Fun read, Patrick, and a great POV/theme! From my Astro-perch, and an avid card collector during their careers, I knew all I had to know about them to value their respective cards, and they were certainly fun to watch, and to see if 'Stro pitchers could get them out.
But with all that, I didn't really know about all the drama with each. Sure, I heard about the Strawberry drug issues, and the glass body of Davis. I guess, in the rear-view mirror across decades, it's fun to look back, and you did a great job of Venn diagramming them in prose!
Thanks, Brad. Like I mentioned in the article, my intention was to write about Davis. I consider him one of the more underrated players of his era, and I'm guilty of overlooking him too. But the more I researched him, the more Strawberry kept coming up. From the common background to all the similarities in their games, to the fact that their career stats are nearly identical, it just felt right to write about them both.
That was amazing to see the similarity in stats, but yet, Strawberry is much more in the public consciousness (granted, for so many reasons beyond the field, including his name and home field location, etc) for those who traversed those decades in baseball!
Great stuff! Those two and Bo Jackson...well, if you'd told me and my friends in 1988 that none of them would make Cooperstown, we would have laughed at you. A lot.
Fun read, Patrick, and a great POV/theme! From my Astro-perch, and an avid card collector during their careers, I knew all I had to know about them to value their respective cards, and they were certainly fun to watch, and to see if 'Stro pitchers could get them out.
But with all that, I didn't really know about all the drama with each. Sure, I heard about the Strawberry drug issues, and the glass body of Davis. I guess, in the rear-view mirror across decades, it's fun to look back, and you did a great job of Venn diagramming them in prose!
Thanks, Brad. Like I mentioned in the article, my intention was to write about Davis. I consider him one of the more underrated players of his era, and I'm guilty of overlooking him too. But the more I researched him, the more Strawberry kept coming up. From the common background to all the similarities in their games, to the fact that their career stats are nearly identical, it just felt right to write about them both.
That was amazing to see the similarity in stats, but yet, Strawberry is much more in the public consciousness (granted, for so many reasons beyond the field, including his name and home field location, etc) for those who traversed those decades in baseball!
Your piece reminded me of the way I looked at Yelich and Bellinger four years ago. Similar build, probably similar numbers, but my take was "a new kind of slugger"...again, with your kind indulgence: https://therunnersports.com/whos-on-first-racing-for-nl-mvp-triple-crown-cody-bellinger-and-christian-yelich-epitomize-the-new-slugger/
I will definitely check that out!
Great stuff! Those two and Bo Jackson...well, if you'd told me and my friends in 1988 that none of them would make Cooperstown, we would have laughed at you. A lot.
Definitely. Part of me wishes I could send a message back in time to me and my friends to tell us all not to take any of these guys for granted.
Thanks again for the memories!
You're welcome, Ed. Thanks for reading!