section122 Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 (edited) many "Non Yankee" Greats have retired over the years without a quarter of what the Yankee Great is getting for retiring this season. Did Cal Ripken get presented gifts publically at every final stop he made when he retired? 2 answers for you. Mo is getting all of this love because of the absolute class act he is AND how dominant he has been and still is. The behind the scenes stuff is not publicized by him but by sports media. It shouldn't sour you on him. He is treating long term employess at parks to very special treatment because they have been good to him. He is just paying back and showing gratitude to the "little guys" that most players probably don't care at all about. For all of the hate the Yankees get it is hard to argue that he and Jeter have done everything "the right way." (yes I am a Yankee fan and Mo is my favorite player - lay of me ) Secondly, Ripken announced his retirement in June. This link shows you what teams did for him - including the Yankees. Lately it has been difficult to honor great players as most of them have the steroid cloud hanging over their head. Those that do it the right way (Ripken, Mo, and I'm sure Jeter when the time comes) are sent off the right way.... With the respect they deserve. edit: Ripken also won the all star mvp award his last year after announcing his retirement. Edited August 22, 2013 by section122 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Poojer Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 fixed it for you... :-) 2 answers for you. Mo is getting all of this love because of the absolute class act he is AND how dominant he has been and still is. The behind the scenes stuff is not publicized by him but by sports media. It shouldn't sour you on him. He is treating long term employess at parks to very special treatment because they have been good to him. He is just paying back and showing gratitude to the "little guys" that most players probably don't care at all about. For all of the hate the Yankees get it is hard to argue that he and Jeter have done everything "the right way." (yes I am a Yankee fan and Mo is my favorite player - lay of me ) Secondly, Ripken announced his retirement in June. This link shows you what teams did for him - including the Yankees. Lately it has been difficult to honor great players as most of them have the steroid cloud hanging over their head. Those that do it the right way (Ripken, Mo, and I'm sure Jeter when the time comes) are sent off the right way.... With the respect they deserve. edit: Ripken also won was given the all star mvp award his last year after announcing his retirement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gugny Posted August 22, 2013 Author Share Posted August 22, 2013 fixed it for you... :-) Should also add he was given the equivalent of an underhand pitch in the same All-Star Game so he could "hit a home run." One of the most pathetic moments in sports history, in my book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Poojer Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 yeah it was pathetic but even as a life long yankee, the memory i take away is up there with Kirk Gibsons HR in the WS when he could hardly hold up the bat...i let the fluff pitch escape my memory...i choose to remember it as in incredible moment for an incredible player...it's not a lie if i believe it Should also add he was given the equivalent of an underhand pitch in the same All-Star Game so he could "hit a home run." One of the most pathetic moments in sports history, in my book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
section122 Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 yeah it was pathetic but even as a life long yankee, the memory i take away is up there with Kirk Gibsons HR in the WS when he could hardly hold up the bat...i let the fluff pitch escape my memory...i choose to remember it as in incredible moment for an incredible player...it's not a lie if i believe it Man tht homer off of the unhittable Eckersley!!! I hated the A's when I was a kid and loved that hr. What a magical moment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 yeah it was pathetic but even as a life long yankee, the memory i take away is up there with Kirk Gibsons HR in the WS when he could hardly hold up the bat...i let the fluff pitch escape my memory...i choose to remember it as in incredible moment for an incredible player...it's not a lie if i believe it agreed - sometimes its nice to let it go and just be a fan and happy to see a great one get to have some fun and a pat on the back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gugny Posted August 22, 2013 Author Share Posted August 22, 2013 agreed - sometimes its nice to let it go and just be a fan and happy to see a great one get to have some fun and a pat on the back. I was never a Gibson fan, but I'll never forget the fist pump as he rounded first base. It was a magical moment, for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 (edited) Suzuki will even admit it that it was overblown! Really you ask? That is why he said if he gets to 3,000 MLB hits... Nobody can argue... Class act! A-Roid you douche... You taking notes! Joe Girardi mentioned that most don't get 4,000 hits in a lifetime