The Year PITA Beat Common Sense

[DOUGHBOYS]

Nobody pats theirself on the backs more than country music. It seems there is a country award show every month.
Most of these awards shows are excuses for networks to put on a 'Special'. I guess it's only right since their fans enjoy listening and watching that stuff. If having awards for fantasy baseball, we'd be as entertaining as an intentional walk.

In baseball, most of the major awards are given after the World Series. These awards lost meaning to me a long time ago.
And I mean a LONG time ago.
1962.
Maury Wills won the MVP in the National League. I love Maury Wills. One of the greatest PITA (Pain in the ass) players who ever lived. Wills was the supreme PITA. Although I could be swayed by a Rickey Henderson argument.
To me, a PITA is a supreme compliment. It is a player who disrupts a game on a consistent basis. A PITA is responsible, by himself, for many wins.
In today's game, Jose Altuve is probably the game's largest PITA. Mookie Betts has the makings of a fine PITA as well.

In 1962, Wills shocked the world by stealing 104 bases. It broke Ty Cobb's record of 96 stolen bases.
It was a record that most thought would stand forever.
When Wills stole 104 bases in that year, teammate Willie Davis was second with 32!
Stealing bases had become a lost art. Luis Aparicio was the only player during the decade of the 1950's to have over 40 stolen bases.
In 1965, Wills had his best follow-up year. He stole 94 bases.
Second that year, was the fella who would eventually break his record, Lou Brock.
As stated before, I am an unabashed Maury Wills fan.
But MVP?
HA!
Those voters were clearly too impressed by his record breaking of an old established major league standard.

Two players had years that exceeded Wills historic year.
Tommy Davis, Wills teammate, was the fella who drove Wills home most of the time.
Davis led the league in both batting average and rbi.
Willie Mays had one of the best years of his career. That is saying a lot.
Here are the three players vitals....

Wills- .299/130/6/48/104
Davis- .346/120/27/153/18
Mays- .304/130/49/141/18

Give me a moment. Weeping. Just thinking of those three fellas on my fantasy team this year.
Most impressive is that Wills played the most games a player could possibly play back then.
165 games.
162 during the regular season. Three more for the playoffs that occurred when Wills Dodgers played Mays Giants to get into the World Series.
The Giants won.
Most thought that would clinch the MVP for Mays.
With his Giants going to the Series and a probable split of Wills/Davis votes, Mays was the clear favorite.
Especially to this little squirt who thought Willie Mays ranked just below God and just above the Pope on a religous scale.
Only because God created Willie Mays and I never saw the Pope hit a curve ball.

When Wills won the award, I couldn't believe or understand it.
What happened?
How could voters be so swayed by a record?
I was a kid, but I knew the wrong thing had happened.
I learned something that year.
That awards voted on, meant little.
Only opinion. Junk.
I prefer facts (stuff) over opinion (junk)
Different eyes mean different votes.
I want what everybody else wants. Fairness.
I don't care who gets in the Hall of Fame. It's just opinion.
BUT, I do believe that Shoeless Joe Jackson was railroaded by a commisioner who cared more about himself than the game of baseball.
So, I will fight on his behalf, knowing that it falls on deaf ears.
The Hall of Fame lost all meaning for me when not inducting Ron Santo while alive.
I hold grudges.
A nasty trait.

Since the Mays slight, I've even scoffed at other sports.
Ice skating, boxing, diving, gymnastics all mean little to me.
All judged.
No finish line. No clock ticking down.
Their fate decided by another human.
Any judge can have a head turned by something.
Like a stolen base record.

[whale4evr]

I've always thought that Tommy Davis 1962 season was one of the more underrated great seasons of the post-War, pre-juiced era and yet Willie had it all over him in WAR: 10.5 to 6.0. I guess I still love the old counting and ratio stats -- hard to overlook the league-leading 230 hits/153 rbi/.346 avg. in a pitcher's era and park.

[DOUGHBOYS]

I've always thought that Tommy Davis 1962 season was one of the more underrated great seasons of the post-War, pre-juiced era and yet Willie had it all over him in WAR: 10.5 to 6.0. I guess I still love the old counting and ratio stats -- hard to overlook the league-leading 230 hits/153 rbi/.346 avg. in a pitcher's era and park.

Agreed. I remember that APBA card. Davis was a fav.
I also remember a Tommy Davis baseball card. I believe it was a card and not just a picture.
He wore his windbreaker under his uniform.
I always thought that made for a good look.
Y'know, at the time, Willie Davis was thought of as the better player by most.
Although Willie was exceptionally fast, I loved the the way Tommy swung a bat.