What if this player?

[TNTtoys]

Re: What if this player?

Let's not forget Teddy ballgame...

Had he not missed 5 years of playing time throughout his career in order to fight for our country, he would have far surpassed his lifetime stats of 521 home runs, 1,839 runs batted in, 2,021 bbs, 1,798 runs scored, 2,654 hits, etc, etc...

[geoff]

Re: What if this player?

What about Shoeless Joe Jackson.
What could he have done in baseball if not Banned.Could he have been one of the best ever to play.

[JasonM33]

Re: What if this player?

Jose Canseco is THE what-if player. Here's what I would change if I could........

I wish he never hurt his back in 1990. First of all he was hitting .330 to .350 early in the year. He was hitting plenty of homeruns and the A's were winning. I believe he would have been the AL mvp again that year. No doubt in my mind. Also, his back severly hampered his swing late in the season and in the post-season. Without that injury he would have likely been able to perform better in the Series. A's might even have been able to win the darn thing. 1990 was the key year in Canseco's career in my mind. That's the year people started turning on him. He signed the biggest contract in baseball history but then missed a bunch of games and didn't perform in the World Series. His teamates started to slag him off in the press. The Oakland fans started booing him at home. Everything fell apart for him in 1990. That back injury never healed properly. Later he had several surgeries because of it and he missed several years off of his career. He was never the same player again. It robbed him of much of his speed and it contributed to his decline as an outfielder. His whole thing was that he was such a complete player. Injuries robbed him of that and turned him into a DH. He still put together some good seasons but he was never the same player. He could have been one of the best of all time. 600 or 700 homeruns.

But.....it wasn't to be. Injuries ruined his career but he also didn't help himself out much with his off the field behavior. He may have lost a little of his focus on baseball. I think people underestimate the effect that the divorce with Esther had on him. Oh well, Whadda ya gonna do? I still love the guy. Steroids or no steroids.

-Jason M

[3arod13]

Re: What if this player?

Jose Canseco is THE what-if player. Here's what I would change if I could........

I wish he never hurt his back in 1990. First of all he was hitting .330 to .350 early in the year. He was hitting plenty of homeruns and the A's were winning. I believe he would have been the AL mvp again that year. No doubt in my mind. Also, his back severly hampered his swing late in the season and in the post-season. Without that injury he would have likely been able to perform better in the Series. A's might even have been able to win the darn thing. 1990 was the key year in Canseco's career in my mind. That's the year people started turning on him. He signed the biggest contract in baseball history but then missed a bunch of games and didn't perform in the World Series. His teamates started to slag him off in the press. The Oakland fans started booing him at home. Everything fell apart for him in 1990. That back injury never healed properly. Later he had several surgeries because of it and he missed several years off of his career. He was never the same player again. It robbed him of much of his speed and it contributed to his decline as an outfielder. His whole thing was that he was such a complete player. Injuries robbed him of that and turned him into a DH. He still put together some good seasons but he was never the same player. He could have been one of the best of all time. 600 or 700 homeruns.

But.....it wasn't to be. Injuries ruined his career but he also didn't help himself out much with his off the field behavior. He may have lost a little of his focus on baseball. I think people underestimate the effect that the divorce with Esther had on him. Oh well, Whadda ya gonna do? I still love the guy. Steroids or no steroids.

-Jason M

Jason,

You are a dedicated Jose Canseco fan! Myself, I was a big Juan Gonzalez fan. But once I found out he used steroids (and he did), my whole attitude changed about him. Although he may have had natural power hitting ability, he still cheated by using steriods. Difficult for me to forget that and still have respect for him as I did in the past.

[JasonM33]

Re: What if this player?

I understand that. Everyone has a right to their opinion. I just think if we got rid of all the professional athletes that are using stuff there wouldn't be enough of them left to play the games. Most of the top guys are doing something, and they have been for a looooooooooooong time. But, that discussion is for another thread.

-Jason M

[G1X]

Re: What if this player?

