Players of yesterday could be stars in today's game, how about vice versa?

As a Yankee Fan since 1944, I have seen some of the Greatest players in baseball play. As I am 78 years old, I don't have a PC bone in my body, I believe PC is BS and answer questions with the truth, as well as I know it to be. Don't believe in following the crowd, therefore, I get in trouble for some of the things I comment on.
The point being...the (So called) experts say one can't compare players of 40/50 years ago to the players of today...they are right, and not, so much!
They are right if, one only goes from the stats page of each player.
They are wrong if they don't take into account the time in the history of the game along with the equipment, fields, medical help, training and contracts.
These are a few players that wouldn't be stars back a few years...let's say the '70s!
Mo, Jeter, Posada, "Big Popi"!
Oh, Oh, I stepped on the untouchables, Right? Well, look at it like it was...
Mo is a one pitch pitcher for one inning only...right? The rules back in the day were to get a save one had to pitch more than one inning. He still would have been great but not for as long or as many saves.
Jeter, a singles hitter would never have been as good unless he changed his hitting style and played better defense. The pitchers back in the day would have hurt him because they believed the plate was their property. Jeter dives into the ball and would have a lot of trouble getting out of the way of the high hard one...no helmets back then.
Posada, was a good catcher but not that good, his hitting kept him in the game as was shown in his last year.
Big Popi, is the real one that would have suffered the most, he would have had to play 1st and hit (no DH). He would NOT have had all the armor that he has now so he can sit on top of the plate. He sits there to make the pitcher have only 2/3 of the plate to pitch to. The pitchers would move him off the plate with high hard ones and it would be that way until he gave up or got hurt.
If anyone doubts me about what the pitchers would do to Jeter and BP get over it, that is the way the game was played and with a much bigger strike zone...letters down to the knees, not the waist to the knees.
Many say guys like Mickey and Whitey would not make it in this game today. Wrong, try getting a fastball of 100 mph past him...not so good of an idea and the strike zone so small he would have hit over 700 HRs in his 16 years. He still has the most WS HR's ever!
Whitey was a master pitcher, he didn't go for a strike out unless he had to have one. His problem was, he was so good, the manager (C. Stengel) always had him face the best the other team had. He gave up an average of 1/2 HR a game and still has the most WS wins in history.

If no trades are made for 2016

Last year I said....
"The Yankees came up with a trade for a real SS in Didi and I for one, am happy to see the move. He is called a; "good glove no hit guy", which is something I very much disagree with! He put up respectable numbers...all be it, for a limited amount of regular playing time!
I say, let him prove he need not be platooned, in Spring Training.
The Yankees don't need Ryan and Drew is superfluous, as I see it. We have TWO kids ready to try and win the 2nd base job, Refsnyder and Pirela. My choice would be Pirela, but only because we need someone that can play many positions as well as 2nd base. With a Big caveat, IF there is a way to bring them both north in the spring, I would go with Refsnyder at 2nd base and Pirela as a utility player. Both of them will outhit Drew, and the word is Refsy, makes some great plays and covers a lot of ground with a strong arm. He needs to work on his footwork around the bag, which is the last thing to come around. We have two good bats and Avg. 2nd basemen, both of which will only get better no matter which they choose."

Well, Pirela is gone, but Refsy is still with us and hopefully he will be the 2nd baseman in 2016 although he may start with Dustin Ackley in a platoon situation.
Now is the time to see what the kids have or don't have! I don't mean to have them come off the bench, I mean let them have the same chance as Solarte and before him Jeter and Bernie, etc.!
I will reiterate what I have been saying for years about the young kids...play them or lose them! We have many, many players all over the majors that were ours...we traded them away for a fading star player that may have helped us somewhat for a year or two.
 IF no trades are made....We have Bird one step away from an injury of being in the Show again in 2016. We have Judge that needs to show he will be able to hit Big League pitching as will Refsy and Sanchez. Will they bring up a 4th outfielder, and if so, who should it be? How about Slade Heathcott, a somewhat proven player in the Show and fills in very nicely for LF and CF, in fact, he is both of those guys in a younger (often injured body) and both of our guys need much more rest than they have gotten in the last few years. And some wonder why they fade in September...news flash, small injuries and wore out!
Now is the time to see what the kids have or don't have! I don't mean to have them come off the bench, I mean let them have the same chance as Solarte and before him a guy by the name of Lou Gehrig, he turned out ok!

Which has the best stats for the Hall of Fame?

