GaryMrMets
02-22-2006, 08:02 PM
http://www.msgnetwork.com/content_news.jsp?articleID=v0000msgn20060218T21303 2461&newsgroup=ap.sportsml.columnist.article&sports=baseball&team=other&league=mlb
Fran Healy
http://www.msgnetwork.com/mediaStore/p/person_fhealy.jpg
Records were made to be broken...or were they?
Feb 20, 2006
Everybody said Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played streak of 2,131 in a row would never be broken. Ironically, that record was broken by Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles in 1995 well before Gehrig's record for grand slams (23), which still stands to this day.
Having said that, let's have some fun and take a look at some more records that may or may not ever be broken.
JOE DIMAGGIO'S 56-GAME HIT STREAK
Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins currently has a 36-game hitting streak that was postponed due to the end of the 2005 season. His streak will carry over into the 2006 season, but I don't think Joe DiMaggio's hit streak will be broken because there's more exposure and more scrutiny now than there was when he played.
The microscope will be on Rollins as soon as the first pitch is thrown, and that microscope will be on him intensely if he gets a hit in his first game. The media will be following him all over the place. The ironic thing is that prior to this hit streak, which started on August 23, Rollins was hitting a paltry .151 in the better part of August.
As for DiMaggio, he had a 61-game hitting streak when he played for the San Francisco Seals in the Pacific Coast League. So, he had a history of executing that type of consistency already. And although the 56-game streak with the Yankees in 1941 was a magnificent hitting streak, I don't think anybody was in shock. However, all of a sudden it ended and people realized how difficult it is to match this baby.
When DiMaggio was hitting, when he made contact, he really fouled the ball up during that hitting streak. He rarely swung and missed during that hitting streak. So it's going to take a guy who has that mindset -- a real contact hitter in the mold of a Pete Rose -- and the ability to block out everything, and I don't think anybody has that ability. If DiMaggio was playing today, with the way the scrutiny is and the personality he had, he wouldn't get that streak either.
HANK AARON'S CAREER HOME RUNS - 755
With Barry Bonds so close at 708 career home runs, he is the player most likely to break Hank Aaron's all-time record. Although I haven't seen him since last year, and despite the fact that he missed most of the season, I think he will stay healthy enough to do it. He's got the personality to do it because he doesn't care. So you can follow him wherever you want to follow him, and he doesn't care. That's his game.
After Bonds is through, two players come to mind who I think will surpass the final number Bonds ends up with, and they are Alex Rodriguez and Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols.
A-Rod keeps himself in magnificent shape, and Pujols is one of the best hitters I have ever seen, and so is Rodriguez. And they both make contact, so that's also in their favor.
A-Rod already has 429 homers at the ripe age of 30, while Pujols has 201 in just five seasons at 26.
NEXT TO HIT. 400 IN A SEASON?
Speaking of Pujols, I believe he has the best shot to become the next player to crack the .400 mark over the course of an entire season. He makes contact, and the ball jumps off his bat. Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki is the same way, and he has a leg up on Pujols because he can run.
Pujols is not real fast, but he has such a short stride and such a short, quick, compact stroke that he's difficult to fool. So he's going to make contact, and hit the ball hard some place. Also, he has excellent mechanics at the plate. He's so strong. The sky is the limit for him, as he has proven.
BARRY BONDS' SINGLE-SEASON HR RECORD - 73
In light of the MLB's recent crusade against steroids, I don't see anyone breaking Barry Bonds' single-season home run record.
However, Alex Rodriguez might be able to hit 60 at Yankee Stadium because, in my opinion, he might be one of the top three players in the history of the game. He's arguably the best all-around shortstop in the history of the game.
It's amazing, when you consider the scope of his talent, to see what he can do day in and day out. The Yankees had a terrific shortstop in Derek Jeter so he moved to third base and he will win a Gold Glove there before he's done.
RIPKEN'S CONSECUTIVE GAMES STREAK - 2,632
Cal Ripken Jr.'s consecutive games played streak is never going to be broken because no manager is going to allow a player to get into the position where he can't take him out of the lineup. They learned their lesson.
Ripken was a magnificent player, but towards the end of his streak you heard a lot from his managers, Davey Johnson and Ray Miller. They thought giving him a day off would keep him strong, not for any other reason. Give him a day off to keep him strong and help the club.
Managers in baseball have learned -- now maybe in time they will forget and somebody will have a shot at it -- but it will probably be mandated by the front office that "we can't have a kid in there that many games, no matter how good he is, and not be able to rest him," because if you rest him, it will help the team. In my opinion, that streak will stand forever.
