"Baseball's Monsters"

by Kegler on Apr 14, 2008 12:03 PM CDT Comment 12 comments

The Morning News (themorningnews.org), one of my favorite sites for humor/commentary, just published what they consider to be the "All-Bastard Athletic Club" of baseball players. Thought a lot of us here might appreciate their humor and hearing (again) about some of these guys. Here's the link:

http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/personalities/the_allbastard_athletic_club.php

Enjoy! And please, no flaming. You don't like it, don't post. It's humor, history, and besides, there really are some bastards out there. And some of them happened to be great ballplayers. Some of them were even on the Cubs...but who?

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.

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I have a problem with...

... him putting Jackie Robinson on this list. "Had to be a bastard"? No. He had to be tough and have a thick skin, which he did. Putting him on the same list as Cobb and Billy Martin is an insult.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Apr 14, 2008 12:53 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

To be fair, Robinson had quite a reputation as a hot head before signing with the Dodgers.

After his promised three years of turning the other cheek were complete, I believe he did seek some retribution the remainder of his career. Not saying that makes him less worthy of our praise and admiration. I can't say that I fully agree with the author's reasoning for his inclusion on the list. However, he did have a bit of bastardness in him. Still, I don't understand how in the world you include Robinson on such a list but not Rogers Hornsby.

We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look.
Ronald Reagan

by snley on Apr 14, 2008 1:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

While I don't necessarily

disagree with you, Al, I do think the writer clarified his use of the term. He stated that his definition was not merely "bad guy". I believe having thick skin and being tough, not to mention taking out his anger and frustration on the field, is why the writer included Robinson on his team. And it's clear that he meant his inclusion as a compliment.

I really don't think anyone would ever confuse personalities like Cob or Martin for Jackie. Do you, Al? Too many people are too quick to take offense or call out something as an insult these days. I didn't think you'd be one so quick to judge another's opinion.

"Just because you've had enough/ doesn't mean you wanted too much." -Dean Young

by Kegler on Apr 14, 2008 1:22 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I see your (and his) point.

But it seems as if he was trying to include too many disparate personalities. There are lots of different definitions of "bastard" or "bad guy"... Robinson wasn't one of those. Tough, yes. Bad guy, no.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Apr 14, 2008 1:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I guess

I don't understand how this can be misinterpreted or misunderstood:

the ‘All-Bastard Athletic Club,’ comprised of ballplayers possessed with monstrous élan, a flair for savagery on the playing field, or a ravening impact on the National Pastime. It is critical to understand: a Bastard is not a scumbag. Bastards are separated from the merely churlish by an extra ingredient that lifts them above the ordinary lout. Indeed, being a bastard may not even signify immorality: the question isn’t whether they’re good or bad people (though bad helps,) it’s how they played the game.

He doesn't even imply that Robinson was anything but a hard-nosed, or "tough", ballplayer. Whatever. I love BCB and what you do here, Al, so I'm on board no matter what. Just thought the piece was humorous and that many here probably hadn't seen it.

"Just because you've had enough/ doesn't mean you wanted too much." -Dean Young

by Kegler on Apr 14, 2008 1:45 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wasn't criticizing you.

I just don't understand why he'd lump all those together.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Apr 14, 2008 4:43 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Barry Bonds..

Dave Kingman, Rogers Hornsby, A.J. Pierzynski, The Big Hurt...to name a few others...

"I lost it in the sun"

by Bump Bailey on Apr 14, 2008 2:16 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Some notable exceptions....

Rogers Hornsby has been point out already, but he obviously tops the list. Stories about John McGraw are legendary. Ditto Charles Comiskey. Pete Rose, as has been well-documented, was a self-absorbed jerk off the field, but for most of his career was loved by fans and media. Rose, to say the least, is an enigma in baseball history, but I suppose he probably does belong on this list.

"Don't complain to me about the stormy weather, boys. Just bring the ship into port." --Steve Stone, September 2004

by ctcoff99 on Apr 14, 2008 2:21 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Rose is far from an enigma.

If anything, he's the epitome of the problem of trusting baseball writers through the years. There are other examples of players through the years who have been celebrated by the press but turned out to be people we'd rather not know (i.e., Joe DiMaggio). There are also plenty of examples of players who were painted to be world class villains but turned out to be guys who just had problems dealing with the press. Ted Williams, for example, could never live up to the level of evil Boston writers of his time portrayed him as. Despite his many flaws, Williams is truly an American hero (look up his service in Korea) and should have been treated as such.

We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look.
Ronald Reagan

by snley on Apr 14, 2008 2:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It could make for an interesting article

but in some ways he did mix apples and oranges. There are those players that played extremely hard on the field (like Robinson, Cobb and Rose) and those players that were just plain jerks (like Chase). Some players like Cobb fit into both categories.

I'd actually be more interested in the hard nosed players.

by rlpete on Apr 14, 2008 4:35 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs