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Are “Reds” real things? Are “Nationals”? I’m not sure what those teams nicknames are supposed to represent.
I was technically going with “aren’t real words”. Phillie isn’t a real word, and astro- is a prefix. Red and national are real words.
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I thought that might be the direction you’re going, but that one’s wrong, at least if you leave out a couple other teams. A Phillie is every bit as real as a Met or a National.
You could argue Dodgers fall under this category as well.
Met is a prefix for Metropolitans.
A Dodger is one who dodges.
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Sure, but I assume that Metropolitans is no longer the team’s legal name.
see also: Reds
Reds are commies.
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Right but it was named after “Trolly Dodgers” which are no longer a thing, and would be about as much of a thing as a Phillie or a Met - it’s a reference to people living in the team’s city.
Right, but that’s my point. Sabo says Astros and Phillies are unique for not being real things, but a Met is not a real thing either.
I agree.
On the other hand, I remember eating delicious metts at old Riverfront Stadium.
However, when I later went to the Great American Clown Park I couldn’t find any.
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Good point. I guess it wasn’t a good trivia question at all. My bad.
If the Astros hadn’t rebranded, it’d be a horsey series. We’d have the Colt 45s, where the word colt means a young male horse -vs- the Phillies, which sounds the same as the word filly, which means a young female horse.
It was great. I want my chicken dinner. Great minds and blah blah blah.
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Was watching a video about HR records, and this question came to mind.
More likely to happen first, someone hitting 763 HR or another person joining the 500/500 club?
I would go HR record.
Kinda what I was thinking too since there isn’t a second 400/400 member either. That might fall before 763 though
I think the biggest factor is that good HR hitters can keep on hitting 25+ HRs in their late 30s as they age and get cushy DH roles, but the guys that are double threats to hit HRs and steal bases tend to see their SBs dry up as they age. Trout had 285 HRs and 200 SBs after his age 27 season, but has just 4 SBs since then. From age 34+ Bonds had 350 HR but only 69 SBs. ARod had 178 HRs from age 32+ and only 64 steals. These are all-time greats so maybe they’re not representative, but the kinds of people that could go 400-400 would have to be players like this. The next tier down from the all-time inner circle greats are folks like Carlos Beltran, who missed 400-400 but had the same trajectory. After his age 31 season, Beltran had 263 HR and 275 SB with plenty of career to go, but hit 172 more HR with only 37 more SB. Another 400-400 member is very likely to have a career shaped likes Bonds, but without the late career steroid amplified power. But someone who has 300 SB like Bonds before their age 30 season, combined with a late career role as a 25 HR thumper.
It’s the home run record, and it’s not even close. Home run hitters less are likely to be fast, managers are less likely to send runners, and the leaguewide drop in OBP is creating fewer SB opportunities in general.
I’ll go further – without major changes in how the game is played, no one will ever steal 500 bases again. Only four players who started after 1990 have 500 (Juan Pierre, Kenny Lofton, Ichiro and Jose Reyes - latest any of them started was 2003), and no active player even has 350. Banning the shift next year might help a bit if it increases OBP.
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Reyes is a good example of how the way to get a big career SB count is to absolutely load up when you’re young and full of piss and vinegar. 50% of his career SBs were accumulated in 4 of his 16 MLB seasons.
What about a head shaped like Bonds’?
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I have not tried to incorporate phrenology into sabermetrics but maybe we should start.
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