SEATTLE'S 116-WIN SEASON/METS 120-LOSS SEASON
If the Detroit Tigers didn't break the Mets' modern day loss record of 120, set in their inaugural season of 1962, when they went 43-119 in 2003, maybe an expansion team will someday. Although, with expansion teams, you immediately can build with free agents and not be buried in the doldrums of the league with a team full of inexperienced players. So maybe that record will stand forever.
As far as Seattle's wins record, somebody can get real hot and just have five dominating starting pitchers and break the winning record. Who that team is, we will just have to wait and see.
NOLAN RYAN'S CAREER STRIKEOUTS - 5,705
Longevity and having a work ethic like Nolan Ryan's is the key to topping this record. No one will be able to maintain the velocity of his fastball without his work ethic. He was incredible.
I was amazed when Yogi Berra told me that Ryan learned his work ethic by watching Tom Seaver when he was with the Mets. It's ridiculous. This guy, at 43 years old, was throwing the ball 100 miles an hour with a nasty curveball. The only difference between the two power pitchers was that Seaver didn't walk many hitters, while Ryan also holds the major league record for walks with 2,795.
In order for a pitcher to come along and break the record, he would have to stay healthy and be blessed with a supernatural or bionic arm, a magnificent build and a great work ethic every year, as well as staying in shape and not walking as many batters as Ryan did. So his strikeout record could certainly stand.
CY YOUNG'S CAREER WINS (511)
A big reason why Cy Young's wins record won't ever be touched is because of today's five-man rotation. In Young's day, the standard was a three-man rotation, so he was able to pitch in 906 games, starting 815 of them. These days, only relievers come close to pitching in that many games.
The one thing that is in the favor of a pitcher who comes on the scene with Clemens- or Seaver-like stuff is that they are going to give the kid the ball and in the sixth inning there's a good chance he's coming out of the game. So he won't throw as many pitches, but yet he can be just as dominating. And if he has a good bullpen, he will be strong and can win 25-30 ball games in a single season by pitching six or seven innings, whereas the other guys had to pitch eight or nine.
But you have to have that right combination coming out of the bullpen. There will be a 30-game winner because of this some day.
WARREN SPAHN'S 363 WINS - THE MOST BY A LEFTY
Warren Spahn was a special pitcher. Not only did he amass 363 wins, but he also had 363 hits. He was a heck of a hitter, and he would pitch any time, any place. That's not going to happen again.
We might end up seeing a pitcher like Spahn pitch six innings, and then the bullpen will come in, save the day, and he ends up 28-1 because he has dominating stuff, the bullpen has dominating stuff, and they are all throwing strikes.
An intriguing player to watch in this regard is Florida's stud lefty Dontrelle Willis, who has 46 wins and 53 hits in his first three seasons in the big leagues.
He might be able to do it because he's so young, but the key is staying healthy and making the necessary adjustments year in and year out.Spahn knew that. He originally threw the ball like Dodgers great Sandy Koufax, but as he got older he made an adjustment to his pitching style that turned him into an even greater pitcher.
RICKEY HENDERSON'S CAREER STOLEN BASES - 1,420
If a player is going to steal a ton of bases, he has to be a terrific hitter and then be able to outrun the baseball. Rickey Henderson was one of the best at that, as well as one of the best players who ever played the game.
As far as a challenger is concerned, Jose Reyes probably could have stolen 100 bases if he played in the 70s, but he is not going to do it now because they are going to use the slide step on him to no end. It's the same with all these speedsters today. It's certainly intimidating when these guys use that slide step.
I don't think anybody is ever going to steal 100 bases again because the style of the game has changed dramatically. Everything comes from the dugout today -- throw over there; fake to third, throw to first; fake to third, hold the ball, do a pitch-out -- it's micromanagement. These are signs that you have to follow, where one time it was the catcher and pitcher and nothing came from the dugout.
If Rickey was not as controversial -- not wanting to do what his managers wanted him to, taking time off, and playing cards in the clubhouse -- you would be writing sonnets about this guy's ability.
Be sure to check out The Game: 365 on March 1 at 12:30 a.m. when I interview Tom Seaver at his vineyard in Napa Valley.
http://www.msgnetwork.com/mediaStore/j/joed_021906drin.jpg
The 'Clipper' had impressive numbers despite spending a few of his prime years in the military. (AP)
http://www.msgnetwork.com/mediaStore/a/arod_021906drin.jpg
A-Rod became the youngest player to hit 400 home runs in 2005. (AP)
http://www.msgnetwork.com/mediaStore/r/ryan_021906drin.jpg
The 'Ryan Express' devastated hitters all throughout his 27-year career. (AP)
http://www.msgnetwork.com/mediaStore/w/willis_021906drin.jpg
The 'D-Train' is only getting better as matures in his young career. (AP)
Fran Healy
http://www.msgnetwork.com/mediaStore/p/person_fhealy.jpg
Records were made to be broken...or were they?
