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Wade I brought this up on the old board about two years ago, but I am still baffled by peoples responses, so maybe someone could shed some light on the situation.
Joe Dimaggio was an unbelievable player in his day, but why does he get such a lofty status in baseball lovers minds? I don't take anything away from his talents or his numbers, but no sane baseball enthusiast could possibly rank him above Williams or Gehrig, and Gehrig played on the same team. Everybody knows Williams missed several prime years, and his numbers, as are Gehrig's, are better than Dimaggio's.
While I'm at it I'll throw these out as well. Although I am a huge fan of Christy Mathewson, I wonder why he is so much more popular than Walter Johnson. They are very comparable by numbers, yet Christy always seems to get the nod by people/collectors.
Sandy Koufax is another player I don't understand. From 1961-66 Koufax was unstoppable. But, he ended his career with only 165 wins? Is this enough to garner him the attention he receives? I don't think so.
Finally, I also wonder if Jackie Robinson earns more respect in the minds of collectors as a revolutionary, or as a baseball player. I can't for a second even fathom the hell he must have went through in his playing career/life, and I am not a bigot, racist etc... But, I wonder with concerns to Robinson, are his numbers that good, or do we make them that good because of who he was and what he had to endure?
I don't wish to offend any Koufax, Robinson, Dimaggio fans, but can someone describe the fascination with these players?