Hall Of Fame Statistics
Player rank in (·)

Black Ink    Batting - 68 (13), Average HOFer ≈ 27
Gray Ink    Batting - 212 (35), Average HOFer ≈ 144
Hall of Fame Monitor    Batting - 363 (6), Likely HOFer ≈ 100
Hall of Fame Standards    Batting - 76 (5), Average HOFer ≈ 50
JAWS     Shortstop (2nd), 116.0 career WAR/64.2 7yr-peak WAR/90.1 JAWS
Average HOF SS (out of 21) = 66.7 career WAR/42.8 7yr-peak WAR/54.7 JAWS

 












Hall Of Fame Statistics
Player rank in (·)

Black Ink    Batting - 10 (241), Average HOFer ≈ 27
Gray Ink    Batting - 145 (99), Average HOFer ≈ 144
Hall of Fame Monitor    Batting - 337 (11), Likely HOFer ≈ 100
Hall of Fame Standards    Batting - 67 (19), Average HOFer ≈ 50
JAWS     Shortstop (12th), 71.7 career WAR/42.2 7yr-peak WAR/57.0 JAWS
Average HOF SS (out of 21) = 66.7 career WAR/42.8 7yr-peak WAR/54.7 JAWS

Which of these Stats belongs to whom?
Then go through all the stats of each player and maybe one of you can tell me why one is a sure fire first ballot Hall inductee and the other isn't.
Other than personalities, hype and most fans believing what is said bad about one of them and everything good about the other.
In case you haven't caught on yet, the media prints what a manager wants them to print...not so much now days, but in the 90s it was so. The hype began in 1996 and got so big and snowballed so much even the players began to believe it was true.
It is easy to fool the fans, most of them come to watch the game and know little about the game itself. I mean the way plays are made by one player and the same play gets a; "Wow, what a play, he dove and came up with it. When actually, if he had better range and quickness he would have made the play look like an ordinary play.

Will the players on the Farm get a Shot

I hope these signings are only for the year, because it makes no sence what so ever! We have a plethora of lefty BP pitchers just knocking DOWN the door for a chance to play next year. For once I would love to see the Yankees use the head on their shoulders for more than a hat rack.
I can understand them doing this (as you pointed out before) for the contract control situation. So I am hoping the guys on the farm...40 man or not, get a fair shot at making the team next year.
As most know, I am a proponent of the home grown talent first, with that in mind I think the GM of this team should make a case for NOT signing any player to more than a 5 year contract if over 30 years old.
A caveat, if I may, depending on the position said player plays and what we have down on the farm.
Example: Melky and Jackson were traded at a young age for reasons other than talent but, this trade for a two year rental has been going on for years. It MUST stop. Why would a big time talent with a chance to go to college want to sign with the Yankees knowing he may never play no matter how he did on the farm until he is in his mid to late 20's.
We have players on the Farm right now that may be able to help the team this year, and maybe not. I have no problem with (at this late date) holding them over for next years spring training...but I don't want them to be left behind because of the contract given to an over the hill player. Some players take a while to adjust to the speed of the majors, and get sent back down, only to come back latter because they finally figured it out. Hell, Mickey was sent back down, he came back and look what he did.

Not meant to be derogatory at all, I just don't understand!


Maybe I am just to old and have seen to many very good, to great players, from Joe D, Whitey Ford, Yogi and the best of them all...Mickey to now. And I just don't get it! Other then being a nice guy, playing SS for the Yankees for 20 years, hitting 1st or 2nd, having 2,660 more plate appearances than any Yankee, other than homers he should have most of the Yankee hitting records.
Ok, he has over 3400 hits but he is a singles hitter and pitchers have no fear of him in game winning situations, he has never been a dominant player, in the field he isn't even rated among the top 350 SS. He is a hitter playing SS below avg., he has a few Gold gloves but we all know they are given to players by popularity many times. In 20 years he has been named the best player on the Yankees 3 times, we have a player that has played for the Yankees eight years with 4 best player honors.
I see Jeter has many good points but, the idea of him being one of the all time Great Yankee players is silly!
I do see Jeter as one of if not the best Yankee SS we have ever had. HoF awaits him, for sure. Everyone of the Greatest Yankees were Dominant players of their time for more than 10 years or more, something Jeter has never been.
Respect him and how he has played and what he has done...I do. HoF player, yes! 100% votes BS, not even close.
So, to almost all the fans, Yes broadcasters, and New York Media, Jeter IS the Greatest Yankee ever.
If they change it to one of The Greatest Yankees of the 21st Century, I'll buy into it...if not, then it is a shame they missed seeing some of the real Dominant Yankee players of all time and again...I just don't get it, and never will!
Get it straight, I am pointing out the Hype he has had over these many years starting with Joe T and then the media and broadcasters of YES on to the New York media. Even at the game last night one of the announcers pointed out how his hitting is not that good in clutch situations (which he quickly added; "I may get kicked out of here for that!" or something like that). But they continue to hit him #2, nobody wants to confront Jeter except Cashman and sooner or later he will change the hitting order.
The fans under 50+/- think I am trying to down play Jeter and his worth to the Yankees? I am not, I am just looking at him with very clear eyes, and they may be old but, they are never clouded by what others demand I believe, just because they say it is true doesn't make it so.
DOMINATE is the key word some seem to forget, that separates the truly great players form the very, very good players.
Jeter is not one of the Greatest Yankees, he is one of the Greatest 21 Century Yankees...as of now, along with A-Rod, Andy and Mo.

