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Joe Nameth Spinoff Thread: personality trumps stats. Name your examples

Posted on 3/27/15 at 3:01 pm
Posted by ClientNumber9
Member since Feb 2009
9326 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 3:01 pm
Reading the Nameth thread made me ponder the role personality plays in how we rate our athletes. I totally understand that media exposure, endorsements, etc, will effect the way the public views individual athletes, but it shouldn't translate to professional accolades.

Name your examples of athletes (in any sport) where their likeability got them into the Hall of Fame, pro bowls, All-Star teams, etc, despite others being more worthy.

I'll give you a case in point where flash and showmanship has been unfairly rewarded at the expense of the quiet, "just do your job" type .Consider the following example.

Wide Receiver A (tons of personality, marketed himself into a household name through television appearances, acting, sideline antics, etc.):

10 seasons played
Average yards per game- 66.6
Average 20+ yards receptions per season- 14.1
Total 1,000 yard seasons- 7
Total touchdowns in 10 seasons- 67
Career Pro Bowls- 6

Wide Receiver B (reserved, limited/no television appearances, high character, respected by peers and teammates):

9 seasons played
Average yards per game- 69.5
Average 20+ yards receptions a season- 14.6
Total 1,000 yard seasons- 6
Total touchdowns in 9 seasons- 68
Career Pro Bowls: ZERO

Note: Wide Receiver A was an awesome athlete and certainly had a few pro-bowl worthy seasons. He was marketable off the field but productive on it as well. I don't begrudge him. But for Wide Receiver B to never appear in a pro-bowl seems like an injustice.
Posted by TTsTowel
RIP Bow9den/Coastie
Member since Feb 2010
91653 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 3:02 pm to
Pro Bowls have certainly become a popularity contest over the years.
Posted by SwaggerCopter
H TINE HOL IT DINE
Member since Dec 2012
27232 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 3:03 pm to
Time period is important. Did those two play at the same time?
Posted by wildtigercat93
Member since Jul 2011
112370 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 3:04 pm to
Pro bowls are a terrible way to argue a players worth on either side of the coin
Posted by BilJ
Member since Sep 2003
158781 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 3:12 pm to
I can't say colston has ever been snubbed by the pro bowl
Posted by DelU249
Austria
Member since Dec 2010
77625 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 3:25 pm to
If we're doing a peronality to performance ratio then Manning really is the GOAT


Freddie Mitchell is the all time worst
Posted by Dale Murphy
God's Country
Member since Feb 2005
24479 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 3:32 pm to
Derek Jeter
Famous because he's a Yankee and made 2 extremely overrated plays.
Posted by Bench McElroy
Member since Nov 2009
33966 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 6:09 pm to
Kirby Puckett. I know he had the eye issue which cut his career short but was he really deserving of being a first ballot HOFer? If you look at the ten most similar batters to Puckett, only one of them is a HOFer. He is 23rd all-time among CFs in WAR behind players lie Carlos Beltran, Andruw Jones, Kenny Lofton, Jim Edmonds and Johnny Damon. He's 23rd all-time in WAR7 which measures the seven best WAR seasons by player behind the likes of Andruw Jones, Carlos Beltran, Kenny Lofton and Jim Edmonds. And if you compare his numbers to Bernie Williams, they're very similar. OPS+ is very close, their WAR is very similar, and there's very little difference in career numbers or their stats using their 162 game average. Plus Bernie was a brilliant postseason performer so you can't use the postseason argument against him in Puckett's favor. So why was one a 1st ballot HOFer and the other off the ballot after one year?
Posted by Overbrook
Member since May 2013
6095 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 6:46 pm to
Pete Rose
Ozzie Smith
This post was edited on 3/27/15 at 6:48 pm
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