View Full Version : I Am Speechless
GiambiJuice
08-08-2007, 11:20 AM
I was just driving back to work after my lunch break, and was flipping through the stations and wound up at the Stephen A. Smith show on ESPN Radio. His on-air partner, Mike something or other, gave his list of the top 10 baseball players of all time. "After much thought". this is the list he came up with:
1. Willie Mays
2. Hank Aaron
3. Barry Bonds
4. Babe Ruth - explaination ("he was a fat man, not a good athlete, but i have to have him in there somewhere")
5. Mickey Mantle
6. Ted Williams
7. Lou Gehrig
8. A-Rod
9. Joe Dimaggio - "His numbers aren't as great as some others, but the man could flat-out play ball"
T10. Ken Griffey Jr.
T10. Stan Musial
Stephen A. Smith's main problem with the list was that A-rod hasn't "done it" in October and "Pete Rose needs to be on there somewhere".
When Mike referenced the "Luckiest Man" speech in introducing Gehrig's name, Stephen A. Smith had no idea what he was talking about. He said "Oh, I get it, he's the luckiest man because he dated Marilyn Monroe. i feel you on that" or something along those lines. (Remember we're talking about GEHRIG here!)
The names Cobb and Wagner (Not to mention Speaker, Collins, Hornsby, etc. etc. etc.....) weren't even mentioned as possible candidates. Granted, I wasn't able to listen to the entire segment because I had to get back to work, so maybe some of these other names came up eventually, but I just need to vent about this.
HOW DO THESE PEOPLE GET JOBS???
These people are supposed to know just a little bit about sports. It's their job for god's sake.
And Stephen A. is not the only one. It seems like most of these talk radio people simply don't know squat or just pretend that Baseball didn't exist before 1960. It makes me sick.
Rant over. Thanks for listening.
Skin & Bones
08-08-2007, 11:22 AM
To tell you the truth, I'm not shocked Wagner was left off. He's generally forgotten by many people ( who aren't hardcore baseball fans), as one of the all-time greats of the game. It's sad too because Wagner has an arguement as the greatest player ever.
The greatest? He doesn't even have the most saves in history yet.
GiambiJuice
08-08-2007, 11:26 AM
The greatest? He doesn't even have the most saves in history yet.
....Sarcasm?
west coast orange and black
08-08-2007, 11:29 AM
it's simply one man's inconsequential list.
it's bagatelle.
milladrive
08-08-2007, 11:31 AM
Amazing. Just amazing.
Well, I've just decided to go ahead with my plans to apply for a position as an astronaut. Wish me luck faking my way through it.
Mariano_Rivera
08-08-2007, 11:34 AM
Did baseball begin in the 1940's?
GiambiJuice
08-08-2007, 11:34 AM
it's simply one man's inconsequential list.
it's bagatelle.
I was venting more at the talk radio industry as a whole. These people are supposed to be experts, but they are horribly unqualified to speak on the subject of Barry Bond's place in history or things of that nature because they know NOTHING about baseball history.
It was just a rant. I know it will serve no purpose, but I want to express my feeling and see if anyone else feels the same way.
digglahhh
08-08-2007, 11:35 AM
I was just driving back to work after my lunch break, and was flipping through the stations and wound up at the Stephen A. Smith show on ESPN Radio. His on-air partner, Mike something or other, gave his list of the top 10 baseball players of all time. "After much thought". this is the list he came up with:
1. Willie Mays
2. Hank Aaron
3. Barry Bonds
4. Babe Ruth - explaination ("he was a fat man, not a good athlete, but i have to have him in there somewhere")
5. Mickey Mantle
6. Ted Williams
7. Lou Gehrig
8. A-Rod
9. Joe Dimaggio - "His numbers aren't as great as some others, but the man could flat-out play ball"
T10. Ken Griffey Jr.
T10. Stan Musial
Stephen A. Smith's main problem with the list was that A-rod hasn't "done it" in October and Pete Rose needs to be on there somewhere.
When Mike referenced the "Luckiest Man" speech in introducing Gehrig, Stephen A. Smith had no idea what he was talking about. He said "Oh, I get it, he's the luckiest man because he dated Marilyn Monroe. i feel you on that" or something along those lines. (Remember we're talking about GEHRIG here!)
The names Cobb and Wagner (Not to mention Speaker, Collins, Hornsby, etc. etc. etc.....) weren't even mentioned as possible candidates. Granted, I wasn't able to listen to the entire segment because I had to get back to work, so maybe some of these other names came up eventually, but I just need to vent about this.
