Weapon X Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 1. Alex Rodriguez, SS, Rangers If it ain't broke, fix it and make it better: As good as A-Rod was before leaving Seattle, he retooled his swing under the supervision of Rangers hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo after arriving in Texas. The result has been consecutive years of career highs in homers and RBIs. One general manager sums it up nicely: "the best shortstop ever." 2. Barry Bonds, LF, Giants Nobody scares opponents more, and the way pitchers and teams approach him proves it. In Game 7 of last year's World Series, the Angels were so determined not to give him anything to hit that they threw every pitch -- it didn't matter if the bases were loaded with no outs or the bases were empty with two outs -- as if the count were 0-2. As if Bonds would chase anything out of the zone; he has a remarkable ability to immediately recognize a pitch. His batting eye is so solid that it seems strange when an umpire calls a strike on him. Bonds gets his power from his hips, which he turns like he's auditioning for The Exorcist. 3. Albert Pujols, LF, Cardinals His at-bats in two games speak volumes. The first game was against the Royals on June 29. Pujols is not a strict pull hitter, but Kansas City second baseman Carlos Febles played him behind the bag, leaving a huge hole between first and second. So Pujols grounded the first pitch exactly where Febles should have been. A guy that big who hits the ball that hard should not be allowed to do that. He followed that single with two 400-foot homers. Five days later, against the Cubs, Kerry Wood knocked down Pujols with a pitch under the chin. He got up and hit the next pitch -- the next pitch -- over the center field wall. 4. Vladimir Guerrero, RF, Expos You wouldn't use his approach at the plate as a textbook example if you were teaching your kid how to hit. But you definitely would take the results and the effort. "Gives 100 percent every game, and still is getting better," one GM says. Who knows how he ropes balls at his feet or in his eyes for hits, but he does. Guerrero has been plagued by back problems this season, but he still figures to be the hottest commodity on the free-agent market in the offseason. Baseball fans in every city close their eyes and see Guerrero throwing lasers from right for their team. 5. Pedro Martinez, RHP, Red Sox Several pollsters cite health as a concern, but he's still in the top five. It's more than just nasty stuff, he has a nasty demeanor. Whether he's dissing George Steinbrenner or laying claim to the inside corner of the plate (and the edges of the batter's box, while he's at it), Pedro pitches as if he has a grudge against every batter. 6. Mark Prior, RHP, Cubs Already an ace at 22, Prior mows down hitters with the precision of a German engineer and the exuberance of, well, a German engineer. One GM voted Prior the third-best player in the game and was "tempted to put him No. 1." Prior has guts -- the week before the All-Star break, he plowed over Marcus Giles while running the bases, rolled on the ground in pain, then dusted himself off and headed back to the mound the next inning. There were guys left to strike out, mind you. 7. Alfonso Soriano, 2B, Yankees Lightning in pinstripes. Soriano is as exciting as any player to watch. He's a little rough around the edges and has not yet mastered second base, but he has speed and power and hits bullets with that Flintstones-sized club he swings. 8. Curt Schilling, RHP, Diamondbacks Schilling combines a power pitcher's heat with a finesse pitcher's preparation and pinpoint control. He throws as hard -- harder, sometimes -- at the end of the game as he does at the beginning. One general manager says Schilling "might be nearing the end, but they'll have to drag him off the field." 9. Gary Sheffield, RF, Braves His swing is violent. The more you see it, the more thankful you are that you don't play third. He's a huge reason the Braves are running away with the NL East. A 16-year veteran, Sheffield is on pace to have his best season. His peers are noticing -- he cracks the top 10 after missing the list entirely last season. 10. Nomar Garciaparra, SS, Red Sox "I know he can't turn two," one exec says, "but that bat at shortstop is worth millions." Garciaparra hits as many balls on the nose as any player. He has had more than 70 extra-base hits in each of his five full big-league seasons. He's on pace for more than 90 this season, including 23 triples. 11. Sammy Sosa, RF, Cubs Still is feared, even if some of the luster has faded. 12. Barry Zito, LHP, A's Has a curve so scary opposing managers get the heebie-jeebies filling out their lineup cards. 