"A New York Treasure" --Village Voice

Missing Mo

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It’s starting to hit me. That we won’t see Mo pitch again. Small pangs at random times, but it’s sinking in. His playing career is over.

In this article about Rivera over at Broken LeaguesI was impressed with the picture by PJ McQuade.

Mobig

37 comments

1 GaryfromChevyChase   ~  Oct 17, 2013 1:11 pm

Like the picture. Not being a gamer (although I think there's an old Strat-O-Matic somewhere in the attic), I didn't much care for McQuade's article.

Mo may not be one of the 4 on the Yanks' Mt Rushmore, but he gets some votes. Having been a Yankee fan since the mid-50's, he is certainly on my Rushmore of the Yanks I've seen play in person, along with Mick, Yogi, and Jetes.

2 Alex Belth   ~  Oct 17, 2013 1:24 pm

Just as an FYI, McQuade didn't write the article.

As for the Yankee Mt. Rushmore. For me it's like this: Ruth, Gehrig, Joe D, Mantle, Yogi, Whitey, Jeter, Mo. If you are rating them it could go Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, Joe D, Jeter...but I think you could go Jeter or Yogi to round out the top 5.

3 Alex Belth   ~  Oct 17, 2013 1:26 pm

What'd be interesting is who are 9 and 10 of the top 10? Bill Dickey? Alex Rodriguez? Bernie Williams?

4 bp1   ~  Oct 17, 2013 1:31 pm

[3] Well I guess it depends on what criteria you're using. Some might laugh at me, but I would put The Scooter up there. I didn't know him as a player, but he was the voice of the Yankees for most of my childhood on radio and television. He was Yankee royalty, in my book, and as identifiable as "Yankee" as any of those other guys.

Might be a spot for Donnie Baseball up there, too, in spite of this current LA Dodgers sidetrack.

5 Alex Belth   ~  Oct 17, 2013 2:12 pm

4) I hear you but I wouldn't put Scooter or Mattingly over Dickey, Bernie, Munson or Red Ruffing. OR...Willie.

6 Sliced Bread   ~  Oct 17, 2013 2:20 pm

Dickey and Willie are definitely top 10 in my book.
Guidry and Bernie (my all-time favorite Yankee - Willie runner-up) don't quite make the cut.
Same with Andy, ARod, Donnie, and Fasano (just checking if you're paying attention).
Tony Lazzeri is another guy who has to be in the conversation even though he gets overshadowed by his teammates who wore numbers 3, 4, and 5 on their shirts.

7 Sliced Bread   ~  Oct 17, 2013 2:23 pm

5) Right, Munson, and Ruffing, too. Decisions, decisions. I still say Dickey and Willie are top 10.

8 Sliced Bread   ~  Oct 17, 2013 2:33 pm

Interesting bleacher report article on Andy which incldes top 15 all-time Yankees WAR rankings:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1781304-where-does-andy-pettitte-rank-among-yankees-long-list-of-all-time-greats

9 RIYank   ~  Oct 17, 2013 2:34 pm

Yogi.

10 Alex Belth   ~  Oct 17, 2013 2:44 pm

9) Well, Yogi is top 5, or top 6 at worst. I think Dickey and Willie work, though I'm more certain about Dickey.

Willie, Winfield, Ruffing, Mattingly, Reggie, Munson, Bernie, Rodriguez...and you know who else could make a case? Cano.

11 Alex Belth   ~  Oct 17, 2013 2:51 pm

Or Lazzari?

12 Chyll Will   ~  Oct 17, 2013 2:51 pm

What, no love for the managers or is it a players-only club?

13 Jon DeRosa   ~  Oct 17, 2013 2:52 pm

I have Pettitte as the 20th greatest Yankee (right between Willie and Roy White) and Cano as the 25th (right between Henrich and Nettles).

Mariano is 7th.

14 Alex Belth   ~  Oct 17, 2013 2:53 pm

Players only.

13) Who is your top 15?

15 Jon DeRosa   ~  Oct 17, 2013 2:54 pm

Joba Chamberlain is 191st, just above Barfield.

16 Chyll Will   ~  Oct 17, 2013 2:55 pm

And who would be your Top 10 Yankee utility players? Ahhh! >;)

17 Jon DeRosa   ~  Oct 17, 2013 2:56 pm

[14] Mantle, Ruth, Gehrig, Berra, Jeter, DiMaggio, Rivera, Bernie, Dickey, Ford, Ruffing, Posada, Arod, Rizzuto, Mattingly

18 Alex Belth   ~  Oct 17, 2013 2:56 pm

Ozocar, Oscar.

