RIP Yogi Berra

[Valmy]

Well the stock character was loved by all. The excellence on the baseball field is only appreciated by baseball people.

[Syt]

Well the stock character was loved by all. The excellence on the baseball field is only appreciated by baseball people.

While he was in later years portrayed as a kind uncle, I understand his performance on field was quite fierce.

[Valmy]

I understand his performance on field was quite fierce.

He was the cornerstone of the greatest dynasty in American sports history for a reason.

[grumbler]

Yogi Berra appeared in 14 World Series (and helped lead his team to 10 championships) in his 19-year career.   53% of his seasons as a pro ended with a world championship!  That's one of the most astonishing records in sports, and almost assuredly will never be broken.

One of the most telling facts about him is that Marti is the only person in history who has ever had a negative thing to say about him.

[Valmy]

That's one of the most astonishing records in sports, and almost assuredly will never be broken.

Well he had a contemporary who did. Bill Russell. I guess the equivalency depends on what you think about the NBA during that era.

[crazy canuck]

That's one of the most astonishing records in sports, and almost assuredly will never be broken.

Well he had a contemporary who did. Bill Russell. I guess the equivalency depends on what you think about the NBA during that era.

Equivalent in the sense that they were/are both extraordinary men on and off their field of play

[Valmy]

That's one of the most astonishing records in sports, and almost assuredly will never be broken.

Well he had a contemporary who did. Bill Russell. I guess the equivalency depends on what you think about the NBA during that era.

Equivalent in the sense that they were/are both extraordinary men on and off their field of play

I meant the equivalency of their championship runs, not as people

[crazy canuck]

That's one of the most astonishing records in sports, and almost assuredly will never be broken.

Well he had a contemporary who did. Bill Russell. I guess the equivalency depends on what you think about the NBA during that era.

Equivalent in the sense that they were/are both extraordinary men on and off their field of play

I meant the equivalency of their championship runs, not as people

And I mean equivalency as both.

[KRonn]

RIP

I guess it really is over....   

[Valmy]

And I mean equivalency as both.

Yes but I meant something different.

[crazy canuck]

And I mean equivalency as both.

Yes but I meant something different.

ok, but lets take the discussion about whether basketball championships were equivalent to baseball world series wins somewhere else.  Only Grumbler and JR can answer that.  Grumbler because he has first hand knowledge and JR based on his encyclopedic knowledge of baseball.

[The Brain]

At least Baseketball had Victoria Silvstedt.

[The Minsky Moment]

IMO its a little easier to have dynastic runs in basketball but that is a another discussion.  The comparison to Russell overall though I think is apt; both played "central" positions on a dynasty and were recognized by contemporaries as having bigger impact than their already impressive numbers would suggest.

The Stengel era Yankees dynasty always interested me because Mantle aside, the frontline talent wasn't as impressive as the Yankees of the murderers row era or 1936-41 teams.  Those 50s teams were full of role players, platoon players, and guys whose names are only familiar to hard core fans - McDougall, Woodling, Bauer, Carey, Coleman, Skowron, Cerv, Collins, Noren, Blanchard, Siebern, Dr. Bobby Brown. After Whitey Ford, the pitching situation was similar - guys like Tommy Byrne, Larsen, Sturdivant, Kuzava, Kucks, Terry, Ditmar, who had a few good years pitching for the Yankees, mostly washing out elsewhere.  When you look at those teams and the players cycling in and out over the decade, it's hard to conceive how they were so dominant year after year.  Stengel himself gave credit to Berra, the writers of the time concurred, and its hard to avoid the fact of pitching staffs overachieving on their talent. 

[Barrister]

IMO its a little easier to have dynastic runs in basketball but that is a another discussion.  The comparison to Russell overall though I think is apt; both played "central" positions on a dynasty and were recognized by contemporaries as having bigger impact than their already impressive numbers would suggest.

The Stengel era Yankees dynasty always interested me because Mantle aside, the frontline talent wasn't as impressive as the Yankees of the murderers row era or 1936-41 teams.  Those 50s teams were full of role players, platoon players, and guys whose names are only familiar to hard core fans - McDougall, Woodling, Bauer, Carey, Coleman, Skowron, Cerv, Collins, Noren, Blanchard, Siebern, Dr. Bobby Brown. After Whitey Ford, the pitching situation was similar - guys like Tommy Byrne, Larsen, Sturdivant, Kuzava, Kucks, Terry, Ditmar, who had a few good years pitching for the Yankees, mostly washing out elsewhere.  When you look at those teams and the players cycling in and out over the decade, it's hard to conceive how they were so dominant year after year.  Stengel himself gave credit to Berra, the writers of the time concurred, and its hard to avoid the fact of pitching staffs overachieving on their talent.

I was more-or-less named after Stengel.

I still despise the Yankees though.

[The Minsky Moment]

I bet you do, they use to fleece the old KC team.