Feb 20, 2006
Everybody said Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played streak of 2,131 in a row would never be broken. Ironically, that record was broken by Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles in 1995 well before Gehrig's record for grand slams (23), which still stands to this day.
Having said that, let's have some fun and take a look at some more records that may or may not ever be broken.
JOE DIMAGGIO'S 56-GAME HIT STREAK
Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins currently has a 36-game hitting streak that was postponed due to the end of the 2005 season. His streak will carry over into the 2006 season, but I don't think Joe DiMaggio's hit streak will be broken because there's more exposure and more scrutiny now than there was when he played.
The microscope will be on Rollins as soon as the first pitch is thrown, and that microscope will be on him intensely if he gets a hit in his first game. The media will be following him all over the place. The ironic thing is that prior to this hit streak, which started on August 23, Rollins was hitting a paltry .151 in the better part of August.
As for DiMaggio, he had a 61-game hitting streak when he played for the San Francisco Seals in the Pacific Coast League. So, he had a history of executing that type of consistency already. And although the 56-game streak with the Yankees in 1941 was a magnificent hitting streak, I don't think anybody was in shock. However, all of a sudden it ended and people realized how difficult it is to match this baby.
When DiMaggio was hitting, when he made contact, he really fouled the ball up during that hitting streak. He rarely swung and missed during that hitting streak. So it's going to take a guy who has that mindset -- a real contact hitter in the mold of a Pete Rose -- and the ability to block out everything, and I don't think anybody has that ability. If DiMaggio was playing today, with the way the scrutiny is and the personality he had, he wouldn't get that streak either.
HANK AARON'S CAREER HOME RUNS - 755
With Barry Bonds so close at 708 career home runs, he is the player most likely to break Hank Aaron's all-time record. Although I haven't seen him since last year, and despite the fact that he missed most of the season, I think he will stay healthy enough to do it. He's got the personality to do it because he doesn't care. So you can follow him wherever you want to follow him, and he doesn't care. That's his game.
After Bonds is through, two players come to mind who I think will surpass the final number Bonds ends up with, and they are Alex Rodriguez and Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols.
A-Rod keeps himself in magnificent shape, and Pujols is one of the best hitters I have ever seen, and so is Rodriguez. And they both make contact, so that's also in their favor.
A-Rod already has 429 homers at the ripe age of 30, while Pujols has 201 in just five seasons at 26.
NEXT TO HIT. 400 IN A SEASON?
Speaking of Pujols, I believe he has the best shot to become the next player to crack the .400 mark over the course of an entire season. He makes contact, and the ball jumps off his bat. Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki is the same way, and he has a leg up on Pujols because he can run.
Pujols is not real fast, but he has such a short stride and such a short, quick, compact stroke that he's difficult to fool. So he's going to make contact, and hit the ball hard some place. Also, he has excellent mechanics at the plate. He's so strong. The sky is the limit for him, as he has proven.
BARRY BONDS' SINGLE-SEASON HR RECORD - 73
In light of the MLB's recent crusade against steroids, I don't see anyone breaking Barry Bonds' single-season home run record.
However, Alex Rodriguez might be able to hit 60 at Yankee Stadium because, in my opinion, he might be one of the top three players in the history of the game. He's arguably the best all-around shortstop in the history of the game.
It's amazing, when you consider the scope of his talent, to see what he can do day in and day out. The Yankees had a terrific shortstop in Derek Jeter so he moved to third base and he will win a Gold Glove there before he's done.
RIPKEN'S CONSECUTIVE GAMES STREAK - 2,632
Cal Ripken Jr.'s consecutive games played streak is never going to be broken because no manager is going to allow a player to get into the position where he can't take him out of the lineup. They learned their lesson.
Ripken was a magnificent player, but towards the end of his streak you heard a lot from his managers, Davey Johnson and Ray Miller. They thought giving him a day off would keep him strong, not for any other reason. Give him a day off to keep him strong and help the club.
Managers in baseball have learned -- now maybe in time they will forget and somebody will have a shot at it -- but it will probably be mandated by the front office that "we can't have a kid in there that many games, no matter how good he is, and not be able to rest him," because if you rest him, it will help the team. In my opinion, that streak will stand forever.