HOW DO THESE PEOPLE GET JOBS???
These people are supposed to know just a little bit about sports. It's their job for god's sake.
And Stephen A. is not the only one. It seems like most of these talk radio people simply don't know squat or just pretend that Baseball didn't exist before 1960. It makes me sick.
Rant over. Thanks for listening.
It's a crappy list, but you shouldn't be surprised.
It's like being surprised when you find out what's in the meat at McDonalds.
Mariano_Rivera
08-08-2007, 11:36 AM
Smith is a basketball guy anyway right?
GiambiJuice
08-08-2007, 11:39 AM
Smith is a basketball guy anyway right?
Yeah, but his radio show covers all sports. He's not talking much basketball in the summer :waving
psbaseballfan27
08-08-2007, 11:41 AM
The only thing I agree with is Mays being the greatest.
milladrive
08-08-2007, 12:23 PM
I think the list is not nearly as important as the pointing out of the general amount of incompetence there is in the media (not to mention, most industries).
:coffee
PVNICK
08-08-2007, 12:28 PM
I'm surprised that you're surprised that Stephen A. Smith is unknowledgeable. He's all shtick and gimmick, namely the loud voice and the bashing of European basketball players with long names.
west coast orange and black
08-08-2007, 12:33 PM
wcoab: it's simply one man's inconsequential list. it's bagatelle.
giambijuice: I was venting more at the talk radio industry as a whole .... It was just a rant.
noted. i feel the same way.
the nonsense from this one man represents that from many.
Captain Cold Nose
08-08-2007, 12:44 PM
I was venting more at the talk radio industry as a whole. These people are supposed to be experts, but they are horribly unqualified to speak on the subject of Barry Bond's place in history or things of that nature because they know NOTHING about baseball history.
It was just a rant. I know it will serve no purpose, but I want to express my feeling and see if anyone else feels the same way.
They're experts as much as bloggers are experts. A few know what they're talking about. Others are just convinced they are.
Smith has no business talking about baseball, the Gehrig and Rose comments prove that. Perhaps he also needs to be told about how well Ted Williams and Stan Musial did it in October. It's a good thing Ty Cobb wasn't on the list, for obvious reasons. If we hear the same ignorant stuff about him here, I can only imagine what Smith imagines.
GiambiJuice
08-08-2007, 02:58 PM
Oh yeah, and I almost forgot, Stephen A. said that Babe was waaay too high on the list because he was a one-dimensional player. :laugh :laugh :laugh
That was my favorite part.
The funny thing about your point is that I don't think anyone is surprised. Most of us have local sports talk radio stations & the people on those shows don't know what they are talking about either.
Many of these hosts used to be journalists. But now that they are on radio, they make it a point to tell us that they are not journalists anymore. They are entertainers which basically means there is no accountability for their opinions or comments.
Matt1901
08-08-2007, 03:06 PM
It's a crappy list, but you shouldn't be surprised. Yes it is, and in fairness to GiambiJuice, GiambiJuice did say that the source was ESPN.
fenrir
08-08-2007, 03:07 PM
stephen a smith is a bit racist. or atleast biased. he tends to favor black athletes over white.
Erik Bedard
08-08-2007, 03:33 PM
And this just a week and a half after Dave Campbell referenced OPS+ in making a case for Edgar Renteria over other NL shortstops.
I saw Smith on ABC World News tonight. He used the argument that there were a lot of players that have used steroids so Bonds isn't the only bad guy (a defense used here as well).
While that may be true, I still don't want steroids re-writing the history books.
Johnny Evers
08-08-2007, 06:20 PM
Stephen A. Smith has possibly been the worst decision that ESPN has made the past decade, right up there with firing Harold Reynolds and sacrificing Sportscenter highlights for gimmicky segments.
Williamsburg2599
08-08-2007, 06:35 PM
I've never seen a TV/Radio countdown list I agree with. While I like to watch the "Best Damn" countdowns to see all the great plays, they are complete crap. They did a "Greatest Baseball plays" and Gary Matthews Jr.'s was #1. Then, they do a "Greatest Catches" and Gary comes in 5th or 6th, with 3 or 4baseball catches in front of him, including what was the #2 on "Greatest baseball plays" was (The Mays catch). I just don't understand how that works...... And don't get me started on "The Sports list."
