter, Piazza, Grote - the great catchers.
Are we in another golden age? Reyes, Wright (better wake up), John Maine? We'll see.

[KitchenWitch]

19. Toss up between Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, and Harmon Killebrew.

On edit:

Had Kirby Puckett's career not been cut short, I think he would have been the Twins' best player hands down.

[leftofthedial]

26. Ahh. Tony Oliva.

What a great hitter he was. When I was a kid--and a serious ballplayer--I saw a video on how to bunt featuring Rod Carew. He could lay a t-shirt down anywhere in the infield and bunt the ball so it would stop on the shirt. Serious bat control. Also as a kid, I remember my former pro ballplayer uncle and his scout cronies talking about how scary it was for opposing pitchers to face Harmon. He was still playing at the time, which gives away my age, I guess.

[AllegroRondo]

21. Brewers - Robin Yount

although *technically* we also have Hank Aaron. He played one season (his last) as a Brewer, and they retired his number out of respect for what he did for the city of Milwaukee.

[leftofthedial]

27. Robin Yount and Paul Molitor

that was a talented duo

[AllegroRondo]

29. they still have the Wold Series records

for most hits in one game (5) by Molitor
and most hits between two players (9), during game one in 1982.

[Forkboy]

30. It would have to be Ted Williams.

Though I'm a Yaz fan myself.

[leftofthedial]

31. Greatest hitter who ever lived

Teddy Ballgame
The Splendid Splinter

The last good republican

[LaStrega]

32. Ernie Banks

But I also love Ron Santo.

[leftofthedial]

34. let's play two!

i always liked Billy Williams too.

[chieftain]

35. George Brett, without question.

[leftofthedial]

37. no way

U.L. "The Toothpick" Washington was the king of the Royals.

Everyone knows that.

[chieftain]

39. Thanks, I am sooo embarrassed for not knowing that.

[leftofthedial]

41. LOL

I'm just kidding. Freddie Patek was actually the best . . .

[Gemini Cat]

36. Jackie Robinson

[leftofthedial]

38. Jackie wasn't even the best player on his team

BUT he was the best man in baseball, especially those first couple of seasons. Utterly remarkable achievement.