Many players were bums; God Bless the good men.
Posted on 08/21/2009 6:19:37 PM PDT by smokingfrog
Big league Hall of Famer Jim Rice opened the World Series for Little Leaguers with a fiery speech that even the grumpiest of grumpy old men could appreciate. The message: Don't look up to today's players because they're all bums.
Rice explained that the All-Star chumps you see today, can't compare to genuine American heroes of Jim Rice's day. They didn't have the rock and roll and the drugs back then, so their old timey brand of baseball was pure and good. Unlike the kind you see from that hippie Derek Jeter.
Guys that I played against and with, these guys you're talking about cannot compare ... We didn't have the baggy uniforms. We didn't have the dreadlocks," Rice said. "It was a clean game, and now they're setting a bad example for the young guys." [...]
Flexing the muscles in his right arm, Rice said, "That's all the steroids you need. ... It's called God-given talent."
So remember kids—say your prayers and eat your vitamins and you too can wait 15 years to get into the Hall of Fame on a sympathy vote. Then you can badmouth the existing generation of baseball players all you like.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2009-08-21-llws-rice_N.htm
I don’t know, I’m wishing Magglio Ordonez would grow his back.
What? And disrespect "Dashielle"?
Me too! I’m a baseball loving, grumpy old Jim Rice fan.
~~ PING ~~
Steroids or no, the average contemporary athelete could run circles around players of decades ago. Methinks old-timers are jealous. Plus, they forget about all the booze and whores Mickey and Babe consumed.
Talent and skill are other matters altogether. I won’t take anything away from DiMaggio, Rose, or Williams when their records are eclipsed. But just look at the footage. There are guys in the league with wrists bigger than Jim Rice’s legs. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but you get the point.
Many players were bums; God Bless the good men.
I always liked the Dodgers when I knew the names of everyone on the roster. That was 20 years ago.
yitbos
I think Rice is talking mostly about Manny and he’s damned right. Unlike the writer and his sympathy vote crap. Dolt!
I was listening to an ESPN affiliate in L.A. and they mentioned that Derek Jeter may’ be the only one who doesn’t take drugs but who knows.
Then someone in Seattle chimed in: Ichiro Suzuki who should be the first man to hit 200 plus in 9 seasons. Now that’s God-given talent.
The agents ruined the sport.
They ruin every sport.
Most are lawyers.
Kindof like Congress and the President.
Bigtime dittos to that! They've removed the loyalty of players to their fans.
Bring back the boozers and speed freaks! Greenies all around boys! And I want my Matlock!
Up until ~1987, I could have told you the names of everyone on the Royals' roster.
Now it's just a bunch of imports from Latin America and the Caribbean who have no attachment to the hometown.
There's gotta be a way to clone George Brett, Frank White, and even Steve Balboni.
Magglio Ordonez should go back to Venezuela if he’s so damn fond of Hugo Chavez. The nerve of that guy. It’s easy for a multi-millionaire ball player who can escape back to the states to campaign for a tyrannt that the rest of his countrymen have to live with. Hey Magglio, do you spread your filthy, free-market, American dollars around your home country? Didn’t think so. Guess Communism is okay for everyone but you, eh?
You must know something I don’t.
How can you give someone a straight line like that? LOL!
Rice was out of line when he mentioned Jeter. Derek has a huge amount of respect around the league for playing hard and playing the right way, and he’s earned a lot of respect from old-timers as well. And, Jeter isn’t going to wait 14 years to be inducted into the Hall of Fame like Rice.
Rice is probably really upset with Jeter right about now...
I can tell you for sure that there are a great many old ball players out here who feel exactly as Jim does!
Right on Jim!
He was campaigning for Hugo Chavez last year. It was disgusting.
Right on Jim!
Lol. Watching the game??
>>>I think I’m gonna side with Jim Rice on this one. Of course, I’m a grumpy old man.
I’m just grumpy :)
I was...what a bloodbath.
Just because the guy can play ball does not mean he has a brain. But then again, the majority of our Congress and the Executive Branch seem to be OK with the two-bit thug Chavez too.
“I think I’m gonna side with Jim Rice on this one.”
No sooner do they let Jim Rice in the HOF than he makes a fool of himself. His inclusion of class-act Derek Jeter in his bash list is a giveaway about what’s really bothering him: financial envy. Envy is certainly the deadliest of the seven deadly sins.
Tag.
The large number of ne'r-do-wells that occupy those pajamas don't do the game any good, either.
Look, I hate the Yankees as much as any good baseball fan. But what on earth has Jeter ever done wrong? He still fields as well as guys ten years younger. He hits for average and power. He is a threat on the bases. He’s clutch. He lays out for a routine ball. He legs out every grounder. He never says anything that would embarrass himself, his team or his sport. If you hate him, it’s because he’s not on your team. Sounds like Jim has a case of ring envy.
