First of all I want to say, right up front... I respect the hell out of Bill James (the baseball guy, not William James the Poet... oh wait, I respect him too). I love his Historical Baseball Abstracts. I have owned both... the first one in the mid 1980s, and the revised one in 2000. He has heavily researched the history of baseball and its players, has come up with an interesting way to stack up the baseball deities of the distant past against today's heroes, and has done so with a sense of humor that makes the book an easy and delightful read. He seems to be open to arguments... indeed, he acknowledges many times that you will not convince most fans of anything they don't already believe in.
One of the many things i found interesting was Mr. James' take on the 1961 New York Yankees... namely that they were not amongst the greatest teams of all time. I did not see the 1961 World Champion Bombers in person, though I watched some of the remnants later on... Roger Maris winning another Championship with the Cardinals - against a 1967 Red Sox team that had and aging Elston Howard in his final year on the roster. Of course, I did see Mickey Mantle, a striking symbol of the crumbling dynasty... his legs and health giving out as the glory of the Stengel-Houk-Berra Yankees also faded fast. As quickly as the Mick was deteriorating (he was actually only in his mid-thirties), what was even more telling was the fear teams still had for him... he still walked a lot, because by 1966-7-8, there was little or no protection behind him. Nor for that matter, was there anybody on base in front of him most of the time.
I travelled to the Stadium in my youth, dropped $1.00 to get in and saw the Mick, first in center field, and later at first base. There were plenty of seats available near first base, because after the third inning the ushers would let anyone with a general admission ticket sit there, or anywhere, for that one buck!
We cracked peanuts (35 cents), and listened as the elders plied us with tales of the 1960-64 Yankees, as well as older teams. And of course, we also got a quick history lesson when the Mick came to bat in the first inning. Even though I was too young to realize exactly what was going on, I could not ignore the nice reception the Mick got... as he knelt in the on-deck circle... and how that reception slowly built into a warm, long, sometimes standing ovation as Number Seven approached the plate. The ovation sometimes obscured the classic announcement by the great Bob Sheppard, echoing throughout... as Billy Crystal would imitate brilliantly later on. By the way, like Billy, I also thought that Ruth, Gehrig and Huggins were buried underneath their respective monuments in center field, where you were permitted to roam as you exited the Stadium after the game in those days.
Anyway, I digress... and will many times hence.
About those 1961 Yankees. Mr. James makes some surprising, accurate points. The Yankees did not lead the league in scoring or fewest runs allowed that year. Even with a record 240 home runs. Even with three, count 'em, THREE catchers hitting 20 home runs. Even with the Chairman Of The Board, Whitey Ford, having his greatest season, 25-4, and breaking the Bambino's World Series record of 29 consecutive scoreless innings (Whitey got to 33). They say the Babe had a bad year, what with the 61 HRs from Roger and then this... but I say that just reminded everybody of who and what the Bambino really was. But as Mr. James points out, the Yankees were primarily a one-dimensional team in an expansion year. Their one dimension was home runs. And theoretically, if the Yankees had to take on, say, the 1975-76 Big Red Machine, in Riverfront Stadium, astroturf and all, that the Yanks would need good luck.
Perhaps.
I am not like most fans. I have my opinions. But I can listen to a good argument, take it in, and dispose of it as well as the next guy... just kidding. I DON'T know who would win in a dream series between the 1961 Yankees, the 1969-71 Orioles, the 1975-76 Reds, or for that matter, the 1998-2000 Yankees (my money would be on the Jeter Yankees to dominate a season against all of the above mentioned teams... and I would love to talk that over with ESPN broadcaster Joe Morgan).
But as to a few of Mr. James' points. He points out that Yogi Berra played a lot of left field that year... 36 year-old Yogi Berra. He asks if I would like to try that in Riverfront in 1975 on Astroturf.
Hell, yes!
Do you remember left field in Yankee Stadium in 1961? I do, because it was still left field in 1967-68. I never, EVER sat in the left-field bleachers. Hell, I might as well have sat in my apartment twenty blocks north. Elston Howard was one of the three Yankee catchers with twenty homers. If Ellie had seen the left-field fence at Riverfront, he would have demanded a trade... and he may well have been a 30-35-40 home run hitting catcher. A 375 foot power alley versus a 402 straight-away left-field, a 433 ft alley, and a 463 dead center with a humongous high wall? And since Yogi did patrol that left field, and since Mr. Houk did tell his pitchers to let the fielders do their jobs, and since the Yankees did win 109 games that year, and since so many pitchers had career years that year, I have to think that the Yanks did okay with Mr. Berra in left field. And about left-fielders... I did see George Foster play several times. As a hitter he was a monster. But he isn't going to hit 40-50 home runs playing half his games in YS. Neither is Johnny Bench. Even Joe Morgan, a lefty, would have a 407ft sign staring back at him in deep right, although as quick as Joe's bat was, he'd probably reap the benefits of the short RF porch a la Berra, Maris, and other quick-batted lefty hitters. But George Foster in the old YS left-field? Sometimes George was a pretty good left fielder. Sometimes he was indifferent... the Met fans saw that later on. Try being indifferent in the old YS left-field. Good luck. Berra was a lot faster on his feet than people today remember. Granted he was 36. Granted he had squatted several thousand times. But Whitey, a lefty, went 25-4 with his former battery-mate patrolling a huge left field! How bad could Yogi have been? I will concede this... not nearly as bad as Hector Lopez.
By the way... i just found an online game simulator where you can pit historical teams against one another... in any park you want! So I pitted the 61Yanks against the 76Reds. The 61Yanks won a seven game series, 4 games to 2. They played two at old YS, three at Riverfront, and the sixth game clincher in the Bronx. And yes, Yogi played left in Cincy and did fine. He hit a home run to left-center at Riverfront. You KNOW he never did that at the old YS!