13. Randy Johnson, LHP, Diamondbacks His return keeps N.L. hitters up at night. 14. Carlos Delgado, 1B, Blue Jays Hit .433 with runners in scoring position in the first half. 15. Todd Helton, 1B, Rockies One GM raves about his combination of average, power, makeup and athleticism. 16. Mark Mulder, LHP, A's His fastball and splitter have great movement. 17. Manny Ramirez, LF, Red Sox A pure hitter. 18. Ichiro Suzuki, RF, Mariners One of the best two-way players in the game. 19. John Smoltz, RHP, Braves Total domination as a closer. 20. Derek Jeter, SS, Yankees Has widely respected intangibles, widely debated skills. 21. Chipper Jones, LF, Braves Has driven in 100 or more runs in every season since 1996. 22. Kevin Brown, RHP, Dodgers Throws nasty pitches from multiple arm angles. If he only could stay healthy. 23. Jason Giambi, 1B, Yankees His poor start was a fluke, not a trend. 24. Eric Gagne, RHP, Dodgers Before the All-Star break, he struck out 76 in 45 1/3 innings and converted all 31 save chances. Yikes! 25. Scott Rolen, 3B, Cardinals A throwback player who has found a home in St. Louis. 26. Mike Sweeney, 1B, Royals One of the best right-handed hitters in the game. 27. Andruw Jones, CF, Braves Says a GM: "Saves runs with his defense and drives in runs with his improving offense." 28. Eric Chavez, 3B, A's "Does it all well at key position," one GM says. 29. Tim Hudson, RHP, A's The body of a kicker, arm of an ace, guts of a big-game pitcher. 30. Matt Morris, RHP, Cardinals GM: "Will give innings and dominate." 31. Kerry Wood, RHP, Cubs A pit bull who still is trying to put it all together. 32. Jim Edmonds, CF, Cardinals His play fluctuates from the lowest low to the highest high. 33. Brian Giles, LF, Pirates GM: "The most underrated player in the game." 34. Jason Schmidt, RHP, Giants It's tough to hit a guy who locates a mid-90s fastball. 35. Edgar Martinez, DH, Mariners Hits like a truck, runs like a Pinto. 36. Bret Boone, 2B, Mariners A key run producer and stellar defender. 37. Mike Mussina, RHP, Yankees GM: "Still has the best overall repertoire in baseball." 38. Jamie Moyer, LHP, Mariners His stuff scares nobody but flummoxes everybody. 39. Mariano Rivera, RHP, Yankees You almost have to drag batters to the plate when he's in the zone closing games. 40. Roy Halladay, RHP, Blue Jays His makeup finally has caught up to his stuff. 41. Vernon Wells, CF, Blue Jays Is a huge part of Toronto's resurgence. 42. Mike Lowell, 3B, Marlins GM: "Impact leader whose power is beginning to play." 43. Roy Oswalt, RHP, Astros The more he pitches, the more people are impressed. 44. Garret Anderson, LF, Angels He needed to win a World Series, the home run derby and the All-Star MVP to get the recognition he deserves. 45. Magglio Ordonez, RF, White Sox Quietly puts up big numbers. 46. Jose Vidro, 2B, Expos Highly productive for his position. 47. Esteban Loaiza, RHP, White Sox Nothing like a hot first half to boost your reputation. 48. Kevin Millwood, RHP, Phillies Philadelphia wants to build around him. 49. Billy Wagner, LHP, Astros GM: "Power arm with the makeup to match." 50. Lance Berkman, LF, Astros A hard worker who can hit for average and power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poop Man Bob Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 Pujols is the shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest T E A S E R Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 baseball sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGBLUE Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 ROBERTO CLEMENTE HANK ARON JIM THOME JOSE CANSECO JASON GIAMBI http://www.angelfire.com/ab7/sphs04/images/Reggie%20Jackson.jpg'> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellbeefer Posted August 29, 2003 Share Posted August 29, 2003 Nomar..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FratGuyJoe Posted August 29, 2003 Share Posted August 29, 2003 Originally posted by BIGBLUE ROBERTO CLEMENTE JIM THOME Excelent choice. weapon x, did you come up with that list yourself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weapon X Posted August 29, 2003 Author Share Posted August 29, 2003 Originally posted by FratGuyJoe weapon x, did you come up with that list yourself? Hell no. I got that off sportingnews.com. Sorry for not specifying earlier. I did, however, meet up with some older guys the other day at the game who are complete baseball ‘geeks’. They’re my buddy’s dad’s friends. I’ve been invited to an evening with Fergie Jenkins at a bar downtown very soon, as well as an offer for a membership to a local baseball club where they organize all sorts of little events, including an annual trek to Cooperstown. They debate and discuss all things baseball whenever