The Saturday Survey offers another way for readers to weigh in on a relevant topic. So here is another poll to gauge the pulse of our baseball-lovin’ peeps.
As always, we welcome your comments, so please vote and then submit your reasons ( 4 sentences max!) for how you voted in the usual comment box. Don’t forget to come back later and view the results!
Hall of Famer Frank Robinson died on Thursday at the age of 83. In Baltimore, fans are mourning the loss of one of their greatest ball players, maybe even their best. What will the poll determine about who is the greatest Tiger of all time?
Totally Tigers loves your comments! But please remember that responses are only published if they address today’s topic, are respectful and do not exceed the maximum 3-4 sentence response length. All rules are at: https://totallytigers.wordpress.com/commentsrules/.
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Based on his actual accomplishments, his projected stats without missing 3 seasons, his service in WWII, and his open acceptance of Jackie Robinson, my vote goes to Hank Greenberg.
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I voted for Ty Cobb because statistically and competitively, he can’t be matched. For those who still believe all the stories of Cobb’s character flaws, please read “A Terrible Beauty” by Charles Leerhsen. It’s a highly regarded and thoroughly researched biography that shows Cobb to be one of the most unfairly maligned people in sports history.
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Let me second your endorsement of “A Terrible Beauty”. Cobb has suffered from a vicious hatchet job on the part of a journalist named Al Stump who possessed not a particle of journalistic integrity, and a Tommy Lee Jones vehicle that was derived from Stump’s work without any effort to verify what Stump had written. Cobb’s grandfather was a clergyman who was run out of his Carolina parish for preaching against slavery before the Civil War, and Cobb made public statements in support of Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays, once saying that Mays was the only current player that he would pay to see. While he had some notorious run-ins with black people, that must be put in context–he fought with lots of people, black and white.
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I am the biggest most loyal Al Kaline fan, but without a doubt the greatest Tigers hitter is Ty Cobb.
Cases can be made for Kaline and his all around greatness, Greenberg, Gehringer, Heilmann, Crawford, and Miguel Cabrera.
If you add Pitchers, you can pick from Newhouser, Lolich, Bunning, Trout, Morris, and imo, the best Tigers Pitcher for us Justin Verlander.
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He is still in our midst…Al Kaline without a doubt!
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Not a doubt in my mind that the greatest Tiger is Al Kaline. Not only for his shining athletic skills ..but also with his integrity and class. He has been a Detroit Tiger for the past 65 years and continues to be ‘the’ exemplary person that all Tigers can still look up to.
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Never better moniker…. Mr. Tiger
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My heart says Al Kaline but stats and facts say Ty Cobb. Without a doubt the greatest Tiger hitter of all time and arguably the greatest MLB hitter of all time!
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As Tigers, Cobb had a BA that was 71 pts higher that Kaline and almost 900 more hits. Cobb hit .300 in 21 out of his 22 seasons while Kaline only had 9 in his 22 seasons. Cobb even hit .400 in 3 seasons and Kaline had none. Although Kaline hit almost 290 more HR’s than did Cobb, his slugging % was 36 pts lower and his RBI total was lower by over 200. Lastly, Cobb had 730 more SB’s. I voted for Ty Cobb.
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Many right-on comments about Ty Cobb, and his statistics certainly support his greatness. But my vote went to Al Kaline. Al was my first sports hero and he had a great career along with playing with the dignity, grace, and humility that we still see from him today. We were, and are, blessed to have him around to admire and try to emulate.
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Good post TJRock. Like you, I took into consideration that the question was not ‘Who ranks as the greatest Tiger hitter’. Rather, the question is “Who ranks as the greatest Tiger.” Arguably Ty Cobb could be said to have been the greatest hitter ..or chose among others such as Greenberg, Miggy, Gehringer, Heilman, Crawford, etc. But again, when taking into account the whole package ..who truly is the greatest Tiger?
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I would pick Ty Cobb (nice comment about great book “A Terrible Beauty” by “No Cynic”, but I only feel qualified to choose from players that I actually saw in action. So its Kaline for me. Great RF and clutch batter. Trammell would be #2 for displaying consistent excellence and leadership.
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Voted “other” and my vote would be for Mickey Lolich because of what he did in the 1968 WS…..Won 3 games and the last on 2 days rest against probably the greatest pitcher at that point in time Bob Gibson. Although everyone on the list certainly are valid choices
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