Name the player and why you loved to watch them play. pre 95

[NECpilgrims8]

Craig Biggio

Played the game the right way. Team Leader and ultimate teammate. Showed he can play multiple positions and NEVER complained about moving. Never made a stink about the money and contracts.

It's also always fun to root for the "little guy" (in stature).

 

[ThoseBackPages]

(Vintage, doofy pic of me, giddily holding some Dodger cards, including Garvey, ca. 1978)

Luke, i AM you're Father!

 

[ronfromfresno]

For me Robby Thompson and Will Clark, a great double play combination, hit 2 and 3 in the Giants line up and they always seemed to come through in clutch situations.

 

[Casebusters]

Don Mattingly- da Hitman..remember when I was around 8 or 9 in a sneaker store in da Bronx..seeing a poster of him in a pinstriped suit, holdin a bat like a gun...was da coolest thing ever....been following Donnie baseball, Yankees, and baseball ever since...

GReat marketing...

Was my favorite player in the 80's & 90's

 

[Kevbo]

Bo Jackson.

Everything about his game was awesome. Speed, Power, Arm. Can't think of a better athlete. Can't think of anyone who impressed me more. I'd go crazy when SI would have him on the cover. Makes me hate football.

 

[rum151man]

#1 Will Clark- still think he has one of the sweetest swings ever
#2 Rickey Henderson- Just fun to watch, could manufacture a run all by himself
#3 Bo jackson- Just a freak Athlete

 

[KC37]

There are a lot of great choices in this thread - what I think it makes me realize is just how much I loved baseball in general in those years.

If I had to add one that hasn't been mentioned it would be Dwight Evans. A solid all-around player, and one of the last great cannons of a right fielder. Plus, he has the unbreakable record of hitting a home run on the first pitch of the season. I have a 1986 Sox road jersey with 24 on the back, and I can tell the real fans by who can correctly identify it, and who thinks I'm wearing a Manny Ramirez jersey.

And of course, my first favorite player, Yaz. But I really only saw his later years, and not his prime, so I think I just liked him based on reputation and because my father did.

 

[Rickzcards]

I grew up having 2 favorite players--first Joe Morgan--loved that arm torque when he was at the plate. My second was Steve Garvey--loved that he played everyday--had those big popeye forearms---and the Dodgers were one of my favorite teams back then.

Keep it old-school---pre 1995.

I loved watching Garvey play, even after he went to San Diego. One of my favorites after Garvey was Pedro Guerrero, loved his batting stance and power. Too bad he wasn't very good on the defense.

 

[zep33]

Fred Lynn - All those diving catches he made. We used to go out in a field and play "Fred Lynn" catches, throwing the ball back and forth just out of reach so we'd have to dive for them.

 

[Ty Hope]

Will Clark! Was a huge fan of the thrill during his prime.

 

[JzWand]

Jesse Barfield and Jose Canseco!

Living in Toronto, it was awesome to have the OF of Bell, Barfield and Moseby but Jesse was my favorite. Had an arm that I still havent seen better than!
And he won a HR title in 86!

Canseco just because he was a flashy MFer and could hit the ball a mile.

 

[Randy Shields]

Alan Trammell as he was everything to Tiger baseball back when I started to play and watch them. He played the game the right way and only for one team the Tigers. Larry Walker, the guy had a cannon for an arm and knew how to hit. Last was Jack Morris, watching him pitch was awesome for so many years. All three are just way too underrated.

He and Sweet Lou were a pleasure to watch.

Tram was the obvious player who came to mind the second I read this topic. He was my favorite player growing up and he can never be replaced in that role. My first and only time I met him was at an Indians/Tigers game which was in Cleveland and was the last year that he managed the Tigers. I asked him to autograph my baseball which he did and I'm usually not at a loss for words, but I sort of stumbled through thanking him and telling him he was my childhood Idol. Even so, it was a great moment in my life.

Yes, Tram and Sweet Lou the longest runnung SS/2B combo in the history of baseball.

Ahhh, those were the days...............

 

[JackLondon]

(Vintage, doofy pic of me, giddily holding some Dodger cards, including Garvey, ca. 1978)

Luke, i AM you're Father!

Nice find, Eric! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[klute14]

Great choices and even better stories...

Mine undoubtedly was Jim Rice. He had tremendous power, could hit for average and played the Monster well.
He had that bat flip when he knew he hit the ball well, (I emulated many times playing wiffies) and his stoic demeanor was great.
I remember writing him in a letter in 1983-1984 telling him why he was my favorite player and that the reason he hit into so many double plays was that he hit the ball so hard.
I also remember one of his appearances on The Baseball Bunch when he hit a ball so far that the entire episode the Chicken was still chasing the ball. Man, I wish I could find that.

