And Now, A Note From Brian Powell
14 years ago
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
To History or Not To History, That is the Question..
I have had most of the interview with Roy White on mute and I just turned up the volume because it looked like it was coming to a close. The first thing I heard Mike say was "It’s amazing, after all these years, people can’t get enough Mantle stuff." That brings me to my point - one that I admit I might be in a minority about. I for one, have had enough Mantle talk. And this isn't a personal attack on Mickey. It's more an attack on history. Mike and Chris used to do this a lot - bring on an old ballplayer or an author who wrote a book about the good old days. Then they would open the phone lines and callers would chime in all day about their favorite Yankees moment from the '50s, etc. Personally, I am so over these types of segments. I have never been a fan of them. Lt. Weinberg here at the blog used to mock me for this, as he loved the history lessons from Mike and Chris. He liked hearing about the days of yesteryear. I don't. I find it extremely...wait for it...wait for it...boring. It's not that I have a disdain for the past. I just prefer to talk about the here and now. Now I realize that I might be opening a can of worms here and offending the couple of older readers of this blog (not sure if those actually exist)...but the point is that I have had enough Mantle stuff. Where do you stand - do you enjoy these trips down memory lane or are you as uninterested in them as I am?
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21 comments:
I am usually not interested in them. Every now and then there are some interesting ones. But Mantle has been beaten to death. However, it's understandable. The Mick represents childhood memories for an older generation. Back then, Mantle and other athletes were bigger than life and lived on the back of a baseball card or over the crackling radio. Walk years and domestic disputes either weren't around or weren't reported on. In the future, we'll reminisce about End Zone celebrations and how innocent steroids were compared to players using jet packs and injecting kryptonite.
But more importantly, the fact that Mike continues to do these types of segments represents that Mike doesn't want change. He's going to do his type of show until they tell him he can't anymore.
FTLT...You fancy kids with your fancy internets and your fancy blogs and cell phones. Opening Day 2009 is a time to hear from Roy White about what a great bunter Mickey was and where Chambliss and Nettles liked to eat dinner. You ungrateful ingrate!
Keep up this bad attitude and this cynicism and Larry King and Billy Crystal will come after you with all they've got.
This stuff is fine in the middle of February, but come on now; it's the day after opening day!
We've been waiting for 2 months to talk about baseball games that actually mean something. Finally, the season starts and then he books Roy White? Come on Michael.
well played...also props to the caller who went after Mike for not confronting Barkley about his opinions on David Lee after Charles said he loved him..Mike "we didnt have enough time.." nice excuse Mikey. The reality is that it's a lot easier to pick on a caller than it is Barkley...
mikey also just gave his "the met fan is on love with Daniel Murphy" and proceeded to throw cold water on any fan that likes murphy. Mikey just capped murphy's potential career year at 12-15 homers.
FTLT...I am a Mets fan and I like D. Murphy a lot. That said, the Mets fan is making him out to Bunyanesque. Some clown just called and said if Ollie had the same work ethic as Murphy he'd win 18 games. He has 3 career HR's for f*cksake!
Also, Murphy = Magadan sounds OK to me.
yeah that work ethic comparison was very dumb. work ethic ain't gonna mike Ollie throw strikes. Nothing will. And I agree that fans are too in love with murphy, but Mike loves to throw gasoline on a subject like this...It wasn't too long ago when Mike guaranteed Phil hughes to win 15 games before 2008 Opening Day. He's allowe to go gaga over a player - just as long as it is a Yankee...
Maybe but I love to point out where Mike is wrong and the Mets fans are making Mike sound like Bill James right now. He's even busted out the fact that Murphy better get some power before he can even be league average in LF.
FTLT, is that you on the phone right now? Throwing Hughes at Mike? If so, nice work. If not, you're being plagiarized.
sean...just hard that call too and that was not me BUT i was very happy that someone brought up Hughes..and trust me Mike said VERY good things about him last year. However, i think the Magadan comparison is not right for Murphy. if that's all Murphy becomes, I would say that's a let down. Magadan had like one year over 70 rbis...but now the floodgates are open...
