Wow
If illogical, cockeyed drivel is your sort of thing then boy do I have the perfect combination for you. Ladies and gentlemen, I present the Curly Haired Boyfriend himself and the immortal once pretty good Jim Rice on Rice’s Hall case.
‘’Why is Ripken going in?” he asked.
When the consecutive-game streak (2,632) is offered, Rice said, ‘’Exactly. But would you start your team with Ripken? Can Ripken bat .345?
‘’OK, now give me Gwynn,” he continued. ‘’Why is he going in?”
Three thousand hits (3,141 to be precise) is a good start.
‘’How many years did he play? [20] Would you start your team with Gwynn? Case closed. Longevity. That’s all it is. Longevity.
Wheeeee!!!
February 24th, 2006 at 6:56 am
It’s too bad his nearsightedness was a major culprit to his shortage of years. He tried all kinds of lenses to help, but contac lenses then were not what they are now. Hard plastic with no water content makes for an uncomfortable experience, especially when you mix in some infield dust. That’s why his batting stats tailed off so quickly.
February 24th, 2006 at 6:56 am
But sour grapes? YEP!
February 24th, 2006 at 10:47 am
Cal Ripken?
Ummm, setting aside the streak, let’s not forget the 431 homeruns,3184 hits, 2 MVPs, 2 Golden Gloves and 8 Silver Sluggers.
Was he the hitter Rice was? Certainly not. But he (along with Ernie Banks and Honus Wagner) were the kind of shortstops that you rarely saw until very recently - guys that were feared for their bat as well as their glove.
Sour grapes in my opinion.