Ryan Howard / Roger Maris

[trsent]

Re: Ryan Howard / Roger Maris

Forgot, here is a link to that article:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/1998/target61/flashbacks/rm1977.html

[suave1477]

Re: Ryan Howard / Roger Maris

Yeah sure, Gibson hit home runs. But, he pitch? Did he pitch versus Walter Johnson and win 1-0? Did he pitch and hit homeruns in a World Series? Did he hit and pitch drunk? Did he hit and pitch after eating 24 hot dogs? I don't think so.

I don't know if Walter Johnson actually pitched to Gibson but here is something Walter Johnson said about Gibson.
"He hits the ball a mile," Hall of Famer Walter Johnson, the Washington Senators pitcher who won 416 games, said of Gibson.

Career Batting Average for Gibson .373
Career Batting Average for Ruth .324

Ruth Single Season Home Run Record 60
Gibson Single Season Home Record 84

Josh Gibson Career total of Home runs 962 (17 seasons)
Babe Ruth Career total Home runs 714 (22 seasons)

Gibson recorded till this day longest Home run in Yankee Stadium 580 feet.


To add to all of this Gibson was a big time alchoholic and eating improperly which lead to his stroke at 35 years old and died.

[montemac]

Re: Ryan Howard / Roger Maris

Just to put in my 2 cents worth I am a big (S)MSU fan here in Springfield. I have Followed Howard since he came here. He was the same type of hitter while he was here (HR’s in streaks) , and he is nearly the same size today as he was a few years ago while here. He is a very nice guy but don’t expect him to do tons of interviews but also don’t expect him to get into trouble. I would compare him to a Tim Duncan. Take a chance to enjoy a guy that just likes to play the game.

[stkmtimo]

Re: Ryan Howard / Roger Maris

While Gibson was indeed great, we have no formal way of comparing or even knowing if the stats that are still around of Gibson's are indeed accurate. With that said, I'd take Ruth over him any day.

Tim

[staindsox]

Re: Ryan Howard / Roger Maris

I agree with Reid. Ruth is untouched. I can't count Gibson. It's tough to campare Negro League statistics. It can be like apples and oranges. Different players, different parks, different schedules, incomplete statistics...it really is a terrible injustice that these players never were allowed to play in the majors, but I can't say Gibson is the homerun king either. I consider Maris to hold the single season record, even though he had another 8 games to get the record.

What most do not know is that Jimmie Foxx should be in the record books. In 1932, while with the Athletics, he hit 58 home runs. What is forgotten is that Philadelphia erected a 20 foot high wire fence up to limit balls leaving the ballpark. Yes, tough to imagine, but Ruth was still playing in 1932 and was immensely popular everywhere and nobody wanted ANYONE breaking that record. There is a count on how many homeruns he lost because of this. I believe it was 17, but I do know that Foxx's homerun count would have had reached the mid 70s. Some argue the ball was juiced up in '32...but at least it wasn't the players.

Chris

[sylbry]

Re: Ryan Howard / Roger Maris

In my mind the home run record is irrelevant.