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Appling
08-25-2006, 07:15 AM
Perhaps the toughest choices of all: If the Hall of Fame were limited to just four centerfielders, who would they be? Choose only from players already enshrined at Cooperstown.
Erik Bedard
08-25-2006, 07:20 AM
Mays, Mantle, Speaker, Cobb (not in that order)
PhillyA_man
08-25-2006, 07:43 AM
In no particular order:

Ashburn, DiMaggio, Cobb, Mays
leecemark
08-25-2006, 07:46 AM
In no particular order:

Ashburn, DiMaggio, Cobb, Mays

--Ashburn more deserving than Mantle or Speaker? You are true to your handle anyway:laugh .
PhillyA_man
08-25-2006, 07:51 AM
--Ashburn more deserving than Mantle or Speaker? You are true to your handle anyway:laugh .

In selecting just four CFs, its near impossible. There are just too many good ones. So yes I inflected a little local bias in my selection! :laugh
KCGHOST
08-25-2006, 09:54 AM
Cobb, Speaker, Mantle, Mays (in order of appearance).
BoSox Rule
08-25-2006, 09:55 AM
Mays, Cobb, Mantle, and Speaker.
1905 Giants
08-25-2006, 03:06 PM
Cobb, Mays, Speaker, and Mantle, in that order
soberdennis
08-25-2006, 04:30 PM
I'd like to pass since there are so many here to choose from.
Mays,Cobb, Dimaggio, Speaker finally got my votes. I chose Joe over Mickey only because of a higher BA and fewer K's. I'd like to vote for about 10.
538280
08-25-2006, 05:42 PM
In selecting just four CFs, its near impossible. There are just too many good ones. So yes I inflected a little local bias in my selection! :laugh

You find it near impossible to compare Ashburn to Mantle or Speaker? Certainly not a tough decision for me.
redban
08-25-2006, 08:41 PM
Cobb
Mantle
Mays
Speaker
rockin500
08-25-2006, 11:15 PM
Perhaps the toughest choices of all: If the Hall of Fame were limited to just four centerfielders, who would they be? Choose only from players already enshrined at Cooperstown.
how is it the toughest? Cobb, Speaker, Mantle and Mays are all in the top ten position players of all time. probably my easiest pick.
LouGehrig
08-26-2006, 10:46 AM
How things change for some.

Speaker was the best, followed by Joe DiMaggio (not Dom, who was better defensively), Mantle, and then Mays.
538280
08-26-2006, 10:55 AM
How things change for some.

Speaker was the best, followed by Joe DiMaggio (not Dom, who was better defensively), Mantle, and then Mays.

No Cobb? Now I'm not a Cobb fan at all, but I certainly would vote for him in this poll.
yankillaz
08-26-2006, 11:40 AM
The Georgia Peach, The Say Hey Kid, The Grey Eagle and The Commerce Comet.
westfield
08-26-2006, 12:24 PM
I have in order:
1. Mays
2. Cobb
3. Speaker
4. Joe D.(a whisker ahead of Mantle)
ElHalo
08-26-2006, 03:34 PM
No Cobb? Now I'm not a Cobb fan at all, but I certainly would vote for him in this poll.

See, Cobb, Mays, Mantle, and Speaker are easily the best four players among the guys listed. But Mark got me thinking when he was on the 2Bman poll and mentioned that Jackie Robinson just HAD TO BE in the Hall of Fame. And he's right... some guys deserve to be there based on more than just their results on the playing field. And, I guess, some guys shouldn't be there because of their conduct off the playing field.

As I got to thinking more about it, I thought that maybe, just at one position, I'd keep out guys who weren't the type of people you'd want to honor with Hall ceremonies... so for this poll, I decided I didn't want to vote for people like Ty Cobb and Willie Mays, and instead picked my next two best CF's, Joe DiMaggio and Richie Ashburn (although, granted, they weren't great people either, so maybe there's no reason to my rhyme).
538280
08-26-2006, 07:38 PM
I decided I didn't want to vote for people like Ty Cobb and Willie Mays,

:confused: :confused:

Willie Mays? Why wouldn't you want to honor him? He was a great guy, had tons of fun with the game, and promoted it.
ElHalo
08-26-2006, 08:10 PM
:confused: :confused:

Willie Mays? Why wouldn't you want to honor him? He was a great guy, had tons of fun with the game, and promoted it.

I think we've had this discussion on here before. There are two conflicting views on Mays' personality: One says that he was tons of fun, and a great guy to be around. The other says that his personality was almost exactly like Barry Bonds' (who has the worst personality of any star in decades). Which camp you fall in obviously would sway your viewpoint.
538280
08-26-2006, 08:23 PM
I think we've had this discussion on here before. There are two conflicting views on Mays' personality: One says that he was tons of fun, and a great guy to be around. The other says that his personality was almost exactly like Barry Bonds' (who has the worst personality of any star in decades). Which camp you fall in obviously would sway your viewpoint.

