Yes, the benevolent Pujols allowed the fan to keep the ball. Without his blessing, the ball would certainly have been commandeered, and the fan thrown in the gulag for the rest of his life...I mean, what else can Pujols say once he realized that he wasn't getting the ball. They tried to lean on the guy and be heavy handed about it, and the fan called their bluff, and as his right, left with the ball, so too bad for you, Prince Albert. Definitely a black mark on the MLB parties responsible for botching this.
@doubledragon said:
I just think it was classy to say he didn't care if the fan kept the ball, because the fans are what really matters.
But did the fan get a hotdog all the way blah blah blah.....?
If I were that fan, I certainly would have put in a request for one. No make that two, and a large Coke.😉
I don't know if you're aware, but per detroitnews.com, the fan actually wanted a Hebrew National hot dog at the game, and only minutes before landing possession of the ball, had discovered that they supposedly no longer sell that brand at Comerica Park. As part of the ongoing negotiations with the Tigers' security personnel, he joked that they could keep all of the stuff they were offering, that he only requested that they agree to start selling Hebrew National dogs at the stadium again, and he'd hand the ball over.
@doubledragon said:
I just think it was classy to say he didn't care if the fan kept the ball, because the fans are what really matters.
But did the fan get a hotdog all the way blah blah blah.....?
If I were that fan, I certainly would have put in a request for one. No make that two, and a large Coke.😉
I don't know if you're aware, but per detroitnews.com, the fan actually wanted a Hebrew National hot dog at the game, and only minutes before landing possession of the ball, had discovered that they supposedly no longer sell that brand at Comerica Park. As part of the ongoing negotiations with the Tigers' security personnel, he joked that they could keep all of the stuff they were offering, that he only requested that they agree to start selling Hebrew National dogs at the stadium again, and he'd hand the ball over.
No, I was not aware. I love a good hot dog story.😉
@doubledragon said:
I just think it was classy to say he didn't care if the fan kept the ball, because the fans are what really matters.
But did the fan get a hotdog all the way blah blah blah.....?
If I were that fan, I certainly would have put in a request for one. No make that two, and a large Coke.😉
I don't know if you're aware, but per detroitnews.com, the fan actually wanted a Hebrew National hot dog at the game, and only minutes before landing possession of the ball, had discovered that they supposedly no longer sell that brand at Comerica Park. As part of the ongoing negotiations with the Tigers' security personnel, he joked that they could keep all of the stuff they were offering, that he only requested that they agree to start selling Hebrew National dogs at the stadium again, and he'd hand the ball over.
No, I was not aware. I love a good hot dog story.😉
@doubledragon said:
I just think it was classy to say he didn't care if the fan kept the ball, because the fans are what really matters.
But did the fan get a hotdog all the way blah blah blah.....?
If I were that fan, I certainly would have put in a request for one. No make that two, and a large Coke.😉
I don't know if you're aware, but per detroitnews.com, the fan actually wanted a Hebrew National hot dog at the game, and only minutes before landing possession of the ball, had discovered that they supposedly no longer sell that brand at Comerica Park. As part of the ongoing negotiations with the Tigers' security personnel, he joked that they could keep all of the stuff they were offering, that he only requested that they agree to start selling Hebrew National dogs at the stadium again, and he'd hand the ball over.
No, I was not aware. I love a good hot dog story.😉
@olb31 said:
Albert Pujols. One of the top 20 players of all-time, but boy he looks beyond washed up. The Yanks wouldn'y play AROD the last year and he looked like the best player ever the year before compared to what Pujols looks like this year.
Carlton.
Jeter was spectacularly awful his last year. Rose, but he’s not in the Hall.
@Stone193 said:
Not saying worse than Pujols but Mantle disappointed me by staying too late at the party.
1967 - 144 games - .245 BA, 22 HRs
1968 - 144 games - .237 BA, 18 HRs
This brought his lifetime BA down below .300
I think Babe Ruth may have stayed too long also?
