Nolan Ryan was one of one. There was nothing like him before and there will never be anything like him again. He was Secretariat; built differently than the rest.
Nolan also wasn't getting paid $30 million or more per year to pitch - he left Houston because they refused to go above $800K, lol. I know inflation and all but I don't think $800K in 1989 dollars is equal to $30 million in 2024 dollars.
Skenes will be placed in bubble wrap for the foreseeable future and that's just mandatory now with your future. He's got Strasbourg comparisons and I bet Washington would like a LOT of do-overs with him. We live and learn.
I know Nolan was Nolan.
But I can go into dozens and dozens and dozens of examples of pitchers in the 80’s, 90’s, 00’s
Who were absolute dogs, who threw quite hard…..but had outstanding efficiency.
Again the game has changed a lot….and it’s not for the better.
Sure, the steroid era produced a lot of freaks on the mound. Clements for one would meet your definition, but needed drugs to do it. Randy was supposedly clean, but he broke down long before Nolan did in their respective careers. Just reiterating that comparing 22 year old pitching phenoms to Nolan vis a vis how many pitches they SHOULD be able to throw is an exercise in futility. Nolan is sacred ground.
You say it's not for the better, eh....I don't agree. Pitching overall is better but it's coming at a staggering cost due to injuries. I certainly don't think we need to return to the steroid days because that's what we watched in the 80s, 90s and 2000s.
You are over stating the steroid era big time my friend. Like wow.
Anyway…..I won’t argue. The quality of the game and entertainment was vastly superior to todays game.
We had a congressional ****ing hearing on steroids in 2003 or so, but yeah, sure I'm over stating.
Look, if you can't enjoy what players like Shohei, Acuna, Tatis, et al are doing today and you much prefer the glory days, that's fine. To each their own but I'm not about to suggest that this sport would be better by "manning up" and letting a guy like Paul Skenes throw 150 pitches so he could get a shut out.
Playoff baseball is incredible today - if you don't like it as much as 80s baseball, fine. I think it's amazing TV.
Yeah you are overstating just how many guys used it and how responsible it was in the overall game as a whole.
80’s ,90’s and 00’s game IMO was a superior product.
It’s called an opinion. I am not stating it as fact. If you like todays game better great. Glad you do.
The issue is the approach not freaking steroids. That narrative is simply vastly overstated.
But what’s really hilarious is I said “I get it” when it came to pulling the kid.
But make no mistake….he will throw some complete games in his career….I have little doubt he will once he learns to be a little more efficent.
And it does not take manning up and throwing 150 pitches. You totally took my humorous post about Ryan so out of context.
But keep on rambling….no problem.
And yeah I like today’s players too but not nearly as much as the guys in the era’s I mentioned.
Totally different mentality and approach which I preferred and there are guys in todays game with that same mentality….just not nearly as many anymore.