Why aren't any of today's professional athletes in MLB referred to as legends?

Question

I'm talking about great players who haven't taken steroids such as A-Rod, Albert Pujols, and Ken Griffey Jr. These guys are potential Hall of Famers but why haven't they been compared to legends like Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, or Mickey Mantle?

Answer 1

i don't know if they truly have not taken steroids, but it is because they are still active players

Answer 2

Well i think  because they are still playing   baseball, when they retire years after they do we will appreciate more what they done for the game of Baseball

Answer 3

Legends take time to build and legendary status is usually given out during a players career, or only at the very end of their career.

Another issue is the change in news reporting. Until the early 70s, newspapers were mostly cheerleaders for the local team they were covering. Ballplayers were routinely presented as heroes and the negative aspects of a player's personality were glossed over.

Since the release of Jim Bouton's Ball Four and the change in reporting style ushered in by writers such as d**k Young, players' "weaknesses" are much more well known. Examples of things that writers would not mention in the past might be A-Rod's courting of Madonna, Ken Griffey Jr's battle with depression and thoughts of suicide while in the minors is another, or his moodiness during his final time in Seattle.

Because we see the human side of ballplayers more often and not just the heroic side, I think that raises risk and reward for ballplayers. During the 70s Steve Garvey seemed on course for possible legend status, but once his off field antics became public, his reputation was destroyed. Pete Rose should be one of the most legendary players in the game, but we all know what happened there. On the other hand, "good guys" such as Ripken and Gwynn have had their legends enhanced by their off field personalities.

Answer 4

Legends are former players. A-Rod, Albert Pujols, and Ken Griffey Jr. will be called legends one day. And I'm sure they have all been compared to Babe Ruth by somebody.

Answer 5

Because there is no such thing as a legend.  Only reason people consider the deceased players such as Ty Cobb, George Herman Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle or Ted Williams as "legendary" is because "today's fans have to compare them and their stats to today's players whenever a record is in jeopardy, and whenever someone wants to compare their past performances to the ARod's, Randy Johnson's or Jeters of the baseball world.

I would have to say that the closest someone was to "legendary" status was Roberto Clemente, because his play was exceptional, he had the stats to gain entry into the HOF and especially because he was in the process of performing a great deed by doing humanitarian work providing aid to those affected by an earthquake, and that good deed ultimately cost him his life.

Today's players mentioned may be potential future HOF'ers, but we don't know that they didn't take steroids in the first place.  Remember that the written rule in baseball for steroids did not become law until 2003, courtesy of Bud Selig, and basically since Barry Bonds, A-Rod, Albert Pujols and Ken Griffey, among others, "did" take steroids for injuries by way of a dr's. prescription, there's no point in trying to prove they have not, because all professional sports medicine dr's. utilize steroids as a medication to prevent injured extremities from swelling up during treatment.

Answer 6

They aren't really legends until they are in the hall of fame, retired or dead. For now, they are called all-stars. If A-Rod hits more than 800 and his career is over, he will be a legend. Pujols is too young.

Answer 7

We like to believe that every generation of players can not be as good as the immortals that played before them, it takes time after the player has left the game to realize what a specail player we were able to watch.  Especially now with video available everywhere, back in theday we are going off stories told to us by people who were there or say that they were there...it is the old saying that hindsight is 20/20.

Answer 8

because they are still an active athlete.  legends are titles for things in the past, in this case great players of the past.

Answer 9

Because they have not yet retired  and into the Hall of Fame

Answer 10

It's because they haven't finished their careers. Let them retire for a few years, and see if people still remember them. See if peopl start telling stories about how they saw "so and so" hit a HR, or make an amazing play.

To quote the Sandlot

"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."

Griffey, A-Rod and Pujols aren't even retired yet. Once they retire we will see if they are worth remembering, or if they will live on in Baseball lore forever.

Answer 11

In time they some will be ....... Griffey Jr. would've had the home run record had he not had all the injuries and A-Rod is on course to if he stays healthy and plays into his late 30's.  Give it time as the legends you mentioned below have had a lot of time for us to realize how great they were!

Answer 12

i guess legends are made after retirement.

thats when people truly begin to appreciate what the player has done for baseball

but that doesn't mean they can't be compared to the greats.

Answer 13

They have been compared to great players of the past. They aren't called "legends" yet because they aren't even close to the end of their careers and haven't set any career records yet. When they finally retire with whatever records they have broken and are sitting in Cooperstown, then they will be called Legends.

Answer 14

thye are still active! that is why!!