Mantle has gone on record saying he wished he didn't play the final year as that would have put his BA at .302. But even still, both of those years, he played at an All-Star level and arguably superstar. I believe he was above the league batting average in both of those years and his HRs and Walks were well above league average as usual. His OPS+ was 149 and 143 respectively. Ichiro, as an example, was only 130 in his very best year. The late 60s were brutal on hitters, I assume because of the raised mound. Yaz won the batting title with a mere .301 average in 1968.
I think the widespread construction of the larger, dual purpose stadiums had a major impact, too. In addition, it is likely that the expansion that benefited many players in 61/62 was fully assimilated by 1965.
@Stone193 said:
Not saying worse than Pujols but Mantle disappointed me by staying too late at the party.
1967 - 144 games - .245 BA, 22 HRs
1968 - 144 games - .237 BA, 18 HRs
This brought his lifetime BA down below .300
I think Babe Ruth may have stayed too long also?
Mantle has gone on record saying he wished he didn't play the final year as that would have put his BA at .302. But even still, both of those years, he played at an All-Star level and arguably superstar. I believe he was above the league batting average in both of those years and his HRs and Walks were well above league average as usual. His OPS+ was 149 and 143 respectively. Ichiro, as an example, was only 130 in his very best year. The late 60s were brutal on hitters, I assume because of the raised mound. Yaz won the batting title with a mere .301 average in 1968.
In 1967 and 68 Mantle put up slightly above average OPS numbers, but he was no longer able to run well or field his position in Center field. He was no longer an "All-Star" and certainly not a "superstar".
He was still able to hit home runs, his SLG both years was above the league average and actually pretty good in '67. Since he was the ONLY batter the Yankees had offensively, he got walked A LOT.
The drop from best player in MLB to slightly above average is a huge one.
Killebrew was in a similar situation (although he certainly was not as good as Mantle in their primes) not being able to run well and play in the field are HUGE indicators of a player being "done".
Some of "Killers" numbers actually got a little better in 1975 as a hitter, he couldn't do much else and was released.
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
I guess Pujols is secretly reading this thread because last night he was 3 for 5 with 2HRs, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored.
The season is just reaching the 1/4 mark, and the guy has 8 HR and 21RBI. Maybe take a shovel or two of that dirt off of his coffin for now. Just saying.
Before anyone thinks I am a Pujols fan, I've always believed that Pujols is older than he says, and I also believe he did steroids at some point in his career.
@Stone193 said:
Not saying worse than Pujols but Mantle disappointed me by staying too late at the party.
1967 - 144 games - .245 BA, 22 HRs
1968 - 144 games - .237 BA, 18 HRs
This brought his lifetime BA down below .300
I think Babe Ruth may have stayed too long also?
Mantle has gone on record saying he wished he didn't play the final year as that would have put his BA at .302. But even still, both of those years, he played at an All-Star level and arguably superstar. I believe he was above the league batting average in both of those years and his HRs and Walks were well above league average as usual. His OPS+ was 149 and 143 respectively. Ichiro, as an example, was only 130 in his very best year. The late 60s were brutal on hitters, I assume because of the raised mound. Yaz won the batting title with a mere .301 average in 1968.
In 1967 and 68 Mantle put up slightly above average OPS numbers, but he was no longer able to run well or field his position in Center field. He was no longer an "All-Star" and certainly not a "superstar".
He was still able to hit home runs, his SLG both years was above the league average and actually pretty good in '67. Since he was the ONLY batter the Yankees had offensively, he got walked A LOT.
The drop from best player in MLB to slightly above average is a huge one.
Killebrew was in a similar situation (although he certainly was not as good as Mantle in their primes) not being able to run well and play in the field are HUGE indicators of a player being "done".
Some of "Killers" numbers actually got a little better in 1975 as a hitter, he couldn't do much else and was released.
“Slightly above average “ my a**. He was in the top ten in the league in OPS+ in 67 and 68.
@nam812 said:
I guess Pujols is secretly reading this thread because last night he was 3 for 5 with 2HRs, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored.
The season is just reaching the 1/4 mark, and the guy has 8 HR and 21RBI. Maybe take a shovel or two of that dirt off of his coffin for now. Just saying.
Before anyone thinks I am a Pujols fan, I've always believed that Pujols is older than he says, and I also believe he did steroids at some point in his career.
