The same game only different

Madame Cura and I watched the original broadcast of Don Larsen's perfect game last week and although I was mostly struck by the original advertising, I noticed this too.

So these 1956 players, who looked more like store clerks than like athletes, were flailing away with these telephone poles. And then there was Mantle. He didn't look like any store clerk. He wouldn't have stood out in a crowd of muscled-up 21st century ballplayers. He was also noticeably quiet in the box -- but he also ended every swing, including one that produced a home run, with his head flailing toward the first-base dugout.

Watching the game was fun, but don't let anyone tell you that today's players and pitchers aren't as good as yesteryear's. To put this in perspective, Jason Giambi, whose seven-year adventure with the Yankees ended this week (he's returning on a one-year deal to the A's, as he's been made obsolete by Mrs. Teixeira), is tenth on the HR list for all-time Yankees. 10th, in a seven year stint.

Over the course of his seven years in New York, Giambi continued to do exactly the same thing. He compiled a .404 on-base percentage (fifth in Yankees history), .521 slugging percentage (seventh in Yankees history) and 209 homers (10th in Yankees history).

Making his home run total more impressive is the fact that he accomplished it in just seven seasons. Of all the storied sluggers in Yankee history, the only players who had that many over a seven-year span were Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth.