OT: Mariano Rivera

zappaa

Heisman
Jul 27, 2001
75,323
92,226
103
T2K and Skillet please continue, this is high level entertainment.
A lot better than SNL.
 

T2Kplus10

Heisman
Feb 24, 2010
28,180
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C'mon T, you're approaching Trump levels of density.

I just said that starters need runs to be scored by the other players to win. Here's my statement: "What T doesn't get is that in order to win a game, you need for the other players on your team to score runs." And then you say, "Oh no, the other players have to score runs." Uhhhh, yep. That's what I said.

And then I said, "For closers (pay "close" attention, T, this is complex), the necessary runs have already been scored!" That is what a close opportunity means.

I already apologized for your difficulties in following an argument, but you're really pushing the envelope now. Come back with some substance, or have a turkey sandwich. You're fading badly.
Wow, keep digging and you will end up back in the US soon! Saves being the only metric that matters for closers is as dumb as only wins for starters. You really sticking to this?

#senile
People as laughing at you. :)
 
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SkilletHead2

All-American
Sep 30, 2005
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Wow, keep digging and you will end up back in the US soon! Saves being the only metric that matters for closers is as dumb as only wins mastering for starters. You really sticking to this?

#senile
Only T could lose a baseball argument even when getting a lifeline from Zap!

Saves for closers is the key metric. What else could be? For starters, since winning depends on getting support, ERA becomes a very useful additional indicator. It is clearly far less important for closers, since closers, by definition, do not need run support. They already have it when they enter the game.

What could you possibly not understand about this?

Probably best for you to go back to the CE Board where logic and data are always irrelevant.
 
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zappaa

Heisman
Jul 27, 2001
75,323
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We have to remember fellas, run support is relative to how many runs you give up!
 

SkilletHead2

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To move the discussion on from T's lunacy, it seems to me that coming into the game in the ninth with a three run lead, completing the game for a win, is too liberal a definition for a save.

The average number of runs scored in an inning is about .5. Keeping your opponent under 3 doesn't seem like much of an accomplishment.
 

zappaa

Heisman
Jul 27, 2001
75,323
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To move the discussion on from T's lunacy, it seems to me that coming into the game in the ninth with a three run lead, completing the game for a win, is too liberal a definition for a save.

The average number of runs scored in an inning is about .5. Keeping your opponent under 3 doesn't seem like much of an accomplishment.
Why are we talking about three run leads?
I’d venture to say the closer rarely enters a game over a 162 game season with a three run lead.

Let’s make it a one run game facing the 3-4 and 5 hitters
 
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T2Kplus10

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Feb 24, 2010
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Only T could lose a baseball argument even when getting a lifeline from Zap!

Saves for closers is the key metric. What else could be? For starters, since winning depends on getting support, ERA becomes a very useful additional indicator. It is clearly far less important for closers, since closers, by definition, do not need run support. They already have it when they enter the game.

What could you possibly not understand about this?

Probably best for you to go back to the CE Board where logic and data are always irrelevant.
Gandalf - Saves for closers and wins for starters. Yeah, stick with that logic. The only reason you are saying this is because its the only metric that supports your asinine claim that Mo and Choke artist Hoffman are "very close".

One more chance, care you correct yourself?
 

ashokan

Heisman
May 3, 2011
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Regardless of what team you root for, no closer has been that dominant for that kind of time frame. Smith, Eckersley were both great, but for about 2-4 years. Rivera was a different breed.

Thoughts?

I'm not a big baseball person but I watched a lot of Yankee games 1996-2006. Opposing teams knew they had to get something going before Mariano came in. It was like a game became 7.5-8 innings instead of 9. Other players were visibly nervous about him. Only other NY sport figure I saw do something like that was LT.
 

zappaa

Heisman
Jul 27, 2001
75,323
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I'm not a big baseball person but I watched a lot of Yankee games 1996-2006. Opposing teams knew they had to get something going before Mariano came in. It was like a game became 7.5-8 innings instead of 9. Other players were visibly nervous about him. Only other NY sport figure I saw do something like that was LT.
We felt the same way in our day about Fingers Eckersley and Smith.
I understand you had to be loosing in order to see them, but the pressure was really on to get it done in 7 innings or you had no real chance to win.
 
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SkilletHead2

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Why are we talking about three run leads?
I’d venture to say the closer rarely enters a game over a 162 game season with a three run lead.

Let’s make it a one run game facing the 3-4 and 5 hitters
That's kind of what I'm talking about. Maybe we can have saves and "super-saves."
 

SkilletHead2

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Gandalf - Saves for closers and wins for starters. Yeah, stick with that logic. The only reason you are saying this is because its the only metric that supports your asinine claim that Mo and Choke artist Hoffman are "very close".

One more chance, care you correct yourself?
You've lost, T. Give up. You're just embarrassing yourself now.

A starter enters a game with the score 0-0. He needs run support.
A closer enters a game with the lead in hand. He just needs to keep the other team from scoring. The difference could not be clearer.

Again, you've lost. Move on.
 

zappaa

Heisman
Jul 27, 2001
75,323
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You've lost, T. Give up. You're just embarrassing yourself now.

A starter enters a game with the score 0-0. He needs run support.
A closer enters a game with the lead in hand. He just needs to keep the other team from scoring. The difference could not be clearer.

Again, you've lost. Move on.
I’d argue the starter needs to stop the other team from scoring more than he needs run support.
 

T2Kplus10

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Feb 24, 2010
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You've lost, T. Give up. You're just embarrassing yourself now.

A starter enters a game with the score 0-0. He needs run support.
A closer enters a game with the lead in hand. He just needs to keep the other team from scoring. The difference could not be clearer.

Again, you've lost. Move on.
You lost Bilbo. Time to admit it and move on. You're embarrassing yourself now. And you just admitted how important ERA is for a closer. Oops!
[roll]
 

miker183

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Sep 13, 2014
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We felt the same way in our day about Fingers Eckersley and Smith.
I understand you had to be loosing in order to see them, but the pressure was really on to get in done in 7 innings or you had no real chance to win.

I remember Lee Smith and Eckersley, but would you agree that they "reigned" as top closers for no more than 3-4 years?
Really feel that's what set Mo apart from others
 

GoodOl'Rutgers

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Sep 11, 2006
123,974
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He doesn’t get to be the dominant closer if he doesn’t have the lead to “save” to begin with.
fdny.. I have come around on this and I think I can convince you.

No doubt he's the best in the short history of "closers".

But just like writers have made excuses to not vote for people in the past.. certainly stopping worthy players from getting the desired 1st ballot nod getting in in their 1st year eligible...

...maybe a unanimous ballot in a year were so many you can choose from still have asterisks... maybe that will be a kick in the pants to those self-important writers saying it is okay to just vote a guy in because he is worthy.

you cannot make a case that there is a more worthy candidate this year. therefore, there really is no reason to NOT have Rivera at the top of your ballot.. never mind the top 3 or as any of the 10 you could list.

the only reason to not have him on your ballot is.. to choose to prevent him from being unanimous. maybe its time for writers to surrender that power and to be expected to vote based purely on what a candidate did while playing baseball.
 
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zappaa

Heisman
Jul 27, 2001
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I remember Lee Smith and Eckersley, but would you agree that they "reigned" as top closers for no more than 3-4 years?
Really feel that's what set Mo apart from others
Yes.
Fingers was better than both of them.
Sutter was excellent also.
 
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Retired711

Heisman
Nov 20, 2001
19,971
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The whole “save” thing in general is an interesting topic.

Who is responsible for creating the save scenario/opportunity to begin with anyway?

Jerome Holtzman, a sportswriter with the Chicago Tribune, is credited with thinking up and urging adoption of the save rule. I met Holtzman in the 1970s in connection with Charlie Finley's law suit to overturn Bowie Kuhn's decision to bar Finley from trading star players for cash. He was a good guy, and he hand-dedicated a copy of his "No Cheering in the Press Box," his interviews with old sportswriters.
 

SkilletHead2

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Sep 30, 2005
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Very disappointed in you today. Not your best showing. Try doing Sudoku puzzles at night to keep your mind sharper.

Hoffman being close to Mo! Wow.
Poor baby. Go lick your wounds and come back to fight another day. But please, have some data and some logic to back your claims up. Or else just don't get into arguments with the grown ups.
 

T2Kplus10

Heisman
Feb 24, 2010
28,180
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Poor baby. Go lick your wounds and come back to fight another day. But please, have some data and some logic to back your claims up. Or else just don't get into arguments with the grown ups.
Poor old man. Go lick you wounds and use your walker to come back and fight another day. But please, bring your spectacles, so you can actually read what you type. Perhaps that is the problem? Or else just don't get into arguments with people that actually grew up watching modern baseball and not the dead ball era like you. No closers back then!
 
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SkilletHead2

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Sep 30, 2005
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Poor old man. Go lick you wounds and use your walker to come back and fight another day. But please, bring your spectacles, so you can actually read what you type. Perhaps that is the problem? Or else just don't get into arguments with people that that actually grew up watching modern baseball and not the dead ball era like you. No closers back then!
Always happy to go back to the data. On this, Christie, global warming, Trump being a fool...doesn't matter. As always, you are blinded by your biases. It's your huge flaw and it's funny as hell because it's so reliable and so easy to push your buttons. Time and again, you just repeat my lines as if that is some sort of retort.

