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Replies: 31
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Commissioner [957]
TigerPulse: 91%
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Best tiger of all time? (Baseball)
Feb 20, 2021, 8:52 PM
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Haven’t heard this discussion much. Green? Benson? Maybe Beer?
I grew up watching spiers in Houston so I’m also a huge fan of him, but If there are prior greats I’d love to be enlightened!
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Clemson Icon [26001]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Posts: 10948
Joined: 1999
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Rusty Adkins(1965-67)...
Feb 20, 2021, 9:07 PM
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Only 3 time All American at Clemson along with 3 All ACC's who had a 41 game hitting streak over 2 seasons with a career batting average of .379 and he accomplished it all by using a wooden bat
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Clemson Icon [26001]
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Re: Rusty Adkins(1965-67)...
Feb 20, 2021, 9:25 PM
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and in 1965 he hit .444 and did strike out
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Clemson Icon [26001]
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Re: Rusty Adkins(1965-67)...
Feb 21, 2021, 1:15 AM
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did not strike out that is
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Commissioner [957]
TigerPulse: 91%
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Re: Rusty Adkins(1965-67)...
Feb 20, 2021, 9:27 PM
[ in reply to Rusty Adkins(1965-67)... ] |
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That’s really cool I just recently read about him when looking up some old Clemson baseball stats. Love the wooden bat!
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Heisman Winner [82628]
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Rusty was there while I was... he was from
Feb 20, 2021, 9:34 PM
[ in reply to Rusty Adkins(1965-67)... ] |
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Fort Mill - only a short distance from Clover and Rock Hill.
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Clemson Icon [26001]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Re: Rusty was there while I was... he was from
Feb 20, 2021, 10:04 PM
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My dad(Class of '66) was there the same time Rusty was also and just like you he too was close in proximity to Rusty as he was born and raised in York.Rusty was my IPTAY Rep for 7 of my 41 years in IPTAY.
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Heisman Winner [82628]
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The old Green Dragons..... always killed
Feb 20, 2021, 10:10 PM
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Clover back in my days. Rusty was the one who started calling me "Clover"..... don't think he even remembered my actual name.
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Paw Master [16709]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Re: Best tiger of all time? (Baseball)
Feb 20, 2021, 9:31 PM
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Adkins, Greene and Benson with a shout out to Beer.
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Commissioner [957]
TigerPulse: 91%
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Re: Best tiger of all time? (Baseball)
Feb 20, 2021, 9:33 PM
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Beer came to mind
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Commissioner [957]
TigerPulse: 91%
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Re: Best tiger of all time? (Baseball)
Feb 20, 2021, 9:34 PM
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Wasn’t sure how he compared since it’s so recent. Hearing about the old timers I never got a chance to see is really interesting
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Heisman Winner [86503]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Joined: 2003
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Ty Cobb.
Feb 20, 2021, 10:02 PM
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As far as Clemson goes, I would probably say Jimmy Key for a pitcher, and Khalil Greene as a position player.
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Starter [262]
TigerPulse: 94%
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Re: Best tiger of all time? (Baseball)
Feb 20, 2021, 10:04 PM
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Denny Walling only played one year, but it was a good one: 0.421 batting average and 0.807 slugging percentage.
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Top TigerNet [30774]
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Re: Best tiger of all time? (Baseball)
Feb 20, 2021, 10:10 PM
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Benson and Greene.
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Tiger Titan [50857]
TigerPulse: 79%
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Kris Benson.
Feb 20, 2021, 10:27 PM
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He was College Baseball Player of the Year, Dock Howser Trophy winner, ACC Male Athlete of the Year, an Olympian, and a perfect 14-0 his last year at Clemson with a 1.40 ERA and 178 strikeouts. He was the first overall pick in the draft.
I realize we’ve had some really good baseball players at Clemson, but I can’t think of a more decorated or successful player than Benson.
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Valley Protector [1403]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Re: Kris Benson.
Feb 21, 2021, 7:12 AM
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Neil Simons was a good one in the outfield. Think career 335 with the wood bat
Would be good to take one position per day and some of us older guys could fill in some of the blanks from the old days
I will mention the best staff performance when Benson Koch and Vining shut down FSU in a weekend series
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MVP [517]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Regarding Simons...