going all the way back to teeball... Not even close. Edited August 23, 2013 by ExiledInIllinois Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 I disagree with the tenor of this thread...it's a huge accomplishment. First, no one is suggesting MLB record books be changed so let's ignore that silly strawman right off the bat. Second, we're talking about PROFESSIONAL stats; and his Japan years were highly competetive professional baseball. To write off his accomplishments from those years is disengenuous based on what he did there vs. here. He's averaged 50 more hits per year in MLB than he did in Japan. Now a lot of that is due to the AB total, but also compare the stats. He hit .353 in Japan over 7 seasons. His first 7 seasons in MLB (taking him into in 30s), he hit .333 -- a HOF caliber average. In 12 total MLB years he has 2700 hits and a .322 average. Compare that to say, HOF Rod Carew who hit .328 and 3000 hits; but in 19 seasons, including all of his youth (where Suzuki was playing in Japan). So extrapolate that .333 average for Suzuki over those 7 seasons in his 20s and with the extra ABs you can make a very reasonable case that he'd be past 4000 already and on the doorstep of Rose's record. If you want to suggest adding in minor league stats as a comparison, fine. Susuki and Jeter have both been in organized pro baseball since 1992 and Jeter is still 200 hits behind (500 if you only count AAA and MLB for Jeter). So is 4,000 as impressive as it would be if he played his whole career in MLB? No. But to suggest it's not a noteworthy and exceptional accomplishment is ludicrous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gugny Posted August 23, 2013 Author Share Posted August 23, 2013 I disagree with the tenor of this thread...it's a huge accomplishment. First, no one is suggesting MLB record books be changed so let's ignore that silly strawman right off the bat. Second, we're talking about PROFESSIONAL stats; and his Japan years were highly competetive professional baseball. To write off his accomplishments from those years is disengenuous based on what he did there vs. here. He's averaged 50 more hits per year in MLB than he did in Japan. Now a lot of that is due to the AB total, but also compare the stats. He hit .353 in Japan over 7 seasons. His first 7 seasons in MLB (taking him into in 30s), he hit .333 -- a HOF caliber average. In 12 total MLB years he has 2700 hits and a .322 average. Compare that to say, HOF Rod Carew who hit .328 and 3000 hits; but in 19 seasons, including all of his youth (where Suzuki was playing in Japan). So extrapolate that .333 average for Suzuki over those 7 seasons in his 20s and with the extra ABs you can make a very reasonable case that he'd be past 4000 already and on the doorstep of Rose's record. If you want to suggest adding in minor league stats as a comparison, fine. Susuki and Jeter have both been in organized pro baseball since 1992 and Jeter is still 200 hits behind (500 if you only count AAA and MLB for Jeter). So is 4,000 as impressive as it would be if he played his whole career in MLB? No. But to suggest it's not a noteworthy and exceptional accomplishment is ludicrous. Japanese pitchers were never, and still are not, as good as MLB pitchers. Nearly half of his 4k hits were off of pitchers that couldn't sniff the big leagues. That is not an insignificant fact. I never said he shouldn't be celebrated. I just said he shouldn't be celebrated for 4,000 hits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 He's not be celebrated for 4000 MLB hits. Can you imagine how much bigger of a deal that would be than what this little celebration was? I'm pretty sure he'd have at least 3500 hits if he played in MLB all those years. Easily. many "Non Yankee" Greats have retired over the years without a quarter of what the Yankee Great is getting for retiring this season. Did Cal Ripken get presented gifts publically at every final stop he made when he retired? I think he did. That's the way I remember it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 Japanese pitchers were never, and still are not, as good as MLB pitchers. Nearly half of his 4k hits were off of pitchers that couldn't sniff the big leagues. That is not an insignificant fact. I never said he shouldn't be celebrated. I just said he shouldn't be celebrated for 4,000 hits. Nearly half? Check your math, more than 2/3 have come in MLB. You'd have a reasonable argument if he had played the majority of his career in Japan and his performance was dramatically worse in MLB than it was in Japan. But neither of those things is the case - he's a borderline HOFer on his MLB career alone. There is no question he'd be at 4,000 anyway if he had played his whole career in MLB. He's not be celebrated for 4000 MLB hits. Can you imagine how much bigger of a deal that would be than what this little celebration was? Exactly. It's barely a blip on the radar and people have any issue with it even being mentioned. Crazy. I'm pretty sure he'd have at least 3500 hits if he played in MLB all those years. Easily. He'd have over 4000 with the extra ABs in MLB and Pete Rose would be sh--ing bricks. Just extrapolate what he's done here over the extra seven years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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