Rick Barry today

[sfgdood]

"I don't care how much you followed the sport, how involved you are in the sport, if you never played the sport at the highest level, your credibility is not what it should be."

[klaiggeb]

randy, I looked at this thread holding my breath, fearing it was going to be a basketball post, and then was pleasantly surprised at what you posted.

Excellent quote!

[rog]

I have a lot of respect for Rick, even though he's not the nicest of men, and have posted a story or two about him here, including my (very rough, believe me) comparison to him by former USC coach Stan Morrison. There is something about his quote I want you guys to understand though.

I have mentioned before that it would normally seem that if one understands more because he played beyond high school which I believe is the case, although my question comes with regard to how truly important it is with regard to understanding baseball in depth, it would follow that one would understand more if he played beyond college, and if he played in the higher minors, and if he played major league ball. When Rick talks about the highest level, he is likely talking about the major leagues.

So in other words, if there are things you guys understand that I don't (which again I acknowledge), there are things you guys don't understand either. And sometimes I think that gets in your way. I acknowledge I don't know it all, and spend hours daily learning more. You guys don't seem to want to learn new things, and in fact seem to fear them.

No one seems to answer, so I'll ask again: If you know so much that is important, Randy, why are you so often wrong? And Boly, I know there is a lot you know, but why in the world did you say the loss of Hyun-Jin Ryu to the Dodgers last season was equivalent to the loss of Alen Hanson to the Giants?

No question there are things you guys know that I don't -- just as the opposite is true. My question is, if the things you guys know is so important, how is it that you sometimes make huge judgment mistakes? We ALL make mistakes; that isn't the issue. The issue is how HUGE those mistakes are. I think if one uses facts, reason, analysis and logic, he will still make mistakes, but he'll rarely make really, really BIG ones.

Yet you guys, despite this inside knowledge you believe is so important, have made WHOPPERS. If that knowledge were truly that important, I don't think that would be the case.

[sfgdood]

I'll just let Barry's words speak for themselves and let the pettiness of others roll right off

[rog]

I think it is indeed important that you understand Rick's words so that you understand your limitations. You realize he's saying he wouldn't trust you, right?

What is intriguing to me is that Chris Speier and Rick were friends, and Chris respected my baseball knowledge. I can come a lot closer to talking baseball at Chris' level than I can to talking basketball at Rick's level.

[sfgdood]

I wouldn't expect any former big leaguer in any sport to think any of us have credibility compared with their piers. I'm very certain Speier is only humoring you and if he had to weigh your opinion against a big leaguer's or former big leaguer's, your credibility would be none, as Barry said.

[rog]

How are you certain of that, Randy? There is no way you can be certain.

Chris or another major league professional might very well think more highly of the opinion of another player than of mine, but I'll bet that either of them would take my opinion over yours if the three of us were in a room discussing the subject. I can back my opinions up with facts; you have very few to draw on.

[rog]

As an aside, I suspect you know why Rick wore #24, Randy. I've mentioned it here many times. Same with Rickey Henderson, of course.

Do you know why it was very difficult for Barry NOT to choose to sign with the Oakland Oaks and not re-sign with the Warriors?

Do you know any other reason why Clifford Ray was so important to the World Champion Warriors aside from his being a very good center?

Do you know the biggest change Al Attles made in utilizing an NBA roster, helping the Warriors to win the World Title after beginning their Championship season with a one-side defeat at the hands of the LA Lakers and allowing them to overcome the losses of Hall of Famer Nate Thurmond, All-Star Cazzie Russell and excellent bench guard Jim Barnett after not making the playoffs?

Do you know what attribute the championship Warriors teams of Barry and Attles most shared with the World Champion Giants of the first half of this decade?

Just for fun, whereas today's NBA teams have a roster of 15 players, the Warriors had only 13 players who played for them in that championship season. Do you know who they were?

Do you who the Warriors' assistant coach was, and what he shared with former Warrior Jerry Lucas, the recently departed Hall of Famer John Havlicek, Larry Siegfried and Mel Nowell?

If you want to get into the Warriors, which players do you think would make up their top five players in franchise history, and if you were to make up a 15-man roster of present and former Warriors, whom would you choose?

[sfgdood]

so not sure what a trivia quiz that can easily be solved through google searches has anything to do with anything but whatever. I wouldnt be so sure your opinion on true baseball matters eclipes mine just because you know stats and can use search engines

[rog]

I assume my baseball knowledge is greater than yours because of our comparative posts here.

As for the trivia items, I simply pulled things out of my memory that I thought were interesting and/or important. The Barry to the Oaks thing was simply something almost ironic in nature. The Warriors assistant coach/Havlicek/Lucas/Nowell thing was intriguing trivia. The 13 players who played for the Warriors was interesting in that there were fewer who played for them all season than are on today's rosters.k

But the other questions were important factors, and some were Giants-related.

If it's easy to look up these things (which in some cases it is), you should have no problem. I think the last category of question isn't as easy to find though. And those are the most important for Giants and general sports fans.'

Have at it!