19 Alex Belth   ~  Oct 17, 2013 2:57 pm

17) Nice! Dag, I forgot Jorgie!

20 Jon DeRosa   ~  Oct 17, 2013 3:00 pm

[19] DiMaggio (or any player in a similar situation) could certainly be higher - I made no concession for the war years in my rankings.

I lumped in regular season production, postseason production, and attempted to quantify achievments which fans care about, MVPs, Rings, all star appearances, etc.

21 Alex Belth   ~  Oct 17, 2013 3:05 pm

20...the MVP put Mattingly over Winnie, right?

22 Chyll Will   ~  Oct 17, 2013 3:20 pm

Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Yogi, Mantle, Guidry, Reggie, Donnie, Jeter, Mo. Lots of honorable mentions, too.

23 rbj   ~  Oct 17, 2013 3:22 pm

So where does Ed Whitson rank?

24 Chyll Will   ~  Oct 17, 2013 3:23 pm

Jorge, Andy and Bernie for a Baker's Dozen.

25 Chyll Will   ~  Oct 17, 2013 3:25 pm

[23] Next to Butch Wynegar and Steve Sax...

26 Chyll Will   ~  Oct 17, 2013 3:26 pm

[25]...and Jack McDowell.

27 Alex Belth   ~  Oct 17, 2013 3:36 pm

Don't forget my man Dan Pasqua. And Celerino Sanchez.

28 kenboyer made me cry   ~  Oct 17, 2013 3:37 pm

Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Rivera, Yogi, Jeter, Whitey, Reggie, after that, not so sure: Pettitte(?), Bernie(?) Dickey(?), Mattingly(?), Munson(?), Ruffing(?), Chesbro(?), Lazerri(?) Guidry(?) Arod(?) Winfield(?). The Top 25 in no particular order might be easier.

29 Chyll Will   ~  Oct 17, 2013 4:11 pm

[28] Ugh, forgot about Whitey Ford, I suck.

30 Chyll Will   ~  Oct 17, 2013 4:24 pm

[27] And no one could ever forget the holiest of grails... Ken Phelps!

31 MSM35   ~  Oct 17, 2013 5:26 pm

I remember my Dad, a Giant fan who loved Bill Terry, telling me that the Yankees were just trying to build Mickey Mantle up because he was the successor to Joe D. I never saw the first three but my next ten are MM, Whitey, Yogi, Phil, Jeter, Munson, Mattingly, Rivera, Mel S. and Bernie/O'Neill
Jackson just passed through. I never saw him as a great Yankee.

32 cult of basebaal   ~  Oct 17, 2013 5:33 pm

I'll see your Ed Whitson and raise, err, lower you one Steve "I-just-won-us-the-Pennant" Trout!

33 Shaun P.   ~  Oct 17, 2013 6:34 pm

Mount Rushmore is too small.

This is tough, but I would go Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, DiMag, Jeter, Yogi, Whitey, Mo, and Dickey as the clear top 9, and after that, I gotta think a whole lot more.

I'm awfully tempted to include the Scooter as #10 because, of course, it was his number, and for the reasons bp1 identified in [4]. That just seems fitting, somehow.

After that, it gets a lot, lot harder. Willie vs Bernie vs Guidry vs Ruffing vs Roy White (never forget Roy White!) vs Lazzeri vs Mattingly vs Pettitte vs . . . what about Earle Combs and Joe Gordon? Winfield's in there somewhere, along with Posada . . . and of course A-Rod . . .Lefty Gomez . . . Thurman . . . Moose . . . man, like I said, a lot, lot harder.

34 rbj   ~  Oct 17, 2013 7:31 pm

Yeah, I saw that coming down Broadway. Unless the ball is out of the park Miggy can only go station to station.

35 rbj   ~  Oct 17, 2013 7:32 pm

Oops wrong thread.

36 The Mick536   ~  Oct 18, 2013 8:30 am

[10][17][33] While I think these discussions don't mean squat, I have to question A-Rod while adding Bob Meusel. Earle Combs, another good call, but not in my time.

In addition, the Yankees dominated the 50's and early 60's. Berra, Mantle, and Ford definitely lead the group, but there were others. I vote for Bobby Richardson.

Scooter deserves to be in the top 10 as a player. Few remember him as a hitter, which he was and a top bunter. Most or nearly most DPs. "Holy Cow." Won an MVP. How many others on the lists did that?

37 Alex Belth   ~  Oct 18, 2013 10:27 am

36) Scooter better than Posada, Munson, Mattingly, Lazarri, Ruffing, Jackson, Bernie, A Rod, Randolph? I don't see it man, MVP or not.

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