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.