Nice night, but he’s been done for a couple of years.
In fairness to all these guys, if you were making what they make, even if you weren't able to produce at a level that would be worth minimum wage (baseball minimum wage) wouldn't it be tough for you to walk away? To put it another way, $20 million a year buys a lot of pride.
@Stone193 said:
Not saying worse than Pujols but Mantle disappointed me by staying too late at the party.
1967 - 144 games - .245 BA, 22 HRs
1968 - 144 games - .237 BA, 18 HRs
This brought his lifetime BA down below .300
I think Babe Ruth may have stayed too long also?
Mantle has gone on record saying he wished he didn't play the final year as that would have put his BA at .302. But even still, both of those years, he played at an All-Star level and arguably superstar. I believe he was above the league batting average in both of those years and his HRs and Walks were well above league average as usual. His OPS+ was 149 and 143 respectively. Ichiro, as an example, was only 130 in his very best year. The late 60s were brutal on hitters, I assume because of the raised mound. Yaz won the batting title with a mere .301 average in 1968.
In 1967 and 68 Mantle put up slightly above average OPS numbers, but he was no longer able to run well or field his position in Center field. He was no longer an "All-Star" and certainly not a "superstar".
He was still able to hit home runs, his SLG both years was above the league average and actually pretty good in '67. Since he was the ONLY batter the Yankees had offensively, he got walked A LOT.
The drop from best player in MLB to slightly above average is a huge one.
Killebrew was in a similar situation (although he certainly was not as good as Mantle in their primes) not being able to run well and play in the field are HUGE indicators of a player being "done".
Some of "Killers" numbers actually got a little better in 1975 as a hitter, he couldn't do much else and was released.
“Slightly above average “ my a**. He was in the top ten in the league in OPS+ in 67 and 68.
Hitting wise, I agree he was OK............BARELY making the top 10 in OPS. There is more to being a ball player than OPS and/or OPS+. As I said, Mantle could no longer play the outfield and his legs were so bad he could not run well at all. You also should take into account the fact that a LOT of his OPS numbers were because he walked so much, it's a good thing, but with virtually no hitters hitting behind him and his inability to get around the bases very well, you end up with a distorted number.
@Stone193 said:
Not saying worse than Pujols but Mantle disappointed me by staying too late at the party.
1967 - 144 games - .245 BA, 22 HRs
1968 - 144 games - .237 BA, 18 HRs
This brought his lifetime BA down below .300
I think Babe Ruth may have stayed too long also?
Mantle has gone on record saying he wished he didn't play the final year as that would have put his BA at .302. But even still, both of those years, he played at an All-Star level and arguably superstar. I believe he was above the league batting average in both of those years and his HRs and Walks were well above league average as usual. His OPS+ was 149 and 143 respectively. Ichiro, as an example, was only 130 in his very best year. The late 60s were brutal on hitters, I assume because of the raised mound. Yaz won the batting title with a mere .301 average in 1968.
In 1967 and 68 Mantle put up slightly above average OPS numbers, but he was no longer able to run well or field his position in Center field. He was no longer an "All-Star" and certainly not a "superstar".
He was still able to hit home runs, his SLG both years was above the league average and actually pretty good in '67. Since he was the ONLY batter the Yankees had offensively, he got walked A LOT.
The drop from best player in MLB to slightly above average is a huge one.
Killebrew was in a similar situation (although he certainly was not as good as Mantle in their primes) not being able to run well and play in the field are HUGE indicators of a player being "done".
Some of "Killers" numbers actually got a little better in 1975 as a hitter, he couldn't do much else and was released.
I agree that Mantle was hobbling around in the field in his last few years as well as not offering anything on the bases. But your original post focused entirely on his offensive production which was what I was speaking to. And in that sense, he was most definitely at least an All-Star level player.
I am not sure who's original post you are talking about, but I agreed that he could still hit but his running and fielding had diminished quite a bit. As far as being an "All-Star" Killebrew was in his prime and certainly better at 1st base, so Mantle was a reserve, I would agree with that.
