As mentioned in Kellen's Hawk thread, I'm posting my full email to Rob Neyer on 12/17/07 after an article he wrote (look it up in his archive if you wish). Here it is (actually this is two separate emails as you'll see the break):
Considering the recent steroid implications, I thought this email I sent you 2 and a half years ago is a tad more relevant.
P.S. Great article about HGH. A few more articles like that and you may find yourself on the road to arguing the relative merits of cocaine vs. caffeine in a few years. I've taken the liberty of bold-facing the more relevant passages, in case you have A.D.H.D. or just simply don't have the time to read such a long screed (entirely plausible).
> From: ME
> To: rob.neyer@dig.com
> Subject: Underrated: NO DALE MURPHY??? Neyer, do your homework!!!
> Date: Sun, 8 May 2005 18:40:38 -0500
> "If you're a coach, you want him as a player. If you're a father, you want him as a son. If you're a woman, you want him as a husband. If you're a kid, you want him as a father. What else can you say about the guy?" -- Joe Torre about Dale Murphy
>
> Let's see...
> Dale played with a lackluster supporting cast for 10+ years (try having Rafeal Ramirez, Glenn Hubbard, Bob Horner, Bruce Benedict, Jerry Royster, -should I go on... OK, I will-, Ken Oberkfell, Gerald Perry, Albert Hall, Chris Chambliss & Claudell Washington prominently involved)... The pitching was atrocious, at best (Rick Mahler, Pascual Perez, Craig McMurtury, Zane Smith, Gene Garber, Rick Camp, Pete Falcone, and a hapless lot of other, even LESS memorable pitchers were the main "support"... So, my argument is as follows: Murph played for a perennial loser (actually, a perennial JOKE), with absolutely NO offensive support, No pitching, and no hope of making the playoffs... Yet, ye "sportswriters" forget: the Braves were the Devil-Rays of the 80's. Period. So, the implications are:
> A) No offensive support: Pitchers could pitch around Murph AT WILL
> B) No pitching: Again, opposing pitchers could pitch around Murph AT WILL (when you're up by a few runs, as most Braves' opponents were, then you obviously pitch around the best... Scratch that... ONLY offensive threat on the team). Need evidence? Notice that Murph was, by all accounts, a free swinger, yet he managed to finish in the top 10 in NL BB every year from '82-'88 (about 2,000 total BB; most of them of the "intentional-yet non-intentional" variety).
> More figures (keep in mind, NO steroids):
>
> 1) 2 consecutive MVP's (could have been more, had he had adequate offensive support)
> 2) 7 All-Star selections ('80-'87, the only exception being the strike shortened ’81 season)
> 3) 5 consecutive Gold Gloves
> 4) 4 consecutive Silver Sluggers
> 5) 740 consecutive games played (he rarely missed a game for a bottom-feeder team)
> 6) Number of Top 10 finishes in the NL per statistic (number of times in which he led NL in parentheses, then career totals where applicable):
> Home Runs- 9 (2) 398 total
> RBI- 6 (2) 1,266 total
> Runs- 6 (1) though he finished 2nd twice and 3rd once... Remember, he was the Braves SLUGGER, not table setter)
> 7) OPS 6 (1) with 3 2nd place finishes
> 8) TB 7 (1, but ALL top 5 finishes)
> 9) Runs created (possibly most important) 7 (led the NL 4 times!!!)
>
> Next, the intangibles: "At a time when athletes shun their role model status and are routinely suspended and banned from their respective sports for unlawful conduct, Dale Murphy shouldered the responsibility of being a role model to thousands of children and generously gave of his time and money to numerous charities. Dale is a man of extraordinary talent and character. Unfortunately, many baseball fans suspect that Murphy will be the next victim of the Baseball Writers' oversight and never be voted into the Hall of Fame.
>
> Apparently 400 home runs is pretty much a free ticket to Cooperstown but 398 home runs, back-to-back MVP awards, 5 straight Gold Gloves, and 740 consecutive games, not to mention his character and unsurpassed community service record, is another story. Whether or not Murphy is given his due by the BBWAA" remains to be seen. Quote from http://members.aol.com/brave3/murphy.htm.
>
> So:
> - No steroids, juiced balls, corked bats, etc.
> - Team loyalty. 'Nuff said.
