Mt. Rushmore
Originally posted June 15, 2015. - Ed.
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During the Mariners-Giants game on Monday, they talked up the Giants' franchise Hall of Famers. I think they said Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Orlando Cepeda and Juan Marichal ... this struck me as a super-cool "Mt. Rushmore" even though they snubbed Barry Bonds. The four players all played together (right?), were all diverse, were all names that I marveled at when first discovering baseball ....
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Immediately you think of the M's Mt. Rushmore and let's start with Junior, Big Unit, ARod and Edgar. That rock face is wayyyyy, WAY too good for anything the M's ever actually accomplished. I mean, compare it to Tampa Bay's or Toronto's. The Rays have B.J. Upton on their ballot and probably their best player is Evan Longoria, who is a fairly-good player in his 8th year.
The M's Mt. Rushmore contains three of baseball's greatest legends ever; Randy Johnson is probably one of the 5 greatest pitchers who ever lived. This reflects the last 40 years of the Mariners having a very talllll, thhinnnn talent pyramid -- they've had 1-1 picks and "5 tool high upside" attitudes since they started. The 1997 season is the microcosm of the best they've been.
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The Cincinnati Reds have a kewl Rushmore; you have Rose, Morgan, and Bench on it. Those guys hit 1-3-4* in the same lineup together, and they did it essentially for their primes. Besides, that was my team growing up. You get to wondering what baseball dynasties -- 1960's Giants, 1970's Reds, 1990's Mariners -- own their franchise's Mt. Rushmores.
Plumping for another Rushmore that is especially interesting: if Boston's Rushmore is
- Cy Young
- Teddy Ballgame
- Yaz
- Fisk or Rice or Ortiz
Then you have a Rushmore in which none of the players played together.* It would be one that sampled every period of the franchise's long legacy, much like the real Mt. Rushmore in SD. Would you rather have that, or rather have guys who played together?
Dr. D would be legitimately interested in your own choice for "super cool Mt. Rushmore." Would make good reading :- )
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Gratuitous Political Football follows. If you're LrKrBoi29, put a hand over your eyes for one ellipsis section.
There's a movement to put a Native American on the mountain. Not that I've got a thing against any ethnic group, kid! DR. DETECTO is ethnic. But was that the idea of Mt. Rushmore? To honor people for being ethnic, as opposed to honoring them for changing the world?
Still and all, it's been a long time since Teddy and Dr. D thinks the nation should debate the additions of one of the following: Barack Obama, or Ronald Reagan, or Martin Luther King. But it would take a tricky argument indeed to get my vote for Crazy Horse. But this is SSI, right? :- ) Have at me, thou varlet!
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Right off the bat, you've got an issue with the Mariners' franchise four: ARod chose to leave after six years, as early as he could. But! We developed him, kid. And he was part of the Seattle entry into national baseball relevance. Still and all, if you want to snub him, Dr. D is thrilled thrilled thrilled to have Ichiro gracing the mountain:
- He had over 50 WAR during the 00's. Think about that
- He had a long, brilliant NPB career also
- He was a type of mini-Jackie from the East
- Seattle is all about the Pacific Rim
Put Ichiro on the "rock" face and I'm just totally there with you
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It's also a reasonable question whether to sub in Felix Hernandez for the Big Unit, or even Edgar (who would be represented as a 5th player by the street outside and the restaurant inside). Bill James has taught us to be careful, verrrrrry careful, about celebrating players before their careers are over. I mean, you've got people arguing Mike Trout after three years. Slap me silly and call me Shirley. Nobody ever heard of Cesar Cedeno or Ruben Sierra?!
You might make an exception with Felix because:
- His odds at the HOF are so crazy good for his mileage
- His enthusiasm for spending his career here --- > has exceeded even Edgar's
- The yellow stands thing weighs in. That's unusual in baseball
Still. Right now I go with Randy Johnson over Felix. And if Randy Johnson is also a Diamondback President, good for him. He deserves two Mt. Rushmores. By the way I've got nothing against "updating" Mt. Rushmore's. Sand that one guy's face off there and put over a new one. .... explain to me why not?
BABVA,
Dr D