I also loved watching Dave Kingman and Reggie Jackson because I loved the big guys that would swing hard and hit the ball a mile.
I enjoyed the power pitchers as well. JR Richard, Nolan Ryan, Lee Smith and later Rob Dibble.
I would copy all of them in the backyard.

 

[markakis8]

Mine, of course, is Cal Ripken Jr.

One of the greatest memories of my childhood is my father taking me to game #2129 and seeing Cal hit a home run and that stadium just erupting. Then going home and watching #2130 and #2131 live and watching him hit a home run in each of those games as well

 

[oiccup41]

Great choices and even better stories...

Mine undoubtedly was Jim Rice. He had tremendous power, could hit for average and played the Monster well.
He had that bat flip when he knew he hit the ball well, (I emulated many times playing wiffies) and his stoic demeanor was great.
I remember writing him in a letter in 1983-1984 telling him why he was my favorite player and that the reason he hit into so many double plays was that he hit the ball so hard.
I also remember one of his appearances on The Baseball Bunch when he hit a ball so far that the entire episode the Chicken was still chasing the ball. Man, I wish I could find that.

Ahh, the bat flip, I loved the bat flip - I had that mastered when I played with my friends. I didn't dare to use it in a Little League game because my coach would have flipped out (no pun intended). I wore #14 and played left field.

In my mind - nothing will ever beat the outfield of Rice, Lynn, and Evans. I wish Freddy Lynn had never left.

Funny story - I have always had an 8x10 pick of Rice, Evans, and Yaz that I have wanted to get autographed. A couple of years ago my girlfriend got me this incredible autographed picture of Rice, Lynn, and Evans and when she saw that it was different that the picture I had started apologizing and felt bad. I tried to explain to her that this picture was sooo much better because it had Freddy Lynn but she still to this day insists that I am just saying that because she knows that Yaz was a better player than Lynn. She could not be more wrong

(The flash on Lynns crotch is unintentional :lol: )

 

[mchenrycards]

Being older than many of you here my guys are going to be a bit different. Three players come to mind.

I saw Clemente throw a runner out at home from the right field corner at Wrigley. This is my earliest baseball memory as I could not believe a human being could make a throw like that, with one bounce in front of the plate from the right field corner. It still amazes me.

Bob Gibson. One of the most intimidating pitchers I ever saw in person. He was so mean he even intimidated the hot dog vendors in the stands!! The man was a master of his craft and I am glad I had the pleasure of watching him pitch a number of times while he was in his prime!

J.R. Richard. A huge man who could throw a ball faster than anyone I had ever seen at the time. I remember sitting in the stands and just being amazed that the ball literally looked like a white streak of light as it left his hand and approached the hitter. I have never seen anyone since that threw as hard as he did. I was saddened when I read about his health issues that literally stopped his career in its tracks.

 

[ahill1]

My favorite was Andre Dawson. He went out there and played his ass of day in and day out on some awful teams but he never stoles playing. Besides his power. He had a hell of an arm out there in RF


I also loved watching Shawon Dunston at short. Thank god for Mark Grace!

 

[klute14]

My favorite was Andre Dawson. He went out there and played his ass of day in and day out on some awful teams but he never stoles playing. Besides his power. He had a hell of an arm out there in RF


I also loved watching Shawon Dunston at short. Thank god for Mark Grace!

He may have had the strongest infield arm I have ever seen. WOW.

 

[Lifelongfan]

Great choices and even better stories...

Mine undoubtedly was Jim Rice. He had tremendous power, could hit for average and played the Monster well.
He had that bat flip when he knew he hit the ball well, (I emulated many times playing wiffies) and his stoic demeanor was great.
I remember writing him in a letter in 1983-1984 telling him why he was my favorite player and that the reason he hit into so many double plays was that he hit the ball so hard.
I also remember one of his appearances on The Baseball Bunch when he hit a ball so far that the entire episode the Chicken was still chasing the ball. Man, I wish I could find that.

I also loved watching Dave Kingman and Reggie Jackson because I loved the big guys that would swing hard and hit the ball a mile.
I enjoyed the power pitchers as well. JR Richard, Nolan Ryan, Lee Smith and later Rob Dibble.
I would copy all of them in the backyard.

Man, you just took me waaaayy back. Reading these post has brought back some great memories---my dad loves to tell me stories about Clemente and how he played the game. Saturday game of the week with Tony Kubek and Joe Garagiola----Loved it.