On The TunneySide of Sports April 22, 2018 #689 Up next…G-O-A-T!
After further review…Since we are in the first month of the 2018 Major League Baseball Season, the question arises as who was the Greatest Of All Time, i.e., G-O-A-T? All sports are subjected to this question, but let’s keep this one to baseball. Fans love to debate this. I’ve been around sports, and baseball, for 8 decades. As a kid, I went to bed every night during baseball season listening to Mel Allen and Marty Glickman broadcast the New York Yankees games. The Yankees became my team in those early years.
I can certainly relate to and respect this story sent via a Marine friend, David Lee, who writes: “Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox is the only person who is in the Fishing Hall of Fame as well as the Baseball Hall of Fame. When Williams was once asked to name the greatest T*E*A*M he was ever on, he said: ‘The U.S. Marines.’” Williams was the wingman to former astronaut and senator John Glenn flying F-9F’s in Korea. While flying an air strike on a troop encampment near Kyomipo, Williams was hit by hostile ground fire. His F-9 Panther had a centrifugal flow engine that caught fire when hit. The tail would literally blow off most stricken Panthers.
The standing orders were to eject from any Panther with a fire in the rear of the plane. William’s aircraft was, indeed, on fire, trailing smoke and flames. Glenn and other pilots on that mission were yelling over their radios for Williams to get out. With his radio inoperative, Williams could not hear their plea nor see the blown-out condition of the rear of his aircraft. Glenn and another Panther flown by Larry Hawkins came up alongside to lead Williams to the nearest friendly airfield. With his landing gear out Williams brought his Panther in at more than 200-MPH, skidding down the runway for 3000 feet, and got out just before it burst into flames.
William’s military career in two wars (WW II and Korea) cost him 8 years of prime time in the major leagues. Yet, he averaged 42 home runs; but if you were to add in those lost 8 years, it would total 336 with his career home run totals adding up to 521. It can be easily argued that he would have more homers than Barry Bonds. Now, you tell me who’s the GOAT?
Will you log-in who is your MLB GOAT player and/or T*E*A*M?
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