they meet. I’m not too sure I can handle that, though. If I was to do a baseball top 50, it’d be an all time 50, and I’d just plagiarize off the HOF book I have in the basement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigpoppa.k Posted August 29, 2003 Share Posted August 29, 2003 fuck A-ROD... 1/4 billion dollars.. fuck that. RIPKEN. fernandez. ozzy. garciapara... even jeter. REGGIE... mr. october. fuck this years stats. you don't want me to get going on baseball... thats my sport. straight up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weapon X Posted August 29, 2003 Author Share Posted August 29, 2003 I went to one of the games against Texas just a bit ago, and this guy gave me a huge mock dollar bill with A-Rod in the middle, instead of a president. It was pretty good; laminated, with a Bud Selig signature that certifies that it is ‘real’. On the left hand side, it says that “this note certifies that Texas will have mediocre pitching for the next ten years” or something like that. I actually kept it because I’m a packrat. By the way, I got Kelly Gruber, Cito Gaston, Mark Eichorn, and Tony Fernandez’s autograph the other day. Nothing special, but it sure puts a smile on my face. I actually got to see Gruber don a jays jersey and play softball. I like Kirk Gibson and Bill Buckner, both for very different reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ski Mask Posted August 29, 2003 Share Posted August 29, 2003 Originally posted by Weapon X By the way, I got Kelly Gruber, Cito Gaston, Mark Eichorn, and Tony Fernandez’s autograph the other day. the shitty rotting bleachers of exhibition stadium. it all came back for a second. what about george bell and ernie whitt? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weapon X Posted August 29, 2003 Author Share Posted August 29, 2003 Ernie Witt gave me an autograph when I was eight at my school where he taught kids how to play for one day. He wasn’t around. I’m not sure if Bell was there, but I know he was in town a couple of weeks ago. Actually, I think he was there. Remember Jesse Barfield? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ski Mask Posted August 29, 2003 Share Posted August 29, 2003 Originally posted by Weapon X Ernie Witt gave me an autograph when I was eight at my school where he taught kids how to play for one day. He wasn’t around. I’m not sure if Bell was there, but I know he was in town a couple of weeks ago. Actually, I think he was there. Remember Jesse Barfield? hell yea. I remember my dad snuck us in to some meet and greet for junior softball teams at exhibition stadium. It was about 40-50 kids (I forget how they were chosen from the teams to be there, but it was probably a performance thing) and the jays management had barfield and whitt (I think, maybe gruber....its been ages.) there to shake hands and sign autographs. I was stoked about that for months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weapon X Posted August 29, 2003 Author Share Posted August 29, 2003 I’ve been on the field (if that’s what you wanna call it) at the Dome, but never at the Ex. I really miss that place. I used to love that guy Barf (on the) field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weapon X Posted August 29, 2003 Author Share Posted August 29, 2003 Your dad seems mad cool to have snuck you guys into that. Now that’s some real urban exploration.;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ski Mask Posted August 29, 2003 Share Posted August 29, 2003 it was a dive, but it had character. going back to toronto and seeing it empty and looking really derelict killed me.....but not as much as the last time I came back....and stared at the parking lot where the stadium used to be. the seats on the 1st base line towards the outfield were a fucking joke. anything near the warning track or further and you may as well just save the cash.....you face away from the action and pay more then you would out in the bleachers where you could actually see somthing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ski Mask Posted August 29, 2003 Share Posted August 29, 2003 Originally posted by Weapon X Your dad seems mad cool to have snuck you guys into that. Now that’s some real urban exploration.;) he was. I gotta give both my parents credit. I didnt grow up poor, but we didn't have any cash so we improvised. when our class missed the open house at skydome my dad got us in there too...... shit, when I was about 6 and stoked on trains he took me down into the GO yard on front street. I think thats where the whole lack of respect for tresspassing thing comes from...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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