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  • Willie Mays the Best Ever!

    Come on! Bonds may be the best home run hitter or the better average hitter, but Mays just was incredible! Please, voice your opinion on the best ever or the best Giant ever.
    Last edited by Street20; 02-24-2006, 05:28 PM.
    2015 ROTY Donald Anderson

  • #2
    The Greatest NY/SF Giants Ever:

    1. Willie Mays
    2. Barry Bonds
    3. Mel Ott
    4. Christy Mathewson
    5. Willie McCovey
    6. Juan Marichal
    7. Carl Hubbell
    8. Bill Terry
    9. Buck Ewing
    10. Roger Conner
    Strikeouts are boring! Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic.-Crash Davis

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    • #3
      The one drawback to Mays was his inconsistency at the plate. I remember those long slumps.

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      • #4
        Say Hey!

        Willie Mays the greatest Giant ever? No. Willie Mays is the greatest baseball player ever! Brownie31

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Street20
          Come on! Bonds may be the best home run hitter or the better average hitter, but Mays just was incredible! Please, voice your opinion on the best ever or the best Giant ever.
          Mays punched out 660 career homeruns with a bodyweight of 175-180 pounds throughout his career, including two seasons over 50, once in the pitching rich, larger stadiumed 60's.

          I'd say Mays stands out numero uno amongst the Giant greats. And pretty tall among the all-time greats in baseball history.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Iron Jaw
            Mays punched out 660 career homeruns with a bodyweight of 175-180 pounds throughout his career, including two seasons over 50, once in the pitching rich, larger stadiumed 60's.

            I'd say Mays stands out numero uno amongst the Giant greats. And pretty tall among the all-time greats in baseball history.
            Amen to your post Iron Jaw! Also do not forget that Mays missed most of '52 & all of '53 due to serving his country in the military! What figures would he have ended with with those years added in the mix! Brownie31

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            • #7
              Top Giant?
              I have Mays as the top player since WWII.
              Dave Bill Tom George Mark Bob Ernie Soupy Dick Alex Sparky
              Joe Gary MCA Emanuel Sonny Dave Earl Stan
              Jonathan Neil Roger Anthony Ray Thomas Art Don
              Gates Philip John Warrior Rik Casey Tony Horace
              Robin Bill Ernie JEDI

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              • #8
                What are those things on his arm in the photo? Oh yeah, they're called "natural muscles". That was just a cheap shot I had to take... and I'm actually a fan of Barry's.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by The Commissioner
                  What are those things on his arm in the photo? Oh yeah, they're called "natural muscles". That was just a cheap shot I had to take... and I'm actually a fan of Barry's.
                  You've captioned the wrong photo if Bonds bashing is what you're after these days.
                  "Hall of Famer Whitey Ford now on the field... pleading with the crowd for, for some kind of sanity!"

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Captain Cold Nose
                    Top Giant?
                    I have Mays as the top player since WWII.
                    Top player since WWII? A pretty decent case could be made for Willie Mays as the greatest player ever. One of the highlights of my life was meeting and being introduced to Willie Mays.

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                    • #11
                      Amen!

                      Originally posted by Old Hoss Radbourn
                      Top player since WWII? A pretty decent case could be made for Willie Mays as the greatest player ever. One of the highlights of my life was meeting and being introduced to Willie Mays.
                      Amen & Amen! Willie Mays has no equal on a baseball field, now or in the past. Great post, Old Hoss Radbourn! Brownie31

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by iPod
                        You've captioned the wrong photo if Bonds bashing is what you're after these days.
                        No, you simply didn't read my post carefully enough. I was taking a shot at Barry by pointing out how in the picture Mays had natural muscles. I was assuming that anyone reading it could then infer that I meant "as opposed to those which Bonds (not pictured) has".

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Brownie31
                          Amen & Amen! Willie Mays has no equal on a baseball field, now or in the past. Great post, Old Hoss Radbourn! Brownie31
                          Thank you Brownie.

                          I guess I first started paying attention to baseball about 1965, so I missed most of Mays' best years, but I still think he was the greatest all-around player I ever saw. Growing up a Pirates fan, Roberto Clemente was my hero, but Mays was my favorite player who wasn't a Pirate.

                          Regardless of any arguement over offensive statistics, one area where Bonds completely fails in comparison is on defense. Willie Mays was an absolutely amazing center fielder. If you're not old enough to have seen Mays play, think of the best center fielder you've ever seen. Well Mays was better. Watching him run down balls in those big old ballparks was an absolute pleasure.

                          As for offensive comparisons, the thing to remember is that Mays played most of his career when there were only 16 or 20 teams in the major leagues. Just think what the quality of play would be today if there were only 16 teams! Granted, the influx of more latin players and some from Japan helps to make up for that, but it only makes up for it partially, especially as far as pitching depth is concerned (there are a lot of bad pitchers out there today!). And the pitcher's mound was higher in those days, giving the pitchers an advantage (it was lowered in 1969 because it was becoming increasingly difficult for anyone to hit .300 and every change in baseball since has benefitted the hitters, including today's ballparks). Also, the ball was not as lively then as it is now. So for Mays to have hit 660 home runs in the 1950s and 1960s was like hitting about 1,000 today (just as Babe Ruth could have hit 1,000 had he not spent so much of his career in a true dead ball era and as a pitcher!)

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Old Hoss Radbourn
                            one area where Bonds completely fails in comparison is on defense.
                            Sorry, but I'm going to have to contest you on that. Yeah, I'm sure Willie was an absolutely outstanding defender- hence the multiple gold gloves and all of the plays that he made that will never be forgotten.
                            I think it's wrong, though, to say that Barry "completely fails in comparison" in the field. Have you heard that Barry has also won about 8 gold gloves? Well, he has, and he was an outstanding defender in his own right for most of his career. The only thing that Willie probably beats Barry by far on is arm strength- and Barry has such a quick release that some of Willie's lead my be cut.
                            No doubt about it, Willie was a better defender overall than Barry. But to say Barry doesn't come close...well, I think that's just a tiny bit of exaggeration you have going there.
                            sigpic

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by giantsalltheway16
                              Sorry, but I'm going to have to contest you on that. Yeah, I'm sure Willie was an absolutely outstanding defender- hence the multiple gold gloves and all of the plays that he made that will never be forgotten.
                              I think it's wrong, though, to say that Barry "completely fails in comparison" in the field. Have you heard that Barry has also won about 8 gold gloves? Well, he has, and he was an outstanding defender in his own right for most of his career. The only thing that Willie probably beats Barry by far on is arm strength- and Barry has such a quick release that some of Willie's lead my be cut.
                              No doubt about it, Willie was a better defender overall than Barry. But to say Barry doesn't come close...well, I think that's just a tiny bit of exaggeration you have going there.
                              Lots of guys win gold gloves. Many of them aren't even the best defensive players at their respective positions, but rather win it because of who they are. Barry Bonds has been a good, but not great, defensive player. Willie Mays was not only a great defensive player, but arguably the best defensive player ever at his position. On his best day ever, Barry Bonds could not track down a ball the way Willie Mays could even into his late 30s. Willie Mays changed games with his defense. Barry Bonds was a very average outfielder during his days with the Pirates (where I often watched him from the dugout as a photographer) and, to his credit, he worked very hard to get better. Willie Mays was a natural from Day One. A collection of gold gloves doesn't put them in the same class.

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