538280
08-08-2007, 07:03 PM
Through #7 I don't really think it's totally indefensible. After #8 it goes a little awry. Make #7 and #8 Cobb and Wagner and I think it's somewhat plausible. Very bad-but I must admit a little better than I've come to expect from ESPN and the like. Better than the FSN Top 10 Shorstops list.
ChrisLDuncan
08-08-2007, 07:03 PM
Mays and Aaron over Ruth...I'd love to hear that case.
BoofBonser26
08-08-2007, 07:22 PM
I saw Smith on ABC World News tonight. He used the argument that there were a lot of players that have used steroids so Bonds isn't the only bad guy (a defense used here as well).
While that may be true, I still don't want steroids re-writing the history books.
While it's a little off-topic, I love to hear people defend Bonds because other people were bad, too. Imagine a six-year old saying it, and you've an idea of this logical falacy's legitimacy.
plask_stirlac
08-08-2007, 09:00 PM
I was venting more at the talk radio industry as a whole. These people are supposed to be experts, but they are horribly unqualified to speak on the subject of Barry Bond's place in history or things of that nature because they know NOTHING about baseball history.
For whom? This isn't BP Radio. Most of the listeners don't know about it either, and don't want to go to the trouble of learning about much older players. They'll gladly settle for relevant names that are familiar, such as Mays and Mantle, not "old-timey" names like "Baseball Card" Wagner and Tris Speaker. That takes too much time.
CanadianKid
08-08-2007, 09:34 PM
Smith is a basketball guy anyway right?
Even then he doesn't know what he's talking about.
I really just cannot understand ESPN's obsession with hiring hacks like this who are so incompetent they not only know nothing about sports, they aren't even aware of their own idiocy. I've said it before, but that really is the talent Stephen A. Smith has that we don't have, and in this totally screwed up society we live in its why he gets millions of dollars to talk about sports and more knowledgable people like us don't. He is able to be so oblivious of his own stupidity that he is able to speak without sounding self-conscious. It's not feasible to expect three hours worth of intelligent, well-considered thoughts several times per week, so a lot of time needs to be filled with meaningless, half-assed junk like that. And the only people who are able to say things that stupid without totally falling apart are the people who are too slow to realize they are stupid. It's a totally flawed system... the bigger a loudmouthed moron you are, the more successful your show can be. By the design of the radio show itself.
Captain Cold Nose
08-09-2007, 05:45 AM
stephen a smith is a bit racist. or atleast biased. he tends to favor black athletes over white.
That isn't racism, that's prejudice, something so many are guilty of. Racism involves hate. To be fair, I've never heard Smith rail against somebody because of their skin color.
StanTheMan
08-09-2007, 05:47 AM
Any list without Ruth at #1 is simply incorrect....
The next time ANY of these other guys even pitches ONE inning of shutout ball would be their FIRST. Ruth won WS games, won big games, outpitched some of the best pitchers of his era.
He11.... Ruth could throw a complete game against the nine other players on that list.
And Ruth could hit a little too.
Erik Bedard
08-09-2007, 06:41 AM
Not for Cobb. He pitched a few shutout innings. But then, Stephen A. Smith either forgot him or doesn't know who he is or thinks that his being racist had some effect on his ability.
slugger33
08-09-2007, 07:01 AM
I actually like ESPN, but I don't just watch it for baseball. Some of the guys on it don't know sports, but most do. Jim Rome is probably the best one.
Captain Cold Nose
08-09-2007, 07:11 AM
Not for Cobb. He pitched a few shutout innings. But then, Stephen A. Smith either forgot him or doesn't know who he is or thinks that his being racist had some effect on his ability.
It wasn't Smith's list, it was the other guy's list. But, that is why I am glad he left Cobb off, because Smith would undoubtedly have skewered Cobb about his racism and any number of other things, real or fiction.
To get to your off-topic point Boof, I have used that, not in defense of Bonds but to try to point out that the vitriol is misguided if it's against just one person. That's just as logical as those blindly defending him as if he's not guilty no matter what.
GiambiJuice
08-09-2007, 08:06 AM
I actually like ESPN, but I don't just watch it for baseball. Some of the guys on it don't know sports, but most do. Jim Rome is probably the best one.
Please don't get me started on Jim Rome....
SouthPaw77
08-09-2007, 10:37 AM
At the end of the day, for all that Bonds has done (clean or unclean) as well as the careers of Aaron and Mays, it still comes down to the Babe.
