Bracket: Who's your Tiger? Vote for your all-time favorite

[Rebbiv]

He had 2010, 11 and 12 left on the contract. I can't find a link except to one person's blog. It was on sports radio where I heard the conversation regarding Granderson not wanting to stay past 2012. That seems like a long time off though in 2010 so maybe I'm just insane.

Either way. Granderson was never my Tiger for the most part because they miscast him as a leadoff hitter.

He also had an option for 2013, which was picked up by the Yankees.


Granderson was not miscast as a leadoff hitter. No more than Ian Kinsler or Rajai Davis.

 

[SouthOfMackinac]

He also had an option for 2013, which was picked up by the Yankees.


Granderson was not miscast as a leadoff hitter. No more than Ian Kinsler or Rajai Davis.

You can say he wasn't. I saw a guy turn into an MVP candidate when he was moved out of that spot with the Yankees. I always thought second or third.

I agree that Kinsler isn't an ideal leadoff hitter either. Davis is if only for his well above average speed.

 

[tomdalton22]

Which one?

"Schoolboy" Rowe?

"Wahoo" Sam Crawford?

Mickey "The Mechanical Man" Cochrane?

Charley Gehringer?

Tigers teams have had some of the best player nicknames in MLB history. IMO, including one of my favorites in Champ Summers.

The inaugural Tigers team of 1901 had 3 starters with the nickname of "Kid" being Kid Gleason, Kid Elberfeld, and Kid Nance. No Kid "Rock" though.

Charley Gehringer

 

[kalinecountry]

Mickey "Black Mike" Cochrane for his dark temper.

Charlie "The Mechanical Man" Gehringer, Lefty Gomez said "you wind him up at the start of the season and he plays 2B flawlessly and bats .350".

"Wahoo" Sam Crawford he came from Wahoo, Nebraska.

Lynwood "Schoolboy" Rowe he played as a 15 or 16 year old in a league with adult men.

 

[Thumb]

For me it will always be Cobb.

Obviously none of us ever saw him play. He was a bastard and a racist, but when Babe Ruth calls you "The best hitter I have ever seen" that means something.

In his 24 year career, his season OBP dipped under .400 only 5 times. in his first 4 seasons, then in his final. Lifetime OBP .466 that's almost half of his PA's he was getting on base.

If I could trade for any single player from all history to add to our current team, it would be Cobb easily, even over a guy like Ted Williams or a pitcher like Cy Young.

 

[tomdalton22]

For me it will always be Cobb.

Obviously none of us ever saw him play. He was a bastard and a racist, but when Babe Ruth calls you "The best hitter I have ever seen" that means something.

In his 24 year career, his season OBP dipped under .400 only 5 times. in his first 4 seasons, then in his final. Lifetime OBP .466 that's almost half of his PA's he was getting on base.

If I could trade for any single player from all history to add to our current team, it would be Cobb easily, even over a guy like Ted Williams or a pitcher like Cy Young.

I know this will open up a can of worms but he was playing against guys that probably don't even make a single A team now. Most of the guys were part time baseball players holding regular jobs as well. Pitchers pretty much just threw fastballs and the majority of them could barely hit 90. I have read that most were in the mid to low 80's. Pitchers went the distance most games without having the specialist relief pitchers. He was significantly better than everyone he played against but that doesn't mean he could do it today or that he is any better than some of the good/great players over the past 10-20 years.

 

[Rebbiv]

I know this will open up a can of worms but he was playing against guys that probably don't even make a single A team now. Most of the guys were part time baseball players holding regular jobs as well. Pitchers pretty much just threw fastballs and the majority of them could barely hit 90. I have read that most were in the mid to low 80's. Pitchers went the distance most games without having the specialist relief pitchers. He was significantly better than everyone he played against but that doesn't mean he could do it today or that he is any better than some of the good/great players over the past 10-20 years.

This is like saying Richard Petty wasn't a great NASCAR driver, Jim Brown was a great running back or that Wilt Chamberlain wasn't a great Center.

Heck, by this argument, I wonder how Gordie Howe would fair with today's players.

I do not care what the sport is, you will always have difficulty comparing players from different eras. But certainly, you have to admit some of these older players dominated their sport/position. Do you really need to have seen them in order to say that?

 

[tomdalton22]

This is like saying Richard Petty wasn't a great NASCAR driver, Jim Brown was a great running back or that Wilt Chamberlain wasn't a great Center.

Heck, by this argument, I wonder how Gordie Howe would fair with today's players.

I do not care what the sport is, you will always have difficulty comparing players from different eras. But certainly, you have to admit some of these older players dominated their sport/position. Do you really need to have seen them in order to say that?

Race car drivers aren't athletes. Jim Brown didn't play in the early 1920's. Wilt was 7'0" when there were very few other players above 6'7". He dominated like no other because of his height advantage. If he were playing today he wouldn't average 50 points and 25 rebounds because the players are bigger and stronger now.

 

[Rebbiv]

Actually, race car drivers have to be in shape. More so than golfers or even bowlers.


Let's strap you in a car for 4-5 hours at a time, week to week, traveling at speeds up to and over 200 MPH and let's see how your BODY fairs against the G forces. See whether your arms tire from hanging on to the steering wheel for so long.

 

[tomdalton22]

Actually, race car drivers have to be in shape. More so than golfers or even bowlers.


Let's strap you in a car for 4-5 hours at a time, week to week, traveling at speeds up to and over 200 MPH and let's see how your BODY fairs against the G forces. See whether your arms tire from hanging on to the steering wheel for so long.

I don't think they are athletes but you are probably right...they have to be in good shape.

 

[kalinecountry]

http://www.freep.com/article/201407...your-Tiger-We-re-down-eight-greats-vote-here-
Bracket: Who's your Tiger? We're down to 8 Greats(vote here).
freep
Kaline/Fidrych Cobb/Morris Hank/Tram Miggy/Lolich

 

[Thumb]

At the time of my vote, Trammel and Greenberg were neck-and-neck in their bracket. Tram had a 5 vote lead, I cut it to 4.

 

[newton83]

I'm sad that "Big Daddy" Cecil Fielder was eliminated, I had him over Magglio. Oh well, can't argue with the rest of the field, this is a fun bracket.

 

[SouthOfMackinac]

Too bad Cobb v. Kaline isn't the Finals. That makes for a brutal choice. I see Cobb moving on though ultimately.

The Triple-Crown will likely carry Cabrera over the narrow winner of Trammel and Greenberg.

Cabrera v. Cobb in the Finals. Two of the best hitters in the history of the game.

 

[spockmaster]

Kaline, Cobb, Greenberg, Miggy.

 

[gotime909]

Kaline, Cobb, Greenberg, Miggy.

same

 

[spockmaster]

Speaking of Grandy, he's been tearing it up since his slow start. Hell, he's even got reverse splits going this year and is hitting lefties well.

 

[Mitchrapp]

Bummer, Horton got ousted.

 

[food4thought]

I chose Tram over Greenburg because I remember how important Tram was to the championship team, feel very strongly he should be in Canton, and never saw Greenburg play... stats say it should be Greenburg easily, but I bet Trammel would have put up gaudy numbers, especially for a SS, in Greenburg's era, too.

It was always going to be a Cobb vs. Cabrera final, as it probably should be.

 

[tinselwolverine]

I didn't vote; I only just now clicked onto the link.

Norm Cash was my favorite Tiger as a kid when I first started following the Tigers, and he got knocked out by Ty Cobb, which one would figure.

As a Tiger fan I like the legacy of Cobb, but he was such a major asshole.