When did you have that discussion? I've NEVER heard anyone descibe Willie Mays as anything but a great man and one of the most fun loving personailities ever associated with the game. Where exactly do you get the other impression? Maybe I've just missed it, but I've really never heard that.
ElHalo
08-26-2006, 08:28 PM
When did you have that discussion? I've NEVER heard anyone descibe Willie Mays as anything but a great man and one of the most fun loving personailities ever associated with the game. Where exactly do you get the other impression? Maybe I've just missed it, but I've really never heard that.

It's been brought up a lot in articles on Barry Bonds in the last few years... the way that Bonds is (supposedly) sullen, selfish, arrogant, and uncaring is supposed to remind old timers of the way his father and Willie Mays were. There also have been constant rumors following Mays around his whole life that he's a raging racist (understandable from an African American kid growing up before the war, but not a positive character trait nonetheless).
brett
08-26-2006, 09:49 PM
This one's pretty easy, Cobb, Mays and Speaker, and then Mantle or Dimaggio. Mantle was the better player.
yankillaz
08-27-2006, 10:13 AM
Interesting point EH. But i go for the sheer numbers in this one. Is impossible to not include Cobb. And in the 2b thread, i honor Jackie Robinson, but career wise, he ain't in my Hall.
The Commissioner
08-27-2006, 08:28 PM
Almost double the support for Mantle over DiMaggio? I'm honestly very shocked by that.
538280
08-27-2006, 08:34 PM
Almost double the support for Mantle over DiMaggio? I'm honestly very shocked by that.

Why? What exactly is the argument for DiMaggio over Mantle?
The Commissioner
08-27-2006, 08:42 PM
I'm not necessarily arguing that. I was just pointing out that it was odd Mantle was receiving twice as much support.


I could, however, definitely see arguments for DiMaggio over Mantle. Do you find it to be inconceivable that they might exist?
Myankee4life
08-27-2006, 08:45 PM
Why? What exactly is the argument for DiMaggio over Mantle?


Well theres a few

Dimaggio better BA
Dimaggio more power (once you realize how DEVASTATING YS was.)
Dimaggio much better glove.
Dimaggio better baserunner.

Really what Mantle did better was walk and had more speed.

This is too me the killer.

When you have players that went through Mantle's prime and Joe's decline, and have them say that Dimaggio was the best player they ever saw...calling him the perfect ball player, that he never did anything wrong etc.........(Yogi Berra, Casey Stengel, Ted Williams etc) than it carries more weight for me than OPS+ can ever show. Im also partial to Jeter as I say that he transcends his numbers, I feel the same way about Dimaggio.

This is me playing Devil's advocate because I rank Mantle 6th and Joe 13th...but in my heart as much as I dont want to admit it..Joe D was the better player and there's no one changing my mind on that.
538280
08-27-2006, 08:47 PM
I'm not necessarily arguing that. I was just pointing out that it was odd Mantle was receiving twice as much support.

I could, however, definitely see arguments for DiMaggio over Mantle. Do you find it to be inconceivable that they might exist?

Well, I suppose if you refuse to view offensive numbers in league context, have hugely inflated thoughts on the importance of outfield defense, overrate DiMaggio considerably in the outfield, and ignore that despite Mantle's injury problems DiMaggio actually missed more games and lasted less time even with war credit, then yeah, I could see a case.
The Commissioner
08-27-2006, 08:50 PM
Well, I suppose if you refuse to view offensive numbers in league context, have hugely inflated thoughts on the importance of outfield defense, overrate DiMaggio considerably in the outfield, and ignore that despite Mantle's injury problems DiMaggio actually missed more games and lasted less time even with war credit, then yeah, I could see a case.

Did I state any of that or where you just determined to take a fairly cheap swipe at me by inserting your conclusions in there ?
ElHalo
08-27-2006, 08:56 PM
Did I state any of that or where you just determined to take a fairly cheap swipe at me by inserting your conclusions in there ?

Chris _really_ doesn't like DiMaggio. If I recall correctly, he doesn't rank him in the top 30 all time. It's possible he thinks Jimmy Wynn was better.
538280
08-28-2006, 09:26 AM
Chris _really_ doesn't like DiMaggio. If I recall correctly, he doesn't rank him in the top 30 all time. It's possible he thinks Jimmy Wynn was better.

No, I don't think Wynn is even close, but, yeah, I don't like Joe DiMaggio. My system (which DOES give out war credit and DOES give it to Joe D-something I finally did), has him the 32nd best major leaguer of all time.