So 60 home runs is unattainable unless you're on PEDs, but Roger Maris' record of 61 home runs is legitimate. Got it.

So 60 home runs is unattainable unless you're on PEDs, but Roger Maris' record of 61 home runs is legitimate. Got it.

Today's players don't try as hard and don't love the game the way previous generations did. No way guys that lazy can hit 60. Makes sense to me.

Late-career resurgence. Career-threateningly bad at 33 and 34 with major bounce back at 35 and 36...wonder what could explain that?

As a kid, my first glove was a George Foster MVP model.

In retrospect, a Foster glove is ridiculous.

Late-career resurgence. Career-threateningly bad at 33 and 34 with major bounce back at 35 and 36...wonder what could explain that?

I know this is meant as snark, but having watched those years in his case it was matter of making adjustments to the loss of bat speed, followed by the loss of even more bat speed and it was sayonara

As a kid, my first glove was a George Foster MVP model.

In retrospect, a Foster glove is ridiculous.

My first bat was a Dwight Gooden bat.

My first glove was a Joel Youngblood glove.

WTF?

My first glove was a Joel Youngblood glove.

I still have mine. Any chance you got yours at Nill Brothers?

I remember that people were almost fainting in shock when Foster hit 50 homers in a season. I guess it'd be annoying to essentially lose that distinction.

My first glove was a Joel Youngblood glove.

Was the glove bald?

I remember that people were almost fainting in shock when Foster hit 50 homers in a season. I guess it'd be annoying to essentially lose that distinction.

I'm fainting in shock that someone was soliciting George Foster's opinion. I wonder what Don Money thinks?

Although it must be getting to the point where Hank Aaron is tasing anyone who approaches him with a notepad.

My first glove was a Joel Youngblood glove.

WTF?

I cringe when I think about the season the Giants made Youngblood their regular third baseman. Talk about a Hobson's choice . . .

I still have mine. Any chance you got yours at Nill Brothers?

I think it was a local sporting goods store. I know I shopped at Nill Brothers in high school though.

I'm fainting in shock that someone was soliciting George Foster's opinion. I wonder what Don Money thinks?

But what does this have to do with Frank Tanana?

In retrospect, a Foster glove is ridiculous.

It's like buying a Mark Belanger bat.

Does Foster live in Minneapolis or something?

I'll admit my first notion was to wonder at the life of the former baseball star. Fargo American Legion Post #2 in January? Oh, I know, let's get George Foster! Foster, puttering around the house ... "and I get dinner too? I'm in!"

But here's some of the past speakers at this event:

Hall of Famers Bert Blyleven, Rollie Fingers, Gaylord Perry, Robin Roberts, Fergus Jenkins, Paul Molitor have all been past speakers along with Post 2 Hall of Famer and former MLB pitcher Rick Helling and former Minnesota Twins 20-game winner Jim “Mud Cat” Grant.

(Foster noted he was the first hitter to speak) The guys with Minnesota connections are obvious and probably "near" Fargo a lot of the time. But obviously this isn't as podunk an event as I thought ... or Foster isn't the only ballplayer willing to schlep to Fargo for a few bob and rubber chicken dinner.

Although I bet they were nonplussed when Fergus Jenkins of the Bagpipers Hall of Fame stood up and started twirling his sporran.

I'll admit my first notion was to wonder at the life of the former baseball star. Fargo American Legion Post #2 in January?

I grew up playing little league in fields adjacent to Post 2's Jack Williams stadium. We sometimes had delays because their HRs would trickle into our infield. When I got a little older, some of my friends played Legion baseball. One of my best friends still has some of the pitching records, I believe.

( bet they were nonplussed when Fergus Jenkins of the Bagpipers Hall of Fame stood up and started twirling his sporran.

Nor can I blame them.

I cringe when I think about the season the Giants made Youngblood their regular third baseman.

That only lasted two years, and one of them he hit well OPS+138. My first and only glove, which I still use, is a 1966 Fred Whitfield.

I remember that people were almost fainting in shock when Foster hit 50 homers in a season. I guess it'd be annoying to essentially lose that distinction.

The shocking thing was that George played his home games in Riverfront Stadium, a pretty decent hitters park, yet in '77 he hit 31 of his 52 dingers on the road. Go figure. Balls must have been juiced.

Foster swung a black bat at a time when that was kinda distinctive. A number of folks thought this was a means to disguising a corked bat.

I cringe when I think about the season the Giants made Youngblood their regular third baseman. Talk about a Hobson's choice . . .

Given that Hobson's choice, I would have put Hobson at third every day, despite the errors. At least Butch could hit at the beginning.

Prior to his trade to NY, Foster appeared to be on pace for a HOF career. In his last season in Cincy he had a 150 OPS+ and had hit 248 career HRs with a career 139 OPS+. He was looked to be on pace for 400+ HRs but his career fizzled in NY.

andrewberg - Fargo kid? Moorhead myself!

Prior to his trade to NY, Foster appeared to be on pace for a HOF career.

Kinda. Problem is he was already 33 when he got to NY. Through age 25, he had barely over 1000 PA, and not particularly good ones, and that's a hard path to the HoF. In this day and age, folks would have been whispering about Foster's mysterious age 26-32 run:

through 25: 1049 PA, 99 OPS+, 27 HR
26-32: 4100 PA, 149 OPS+, 221 HR
33-37: 2664 PA, 102 OPS+, 100 HR

But, it's not impossible. HoF, less than 1500 PA through age 25, some names: Boggs, Fisk, Puckett, Stargell, Perez. Stargell and Perez seem the most similar:

Stargell 26-32: 3700 PA, 153 OPS+, 218 HR
Perez 26-32: 4600 PA, 138 OPS+, 196 HR

So Stargell and Foster are nearly identical at those ages. Stargell and Perez had been better (or at least more productive as hitters) through age 25.

Stargell 33+: 3800 PA, 151 OPS+, 198 HR
Perez 33+: 5000 PA, 111 OPS+, 141 HR (737 RBI)

I consider Perez one of the worst HoF BBWAA selections but Stargell's a good choice and Foster presumably had as good or better chance (more athletic) as Stargell through age 32. But only Stargell and maybe eventually Edgar and a handful of others (Molitor) made it to the HoF as a late-career slugger.

I had a Cecil Cooper, and got it signed by Cooper, and still played with it, then it got stolen at school. I then got a red Daryl Strawberry glove. I wasn't necessarily a Straw or Mets fan at all, but a cool mitt.