the "Who's greater" debate

[Butch7999]

"Soaking" was not included among the permissable methods of putting out a baserunner or batter when the National League rule book was written in 1876, so the practise was abolished in 1876 or earlier.
Foul balls caught on one bounce were ruled no longer outs in the revisions of 1883 -- fouls had to be caught on the fly. Oddly, we can't find the revision for fair balls caught on the bound, but presumably it would have been within a year or two of the foul-bounce rule.

[ChiefBenderForever]

I don't think we can just discount the common players back in the day as garbage and that they were so much worse than todays cream puffs. If anything many were probably much stronger, and definately tougher. I think if they came up today they would call many of the major leaguers a bunch of cry baby pussy cats. We think these guys today are so great but many are actually second rate GARBAGE !! I would like to see them sit on a train, stay in roach infested motels and not get the all star treatment they take for granted and unfortunately get, not to mention a pitcher going longer than 6 or seven innings. Nolan Ryan, David Wells, and other notables would've fit right in 100+ years ago but most others would've been run outta town.

[FUBAR]

I think "Boomer" and the Babe would have been best friends..... drinking buddies!

Didn't he do a Babe impression that was priceless??

I do know Boomer has a lot of respect for the classic game and is a collector.

[ChiefBenderForever]

Originally Posted by FUBAR

I think "Boomer" and the Babe would have been best friends..... drinking buddies!

Didn't he do a Babe impression that was priceless??

I do know Boomer has a lot of respect for the classic game and is a collector.

Boomer was wearing a game used Babe Ruth hat for awhile and then baseball made him take it off because like everything else these days is LAME !!!

[Tabe]

Four balls became the rule in 1889. Interesting to see all the rule changes over the years:

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/rulechng.shtml

Tabe

[dstraate]

Mathewson got tuberculosis from the war.

Modern players go on strike if they can't afford that third Rolls Royce.

I'm inclined to believe that if born in the modern era, the classic guys could have been great.

If Walter Johnson scared the ___ out of Ty Cobb, I don't see him bowing down to Joe Mauer.

They would have had to go to Florida Future Stars Camp starting at 5 years old, but so does everybody these days.