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
Pujols hasn't been absolutely terrible this year. Just noticed he has 15 homers and 59 rbi in limited playing time. The average is low, but he's not striking out a ton and he is walking a decent amount. He's gonna probably end up with around 25 homers and 90ish rbi.
On the other hand, I watched Miguel Cabrera bat tonight and my god I didn't realize he was so out of shape. He looks like he gained 50 pounds since last year. Age isn't being nice to Cabrera that's for sure.
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Coming close to the end of the season now, and I think Pujols has had a decent season, especially considering he is "39." The average is low but he has 23 homers and 92 rbi in just 471 AB. He continues to not strikeout much and walk a decent amount as hes got 42/66 bb/so. His OPS+ is 97 so he is right around league average. Orioles fans would kill for Chris Davis to have this kind of production right now and hes only 33.
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Pujols made $23MM and up the last 6 years and his OPS is well below .800. His salary is the single biggest reason Mike Trout hasn't played in a total of 3 playoff games.
@81 Topps Guy said:
Jim Palmer 0-3 with a 9.17 ERA in 1984, small sample size but brutal. Ernie Banks 3 HR and sub .200 average his last year is in the team photo too.
Here is the lineup card from the final game of Jim Palmer's career in 1984
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@orioles93 said:
Coming close to the end of the season now, and I think Pujols has had a decent season, especially considering he is "39." The average is low but he has 23 homers and 92 rbi in just 471 AB. He continues to not strikeout much and walk a decent amount as hes got 42/66 bb/so. His OPS+ is 97 so he is right around league average. Orioles fans would kill for Chris Davis to have this kind of production right now and hes only 33.
pujols has had a better year then I thought he would. looking like he will be back for another year. may not be a good idea but he is making almost 23 million next year so he might as well come back. no matter how he ends his career he will still be a first ballot hall of fame player.
He has 90+ RBI’s and sits still quite a bit. Average is sitting around .250, but he is still mediocre. He was awesome his 1st 10 years, a tremendous professional, lacks any steroid discussion, and will be a 1st ballot HOFer! Cards are still reasonably priced for one of the greatest hitters.
Comments
Yes, the benevolent Pujols allowed the fan to keep the ball. Without his blessing, the ball would certainly have been commandeered, and the fan thrown in the gulag for the rest of his life...I mean, what else can Pujols say once he realized that he wasn't getting the ball. They tried to lean on the guy and be heavy handed about it, and the fan called their bluff, and as his right, left with the ball, so too bad for you, Prince Albert. Definitely a black mark on the MLB parties responsible for botching this.
But did the fan get a hotdog all the way blah blah blah.....?
Kris
My 1971 Topps adventure - Davis Men in Black
If I were that fan, I certainly would have put in a request for one. No make that two, and a large Coke.😉
I don't know if you're aware, but per detroitnews.com, the fan actually wanted a Hebrew National hot dog at the game, and only minutes before landing possession of the ball, had discovered that they supposedly no longer sell that brand at Comerica Park. As part of the ongoing negotiations with the Tigers' security personnel, he joked that they could keep all of the stuff they were offering, that he only requested that they agree to start selling Hebrew National dogs at the stadium again, and he'd hand the ball over.
No, I was not aware. I love a good hot dog story.😉
Yes omg watching him is brutal. He looks like he just left the bar when he’s batting.
Apparently the fan had a change of heart.
https://detroitnews.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2019/05/10/change-heart-fan-plans-give-baseball-albert-pujols-wants-no-money/1170962001/
A summer's supply of hot dogs. I can only dream of such a thing.😉
Carlton.
Jeter was spectacularly awful his last year. Rose, but he’s not in the Hall.
Wishful thinking?
Andy
I think the widespread construction of the larger, dual purpose stadiums had a major impact, too. In addition, it is likely that the expansion that benefited many players in 61/62 was fully assimilated by 1965.
In 1967 and 68 Mantle put up slightly above average OPS numbers, but he was no longer able to run well or field his position in Center field. He was no longer an "All-Star" and certainly not a "superstar".
He was still able to hit home runs, his SLG both years was above the league average and actually pretty good in '67. Since he was the ONLY batter the Yankees had offensively, he got walked A LOT.
