04-11-2009, 03:30 PM
Sometimes, I hate the unvarnished truth. I want to believe that Lou Gehrig was the king of RBI's because he was a "hero," and a "champion."
And to me, he <i>was</i> both of those things.
But the <i>reason</i> he got all those ribbies was because 1) he was a great hitter, and 2)(very important) he had a lot of RBI chances. A whole lot. Batting in front of him, for most of his career, was Earle Combs, a HOFer leadoff guy, and that Babe Ruth guy...who was on-base more often than any player in the history of the sport (except for Ted Williams). And when Ruth was traded, they replaced him with that DiMaggio fellow.
Equation: Great hitter + Lots of RBI <i>opportunities</i> = Lots of RBI's.
And to me, he <i>was</i> both of those things.
But the <i>reason</i> he got all those ribbies was because 1) he was a great hitter, and 2)(very important) he had a lot of RBI chances. A whole lot. Batting in front of him, for most of his career, was Earle Combs, a HOFer leadoff guy, and that Babe Ruth guy...who was on-base more often than any player in the history of the sport (except for Ted Williams). And when Ruth was traded, they replaced him with that DiMaggio fellow.
Equation: Great hitter + Lots of RBI <i>opportunities</i> = Lots of RBI's.
There's nothing better than to realize that the good things about youth don't end with youth itself. It's a matter of realizing that life can be renewed every day you get out of bed without baggage. It's tough to get there, but it's better than the dark thoughts. -Lance