SEATTLE'S 116-WIN SEASON/METS 120-LOSS SEASON
If the Detroit Tigers didn't break the Mets' modern day loss record of 120, set in their inaugural season of 1962, when they went 43-119 in 2003, maybe an expansion team will someday. Although, with expansion teams, you immediately can build with free agents and not be buried in the doldrums of the league with a team full of inexperienced players. So maybe that record will stand forever.
As far as Seattle's wins record, somebody can get real hot and just have five dominating starting pitchers and break the winning record. Who that team is, we will just have to wait and see.
NOLAN RYAN'S CAREER STRIKEOUTS - 5,705
Longevity and having a work ethic like Nolan Ryan's is the key to topping this record. No one will be able to maintain the velocity of his fastball without his work ethic. He was incredible.
I was amazed when Yogi Berra told me that Ryan learned his work ethic by watching Tom Seaver when he was with the Mets. It's ridiculous. This guy, at 43 years old, was throwing the ball 100 miles an hour with a nasty curveball. The only difference between the two power pitchers was that Seaver didn't walk many hitters, while Ryan also holds the major league record for walks with 2,795.
In order for a pitcher to come along and break the record, he would have to stay healthy and be blessed with a supernatural or bionic arm, a magnificent build and a great work ethic every year, as well as staying in shape and not walking as many batters as Ryan did. So his strikeout record could certainly stand.
CY YOUNG'S CAREER WINS (511)
A big reason why Cy Young's wins record won't ever be touched is because of today's five-man rotation. In Young's day, the standard was a three-man rotation, so he was able to pitch in 906 games, starting 815 of them. These days, only relievers come close to pitching in that many games.
The one thing that is in the favor of a pitcher who comes on the scene with Clemens- or Seaver-like stuff is that they are going to give the kid the ball and in the sixth inning there's a good chance he's coming out of the game. So he won't throw as many pitches, but yet he can be just as dominating. And if he has a good bullpen, he will be strong and can win 25-30 ball games in a single season by pitching six or seven innings, whereas the other guys had to pitch eight or nine.
But you have to have that right combination coming out of the bullpen. There will be a 30-game winner because of this some day.
WARREN SPAHN'S 363 WINS - THE MOST BY A LEFTY
Warren Spahn was a special pitcher. Not only did he amass 363 wins, but he also had 363 hits. He was a heck of a hitter, and he would pitch any time, any place. That's not going to happen again.
We might end up seeing a pitcher like Spahn pitch six innings, and then the bullpen will come in, save the day, and he ends up 28-1 because he has dominating stuff, the bullpen has dominating stuff, and they are all throwing strikes.
An intriguing player to watch in this regard is Florida's stud lefty Dontrelle Willis, who has 46 wins and 53 hits in his first three seasons in the big leagues.
He might be able to do it because he's so young, but the key is staying healthy and making the necessary adjustments year in and year out.Spahn knew that. He originally threw the ball like Dodgers great Sandy Koufax, but as he got older he made an adjustment to his pitching style that turned him into an even greater pitcher.
RICKEY HENDERSON'S CAREER STOLEN BASES - 1,420
If a player is going to steal a ton of bases, he has to be a terrific hitter and then be able to outrun the baseball. Rickey Henderson was one of the best at that, as well as one of the best players who ever played the game.
As far as a challenger is concerned, Jose Reyes probably could have stolen 100 bases if he played in the 70s, but he is not going to do it now because they are going to use the slide step on him to no end. It's the same with all these speedsters today. It's certainly intimidating when these guys use that slide step.
I don't think anybody is ever going to steal 100 bases again because the style of the game has changed dramatically. Everything comes from the dugout today -- throw over there; fake to third, throw to first; fake to third, hold the ball, do a pitch-out -- it's micromanagement. These are signs that you have to follow, where one time it was the catcher and pitcher and nothing came from the dugout.
If Rickey was not as controversial -- not wanting to do what his managers wanted him to, taking time off, and playing cards in the clubhouse -- you would be writing sonnets about this guy's ability.
Be sure to check out The Game: 365 on March 1 at 12:30 a.m. when I interview Tom Seaver at his vineyard in Napa Valley.
http://www.msgnetwork.com/mediaStore/j/joed_021906drin.jpg
The 'Clipper' had impressive numbers despite spending a few of his prime years in the military. (AP)
http://www.msgnetwork.com/mediaStore/a/arod_021906drin.jpg
A-Rod became the youngest player to hit 400 home runs in 2005. (AP)
http://www.msgnetwork.com/mediaStore/r/ryan_021906drin.jpg
The 'Ryan Express' devastated hitters all throughout his 27-year career. (AP)
http://www.msgnetwork.com/mediaStore/w/willis_021906drin.jpg
The 'D-Train' is only getting better as matures in his young career. (AP)