Hype a Ball Player so much so often.....!

When Player is hyped so much by his Manager Joe T, and then the New York Sports Media, is it any wonder those of you that grew up with Jeter at SS, think of him as one of the greatest Yankees ever!
Not even close fans, I go by what I see and what the stats tell me about a player, I could care less if he was as hard to play with as Ty Cobb. Or, going the other way, Jeter is loved by many NY fans... but his Hype doesn't match up with his stats or his play on the field.
Other than 2012 Jeter hasn't hit over .300 since 2009 at all. And has gone from an average fielding SS to a not very good SS. Anyone ever think, many plays made by an infielder that are Fantastic, are only that way because the person didn't have the range to be there for the ball in the first place.When there was talk of moving him out of the #2 slot or sitting him more, well let's say he wasn't too happy about it.The guy was a great hitting shortstop for 17 years, but 2009 was his last good year. He will make it into the HoF, because of what? 3,000 hits? The reason I ask is there are about 28 (soon to be 30+) guys in that club. Other than that, what MLB record other than Strike outs is he in the top 20 (all time)?

Well, here are just a few; Strike outs #17, Hits #9, AB 10850 #13, Runs scored #11 1899, Hitting into DP 278 #15 and dig this one OBP .379 #168.
The guy has never been rated as one of the top 2 SS in the AL. (Gold Gloves are popularity awards not skill level) He has had almost time and a half the At Bats of any other Yankee in the history of the game. He should have all those hitting records by now.
If one takes away all the Hype surrounding Jeter and his play. One finds a Better than Average All-Around SS playing on the largest stage in the world.
I have been watching the Yankees since 1944 and have never seen as much Hype of a player as I have with Jeter. Mo didn't get that type of hype, do you understand Why this was so? Simple; he didn't need it!
For the last 10 years I have listened to Jeter this and Jeter that! The Yankees won WS games from 1996 to 2000 (except for 1997) because of the team. Other than 2009, nothing since. Jeter was still here, he has been one of the best SS the Yankees have ever had. And should be going to the HoF, as he will...but, don't go thinking he was in the same class, as a ball player, as some of the really "Greatest Yankees"! Hype is not what makes a ballplayer Great...Talent, Heart and Domination have a lot to do with it. Jeter has the first two, which puts him among the best, but not...The Greatest!

The real Joe T...

We had a hell of a set-up guy once by the name of Proctor (Sp), Joe T used him so much Cashman told him to set him down for a few days rest. Joe set him for a day and got him up time and again. Cashman got upset and traded him to get him away from Joe and protect his arm.
It was a year before Proctor was near himself again.
Why do you think they put in the Joba rules, because Joe thought he was the boss and didn't take orders from a desk jockey. He thought he was the reason the team won.

Let us not forget the time in Cleveland when the nats got after Joba, Joe was asleep in the dugout, came out onto the field and didn't even know if he would have to take Joba out if he went to check on him... 2nd time in an inning is automatically out of the game...! I guess the old joke of Joe T sleeping away the game was true!
Joe had a very good relationship with the Media, it was  good for him and bad for anyone not in "The Click" news would show up in the press/blogs labeled something like "anonymous source, tells me ....whatever he wanted to have them make public! Or "that single in the 5th really set the tone for us, another clutch job!" When it should have been more like Posada hit a line drive into the gap scoring Johnny for the game winner"!

What does a boss do if you go to them demanding a raise and he thinks you are not that valuable to them?
The same thing the Yankees did with Joe T., make an offer he HAD TO REFUSE!  Joe T was a big time loosing manager before the Yankees gave him a team he only had to fill out the line-up once and make copies of day after day and win without doing anything except make himself look good. When the team started to get old what happened...they no-longer won. He was asked to play some of the younger kids and would just forget it because he was the manager

From gathered information and sources....my opinion was so shaped.