Today's debate for Hall of Fame worthiness centers on Barry Larkin. Playing his entire 19 year career for the Cincinnati Reds, there's no denying from anyone at FBJ that Larkin was a great player, outstanding shortstop, and great ambassador of the game. The question looms does he break down the HOF wall based on talent, numbers, and impact to deserve enshrinement in Cooperstown? This debate has pit Hersh and I on opposite sides of the fence. We both agree he was a great player, but HOF candidacy is where the line in the sand has been drawn. It would seem baseball writers are equally split on this issue, although Larkin's stock is rising. In 2010, Larkin received 51.6% and in 2011, he received 62.1%.
Showing posts with label Reds. Show all posts
The Reds are one of the original 8 teams and have a rich tradition of success. The Red Stockings, as they were once called, have had a multitude of hitting talent over the years and several key names did not make our list. You won't find Adam Dunn, either Griffey, or George Foster on the list. Pitching isn't particularly strong in Reds history, the only real weak position. Here's the team.
C - Johnny Bench
1B - Ted Kluszewski
2B - Joe Morgan
SS - Barry Larkin
3B - Tony Perez
OF - Frank Robinson
OF - Vada Pinson
OF - Pete Rose
SP - Don Gullet
SP - Bucky Walters
CL - John Franco
Perez played over 700 games at 3B, so he qualified there as far as we're concerned. Rose played everywhere, so he could have slid into a few spots. The race between Larkin and Dave Concepcion was closer than I thought. They were similar types of players, but Larkin was just a bit better and has an MVP award. Some arguments can be made in the outfield, but Vada Pinson seemed to be the most complete player after Robinson and Rose. Bucky Walters has an MVP award, and Don Gullet pitched very well for the Big Red Machine of the 1970s. All in all, a pretty complete team. What changes would you make?
C - Johnny Bench
1B - Ted Kluszewski
2B - Joe Morgan
SS - Barry Larkin
3B - Tony Perez
OF - Frank Robinson
OF - Vada Pinson
OF - Pete Rose
SP - Don Gullet
SP - Bucky Walters
CL - John Franco
Perez played over 700 games at 3B, so he qualified there as far as we're concerned. Rose played everywhere, so he could have slid into a few spots. The race between Larkin and Dave Concepcion was closer than I thought. They were similar types of players, but Larkin was just a bit better and has an MVP award. Some arguments can be made in the outfield, but Vada Pinson seemed to be the most complete player after Robinson and Rose. Bucky Walters has an MVP award, and Don Gullet pitched very well for the Big Red Machine of the 1970s. All in all, a pretty complete team. What changes would you make?
Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter have connected people more intimately than ever before. Not surprisingly, many athletes have taken to Twitter as a means to communicate with fans and create online entourages. While a lot of these athletes are gracious with their time, answering questions and providing inside looks at their lives, Brandon Phillips has repeatedly gone above and beyond. In a time when most off the field/court stories are negative, it's nice to see some cool stories involving a professional player and his fans.
Last month, an 8th grader tweeted that Phillips should check out his U-14 baseball game. Phillips happened to be eating at a nearby Cincinnati restaurant. Not having a game that night, Phillips showed up to the kid's game, met the team, and signed autographs. What an exciting moment for the kid. I thought it was a pretty cool gesture. Then today, I was watching the game of the week on Fox, and they were showing bonus coverage of the Reds/Giants game. The announcers noted that Phillips challenged his Twitter followers to guess his high school football number. The two fans that guessed correctly were flown to San Francisco, on the ball player's dime, for the entire four game set with the Giants. Phillips even hung out with them part of the day yesterday.
Every mis-step of professional athletes are well documented and covered by the media. It's refreshing to see someone using advanced technology like Twitter for something so engaging and endearing to fans.
Last month, an 8th grader tweeted that Phillips should check out his U-14 baseball game. Phillips happened to be eating at a nearby Cincinnati restaurant. Not having a game that night, Phillips showed up to the kid's game, met the team, and signed autographs. What an exciting moment for the kid. I thought it was a pretty cool gesture. Then today, I was watching the game of the week on Fox, and they were showing bonus coverage of the Reds/Giants game. The announcers noted that Phillips challenged his Twitter followers to guess his high school football number. The two fans that guessed correctly were flown to San Francisco, on the ball player's dime, for the entire four game set with the Giants. Phillips even hung out with them part of the day yesterday.
Every mis-step of professional athletes are well documented and covered by the media. It's refreshing to see someone using advanced technology like Twitter for something so engaging and endearing to fans.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
