This used to be a classy place. Now it's a NY or Jay leaving the site away from being a crack house..... That's a heavy burden for us to carry, brother, but I think we can handle it. (That was a joke, TD, et all. You all know that I love this place.) Don't get me wrong, football is king, but to disrespect a sport that originated in this country and was played during the Civil War, is blasphemous.
Glenn Hall started 502 straight games (551 including playoffs) at goalie in the NHL (in an era where goalie didn't wear masks). That record is never getting close to touched. A goalie plays over 70 games in a season now, and people go crazy about how much of a workhorse he is. Safest record in all of sports. 10x more impressive than Ripken's streak, imo.
That's impressive, but I still don't think it's on par with Ripken, Jr. My attitude toward hockey mirrors your attitude about baseball. Even after expansion, it's a regional sport that Canada is often better than us. That's hard for me to get into. The only time I'm interested in hockey is if I watch in person or the Olympics. Hey, maybe an Olympic gold medal for a goalie in hockey is the most prestigious award.
It's not even the most impressive damn record in baseball. Give me Cy Young's wins, Ty Cobb's career batting average, Nolan Ryan's strikeouts all day, every day. Ripken's record is impressive, for sure. But not as impressive as the records that account for longevity and productivity. Was Ripken productive? Definitely. But his record for showing up every day simply does not compare to many others, even in baseball.
Yeah, but the idea is which one has the most panache, the one that will get your attention the most. Saying "I won a gold medal", to me, does that more than anything else. The fact that it can raise the status of someone doing rhythmic gymnastics into making you impressed because they are, literally, the best in the world at something, demonstrates the aura and power of a gold medal. I did also mention the HW title as a possible #1, too. However, that title was a different deal in Ali's age, as well.
Showing up? Are you serious? It's the Major Leagues. Not a desk job. That statement shows you really don't know what you are talking about when speaking of Cal. Cy Young's win total is awesome. Nolan Ryan is one of my all-time favorites. I take nothing from these guys, but did they pitch 2,632 consecutive games? Did they even play that many games? Do you realize how many players played in 162 games in 2011? ONE- That was Prince Fielder. It took 17 years without missing a single freakin' game. You realize how special that is? 17 years- ZERO missed games. As I said earlier, one player played 162 games in 2011- Lou Gehrig's record was considered unbreakable. It was shattered by 502 games . Baseball fans voted it the most memorable moment in baseball history. The only reason it ended is because he voluntarily ended the streak. He trails only Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan with the highest HOF vote percentage. Yet, you don't think it's that big of a deal. He has more HRs at SS than anyone to play the position. In 1990, he only had three errors- at shortstop. His fielding percentage that year was .996. He and Carl Yastrzemski are the only American Leaguers to have over 400 home runs and 3,000 hits. Why mention these other stats? To show that he played at the highest levels during the streak. He didn't just fill a spot in the lineup. You ever play sports? If so, you should realize the unexplainable difficulty of playing in that many consecutive games. He didn't do it in rec league, high school, or the minor leagues. He did it in The Show- against the best players in the world for 2,632 straight games- 17 years. That's unthinkable. I don't dispute the impressiveness of the pitching records that you mentioned, but they play once every 4 games or so not 2,632 games in a row. Ryan appeared in 773 games. Cy Young pitched 906 games. Cal played in more consecutive games than both of these awesome players' total number of games played combined. Cobb hit the piss out of the ball, but he also holds the record for the most errors for a career (271) for an outfielder. That record still stands today. Again, Ripken, Jr didn't merely 'show up'. I don't mind at all that you disagree with my assertation that Cal's record is one of if not the greatest record, but don't make statements that insinuate that he was just an average player that filled a spot. [ESPN Classic - Iron Man Ripken brought stability to shortstop
The stench of red herring from this thread made garage sale hell all the more miserable this weekend. Now that I've emerged from the rubble...please show me where I insinuate that Ripken was just an average player. He was fantastic. But the issue at hand is records (albeit hijacked from the issue at hand intended by the op--thanks for that JV!), not who had the better career. Do Cobb's errors have one thing to do with whether or not his career BA is more impressive than Ripken's streak of games played (showing up, playing, whatever, semantics, semantics)? Absolutely not. What does Cal playing more games than Cy Young have to do with a comparison of their records? Absolutely nothing. So Cal broke a record that many considered unbreakable. I've never denied that it's incredible. But Cy Young's record is every bit if not more unbreakable and the record itself testifies to the highest level of production. Same with Nolan Ryan 5700+ K's. Same with Cobb's .367 average over 22 seasons. But since baseball fans voted, you must be right. I'm sure they'd agree in the baseball forum over at toos.
Lol. I agree that Ryan's, Cobb's, and Young's records are remarkable. I just feel Ripken's is as well. I got the impression that you didn't hold Cal's production in high regard from your statement about 'showing up'. I simply listed his accomplishments as evidence that he was very productive during the streak. If I misinterpreted your intentions, my apologies. No need to get nasty by making comparisons to the mouth breathers of toos. That cut me. Deep. I do enjoy fish and fishing. Although any form of herring, particularly the red persuasion, isn't my cup of tea. As you can see from my title, walleye is a far superior fish.
I don't see Cal's as a huge deal either. Hell, half of the record was about a moribund team needing a gate draw.
I don't see Cal's as a huge deal either. Hell, half of the record was about a moribund team needing a gate draw.
You really don't see 17 years without missing a game as no big deal. Each to his own, but that really puzzles me.
Was silly chase, meant little to the team and wasn't about greatness. Actually hurt the team at times.
Agreed on hurting at times and also was a ticket draw. But regardless of that, that many consecutive years of strapping it on everyday is legit.
