If you could watch one player, past or present, for one game who would it be?

[kairos12]

I have seen live: Willie Mays, Joe Morgan, Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Lou Brock, Roger Maris, Juan Marichal, Don Drysdale, Luis Tiant, Rollie Fingers, Tony Perez, Roberto Clemente, Rusty Staub, Hank Aaron, Tom Seaver, Steve Carlton, Catfish Hunter, Tom Glavine, Derek Jeter, Dwight Gooden, and Tony Gwynn.

I wish I could have seen:

Walter Johnson. I guess my reasoning is I would see him for 9 innings. Not for a few at bats. Sorry Babe, Jackie, and Ted.

[Bradshaw3]

1. Mickey Mantle, my childhood hero

Per your choice, I think Joihnson is perhaps the greatest pitcher of all time. Just played on bad teams so didn't get the recognition he deserved.

[Still Sensible]

4. Me too! n/t

[wryter2000]

26. I saw him play

At the real Yankee Stadium. Along with Roger Maris, Yogi Berra, Elston Howard, and other greats.

[empedocles]

30. Me too. He had such a natural charisma.

[Bradshaw3]

34. Mickey was a hero to most every kid in Oklahoma

As you probably know, Mickey grew up in there. You mention Howard, who was the Yankees first black player and wasn't allowed to eat in some restaurants; Mantle,who grew up in a whites-only area, took his plate and went out to eat with him on the bus and became friends with him.

[wryter2000]

39. I never heard that story

Good for Mickey!

[pangaia]

35. You must be as old as I am..

I even saw Mantle and DiMaggio in the outfield at the same time..as I remember

[wryter2000]

38. Born in 48

Right after Truman held up that newspaper.

I don't remember seeing DiMaggio. I saw the Yankees in the late 50's.

[pangaia]

40. 43 gotcha..

also saw Johnny mize, allie reynolds,

and went to a few dodgers games.. snider robinson, the lot of them...

and the polo grounds...

even saw babe ruth once......... juust kidding...

[wryter2000]

48. Nice to meet someone older than me.

[pangaia]

49. Yeah, rub it in, why dontcha...

[GeoWilliam750]

61. I've got some old flint tools

And I would appreciate it if you could show me how they work......

[blur256]

43. Definitely Mickey!

My great uncle actually signed him to the Yankees. Somewhere there is a picture of my dad and aunt sitting on Mantle's lap as babies.

[Bradshaw3]

45. Yes, Tom Greenwade

That's cool you are related to him. A veteran scout but Mickey was his biggest signee.

[blur256]

47. Unfortunately for me

He died when I was 4 so I don't really remember him that well. But my family talked about his scouting days. Interesting stuff! And I love that he helped get Jackie into the league as well.

[Jarqui]

55. I only saw Mickey play once

It was a spring training game in Florida against Roberto Clemente and the Pirates.

We were a little above the Yankee dugout. I passed them a ball and pen and the team signed it. There were not many people there.

I don't remember who won the game. I was soaking up what the players looked like up close and therefore, missed bunches of the game. I was mesmerized by Mickey - a big fan - couldn't take my eyes off him.

[Bradshaw3]

56. You got to see two of the all-time greats

I revered Clemente too. As you probably know Mickey's problems with alcohol got worse and worse over time. Some of his young fans like us unfortunately saw his dark side in later years, and it ruined the experience of meeting them. He apologized for his behavior after he got sober. I think he was a genuinely good man who had a lot of pressure put on him, figured he was going to die young like his father and lived like that for most of his adult life. If you haven't read it, "The Last Boy" by Jane Leavy is an excellent biography of him.

[Jarqui]

59. There were a number of great players there.

Whitey Ford, Roger Maris, etc - and a lot of good players

Clemente was a thoroughbred - wonderful to watch in all facets of the game and a class act.

I wasn't aware of Mickey's drinking at that time. He was a baseball God to me when I saw him.
I never really met him. He saw us by the dug out and said hi but never came over to talk with us. He did sign the baseball passed around the dugout. If anything, I was just a little boy's face in a small crowd to him .. and the rest of the team who said hello or waved. Didn't bother me - I felt so fortunate to see them that close - a little stunned more people didn't come out.

Back then it was black & white TV for my family so seeing the players live ... and in color - was more of a spectacle. On black and white TV, you couldn't tell their hair color for example. Seeing all pro sports live after watching them on black and white tv was a similar stunning "Technicolor" visual - along with the live roar of the crowd - that today's digital images & camera work with surround sound captures so much better in our living rooms today (though they still can't replace the feeling of being there).

I read or heard about Mickey's troubles in the media long after that game. It was a little disappointing - a great man slips a few notches. But I always liked him and pulled for him to the end.

[Bradshaw3]

60. It's great that your memories are still so vivid after all these years

I'm 65 and I play baseball today because I still have that love for the game that we had as young boys.

[Jarqui]

64. I remember some of their faces or their physical appearance

because that was something very new and different - in color in detail that you couldn't see on TV.

I do not remember who hit a home run that day, if any, or who won. A lot of kids played so .. I think it was first time I saw Willie Stargell ...