You are the weak sauce special of this board. Go find some material.
 

T2Kplus10

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Feb 24, 2010
28,180
17,566
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Always happy to go back to the data. On this, Christie, global warming, Trump being a fool...doesn't matter. As always, you are blinded by your biases. It's your huge flaw and it's funny as hell because it's so reliable and so easy to push your buttons. Time and again, you just repeat my lines as if that is some sort of retort.

You are the weak sauce special of this board. Go find some material.
When you start with the personal insults, I know you are fuming that you lost. It's your "Mo" and it's funny as hell to see how easy it is to push your buttons. You love to talk data, yet you still never replied to Mo being the greatest post season pitcher of all time and how closers are all about the big moments. This is also typical Skillet, ignore what proves you wrong.

Sometime you are just as easy as AK with driving crazy. #somuchfun
 

e5fdny

Heisman
Nov 11, 2002
114,794
54,010
102
fdny.. I have come around on this and I think I can convince you.

No doubt he's the best in the short history of "closers".

But just like writers have made excuses to not vote for people in the past.. certainly stopping worthy players from getting the desired 1st ballot nod getting in in their 1st year eligible...

...maybe a unanimous ballot in a year were so many you can choose from still have asterisks... maybe that will be a kick in the pants to those self-important writers saying it is okay to just vote a guy in because he is worthy.

you cannot make a case that there is a more worthy candidate this year. therefore, there really is no reason to NOT have Rivera at the top of your ballot.. never mind the top 3 or as any of the 10 you could list.

the only reason to not have him on your ballot is.. to choose to prevent him from being unanimous. maybe its time for writers to surrender that power and to be expected to vote based purely on what a candidate did while playing baseball.
Some of that I can agree with since for me I always subscribe to the mantra of “if you have to think about it, is he really a HoFer?”

There are some to me who for me who fit that bill. Mariano Rivera is NOT one of them. If you as a sportswriter have to think about this one, maybe @GoodOl'Rutgers is right.
 

e5fdny

Heisman
Nov 11, 2002
114,794
54,010
102
When you start with the personal insults, I know you are fuming that you lost. It's your "Mo" and it's funny as hell to see how easy it is to push your buttons. You love to talk data, yet you still never replied to Mo being the greatest post season pitcher of all time and how closers are all about the big moments. This is also typical Skillet, ignore what proves you wrong.

Sometime you are just as easy as AK with driving crazy. #somuchfun
The biggest moment, he failed. The most important game and he didn’t come through.

But that’s okay, because he’s still the best at the position.
 
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yesrutgers01

Heisman
Nov 9, 2008
122,578
38,340
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Crimes...the real point is that there should have been 20 unanimous HOF players.
It is crazy out of my mind that anyone has ever voted against some of the greatest ever. Just ******* stupid. So as much as Mays, Aaron, Sever, Gibson and many others, who would vote against Mo? Who voted against these other guys?
He shouldn’t be the first but he should be unanimous
 

SkilletHead2

All-American
Sep 30, 2005
24,458
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When you start with the personal insults, I know you are fuming that you lost. It's your "Mo" and it's funny as hell to see how easy it is to push your buttons. You love to talk data, yet you still never replied to Mo being the greatest post season pitcher of all time and how closers are all about the big moments. This is also typical Skillet, ignore what proves you wrong.

Sometime you are just as easy as AK with driving crazy. #somuchfun
When I start with personal insults? The thread is all still here for anyone to read, T. Your very first post was a personal insult followed by at least four others before I responded in kind. Personal insults are you signature move.

But here is something that is puzzling. You used to occasionally have a good retort. Now all you do is parrot what I say. You're like an apprentice -- not a particularly bright one, but an apprentice nonetheless.

As to postseason, I have said at least four times that Rivera was excellent in the postseason. Four times. And the best you can do is now say that I haven't acknowledged that? Very Trumpian. I think you should disconnect from Twitter.

Here's one big difference between the two of us, T. And I fear you will never learn this. I don't contest arguments when the data aren't on my side. I concede those points and focus on other, more important ones. As to closers being all about the big moment, you couldn't be more wrong, as usual. The amazing thing about closers is that they come in and do the job day in and day out (well, 60 times or so a year), whereas starters are only once every five days. They do get a big moment from time to time, and for the umpteenth time, that is where Mo shined. Great in the postseason. It is what made him the best. Regular season? Pretty much indistinguishable from Hoffman. That's been my point all along. You have to ignore it as it completely destroys your argument.