> - No known vices. A devout Mormon; a role model at a time when the '86 Mets (amongst others) lived as though they were auditioning for V.I.P. status at Studio 54.
> - 30/30 club member (quite rare for a player of his stature-- 6'5'' and role-- slugger)
>
> Yes, Murph didn't play 15-20 years. Yes, his decline from '89 on was obvious. And, most importantly; yes, he's the proud owner of ZERO World Series trophies. But Murph played in an era when baseball was still, for the most part, a game; and he played the game with passion and class. He never asked to be traded, never held out for a higher contract, never blamed his team's failures on his teammates, and never bought into his own hype (a la '86 Mets). As a kid, I remember making the trek to Fulton County Stadium several times, and the image that is forever etched in my memory is that of Dale Murphy: smiling, playing a GAME that he truly loved while respecting the fact that it was also a job, and above all, I remember Murph standing around before batting practice and after games, patiently signing autographs and taking pictures for the kids who wore his uniform number 3 in their respective little leagues. (Getting the #3 jersey in Little League was similar to snagging the #23 in Basketball youth leagues).
>
> Murph wouldn't have made it in today's game. He would never have bought into the "performance-enhancing drugs" act... He would have been embarrased and appalled by the frenzied, over-the-top greed of today's ballplayers, and equally so by the lack of team loyalty. Murph defined the Atlanta Braves of the '80's, much like Ozzie and the Cards, Ripken and the Orioles, Schmidt and the Phils, Brett and the Royals. Most importantly, though, he was a role model---in every possible way--- to a throng of adoring Braves fans, including myself. If the Hall of Fame refuses to allow Dale Murphy membership, then the Hall of Fame will soon cater to an exclusive club of over-hyped, overpaid, and genetically deformed, mutant sluggers with "questionable" training habits.
>
> Rob, as a fellow baseball fanatic, I assumed that these stats wouldn't have escaped your trained eyes and unrivaled researching. Sadly, I was wrong.
>
> P.S. Putting Brooks Robinson on the "Most overrated" list was quite possibly the most ignorant statement I've ever read by you (and I've read my share)... Well, good luck getting Reggie Smith into the HOF. He's as memorable as Dale Murphy (in bizarro world), and best of luck to you as you seemingly sink into the blissful abyss of senility (albeit a bit early).
Considering the recent steroid implications, I thought this email I sent you 2 and a half years ago is a tad more relevant.
P.S. Great article about HGH. A few more articles like that and you may find yourself on the road to arguing the relative merits of cocaine vs. caffeine in a few years. I've taken the liberty of bold-facing the more relevant passages, in case you have A.D.H.D. or just simply don't have the time to read such a long screed (entirely plausible).
> From: ME
> To: rob.neyer@dig.com
> Subject: Underrated: NO DALE MURPHY??? Neyer, do your homework!!!
> Date: Sun, 8 May 2005 18:40:38 -0500
> "If you're a coach, you want him as a player. If you're a father, you want him as a son. If you're a woman, you want him as a husband. If you're a kid, you want him as a father. What else can you say about the guy?" -- Joe Torre about Dale Murphy
>
> Let's see...
> Dale played with a lackluster supporting cast for 10+ years (try having Rafeal Ramirez, Glenn Hubbard, Bob Horner, Bruce Benedict, Jerry Royster, -should I go on... OK, I will-, Ken Oberkfell, Gerald Perry, Albert Hall, Chris Chambliss & Claudell Washington prominently involved)... The pitching was atrocious, at best (Rick Mahler, Pascual Perez, Craig McMurtury, Zane Smith, Gene Garber, Rick Camp, Pete Falcone, and a hapless lot of other, even LESS memorable pitchers were the main "support"... So, my argument is as follows: Murph played for a perennial loser (actually, a perennial JOKE), with absolutely NO offensive support, No pitching, and no hope of making the playoffs... Yet, ye "sportswriters" forget: the Braves were the Devil-Rays of the 80's. Period. So, the implications are:
> A) No offensive support: Pitchers could pitch around Murph AT WILL
> B) No pitching: Again, opposing pitchers could pitch around Murph AT WILL (when you're up by a few runs, as most Braves' opponents were, then you obviously pitch around the best... Scratch that... ONLY offensive threat on the team). Need evidence? Notice that Murph was, by all accounts, a free swinger, yet he managed to finish in the top 10 in NL BB every year from '82-'88 (about 2,000 total BB; most of them of the "intentional-yet non-intentional" variety).