For me, it's always been that way. I remember their complexion or deep blue eyes or physical features or something they said - far better than most of what I saw in the competition.

Many years ago, as a young boy, I wandered into a NHL locker room after a game. There wasn't much security back then and they probably figured I was a relative of a player. I just took it all in. One kind of shock was a Hall of Famer named Red Kelly. He was supposedly named after the color of his hair. On black and white tv, you'd have no idea. But in person, it wasn't bright orange - it was a dull browny orange. Stupid little thing to notice and get hung up on but I still remember it like yesterday.

Decades later, I'm playing golf alone late in the evening - trying to whip around. I catch up to a pair who invite me to join them - which I accepted. The older man said "Hello, my name is Kelly .." I respond "Oh yes, Mr Kelly. We met some time ago." We play the hole and on the green he's still looking, trying to figure out where he'd met me. "... it was about 40 years ago in the locker room ..." He laughed and we had a good time after that. He was a lefty who could really putt - that part of his performance I recall.

[pangaia]

63. I can remember the smell of the bathrooms at the Stadium !

Can you imagine?

I was at the game about 20 rows behind the Yankee dugout with my dad when Mantle hit the facade in right field.

Actually, i think he did it twice.. might be mistaken.

And fans were allowed to walk in the outfield to leave through the bull pens.

[Jarqui]

65. An old NHL locker room ...

They would get dinged up with sticks, skates, equipment or maybe shooting pucks - whatever.

Year after year, they'd just throw on another coat of paint - never sanding/scraping/surface preparation. By the 60s, there was about 1/4" thick layer of paint all over the locker room. The wood surface was kind of rippled or puddled with it as it had shifted/melted a little with time and pitted with previous gouges.

I was also surprised by how dirty it seemed to be. The coat of paint was the cheap way to clean it up I guess.

It's a lot different in pro locker rooms today.

My father had done engineering for that rink and knew the back ways to get to that locker room.

Why would I remember something trivial like the thickness of the paint in a locker room?

[Guilded Lilly]

2. Roberto Clemente, my childhood hero in Pittsburgh!

[The Polack MSgt]

12. My 1st baseball memory is going to Forbes' Field

With my Grandfather and Uncles when I was 5 or 6.

I don't remember who the visitors were or any thing about the game except Roberto losing his hat on a double and alter throwing out a guy at 3rd base.

He died when I was a few weeks shy of 9 and I cried HARD for days.

Nobody loves baseball players like 8 year old star struck boys.

I'd give almost anything to put myself back at Forbes' watching the Buccos and seeing Roberto throwing out the fool trying to go 1st to third on a line shot single

[Guilded Lilly]

13. My grandfather knew Bob Prince and though I was very young...

I remember the magical sounds of the ballpark (by way of radio broadcasts on my grandfather‘s back porch in Pittsburgh) and I still have the Clemente baseball card that Prince gave my grandfather for his little Pirate fan granddaughter.
For decades my favorite number has been 21.

The Bucs are goin’ all the way, all the way all the way 🎶
The Bucs are goin’ all the way, all the way this year!🎶

[Ohiogal]

28. I remember my first trip to Cleveland Municipal Stadium

I was around 12. My dad took me and my sister. We were all baseball fans. My dad pitched in the Cleveland sandlot leagues many years prior.

My first memory was walking up that ramp, coming to the top, and opening up before my eyes was that huge expanse of bright blue sky and bright green grass. And the sounds of batting practice... the crack of the bat hitting the ball. I had never heard or seen anything like it. I will never forget it. I can still smell the hot dogs and the beer.

[Guilded Lilly]

50. It is an absolutely AWESOME memory!! One of a kind.

[The Blue Flower]

37. Me too

What a tragic loss.

[ADX]

3. Babe Ruth...

...when he was with the Yankees.

[Auggie]

21. Same

[empedocles]

29. The Bambino was in a class by himself. In context, before Ruth, Home Run Baker had 12 HRs.

[Ferrets are Cool]

5. Hands down, Jackie Robinson

Just cuz. I would love to have cheered him.

[Wellstone ruled]

6. Ted Williams,what a treat to

watch the Pitchers try to strike him out. That night he hit for the cycle. Warren Span,saw him several times. Each time he pitched all nine innings coming home for the win. Rod Carew,the ultimate seeing eye singles hitter. And a heck of a Community Man. He would show up at Park Board Baseball and Girls Softball games and be a Volunteer teaching coach as well as a Umpire. Kent Herbek,another Community Volunteer. As well Kirby Puckett

[empedocles]

31. Arguably, the greatest hitter ever, despite Fenway's 380 ft right field.

[Wellstone ruled]

41. Got the chance to see him player against the White Sox

double header in Chi town . What a sweet swing. All power.

[empedocles]

44. Me too. I got to go to Yankee Stadium 1x/year. I always picked fri nite red sox.

Over the years, he hit several hrs for me. Late in his career also.

[Wellstone ruled]

46. Best part,no one can take those moments in life away.

Sad to say,the Programs from that night were lost years latter.

