Letters to the Editor
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Wes and Greg; Keith and Jerry
You did not mention in your comparisons of Parker and Hernandez that Wes appeared as himself on The Brady Bunch, while still a player, and cured Greg of his crush on his teacher (whom Wes was dating), by giving Greg his glove. Hernandez, after his career, appeared on Seinfeld to "date" Jerry and Elaine. I think this puts Wes ahead of Keith.
And frankly, if Keith had kept his nose clean, then the words Neil Allen would not be cursed by me. The Cardinals apparently traded Hernandez due to the drug use and other issues. This also puts Wes ahead of Keith.
Lastly, while Wes Parker may have given up the game - Keith Hernandez gave up on his teammates in Game 6 of the 86 series, have retired to the clubhouse rather than watch the finish of the game in the dugout.
That said, Hernandez was one slick fielder.
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The Red Legs Shine On, Plus: Kill Your Television
I love the way the Big Red Machine players shine on in stats and polls like this; possibly the best team in baseball to date ('76). Morgan and Bench plus the dark horse Concepcion (underrated) are very warranted. Slick fielder that Davey Concepcion. In my humble opinion, also from the BRM... Pete Rose; he played 4 positions as an all star and not just with his bat.
Yeah, this year they suck, but it doesn't stop me from going to the games, like tonight's victory over Atlanta. When you sit and watch the game live, you get to live in that moment. It's the televised aspect of sports that creates your villains now. Tune out and drop in? Is this the new cultural revolution?
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Other Unsuspected Notable
Not that he's better than Ozzie Smith, but Bill Ripken set the season record for assists in the American League. I think he belongs in the discussion of other possibles.
As I recall from Bill James he did it the same year that Tony Fernandez set the record for hits. The records and the reputations are going in opposite directions.
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Clemente
What a beast! He won the gold glove from 61 through 72. He's tied with Mays for the record.
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Wes Parker? -- How about the "All Arm" team?
As a life-long Dodger fan who just remembers watching Wes Parker as a kid and I wouldn't vote for him. He was good but my vote goes to Mattingly and I hate the Yankees and I hate AL baseball.
Re: shortstop, I could never vote against Ozzie Smith but for pure arm Concepcion was the man. The Big Red Machine was scary.
On that note King - how about the "All Arm" team (fielders only). That's half of being a good fielder and it won't ever get a sponsor and is about as baseball geek as you get. I'll start it off with Benito Santiago at catcher, the rest is yours.
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asdf
I've always harbored the notion that Griffey is overrated as a fielder -- he's been a damned good fielder who happens to wield a HOF bat. Andruw Jones, until the last couple of years, has seemed to be better. Edmonds -- spectacular, but purposefully so. It's long been contended that he would slow up a step in order to have to dive.
And Clemente had the legendary arm, but was he really a great fielder? I'm too young, I don't know. I've heard he was. My vote would have been Mays, Jones, and Garry Maddox.
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All Arm Team?
I like that idea!
how about Shawon Dunston at Short?
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Paul Blair Was The Best CF I Saw
I never saw a better, smoother centerfielder than Paul Blair. He won numerous Gold Gloves, played incredibly shallow because of his ability to get back on the ball, and had the same sort of instincts off the crack of the bat that Mays did.
Maybe someone should talk about all-time defensive teams. Then, I think, the Baltimore Orioles from 1966 to 1971, with Gold Gloves at second, short, third and center (Davey Johnson, Mark Belanger, Brooks Robinson, and Blair) would be at or near the top. And they put on plays where (I saw this in person once, and they did it relatively often) an attempted sacrifice bunt could be turned into a catcher or third to second to first double play. No one attempts that now. They played smart and disciplined, and they could catch anything.
By the way, Blair's shallow center play enabled him to catch the only near-hit in Jim Palmer's 1969 no-hitter, which I was lucky enough to attend in Baltimore.
I also agree on Clemente--probably the best arm I ever saw. He made a couple of throws in the 1971 WS against the Orioles that were unbelievable--warning track to home on the fly kind of things.
It's fun to make a "best" list, but I'd prefer to list the top few at each position, since there were so many who were great, and defense is the underrated, fun (yes, fun!) part of the game. Defense requires so much work, commitment, and planning/thought--it really deserves more attention.
Anyway, this is a fun exercise for those of us who like that side of the game.
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Other Best Arm
Jesse Barfield.
I believe he had even better assists stats than Clemente.
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O's
On a night my poor beloved O's give up 30 runs in the first game of a double-header, I am glad to remember the great Paul Blair of my youth, he could indeed be standing behind second base and turn around and leasurely run down a ball on the warning track... Re; jrootham, Bill Ripken was a fine second baseman and it was a joy to see him play along side his brother Cal, but Bill dosen't belong in this conversation. While Ozzie certainly gets the vote at short, Cal should be on the short list and not just because he could hit the old onion. Cal had good range and a strong arm, but most importantly he had a remarkable mind for the game that usually put him where the ball was hit, other shortstops had to dive for those ball, Cal just picked'em up and threw to first. As for outfield "dramatics" I always loved the great Fred Lynn... Freddie'd just be getting his stroke, starting to light it up and then there'd be a long fly ball to center and Fred crashing into the wall full speed... and two weeks on the DL. But the man didn't know how to play any other way.
Cheers