Magadan lifetime OBP .390 is great. Career 42 HR's is brutal. You're absolutely right. Mets fans are going to need MUCH, MUCH more than that. I think anything, right now, over .800 OPS is great for Murphy.
I'll agree that sometimes the walks down memory lane can be rather boring with Mike, but I actually thought the interview with Roy White was a very good spot today. Maybe it's just me because I don't hear much from White, but he's seen a lot of history during his 14 years with the Yanks. In any case, Roy's a class act, and I'm actually thinking about picking up that book.
As for the whole Murphy thing, I think Mike is a bit out of line for downplaying him. This guy looks like he is a big league hitter. I don't know where his power will top out at, but I do think he'll hit more than 15 homers, especially if he stays in the 2-hole, between Reyes and Wright. Murphy gets to fly under the radar for a bit here. His weakness is with the glove, not the bat.
just think... twenty years from now, we will be hearing the same interviews, but insert "jeter" for "mantle."
oy.
I sort of doubt that, Jason. Sure there will be plenty of stories, but Mantle was far more over-the-top with his nightly antics and whatnot. Jeter likes to party, but he has managed to stay out of the papers for the most part over the years. You might hear a stray story once in a while about something he did off the field, but I think 20 years from now most of the Jeter stories will be about things he did for charity and maybe some clubhouse stories.
I don't think you're going to hear stories about how Andy Pettitte had to carry a wasted Jeter out of the club one night, with two strippers clinging to his ankles, and how he then went on to hit his first career grand slam the next day, hungover. It might have happened, but I don't think you'll hear it.
Riveting radio/TV right now as he reads the Masters pairings and tee off times...I like golf, and this is the most boring thing I've ever seen/heard!
bigjf, it isnt like the radio callers are calling up reminiscing about hanging out with mantle when he was with strippers and carousing with mistresses getting ridiculously wasted. people call in to talk about the impact mantle had on them as baseball fans and as kids growing up in that era.
thats why i say jeter will be even more glorified than he is now... to the extent mantle is today.
btw, to the moderators/creators of this site, is there a way you guys can enable rss feeds for this page? its much easier to keep up to date with you guys then.
thanks and keep up the good work.
Re: "Yogi's Yogi and Joba's Joba".
Gee, think Mike is interpreting that statement (and misinterpreting it) as he sees fit?
I think all Joba was saying is people are people...
Jason - am looking into this. I've found the instructions but still trying to implement. If you can walk us through it then, I'll quote Denzel from Phildelphia, "Now, explain it to me like I'm a four-year-old."
lucky...i agree totally with Mike and just posted something on this. To me, Joba sounded like an idiot in that interview today.
gman, i would if i could. but im no computer guy. i DO know what rss stands for tho. haha. sorry.
Jason,
I agree that Yankee fans, myself included, will surely bring up their childhood and how Jeter's play on the field had an impact. Still don't see what's wrong with that, nor do I see a problem with Mets fans and how Keith Hernandez impacted their childhood. I would expect the same years from now with guys like Wright and Piazza. It's the same way for any lifelong, diehard fan of any team. How about a Pirates fan today and Bill Mazeroski? A Dodgers fan and Roy Campanella? A Giants fan and Willie Mays? Mariners and Griffey? I even heard a couple of fond remembrances already of Luis Gonzalez and the 2001 D-Backs! It's all the same thing, so I don't see the problem...People like to reflect on history and how it impacted them, even outside of sports. WWII, Vietnam, 9/11, Hannah Montana....People identify these landmarks as their historical moment in society.
"I grew up a Yankee fan while Derek Jeter matured into a great captain...Joe Torre was a father figure to me growing up." What's wrong with that? People are always going to look back and reflect, and baseball's love of historical statistics allows for an even more in-depth look and analysis of the past. If that gets on your nerves, you may want to put yourself in a coma.
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