[CanonRay]

7. Lou Gehrig

I saw Mantle, Mays, Aaron, Banks, Rose, Drysdale, Koufax. Love to see the old greats.

[appleannie1943]

8. Roberto Clemente

[El Supremo]

9. That's easy. Satchel Paige

[rampartc]

10. dizzy dean, ted williams, willie mays, joe dimaggio

i saw hank aaron, tom glavine, pete rose,

there have been so many great players

[Va Lefty]

11. I would love to watch Walter Johnson pitch and Ty Cobb hit

[oswaldactedalone]

14. The meanest man in baseball

Bob "Hoot" Gibson, especially during the '68 season. His batterymate, Tim McCarver said, "Bob Gibson's demeanor was as menacing and terrifying as any athlete I've ever run across in any sport. He intimidated me."

Gibson had a season-long era of 1.12, pitching over 300 innings. Got so little run support he lost nine games. Still holds the World Series record with 17 strikeouts in one game and 35 strikeouts over 3 games. The Cards losing the '68 series to Detroit was a crushing and very unexpected defeat.

[blm]

15. Napoleon Lajoie

and Cy Young, of course.

[Atticus]

16. Stan "the Man" Musial. nt

[SaintLouisBlues]

22. +1

[kacekwl]

17. Mr. Baseball

Ernie Banks.

[rlegro]

18. Warren Spahn

But any one of about 30 other stars of the past century also come to mind.

[JDC]

19. I'd like to see Satchel Paige pitch.

[akraven]

20. Hank Aaron.

Hands down.

[Brother Buzz]

23. Two players, actually, and I'd set my way-back machine for July 2, 1963

Well, Hell, three players. Willie Mays hit the walk-off home run to end the best dueling battle in baseball history.

[kairos12]

24. Wow! What a game. Thanks.

[Brother Buzz]

25. Back when men were men; to Hell with relief pitchers

I grew up in the Bay Area and went to a lot of Giants games, but never saw Juan Marichal pitch; we typically went to the Friday night game, and he was generally held in reserve for the Saturday game. However, I did see Warren Spahn pitch when he landed with the Giants a few years later.

Here's a factoid for your Baseball almanac of obscure baseball facts (surely you're writing one ):

Willie's homer that day was a bookend to his first home run, and a cool bit of serendipity

An Offbeat Record Held By Willie Mays


Willie Mays holds the record for hitting home runs in the most different innings. Mays hit at least one home run in every inning from one to sixteen. His first-inning and sixteenth-inning home runs, both off Warren Spahn, are the most noteworthy. The one in the first inning was the first of Mays’s career, and the sixteenth-inning blast broke up one of the all-time great pitching duels and provided a 1-0 victory for Juan Marichal.

The following list shows the first home runs Mays hit in innings 1-13, and the only one he hit in innings 14-16.:


1 5-28-1951 Warren Spahn Boston
2 6-6-1951 Willie Ramsdell Cincinnati
3 4-18-1954 Carl Erskine Brooklyn
4 6-27-1951 Don Newcombe Brooklyn
5 8-30-1951 Vern Law Pittsburgh
6 6-23-1951 Turk Lown Chicago
7 6-18-1951 Joe Presko St. Louis
8 6-17-1951 (1G) Howie Pollet St. Louis
9 7-22-1951 (1G) Ken Raffensberger Cincinnati
10 6-22-1951 Dutch Leonard Chicago
11 7-4-1955 (2G) Lino Donoso Pittsburgh
12 6-4-1955 Warren Hacker Chicago
13 7-3-1951 Jocko Thompson Philadelphia
14 4-30-1954 Warren Hacker Chicago
15 9-27-1968 Ted Abernathy Cincinnati
16 7-26-1963 Warren Spahn Milwaukee

[kairos12]

42. That's a great stat. Trivia for you.

I’ve posted this previously. My favorite trivia question.

Who is the first player in baseball history to steal a base in 4 decades?






Teddy Ballgame.

Other trivia. I think Marichal’s 1st MLB Start was a one hitter.

[Ohiogal]

27. I would love to see (in their prime)

Bob Feller. and
Sandy Koufax

[rurallib]

32. it would be between Henry Aaron, Willie Mays and Jackie Robinson

and I would choose Jackie Robinson - at least today.

Ernie Banks was my lifelong favorite, but the three noted above could do it all and were the very best in every category.

[TlalocW]

33. Joe Shlabotnik

How great would that be?

TlalocW

[pangaia]

36. THE MICK... who I saw many times in the REAL Yankee Stadium...

[Kurt V.]

51. mays, koufax

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

52. Jackie Robinson, in his first game... hands down.

[randr]

54. The only answer

Just to be there to cheer for him

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

58. Yup!!

[cureautismnow]

53. Dizzy Dean

He was quite a character. The Bambino and Gehrig would be next. Would have loved to have seen the 1927 Yankees.

[LakeArenal]

57. Bob Uecker

[GeoWilliam750]

62. I totally get Walter Johnson

Still, I think it would have to be Jackie Robinson.