Im not afraid to ask

Rory Sparrow

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Was the myth larger than the reality? Not really.

But the applause Josh Gibson received should have been louder. He was considered the best power hitter of his era in the Negro baseball leagues and perhaps even the majors.

Gibson was born in Buena Vista, Ga. His father, Mark Gibson, moved his family to Pittsburgh in 1923 rather than try and continue to nurse a crop from his meager farm.

Josh’s education ended after the ninth grade. His introduction to organized baseball came at age 16 when he joined the Gimbels A.C. In 1929, the Crawford Colored Giants, a semi-pro team in Pittsburgh, convinced him to leave the Gimbels and join their squad.

He became a professional by accident July 25, 1930 while sitting in the stands. When Homestead Grays catcher Buck Ewing injured his hand, Gibson was invited to replace him because his titanic home runs were already well known in Pittsburgh.

“If someone had told me Josh hit the ball a mile, I would have believed them,” said Sam Jethroe, who starred for the Cleveland Buckeyes.

His legendary feats with the Homestead Grays have many experts regarding Gibson as the sport’s greatest home run hitter. Negro leagues statistics of the time are largely incomplete. But the legend of Gibson’s power has always been larger than life.

The 6-1, 215-pound Gibson was nearly indestructible behind the plate. He occasionally played left field or third base, but never for more than a game or two.

Gibson’s natural skills were immense. His powerful arm, quick release and agility made base runners wary of trying to steal.

But hitting is what made Gibson the second-highest paid player in black baseball behind Satchel Paige, another future Hall of Famer.

The Sporting News, baseball’s written authority for decades, credited Gibson in 1967 with hitting a 580-foot home run in Yankee Stadium. The ball landed two feet from the top of the bleacher wall.

“Josh was a better power hitter than Babe Ruth, Ted Williams or anybody else I’ve ever seen,” said former Cleveland Buckeye pitcher and manager Alonzo Boone. “Anything he touched was hit hard. He could power outside pitches to right field. Shortstops would move to left field when Josh came to the plate.”

In 1972, Gibson became the second player from the Negro leagues elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, joining Paige.

Paige may have put it best when describing Josh at the plate: “You look for his weakness and while your lookin’ for it, he’s liable to hit 45 home runs.”


https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/gibson-josh

Cool. Alonzo Boone and his lifetime 11-6 Negro League record says that Josh Gibson was better than Babe Ruth and Ted Williams. Maybe I can find some journeyman CFL player to weigh in on Tom Brady and he'll say that Doug Flutie was a better QB than Drew Brees and Peyton Manning.
 

remydat

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Cool. Alonzo Boone and his lifetime 11-6 Negro League record says that Josh Gibson was better than Babe Ruth and Ted Williams. Maybe I can find some journeyman CFL player to weigh in on Tom Brady and he'll say that Doug Flutie was a better QB than Drew Brees and Peyton Manning.

The write up is from the Hall of Fame. Their write up says he was perhaps the greatest power hitter of all time per the experts not just Boone.

Your argument about Baines was stupid. The Hall recognizes Gibson as an all time great hitter. Sorry that bothers you.
 

Rory Sparrow

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The write up is from the Hall of Fame. Their write up says he was perhaps the greatest power hitter of all time per the experts not just Boone.

Your argument about Baines was stupid. The Hall recognizes Gibson as an all time great hitter. Sorry that bothers you.

Nice. The part you bolded was Alonzo Boone's quote. Lots of players are in the Hall of Fame. The Hall recognizes Baines as an all time great hitter (for reasons I cannot fathom). I can make a distinction between greatest hitter ever (Hank Aaron) and Hall of Famer (Craig Biggio). I guess you cannot do same.
 

remydat

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Nice. The part you bolded was Alonzo Boone's quote. Lots of players are in the Hall of Fame. The Hall recognizes Baines as an all time great hitter (for reasons I cannot fathom). I can make a distinction between greatest hitter ever (Hank Aaron) and Hall of Famer (Craig Biggio). I guess you cannot do same.

I bolded 3 parts. Only one was from Boone. The other 2 were from the Hall and recognized him as perhaps greatest power hitter ever per experts not Boone.

Please provide a link from hall that claims Baines is perhaps greatest power hitter of all time. Thanks in advance.

I can make a distinction between Hall admitting someone to Hall and them claiming someone is possibly greatest ever. I guess you cannot do the same.
 

modo

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Babe Ruth; owns 5 of the top 10 WARs of all time.....
 

Rory Sparrow

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false...he was in a partial coma before he died from throat cancer

If Josh Gibson had been in that situation, he would have put in 183 plate appearances before dying.

Gibson >> Ruth
 

fenderpfunk

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None of the athletes mentioned in this thread can hold a candle to Jay Cutler's 2008 pro bowl alternate season.
 

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