But... I also have to report that the 61Yanks then took on the 71Orioles. Even though the Orioles were not champs that year, they had the four-ace staff that year (4 twenty game winners), so I wanted to see if the Yanks would get 'killed', as Mr. James said in his article, comparing the 61Yanks pitching staff against others. And in this case, Mr. James' prediction came true. The Orioles prevailed in six games. But the clincher was a humdinger... TWENTY INNINGS! Both teams emptied their bullpens and benches, and Baltimore won 2-1! If the Yanks had won the game... I wonder what they would have done for game seven? For that matter, what would Earl Weaver have done? Anyway, congrats to Baltimore and Mr. James.
I must also say that I know why Mr. James simulates games and seasons tens of thousands of times... because random chance in a short series is just too great. But that is also true in real life. The Yankees of 1960-1964 won five pennants but 'only' two World Series. BUT... they took two of their losing efforts intto the final inning of game seven! Bill Maz broke a 9-9 tie in the ninth in 1960. And Bob Gibson, pitching on guts and fumes, held down the Yanks 7-5 in the ninth in 1964... the Yanks hit two homers IN the ninth, but Gibby hung in there and closed his own game... the 169th game of his season, and he was still his own closer! But point is, the Yanks were THIS close to taking four out of five. In a short series, anything can happen. In the 1978 Series, no one was surprised when Mr. October came up big. But Brian Friggin Doyle? Are you kidding me? Just kidding Brian... and eternal thanks for your help!
Not to beat my last point to death (but I guess I am about to)... I read Duke Snider's autobiography years ago... I've read his, Mick's and Willie's (Mick and Willie had at least two each). ANYWAY... the Duke said that during the Yankees' five year World Championship run of 1949-1953, the Brooklyn Dodgers won exactly TWO less games over the same five year period! He was talking regular season and post-season. Two games! Five years! Brooklyn, as good as they were, remain a vastly underrated team in baseball history... simply because of all those near misses.
Back to the Yanks and Reds (Whoa! Cold War baseball!)
To illustrate, I re-simulated the first game of the 61Yanks-76Reds three times. Each time, Whitey Ford started against Gary Nolan in the Bronx. The starting line-ups were identical (the computer subs players as appropriate). Guess what? The Yanks won 13-1... then they won 6-4... then the Reds shellacked Whitey 8-1! It happens!
I do believe the 61Yanks were a very good team. Perhaps they were not great. But I do believe they could play the 76Reds even up. The Orioles, with their pitching... I dunno... Bill, you may have me there... EXCEPT that the real 71Orioles lost to the real 71Pirates... I watched that Series, and the Orioles, with that great rotation lost in seven. The Pirates, with their lumber company, and the great Roberto having a great series, prevailed in seven.
Bill James does make some excellent points about the Yankee bench. It was bad. He also makes some excellent points about their defense... particularly their infield. It was very, very good. Boyer, Kubek, Richardson and Skowron were air-tight outstanding. They had Ellie behind the plate, one of the most underrated catchers in baseball history in my opinion. They used to say he never broke a finger behind the plate. He had an amazing year... in the run for the batting title , 20+ home runs... as I said, he'd have hit 30-40 in most parks... not just because of the shorter fences, but because Ellie would KNOW he could reach a 375 ft alley regularly, and adjust his game accordingly.
That brings me to the expansion thing. I know the Yanks beat up on watered-down pitching staffs. But so did every body else. Expansion also cost the Yanks Gil McDougald, among others. As Bill said, playing away from YS would've helped Gil. Playing in Riverfront as a super utility guy would work too. But Gil was not part of the team, so that point is kind of moot. But the expansion point is not. The Yanks were the class of the AL for five years, which Mr. James acknowledges. Yes, the Yanks' attack was one-sided. Yes, their bench was weak. But sometimes, if your one-side is dominant enough, it IS enough. Let's look at the 1961 Series. Yes, the Reds (ironic, ain't it) were not the greatest league champions ever. Yes, the yanks did not sweep. But yes, the Yanks played most of that series without their best player. Some idiot doctor gave the Mick a 'flu shot', which turned into an infection so bad it had to be lanced. The Mick was sick as a dog from September on, and was sub par and finally sidelined.
But if switch-hitter Mick, bad knees and all, astroturf and all, played 81 games that year at Riverfront? Oh, my goodness... by the time he had gotten sick in September, Maris would have been chasing the Mick, not the Babe... this I am sure of. Mickey being able to turn around righty and aim for that 375ft alley... even the 400 foot center field his knees would have to patrol. Listen, with those shorter fences, you don't have to CHASE those tweeners nearly as far, either. Like I said, if George Foster got caught checking his wallet in the old YS... that would get ugly. Old Yogi would have himself an inside the parker. And like I keep saying, and people tend to forget, deep RIGHT field at Yankee Stadium was deeper than most center fields today (including Riverfront). To hit a home run at YS, even as a lefty, quickness with the bat meant MUCH more than pure power... that's why I said that Joe Morgan would have done well... Ken Griffey, not so much.
I am going to play a few more 'simulated games' with these teams... the Yanks, the Reds, the Orioles, and perhaps some other newer teams. I want to see who wins. i also want to see who homers... bear in mind that there will be no weak pitching staffs to feast upon!
I do concede that players overall get better... bigger, faster, stronger as time goes on. That, I submit,would be the newer teams' consistent edge. I have no idea if the game simulators take that into account.
I know most of the fans sitting on bar stools in sports bars and taverns across America don't! Argue on!
No argument here! (Heh-heh...)
ReplyDelete