What if the 3-point line existed in NCAA basketball when "Pistol Pete" Maravich played at LSU? His career average was 44.2 points per game, and since he usually hit a number of long-range baskets each game, his career average would have EASILY been over 50 points per game!

Mark Hayne
Gridiron Exchange

[ChrisCavalier]

Re: What if this player?

Game Used Universe's booth at the SportsFest was actually right next to the Negro Leagues' booth and Rob Steinmetz and I had the great privilege of listening to some of the their stories. I agree that the Hall-of-Fame might look very different if our country had only matured earlier regarding its views on race.

On a separate note, in addition to the fact that he played with numerous injuries throughout his career (including the well-known drain incident injury), what would Mickey Mantle have been able to do if he committed himself totally to baseball? It has been speculated that Mantle was convinced he was going to die of Hodgkin's disease (like some many others in his family) so he decided he would "live it up" while he could. Imagine if he really committed himself to baseball and being the best he could have been.

-Chris Cavalier

[Yankwood]

Re: What if this player?

How about Reggie Harding, the 7 foot pistol toting, drug abusing, alcohol drinking thug from Detroit, Michigan. Reggie, I believe, was the first player drafted into the NBA who did not attend college. He was shot and killed in 1972 crossing an intersection in downtown Detroit.
One of the funniest lines ever spoken by a human took place during a liquor store robbery attempt. The store manager, who knew Harding, said to the the 7 foot tall, stocking mask wearing Harding, "Reggie, what are you doing?" To which Reggie replied, "It ain't me man".
With all of his antics, it's amazing he actually lived to be 30 years old. If you never heard of him, look him up. It's worth a read. These such antics, which seem all too common among pro atheletes today, were not so common 30, 40 and 50 years ago.

[TNTtoys]

Re: What if this player?

Football running backs... hmmm...

For all time rushing yardage, we have Emmitt Smith at #1 and Walter Payton at #2.

Had their careers not been cut short (1 by injury and 1 by whatever you want to call it), Terrell Davis and Barry Sanders could have very easily taken or shared these top honors.

[Jags Fan Dan]

Re: What if this player?

How about Bo Jackson? I would love to see how his career would have ended up if he had not had the injury/condition.

[3arod13]

Re: What if this player?

What if this player continued to use steroids after his 50 HR season. Just imagine what his numbers could have been (lol):

Brady Anderson Career Statistics

Career Stats
Batting YearTmGABHAVG2B3BHRRBIRSBCSBBSOSLGOBPOPS1988BAL5317735.19881191764840.271.232.5041988BOS4114834.2305301214421535.304.315.6201989BAL9426655.207122416441644345.312.336.6491990BAL8923454.23152324241523146.308.332.6401991BAL11325659.230123227401253844.324.338.6621992BAL159623169.2712810218010053169898.449.385.8351993BAL142560147.26336813668724128299.425.367.7921994BAL111453119.2632551248783115775.419.360.7791995BAL143554145.2623310166410826787111.444.374.8181996BAL149579172.2973755011011721876106.637.3971.0351997BAL151590170.288397187397181284105.469.399.8681998BAL133479113.2362831851842177578.420.357.7771999BAL150564159.282285248110936796105.477.410.8872000BAL141506130.25726019508916992103.421.380.8012001BAL11337073.197103839461035261.305.316.6212002CLE348013.16340154401823.250.327.577Career181664391647.256336672107551058313999521174.427.367.794

[3arod13]

Re: What if this player?

[quote=3arod13;43569]What if this player continued to use steroids after his 50 HR season. Just imagine what his numbers could have been (lol):

Brady Anderson 1996 Statistics

HR
1992 BAL 21 (Most HR prior to 1996)
1996 BAL 50
1999 BAL 24 (Most HR after 1996)

quote]

[metsbats]

Re: What if this player?

Bob Feller enlisted in the Navy and sacrificed 3 of his prime years in baseball to serve our Country. Rapid Robert surely would have won 300+ games but instead settled for 266 during his HOF career.

David