You haven't even yet stumbled upon the best argument for making Mo unanimous. And unless you find it from someone else, you never will.

I've got to bail on this now, T. It's beginning to feel like pulling wings off of flies.
 
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SkilletHead2

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A little perspective here.
These guys received 94.68% (Mays) and 88.22% (Mantle).


Rationality is not really what this thread is about Colbert. It's more about being a Yankee fan. The idea that Rivera somehow deserves to be a unanimous HOF is ridiculous from the perspective of where he stands in the all time ranking of players.

The only argument for him, and it could have been made for 20 different guys over the past quarter century, is that he undeniably deserves to be a first round HOF selection. Thus, not voting for him in the first round is some sort of sacrilege. I'd vote for him. But I'd probably vote for Pete Rose, too. But not the steroid users.

Most of the guys making arguments here probably don't even remember when the argument was whether a person deserved to be a first ballot pick.

What do Joe DiMaggio, Yogi, Whitey Ford, and Cy Young have in common? Not first ballot picks.
 

e5fdny

Heisman
Nov 11, 2002
114,794
54,010
102
Crimes...the real point is that there should have been 20 unanimous HOF players.
It is crazy out of my mind that anyone has ever voted against some of the greatest ever. Just ****ing stupid. So as much as Mays, Aaron, Sever, Gibson and many others, who would vote against Mo? Who voted against these other guys?
He shouldn’t be the first but he should be unanimous
That’s the jist of it right there.
 

Retired711

Heisman
Nov 20, 2001
19,971
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Never contested that he was great in the postseason. The point is that that isn't the point. During the regular season, little difference between the two in what matters: saves. The fact that you can't concede that speaks volumes about you.

I'm having trouble following the thread because I can't tell what you are replying to. I think that means that you are replying to someone whom I put on "ignore" a while back, and haven't missed at all. You might consider the same strategy.
 

SkilletHead2

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Sep 30, 2005
24,458
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I'm having trouble following the thread because I can't tell what you are replying to. I think that means that you are replying to someone whom I put on "ignore" a while back, and haven't missed at all. You might consider the same strategy.
Hi Camden,
Yeah, I was replying to the increasingly tiresome T. I then remembered that I said I wasn't going to engage him anymore, but I forgot.

My argument is simple. Rivera was the best closer ever and an exceptionally good baseball player who deserves first ballot HOF. He was exceptionally good in the postseason. But during the regular season, his record is incredibly close to Trevor Hoffman playing in the same era. And, he only led the league in saves three times. So I kind of have him as great, but not one of the greatest. Maybe about the 15-20th best player of his era.

So if some of the alltime greats weren't even first ballot HOFers, and since nobody has ever been a unanimous choice, I don't see the argument for starting with Rivera. I would not however, say that to his face if I were standing in the batter's box!

T mostly wants to make age jokes, repeat my shots at him, and lie what about what has occurred on the thread. In real life, he isn't a bad guy, but he's terrible at board banter.
 

Retired711

Heisman
Nov 20, 2001
19,971
10,151
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Hi Camden,
Yeah, I was replying to the increasingly tiresome T. I then remembered that I said I wasn't going to engage him anymore, but I forgot.

My argument is simple. Rivera was the best closer ever and an exceptionally good baseball player who deserves first ballot HOF. He was exceptionally good in the postseason. But during the regular season, his record is incredibly close to Trevor Hoffman playing in the same era. And, he only led the league in saves three times. So I kind of have him as great, but not one of the greatest. Maybe about the 15-20th best player of his era.

So if some of the alltime greats weren't even first ballot HOFers, and since nobody has ever been a unanimous choice, I don't see the argument for starting with Rivera. I would not however, say that to his face if I were standing in the batter's box!

T mostly wants to make age jokes, repeat my shots at him, and lie what about what has occurred on the thread. In real life, he isn't a bad guy, but he's terrible at board banter.

Glad to know T "in real life, isn't a bad guy." I look forward to meeting him someday; I might like him.
 
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RU848789

Heisman
Jul 27, 2001
65,360
44,405
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He was very good for a whole lot of years. Clearly deserves to be a first ballot HOF. First unanimous? No way. Only led the league in saves three times. His record number of saves is mostly attributable to being a closer on a team with tons of wins for 18 years. Only cracked the top ten for MVP three times. No Cy Youngs.

HOF yes. Unanimous? Let's save that won for somebody who dominated his position and won some MVPs.

Spot on. Close the thread. And T is as clueless about baseball as he is about everything else, lol...