How does one compare different eras in any given sport? Carl Erskine remembered how his Brooklyn Dodgers teammate Duke Snider fielded that one.

Snider was asked how a great player of the past, someone like Ty Cobb for instance, would do hitting against what was, during the 1950’s, modern day pitching. “Oh, he’d probably hit around 250, to maybe 300 average.” This response was met with surprise. “250?” someone listening said. “Why Ty Cobb batted 367 lifetime over a 24-year career. You mean he’d hit only 250 today against modern pitchers?”

“Well,” said Duke, “you have to realize that Ty Cobb would be over 90 years old.”