Quote:
Originally Posted by jingram058
I agree with you completely, but you can't get through to these guys, no matter what you come up with or say. They are loaded with today's facts and stats. They've had big drinks of the sacred Kool-Aid. Today's ballplayers are just so much better, never mind Jacoby Ellsberry and Giancarlo "don't call me Mike" Stanton, neither of which can get over their hangnails, but can sure draw a big paycheck. Obviously MLB was Wiffel Ball back when Ruth played. Walter "The Big Train" Johnson was really throwing slow-pitch softballs. All other pitchers were tossing even slower, maybe even placing T-balls. Ray Chapman didn't die from being hit in the head from one of those balls of fluff, he died of fright.
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No one ever said any of this... drama queen much?
No one ever said pitchers were lobbing softballs up to the plate or throwing Little League speed... unless you know Little Leaguers throwing 85 mph... sign 'em up!
But Johnson's pitches were recorded and measured at 89 mph. And you can certainly die from being hit in the head by an 85 mph fastball. Why is it so hard for you to accept that pitchers in 1900-1920 weren't throwing 95-100 mph gas all game long? You still haven't explained to any of us how these guys were piling up 300-400 innings year after year, pitching complete games every third day all season long? Throwing 95-100 all game and not breaking down? And, for the most part, they were smaller than men of today and not as well trained. Uh huh... here's a clue: they played in the Dead Ball Era. The ball didn't carry... so they didn't have to throw as hard. Players used much heavier bats to just get the bat on the ball, easier when it was being thrown 80-85. Walter Johnson only struck out 5 in every 9 innings... and when the live ball era started in the 1920s, pitchers had to throw harder more often and as a result, innings pitched came down and batters went to lighter bats so they could get around on pitches. Which part of this is illogical to you?
And the OP simply stated that Ohtani was doing something that hadn't been done since Ruth in 1919... pitching in the regular rotation and playing and hitting in games where he wasn't pitching. Which is true. No one ever said that Ohtani was or will be a better player than Ruth, or that his 2021 season is better than Ruth's. Just that he is doing something we haven't seen in 100+ years. I don't know how people have misinterpreted what Frank originally wrote so badly.