Comments on: I love the 80s http://sportsinyuma.freedomblogging.com/2008/04/02/i-love-the-80s/ All sports, all the time. Mon, 08 Sep 2008 03:33:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Sir Lancelot http://sportsinyuma.freedomblogging.com/2008/04/02/i-love-the-80s/#comment-112 Sir Lancelot Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:08:59 +0000 http://sportsinyuma.freedomblogging.com/2008/04/02/i-love-the-80s/#comment-112 Mr. Polikoff is right, at least about the pitching. Dwight Gooden would be my choice for a third starter. Can't really go wrong with Fernando there either. I'll give him first base too. Mattingly should be there over Eddie Murray. But Dave Winfield had some monster years in the 80s. Mr. Polikoff is right, at least about the pitching. Dwight Gooden would be my choice for a third starter. Can’t really go wrong with Fernando there either.
I’ll give him first base too. Mattingly should be there over Eddie Murray. But Dave Winfield had some monster years in the 80s.

]]> By: The Good Doctor http://sportsinyuma.freedomblogging.com/2008/04/02/i-love-the-80s/#comment-108 The Good Doctor Thu, 03 Apr 2008 22:21:51 +0000 http://sportsinyuma.freedomblogging.com/2008/04/02/i-love-the-80s/#comment-108 How 'bout Robin Yount or Donnie Baseball? How ’bout Robin Yount or Donnie Baseball?

]]> By: sjungman http://sportsinyuma.freedomblogging.com/2008/04/02/i-love-the-80s/#comment-107 sjungman Thu, 03 Apr 2008 22:20:02 +0000 http://sportsinyuma.freedomblogging.com/2008/04/02/i-love-the-80s/#comment-107 I can't believe Chet Lemon was not even mentioned here. Sparky Anderson must being spinning in his grave...oh, wait, he's not dead yet. I can’t believe Chet Lemon was not even mentioned here. Sparky Anderson must being spinning in his grave…oh, wait, he’s not dead yet.

]]> By: john http://sportsinyuma.freedomblogging.com/2008/04/02/i-love-the-80s/#comment-106 john Thu, 03 Apr 2008 21:04:37 +0000 http://sportsinyuma.freedomblogging.com/2008/04/02/i-love-the-80s/#comment-106 great great

]]> By: Rich Polikoff http://sportsinyuma.freedomblogging.com/2008/04/02/i-love-the-80s/#comment-105 Rich Polikoff Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:08:15 +0000 http://sportsinyuma.freedomblogging.com/2008/04/02/i-love-the-80s/#comment-105 Derrick's team would destroy yours. He's got the greatest leadoff hitter of all time, the guy with the highest batting average of any player born since 1920, and the guy who hit over .350 in the 1980s - and that's just his first three batters! He should have taken Schmidt at third, made Boggs the DH - Schmidt had a great glove - and dropped Reggie Jackson (perhaps the most overrated position player in baseball history), but you've got Reggie on your team too, so it's not a big advantage for you. You both got it right with Sandberg and Carter, though I would argue that if you limit it to strictly what they accomplished during the 80s, and not the sum of their entire careers, Don Mattingly was better than Eddie Murray. By that same token, Dale Murphy (a two-time MVP and 30-30 player) would have been a better pick in right than Dave Winfield. But again, this assumes that you're limiting the criteria to what the players accomplished in the 80s; Winfield had the better career, but Murphy had the better decade. Dawson and Rice in the outfield are insane picks. Murphy, Gwynn, and Henderson were all vastly superior during the 80s, and so too was Robin Yount, if you're counting him as an outfielder (where he won the AL MVP in 1989). Ripken is a better choice than Ozzie Smith, because the Wizard was an absolute zero on offense who benefitted greatly from playing his entire career on Astroturf. In any other decade, Ozzie would have struggled to avoid being sent down to the minors. Alan Trammell would have been a better pick, though again Ripken is better. So you've got that one. You also beat him in starting pitcher. Carlton won the Cy Youngs in 1980 and 1982, while Stewart did nothing between 1980-1986 before rolling off three straight 20-win seasons to close the decade. Roger Clemens was probably the top pitcher of the 1980s, even though he didn't get to the majors until midway through the decade. But from 1986 on, the Rocket was dominant. Fernando Valenzuela was about on par with Carlton, but certainly better than Stewart. Bret Saberhagen, Mike Scott and Dwight Gooden were all better than Stewart was in the 1980s. As for relievers, it's about a wash. Smith was the most consistent closer, but Sutter was certainly better at his peak. There isn't really a clear-cut choice here. But as far as the entire team is concerned, Derrick's team is the better of the two. It's not really that close. Derrick’s team would destroy yours. He’s got the greatest leadoff hitter of all time, the guy with the highest batting average of any player born since 1920, and the guy who hit over .350 in the 1980s - and that’s just his first three batters! He should have taken Schmidt at third, made Boggs the DH - Schmidt had a great glove - and dropped Reggie Jackson (perhaps the most overrated position player in baseball history), but you’ve got Reggie on your team too, so it’s not a big advantage for you.

You both got it right with Sandberg and Carter, though I would argue that if you limit it to strictly what they accomplished during the 80s, and not the sum of their entire careers, Don Mattingly was better than Eddie Murray. By that same token, Dale Murphy (a two-time MVP and 30-30 player) would have been a better pick in right than Dave Winfield. But again, this assumes that you’re limiting the criteria to what the players accomplished in the 80s; Winfield had the better career, but Murphy had the better decade.

Dawson and Rice in the outfield are insane picks. Murphy, Gwynn, and Henderson were all vastly superior during the 80s, and so too was Robin Yount, if you’re counting him as an outfielder (where he won the AL MVP in 1989).

Ripken is a better choice than Ozzie Smith, because the Wizard was an absolute zero on offense who benefitted greatly from playing his entire career on Astroturf. In any other decade, Ozzie would have struggled to avoid being sent down to the minors. Alan Trammell would have been a better pick, though again Ripken is better. So you’ve got that one.

You also beat him in starting pitcher. Carlton won the Cy Youngs in 1980 and 1982, while Stewart did nothing between 1980-1986 before rolling off three straight 20-win seasons to close the decade. Roger Clemens was probably the top pitcher of the 1980s, even though he didn’t get to the majors until midway through the decade. But from 1986 on, the Rocket was dominant. Fernando Valenzuela was about on par with Carlton, but certainly better than Stewart. Bret Saberhagen, Mike Scott and Dwight Gooden were all better than Stewart was in the 1980s.

As for relievers, it’s about a wash. Smith was the most consistent closer, but Sutter was certainly better at his peak. There isn’t really a clear-cut choice here.

But as far as the entire team is concerned, Derrick’s team is the better of the two. It’s not really that close.

]]>