The large number of ne'r-do-wells that occupy those pajamas don't do the game any good, either.
He’s clearly referring to Manny. All I can say to Rice is don’t paint them all with the same brush. Mark Texiera is a clean cut, complete player. He’s what a baseball player should be.
And finally, Rice didn't deserve to be in the Hall. He's on par with Al Oliver (no offense to Al Oliver.)
Rice is a grumpy loser who didn’t deserve his induction.
Oh, I cut Rice a lot of slack. I thought he got screwed by being passed over for so many years, I thought he was a premier player of his generation. He also trashed Manny and A-Rod, and I don’t have a problem with that, even thought I like both of them. The comments about Jeter just seemed weird and out of place. Jeter is one of the few players that gets widespread respect from the old-timers. Rice seems to be alone in his opinion of Derek.
Agreed. Maybe a slight over-generalization, but basically true.
I’ve lost interest in the sport in recent years, because it’s just not the same.
And he’s right that it’s mainly about respect. That’s what’s missing today.
If you would like to be on the ping list let me know.
This will be a medium volume ping list during the baseball season and a low volume ping list when all life stops in late October.
What’s that picture of? Did someone accidentally spill a cup of coffee on his head?
Albert Pujols makes Jim Rice look live Rabbit Maranville...magritte
Players of today are just fitness junkies and exercise demons with skills. IMO. You want power. Look at Enos Slaughter. Ted Williams and Ty Cobb would be great in whatever era of baseball they played. Christy Matheson and Warren Spawn would still win 20 games now, 100 or 50 years ago. Bullet Bob Feller was throwing 100 mph or greater 60 years ago. As for size and power, Josh Gibson could compete any time, any place.As for Hank Aaron, no steroids, corked bats or other crap needed. And with today’s surgery technique’s, Mantle’s knee’s don’t linger forever. And Joltin Joe’s ankle is AOK.
And don’t get me started on Jim Brown, Deacon Jones, Sammy Baugh, Gale Sayers, or Ernie Nevers or even Jim Thorpe. Tell me an athlete today that is better than Thorpe. I don’t see one.
Better diet,exercise and medicine do not make a better ballplayer.
Rice bitches about uniforms.. maybe he doesn't remember how horrible the Pirates and Astros unis were.
Give me baggy over those any day.
Athletes are bigger and stronger today, no doubt. But there are other things to consider. In baseball anyway, the ball IS livelier, so it will travel farther. back in the day, most pitchers threw a fastball and a curve and some perhaps a change. And they had to make do with that. Today their are many more pitches to throw (slider, slurve, sinker, knuckle curve,etc.) and it has become a science as much as it is a feat of coordination and strength. Perhaps these new pitches are simply an evolution brought about by necessity when the ball became so much more lively.If athletes are better today it is as much due to advanced training techniques as anything else. hell, I recall watching baseball on TV in the 1950's and seeing the players smoking in the dugout.
Ted Williams (and I am one of them there Red Sox haters) was the greatest hitter to ever play the game, bar none. No one is in his class and no one is even close.
Besides his awesome talent, what endeared me to him was his hatred of the press (flipping them off as he rounded 3rd base after homering at Fenway), and his service to our country.
In this day of outrageous contracts, can you just imagine what a talent such as ted Williams would be able to get? No question in my mind it would include a piece of the ball club.
The baggy uniforms are old school.
As far as Jeter is concerned he’s probably one of the few big money players who gets my respect. He’s a great all around player and he does seem pretty clean. However there are many many others who are just as good with their own strengths that don’t get the attention of the sports writers.
I base my opinions on the Detroit Tigers who have had a less than exceptional season with exceptional results. They’ve had no real winning streaks and no real losing streaks but have managed to hold the division lead since May. (Tied with the white sox for one game) I attribute their success to a lot of guys who can put the ball into play and the fact that Jim Leyland is one of the best managers in the game.
Bigtime dittos to that! They've removed the loyalty of players to their fans.
Free agency allowed the agents to ruin the sport.
in this day of outrageous contracts....
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
How about Don Drysdale AND Sandy Koufax holding out in 1966 for a 3 year $1,000,000.00 SPLIT which would have come up to $167,000 each.
Willy Mays had the top salary @ $125,000.00 p/a
Sandy ended up signing for $125,000 and went 27-9 1.73 ERA
on the other hand,
Don ended up signing for $110,000 and went 13-16 3.42 ERA
Jim Rice was a very powerful man back in his day. He comes across as smug and superior though.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.