I like hypothetical questions. Some find them stupid. Those people are usually boring and stupid themselves. Hypothetical questions can be interesting and thought provoking.
Here is my hypothetical question to you. Who are your Top 5 Baseball Dinner Guests, past or present, that you would love to sit down and have dinner with and simply pick their brains?
Here are mine and the reasons why.
1) Babe Ruth. In an era when kids can't even tell you the current players on their hometown teams they all know Babe Ruth. How a guy who last played in 1935 is still well known by everybody amazes me. At dinner, I would hope to get a sense of his obviously off-the-charts charisma. Plus, I would like to see his voracious appetite up close, although it might be a little repulsive. Finally, I'm guessing The Bambino would pick up the check.
2) Ty Cobb. I would like to see if he really was this hard-ass philistine off the field as he was on the field. I've heard plenty of stories that he was an absolute boor off the field. But I've also heard he was also a Southern gentleman. I'd like to find out who the real Ty Cobb was. I guess he would make me pick up the check.
3) Jackie Robinson. A trailblazer, I really would love to hear about all the things he faced on and off the field when he came up. I would particulary like to hear some stories that haven't been publicized. I would hope that this would be a 5-hour dinner conversation. Of course, Ty Cobb wouldn't be invited to this table. I would gladly pay the check but I'm guessing Jackie would reach for it first.
4) Sandy Koufax. One of my favorite players ever and I never even saw him pitch. I think he would just be a pleasant guy to have dinner with and talk baseball. I would really like to know just how scared some batters were of him and if he could sense that, especially when he was in high school. A first class guy, he would probably pick up the check as well. What I really admire about Koufax is that he hasn't lived off his name like so many players. There is a mystery surrounding Koufax and I love the fact that he's not a media hog or one of those "back when I played the game" kind of guys. He just strikes me as a regular guy who simply was one of the greatest pitchers of all time.
5) Joe Jackson. I love reading and learning about old-time baseball. If I lived back when Shoeless Joe was playing, he would have been one of my favorite players. I'd love to talk to him about all the old timers and especially chat with him about the infamous 1919 World Series. Seems like he would be a pleasure to sit down with and eat a meal and talk baseball. Another guy I guess would pick up the check, so long as he didn't have to sign a credit card slip!
Honorable mentions:
Christy Mathewson.
John McGraw.
Casey Stengel.
Ernie Banks.
Sandy Koufax.
Joe DiMaggio.
Rich Amaral (the only Major Leaguer born on the exact same day as me).
Mickey Mantle.
Bobby Murcer.
Bob Feller.
Willie Mays.
The list goes on and on. These are the guys who immediately came to mind.
There ya go.
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Bill,
ReplyDeleteHere are my 5 people from baseball, great question.
1.Hank Aaron. To me he is still the all time home run king, and everything I seen and read about him represents class.
2.Roberto Clemente. I played outfield and I am to young to have seen him play. (only highlights) He made everything seem so easy on the field and was a dynamic personality.
3. Branch Rickey. To talk to the man behind intergrating baseball would be amazing!
4.Lou Gehrig. I would like to talk to a man who in his lifetime never got the respect he deserved. He never complained even in his darkest hour. What a person to talk to.
5.Bob Gibson. The man looked so mean on the mound, and to be able to talk to one of the most dominant pitchers ever would be very cool.
That's my list always love these lists.
BR,
ReplyDeleteMy Fave Five That I would Invite:
1. Satchel Paige - I want to speak with the greatest pitcher ever!
2. Josh Gibson - Talk with one of the best hitters in baseball. A legend who should be spoken of as one of, if not the best baseball players ever.
3. Buck O'Neil - Talk about how it felt to play with the Denver White Elephants, the only Negro League baseball team in Denver. Also I would want to talk to him about the legacy of the Negro Leagues.
4. Moses Fleetwood Walker - The first Black man to play in the Major leagues. I would talk to him purely concerning the love of the game. What a great man to meet.
5. Vinny Castilla - He gave me my first baseball autograph that I still have at my house till this day. He holds a special spot in my heart.
Man, you guys are a cliche-fest!
ReplyDeleteHere's my five, feel free to nitpick if you like:
1. Barry Bonds - because he never talks to anyone, imagine the pub you could get if you got him to open up after feeding him a few drinks?
2. Lance Parrish - my favorite player as a kid and since I eventually became a catcher he was a player that influenced me a good bit. Every bit as good as Carlton Fisk and Gary Carter by the way. Check that...he was better than those guys.
3. Yogi Berra - because he's just so damn funny. Can't even count the number of Yogi stories since I moved to his hometown of St. Louis.
4. Nolan Ryan - the most intimidating pitcher in the history of the game and the hardest pitcher to get a hit off of in the HISTORY of this game. Plus I love how he's running the Rangers pitching at the minor league level with no pitch counts.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/hits_per_nine_career.shtml
5. Ernie Harwell - best story teller ever.