Quote:
Originally Posted by thebridge15
Nolan Ryan. I have a really hard time arguing against seven no hitters in the modern era.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jake
I'm laughing at you
Nolan Ryan is the worst pitcher in the hall of fame. Too many walks. Too many losses. By voting Ryan, all you're saying is "I'm a kid and I don't understand baseball but I remember him striking out a bunch of guys before I was born."
Walter Johnson is the correct answer
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i grew up in Alvin, TX.
my recently deceased grandfather umpired Nolan's games from Little League at Schroeder Field through high school as an Alvin Yellow Jacket. When he looked like this:
http://images.checkoutmycards.com/zo...0b6aa9076c.jpg
my mother coached his daughter Wendy in gymnastics.
to say the least, the Ryan family are long time family friends. I've met Nolan on several occasions at his bank (The Express Bank, Alvin TX).
single season strikeout record.
300 win club
7 no hitters
all time strikeout record that may never be matched...
although he never won a cy young award, his basic stats scream "greatest of all time."
i've got a lot of autographs from him, but my favorite is a personalized signed ball saying "happy birthday" to me from 1991. i'll try to upload a pic this weekend.
my grandpa said that umpiring behind the plate for Nolan's high school games was simply amazing. simple because nearly every batter was a K, and amazing because he was hitting a mid to high 90's fastball as a 16 year old high school student.
i didn't have a clue who Nolan Ryan really was until the 1986 season when the Astros (arguably the greatest Astros team ever) was eliminated just short of the World Series by the NYMets.
i remember running around the Ryan's pool at family parties, too young to really understand the company i was in...
if we're going off career numbers, i strongly believe that Nolan Ryan is the greatest MLB pitcher of all time. and it will be a LONG time before anyone ever touches his numbers.