When I heard Trevor Hoffman picked up his 600th career save earlier this week, it made me smile because he is my favorite closer of all-time. The reasons are pretty simple and nerdy. It's not because of his sick change-up or his decade long dominance, it's because of Tony LaRussa II for the computer. See, I spent a huge portion of my adolescence drafting teams on various computer games and playing multiple seasons with them with Snacks, Bear, and 2P. And the year I drafted Hoffman happened to be the same year I found out he used Hells Bells as his entrance music. I love this, and not because I like AC/DC (although I do), but because I find the way the bells start right as he starts walking in to be pitch perfect to get a crowd all riled up. Much the way Enter Sandman works for Mariano Rivera, or even how that stupid song from that movie with Marky Mark worked so well for Joe Nathan. I've just always loved Hoffman for that.
Anyway, to complete the nerdiness cycle I will admit here that I used to keep a boombox next to the computer, and when I would bring Hoffman into the game (yes, the computer game) I would also throw in m AC/DC CD and fire up Hells Bells. And that's why Trevor Hoffman is my favorite closer of all-time.
And in that vein, and since I feel like I should post and my posting time has been cut considerably thanks to a new baby who is either up all night or in the hospital, I'm going to just go ahead and make a list of my all-time favorites by position. Please feel free to rip me and/or post your own.
C- Mickey Tettleton
1B- Kent Hrbek
2B- Wally Backman
3B- Evan Longoria
SS- Cal Ripken
LF- Rickey Henderson
CF - Tim Raines
RF- Andy Van Slyke
SP - Mike Mussina & Dwight Gooden
RP - Trevor Hoffman
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5 comments:
Two obvious issues with your all time favorite list. 1) Wally Backman???? 2) Cal Ripken? We all know Cal is a poor mans Cuddy. The only award that loser ever won is the silver slugger which means as much as American League Player of the Week. Longoria and Hrbek are the greatest players ever.
P.S. I want my book back fat boy!
Mickey Tettleton over your boy Wieters? Shameful. I'm not sure I could come up with a full team of all-time favorites. And I think it would be all center fielders. How am I supposed to fit Vince Coleman, Marquis Grissom and Carlos Gomez in the same outfield? I would probably just leave two of them out there and go with a five man infield with all that range.
Wieters needs more time, he's been pissing me off lately. He's close, but I had to give the nod to Mickey, just barely over Hoiles.
I'm not 100% sure on Backman, but I couldn't think of any other second basemen I loved. I don't think Brent Gates quite cuts it.
Agreed on Backman. The only thing he will be remembered for is his tirade as a manager in AAA ball or whatever it was.
Tettleton is good stuff, although he was only relevant for a couple of years.
I am a homer so I would have Rodney and Gaetti in there. As well as the all time greatest athlete in the history of sports... Kent Ftbek.
Most of your favorites were born right around 1960. I think you just loved baseball around 1985-1995.
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