I’m pausing from my days-long Ripken-is-better-than-Jeter email exchange with my baseball guru Jay, to share a non-Jeter moment from last night.
(I like Derek Jeter and all, but Cal Ripken was better. Jay disagrees.)
But, this isn’t about the oldsters …
I used to think that the Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado, just 22, would be baseball’s next great superstar.
But, his knees are wobbly.
One knee surgery kept him out of the lineup until May. Then surgery on the other knee ended his season in August.
The Orioles could certainly use a third baseman – as in someone actually schooled in playing third and not a journeyman tucked in over there and told to just dive at anything that comes remotely close and could be a baseball and try not to break anything. (It’s rarely pretty.)
Manny should be a-ok by next Opening Day. And, maybe he will be back to superstar form. Or, maybe those knees … those wobbly, unreliable knees … oh, I can’t even say it.
Manny did not take the Orioles to the post-season this year – they got there with those journeymen and other guys, giant holes at third, and very little Manny.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, California, on the other hand, owe a lot to baseball’s just 23, superstar, centerfielder Mike Trout.
Good grief, he did this last night.
And, he did this, too.
That’s all. I just wanted to make sure you saw that.
The Baltimore Orioles and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, California will both be in the post-season.
(I’ll be cheering the Manny-less Orioles, of course, but those Trout-full Angels are very good.)
Oh, and back to the Ripken vs. Jeter thing for just a second …
Our friend Jay argues that part of why Derek Jeter is a greater player than Cal Ripken is because he won more World Series (5 vs. 1). This, of course, means that Aubrey Huff (two World Series victories) is a greater player than Ted Williams, Willie McCovey, Ken Griffey, Jr., Harmon Killebrew, and Rod Carew, who won zero.
I argue that Cal Ripken is a greater player than Derek Jeter because he is.
The Baseball Bloggess 
The most World Series argument means that your friend knows nothing about baseball (either that or he is delusional about their pay-rolls) either way….sounds like a typical Yankees fan.
nah, he’s pretty smart on all counts. He just argues that going to the post-season counts for something when determining greatness, and I argue that it doesn’t count for much. He’s actually a Red Sox fan (which I guess would make him anti-Yankees) … that’s why I needled him with the “but Ted Williams didn’t win a World Series” fact.
I agree with the post-season meaning something, but post-season is all about TEAMS. Those Yankees squads would have been fine and probably won most of those World Series (if not all) without Jeter. If you don’t believe that you should probably get back on your meds because those teams were absolutely STACKED!
Thank you, Jackie! Cal WAS the greatest!!! Anyone who plays as well as Jeter deserves recognition, but facts are facts. :)
I rank Ripken as the 2nd greatest shortstop (behind Wagner) depending what you do with A. Rodriguez (who I put at 3rd). Jeter gets a top 10 from me but not a top 5 (as if he cares what I think)
And btw if you friend is right, then Yogi Berra, with 10 rings, is the greatest ever.
v
Trout is a special player and a great part of the game. We get to see him a lot out here and it’s fun (but not always good for the A’s). I hope he stays healthy for a long time.
It’s comforting to follow the repartee about “who’s the greatest” because the discussion wouldn’t exist if there weren’t people who follow the game with passion.
Plus, it’s a never-ending discussion, because even with all the stats in the world, there’s no way to determine who is or was THE greatest … because there’s always going to be someone who will say, “But, I don’t like Babe Ruth.” And, so the debate will go on …