The drop from best player in MLB to slightly above average is a huge one.
Killebrew was in a similar situation (although he certainly was not as good as Mantle in their primes) not being able to run well and play in the field are HUGE indicators of a player being "done".
Some of "Killers" numbers actually got a little better in 1975 as a hitter, he couldn't do much else and was released.
I guess Pujols is secretly reading this thread because last night he was 3 for 5 with 2HRs, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored.
The season is just reaching the 1/4 mark, and the guy has 8 HR and 21RBI. Maybe take a shovel or two of that dirt off of his coffin for now. Just saying.
Before anyone thinks I am a Pujols fan, I've always believed that Pujols is older than he says, and I also believe he did steroids at some point in his career.
“Slightly above average “ my a**. He was in the top ten in the league in OPS+ in 67 and 68.
Nice night, but he’s been done for a couple of years.
In fairness to all these guys, if you were making what they make, even if you weren't able to produce at a level that would be worth minimum wage (baseball minimum wage) wouldn't it be tough for you to walk away? To put it another way, $20 million a year buys a lot of pride.
Hitting wise, I agree he was OK............BARELY making the top 10 in OPS. There is more to being a ball player than OPS and/or OPS+. As I said, Mantle could no longer play the outfield and his legs were so bad he could not run well at all. You also should take into account the fact that a LOT of his OPS numbers were because he walked so much, it's a good thing, but with virtually no hitters hitting behind him and his inability to get around the bases very well, you end up with a distorted number.
I am not sure who's original post you are talking about, but I agreed that he could still hit but his running and fielding had diminished quite a bit. As far as being an "All-Star" Killebrew was in his prime and certainly better at 1st base, so Mantle was a reserve, I would agree with that.
Pujols hasn't been absolutely terrible this year. Just noticed he has 15 homers and 59 rbi in limited playing time. The average is low, but he's not striking out a ton and he is walking a decent amount. He's gonna probably end up with around 25 homers and 90ish rbi.
On the other hand, I watched Miguel Cabrera bat tonight and my god I didn't realize he was so out of shape. He looks like he gained 50 pounds since last year. Age isn't being nice to Cabrera that's for sure.
PSA HOF Baseball Postwar Rookies Set Registry- (Currently 80.51% Complete)
PSA Pro Football HOF Rookie Players Set Registry- (Currently 19.80% Complete)
PSA Basketball HOF Players Rookies Set Registry- (Currently 6.02% Complete)
Griffey Jr. - went out on a very sour note - didn't play well and behaved even worse.
In all fairness....the rest of Joe's career wasn't much better.
Coming close to the end of the season now, and I think Pujols has had a decent season, especially considering he is "39." The average is low but he has 23 homers and 92 rbi in just 471 AB. He continues to not strikeout much and walk a decent amount as hes got 42/66 bb/so. His OPS+ is 97 so he is right around league average. Orioles fans would kill for Chris Davis to have this kind of production right now and hes only 33.
PSA HOF Baseball Postwar Rookies Set Registry- (Currently 80.51% Complete)
PSA Pro Football HOF Rookie Players Set Registry- (Currently 19.80% Complete)
PSA Basketball HOF Players Rookies Set Registry- (Currently 6.02% Complete)
Pujols made $23MM and up the last 6 years and his OPS is well below .800. His salary is the single biggest reason Mike Trout hasn't played in a total of 3 playoff games.
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Update....the fan that caught Pujols 2000th RBI ball (HR); donated the ball to the Hall of Fame
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/27691223/fan-donates-pujols-ball-hall-memory-son
IMF
Here is the lineup card from the final game of Jim Palmer's career in 1984
Love the line up card, nice piece!
pujols has had a better year then I thought he would. looking like he will be back for another year. may not be a good idea but he is making almost 23 million next year so he might as well come back. no matter how he ends his career he will still be a first ballot hall of fame player.
He has 90+ RBI’s and sits still quite a bit. Average is sitting around .250, but he is still mediocre. He was awesome his 1st 10 years, a tremendous professional, lacks any steroid discussion, and will be a 1st ballot HOFer! Cards are still reasonably priced for one of the greatest hitters.