The man is the best baseball player of all-time and always will be because it's not just about his unreal offensive prowess.
Yes, he hit 714 home runs while being overweight and wasn't nearly the athlete Bonds, A-Rod, and Jr. are. However...
Ruth ranks in the top ten in major league history for: average (10), OBP (2), SLG (1), OPS (1), runs (4), total bases (6), home runs (3), RBI (2), and walks (3).
But the kicker remains what the Bambino did on the mound. Ruth went 94-46 with a 2.28 ERA during the regular season and compiled a 2-0 mark with an incredible 0.87 World Series ERA.
The Sultan of Swat also batted .326 with 15 homers in the Fall Classic while leading his teams to seven championships in ten tries.
Due respect to Aaron and Mays and the rest -- but no one is, was, or ever shall be better than George Herman Ruth.
FilthySheets
08-09-2007, 11:15 AM
I'm sorry for Stephen A. Smith, or anyone else for that matter who could make such an embarrassing list. This guy should not be able to speak about baseball for the rest of his career. Hey Smith, you think the Babe was one dimensional? I bet if I asked you who the top 10 players are right now you'd include big papi David Ortiz, and he sits on the bench most of the game. This proves you know nothing about baseball, and you're analysis is as "one dimensional" as Babe Ruth. Get a clue!
Erik Bedard
08-09-2007, 12:51 PM
By saying his analysis was as one-dimensional as the Babe, you just indirectly complimented him. :laugh
flash143817
08-12-2007, 02:23 PM
Stephen A. Smith is one of the dumbest people on the planet. He knows a little bit (emphasis on little) about basketball, and is woefully ignorant about all other sports. I'm honestly surprised that Allen Iverson doesn't take up spots 1-10 on his baseball list.
He just thinks if he yells out everything he says that it will have more credence. If people actually listened to what he was saying, then he would have been forced out of the business long ago.
Actually, maybe the fact that he is so unknowledgeable, yet still keeps his jobs, means that he is really a super genius that has the whole system figured out.
hudsonharden
08-12-2007, 02:50 PM
It's ESPN, you can't expect those guys to do anything but try to entertain. Really diving into the issue and intelligently discussing the Top 10 baseball players off all time would bore their Ham & Eggers audience. While this forum tends to be very narrow and deep in terms of content, ESPN is wide and very shallow.
TonyStarks
08-12-2007, 07:41 PM
I was just driving back to work after my lunch break, and was flipping through the stations and wound up at the Stephen A. Smith show on ESPN Radio. His on-air partner, Mike something or other, gave his list of the top 10 baseball players of all time. "After much thought". this is the list he came up with:
1. Willie Mays
2. Hank Aaron
3. Barry Bonds
4. Babe Ruth - explaination ("he was a fat man, not a good athlete, but i have to have him in there somewhere")
5. Mickey Mantle
6. Ted Williams
7. Lou Gehrig
8. A-Rod
9. Joe Dimaggio - "His numbers aren't as great as some others, but the man could flat-out play ball"
T10. Ken Griffey Jr.
T10. Stan Musial
Stephen A. Smith's main problem with the list was that A-rod hasn't "done it" in October and "Pete Rose needs to be on there somewhere".
When Mike referenced the "Luckiest Man" speech in introducing Gehrig's name, Stephen A. Smith had no idea what he was talking about. He said "Oh, I get it, he's the luckiest man because he dated Marilyn Monroe. i feel you on that" or something along those lines. (Remember we're talking about GEHRIG here!)
The names Cobb and Wagner (Not to mention Speaker, Collins, Hornsby, etc. etc. etc.....) weren't even mentioned as possible candidates. Granted, I wasn't able to listen to the entire segment because I had to get back to work, so maybe some of these other names came up eventually, but I just need to vent about this.
HOW DO THESE PEOPLE GET JOBS???
These people are supposed to know just a little bit about sports. It's their job for god's sake.
And Stephen A. is not the only one. It seems like most of these talk radio people simply don't know squat or just pretend that Baseball didn't exist before 1960. It makes me sick.
Rant over. Thanks for listening.
I've said that same thing for a long time.
Stephen A. Smith is a BASKETBALL GUY. He doesn't know spit about Baseball and everytime the guy opens his mouth trying to sound like he knows about Baseball it just drives me insane. The guy comes off so ignorant about the subject and his sidekick, who's name I can't recall, is just as bad.
Smith tries to rant about the Yanks or ARod when they were in a rut and it was almost comical. Almost.