> More figures (keep in mind, NO steroids):
>
> 1) 2 consecutive MVP's (could have been more, had he had adequate offensive support)
> 2) 7 All-Star selections ('80-'87, the only exception being the strike shortened ’81 season)
> 3) 5 consecutive Gold Gloves
> 4) 4 consecutive Silver Sluggers
> 5) 740 consecutive games played (he rarely missed a game for a bottom-feeder team)
> 6) Number of Top 10 finishes in the NL per statistic (number of times in which he led NL in parentheses, then career totals where applicable):
> Home Runs- 9 (2) 398 total
> RBI- 6 (2) 1,266 total
> Runs- 6 (1) though he finished 2nd twice and 3rd once... Remember, he was the Braves SLUGGER, not table setter)
> 7) OPS 6 (1) with 3 2nd place finishes
> 8) TB 7 (1, but ALL top 5 finishes)
> 9) Runs created (possibly most important) 7 (led the NL 4 times!!!)
>
> Next, the intangibles: "At a time when athletes shun their role model status and are routinely suspended and banned from their respective sports for unlawful conduct, Dale Murphy shouldered the responsibility of being a role model to thousands of children and generously gave of his time and money to numerous charities. Dale is a man of extraordinary talent and character. Unfortunately, many baseball fans suspect that Murphy will be the next victim of the Baseball Writers' oversight and never be voted into the Hall of Fame.
>
> Apparently 400 home runs is pretty much a free ticket to Cooperstown but 398 home runs, back-to-back MVP awards, 5 straight Gold Gloves, and 740 consecutive games, not to mention his character and unsurpassed community service record, is another story. Whether or not Murphy is given his due by the BBWAA" remains to be seen. Quote from http://members.aol.com/brave3/murphy.htm.
>
> So:
> - No steroids, juiced balls, corked bats, etc.
> - Team loyalty. 'Nuff said.
> - No known vices. A devout Mormon; a role model at a time when the '86 Mets (amongst others) lived as though they were auditioning for V.I.P. status at Studio 54.
> - 30/30 club member (quite rare for a player of his stature-- 6'5'' and role-- slugger)
>
> Yes, Murph didn't play 15-20 years. Yes, his decline from '89 on was obvious. And, most importantly; yes, he's the proud owner of ZERO World Series trophies. But Murph played in an era when baseball was still, for the most part, a game; and he played the game with passion and class. He never asked to be traded, never held out for a higher contract, never blamed his team's failures on his teammates, and never bought into his own hype (a la '86 Mets). As a kid, I remember making the trek to Fulton County Stadium several times, and the image that is forever etched in my memory is that of Dale Murphy: smiling, playing a GAME that he truly loved while respecting the fact that it was also a job, and above all, I remember Murph standing around before batting practice and after games, patiently signing autographs and taking pictures for the kids who wore his uniform number 3 in their respective little leagues. (Getting the #3 jersey in Little League was similar to snagging the #23 in Basketball youth leagues).
>
> Murph wouldn't have made it in today's game. He would never have bought into the "performance-enhancing drugs" act... He would have been embarrased and appalled by the frenzied, over-the-top greed of today's ballplayers, and equally so by the lack of team loyalty. Murph defined the Atlanta Braves of the '80's, much like Ozzie and the Cards, Ripken and the Orioles, Schmidt and the Phils, Brett and the Royals. Most importantly, though, he was a role model---in every possible way--- to a throng of adoring Braves fans, including myself. If the Hall of Fame refuses to allow Dale Murphy membership, then the Hall of Fame will soon cater to an exclusive club of over-hyped, overpaid, and genetically deformed, mutant sluggers with "questionable" training habits.
>
> Rob, as a fellow baseball fanatic, I assumed that these stats wouldn't have escaped your trained eyes and unrivaled researching. Sadly, I was wrong.
>
> P.S. Putting Brooks Robinson on the "Most overrated" list was quite possibly the most ignorant statement I've ever read by you (and I've read my share)... Well, good luck getting Reggie Smith into the HOF. He's as memorable as Dale Murphy (in bizarro world), and best of luck to you as you seemingly sink into the blissful abyss of senility (albeit a bit early).