Feb 21, 2021, 12:01 PM
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... he probably had the single best game of any Clemson player ever in a game against N.C. State in 1979 or so. Final score was 41-9 Tigers, and Simons had like three homers and nine RBIs. If you remember the old Sports Illustrated magazine from that era, he made the Faces in the Crowd section, which was sort of an early version of ESPN's Top 10 plays of the day.
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Rival Killer [3015]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Yet in Omaha he was 0-2 against Miami
Feb 21, 2021, 8:25 AM
[ in reply to Kris Benson. ] |
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#1 draft pick, no doubt most highly decorated. But this two games in Omaha were brutal. We’ve just been awful out there. Rosenblatt was a house of horrors for us, we wasted so many good opportunities to get a title. Maybe if we ever make it back the new ball park will be kinder to us.
I think one of those games was when Gary Burnam threw the ball into the left field stands with two outs.
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MVP [517]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Ugh. The Burnham play.
Feb 21, 2021, 12:03 PM
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Scar tissue from that gaffe still causes me to limp to this day.
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CU Guru [1025]
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Re: Best tiger of all time? (Baseball)
Feb 20, 2021, 11:29 PM
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Billy O'Dell? Ty Cline? Prolly depends on whether you're talking college/pros - high mound/low mound - wooden bats/metal bats, etc. Lots of good ones have been through TigerTown.
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Paw Master [16709]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Re: Best tiger of all time? (Baseball)
Feb 21, 2021, 10:02 AM
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+1 for Billy O'dell
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Rival Killer [2769]
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Rival Killer [2794]
TigerPulse: 75%
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Re: Best tiger of all time? (Baseball)
Feb 22, 2021, 11:59 PM
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Ty Cline was my choice as well.
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MVP [517]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Regarding O'Dell ...
Feb 21, 2021, 12:04 PM
[ in reply to Re: Best tiger of all time? (Baseball) ] |
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My Dad ('55) was in school with O'Dell and used to sing his praises often. He apparently went from college straight to the majors, which was a rare feat then and is now as well.
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Paw Warrior [4958]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Re: Best tiger of all time? (Baseball)
Feb 21, 2021, 8:19 AM
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Adkins, Benson and Greene.
Whenever this topic comes up, have to mention a gentleman that was a friend of my dad’s. Joe Lambert, Clemson’s first baseball All-American. Remember speaking to him at church every Sunday, what a great man.
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Hall of Famer [8212]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Khalil Greene or Seth Beer come to mind for me.***
Feb 21, 2021, 8:21 AM
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Rival Killer [2612]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Re: Best tiger of all time? (Baseball)
Feb 21, 2021, 10:14 AM
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Billy O’Dell
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Rival Killer [2612]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Re: Best tiger of all time? (Baseball)
Feb 21, 2021, 10:22 AM
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Billy O’Dell still holds the record for era, strike outs per nine innings, and quickest Tigers to make his MLB debut in only 29 days after his last pitch at Clemson. My father tells me stories of his no hitters in high school. But best of all a great man. Met him many times. Proudly have his signed rookie card hanging on my wall.
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MVP [517]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Re: Best tiger of all time? (Baseball)
Feb 21, 2021, 12:07 PM
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I would vote for Green as a position player and Benson as a pitcher. Sad that they both flamed out in Omaha with like their worst performances ever. They deserved a better lasting image.
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Standout [328]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Re: Best tiger of all time? (Baseball)
Feb 21, 2021, 5:35 PM
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I’d say Greene. He probably had one of the best seasons of any position player his final year at Clemson. I think he might have been a superstar in the majors if he could’ve overcome injuries and the anxiety disorder.
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TigerNet Elite [72314]
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Re: Best tiger of all time? (Baseball)
Feb 21, 2021, 8:36 PM
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I was always a big Jimmy Key fan. He played outfield, pitched, and was a great hitter. It was fun watching he and the Tigers in the early 80s.
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Orange Blooded [2421]
TigerPulse: 96%
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Re: Best tiger of all time? (Baseball)
Feb 21, 2021, 10:11 PM
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Key, hands down. Who else won World Series games?
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Replies: 31
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