2-5-2022 Passed Ball Show. John spends this time mentioning ESPN's list of top 100 baseball players of all time and compares it to his list of top 100 offensive position players in his book yet to be published. While he makes some stark comparisons, his main issue has to do with the general public's perception of current players against those that played the game years ago in a different backdrop. Many believe it is easy to state that a player from today is better than a player from yesteryear. John's contention, while respecting that perspective, is that it is not fair to transplant a player from now into a time where their personal advantages did not exist and compare them to somebody who does not have the same advantage because of circumstance. It is an unfair comparison. John brings up two fair suggestions. One is to simply credit the best in each generation for the fact that they did the best with no control over when they were born. The other is to normalize one timeframe or the other. In other words, imagine Mike Trout playing in 1923 with no personal trainer, "nutritional" supplement, video or any other technology, deeper rosters with expansion, etc. Or Babe Ruth with a personal trainer, weight training, supplements, video technology with an understanding that pitchers will be throwing 100 miles per hour with movement. John's contention is that it is not fair to shame a player from when they played and automatically assume they could not make the proper adjustments to succeed in today's game and conversely, automatically assume players from today would be great in past eras without the knowledge of being in shape and weight training and not having the video provided for them. Then John talks a little bit about Ben Simmons and whether it makes sense for a team to trade for him before the NBA's trade deadline. John suggests that a potential playoff contending team stay away due to the uncertainty over whether Simmons will play, especially due to his high price tag and the fact that General Manager Darryl Morey does not seem like he is willing to settle for a lesser package. John suggests that a non-contending team, such as the Rockets or Pistons make a deal for Simmons due to his relatively young age and long-term contract. Plus, the losing team does not have to worry/ care about whether Simmons plays this season or not. A dream scenario might involve a swap with Houston for John Wall, but obviously there would have to be other moving parts.
