Golden Years

When I was much younger, my dad bought me a Baseball book from the Price Club. Thick with a hard blue cover, it felt like it weighed a ton and was like a pre-Beckett price guide. I studied it page by page, making my own notes on the sides of pages about all they players and their cards. I’d dig my dad’s cards out of a tattered shoebox and look them up, marveling at their worth and their achievements.

But the book had another section where it espoused the history of the game, compiling individual player pages for all the greats to ever play. To a nine year-old, it was as close to heaven as Bozo (or for those from Phoenix, Wallace and Ladmo) reruns. I would spend hours at night reading about all the legends even he hadn’t seen. I would ask my dad questions about players he had never seen play and watch him fumble for answers, ultimately resorting to looking them up with the same curiosity that I had. Eventually, player bios became my bedtime stories. I’d make him read two or three a night, sometimes more if I had too much caffeine. For some unknown reason that still holds true to this very moment, I became a huge Mel Ott fan. I think my Grandpa told me he once saw him play at the Polo Grounds and never saw a finer player. Once I actually started playing baseball, the book became my life and followed me everywhere I went. I think I still have it somewhere back home, where it waits to retell its stories.

See, I wanted to compile a team that of players from the early 20^th Century I would loved to have seen play. With all the talk about steroids, home run depreciation, Sabermetrics, and Hee-Seop Choi, it’s amazing to think about where this game has gone in little over a century. Yes, I realize there was baseball in the 19^th century, and a surprisingly large number of Hall-of-Famers from that era, but I wanted to focus on the era before Mays, Mantle, and the Duke, before Musial, even before DiMaggio. That’s the cut-off. Not necessarily that they stopped playing before DiMaggio entered the league in 1936, but had at least completed a large majority of their career before that season.

But like I said, it was tough. There were a lot of players. Tons. Guys I had never heard of and a few whom I had to shake the cobwebs off of in my memory, though it’s not like I ever saw them play or my dad saw them play or even his dad. Just limiting it to players enshrined in Cooperstown was quite a chore. There were just so many players, each one with their own blue book of stories and legends and accomplishments that I had a hard time making tough choices. So what follows is what would be my ultimate line-up.

However, I should note something before you begin: I did not include Ty Cobb. I just never was a fan, and that was before I knew anything about all his personal indiscretions. I know that may upset some of you and that’s fine; this is my list, I sincerely hope you make your own and include the vaunted Tiger. However, just like Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe Jackson said in Field of Dreams, well, this site won’t allow me to finish the line, but I’m sure you know it by now…

Catcher Mickey Cochrane: Catcher was a tough position to field. I chose Cochrane over Roger Bresnahan (the first Catcher to enter the HOF) mainly because of Connie Mack and because I did not choose Jimmie Foxx for his natural position (more on that later). Under Mack’s tenure, a ******** 50 years, the Philadelphia A’s won nine AL pennants and five World Series Championships. In his 13 seasons, Cochrane batted a robust .320, helping Mack and the Athletics to three straight AL Pennants and two World Series Championships from 1929-1931. Nicknamed “Black Mike”, Cochrane was also a two-time AL MVP and All-Star and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1947.

First Base Lou Gehrig: This one was pretty easy for me to decide even with a lengthy list of contemporaries who were equally as legendary. After some thought, I decided that Gehrig’s farewell address in 1939 at Yankee Stadium is the second most famous Baseball sound bite ever, trailing only Ralph Branca’s 1951 call of “the Giants win the Pennant.” Its amazing to think this guy never took a day off and thinking about even more, it makes what Cal Ripken did that much more amazing. “The Iron Horse” won six  world championships with the Yankees, batting .361 in seven World Series appearances and he was the first player in baseball history to ever have his jersey number retired. 

Second Baseman Rogers Hornsby: Surprisingly, there was a large number of second basemen to choose from during this era, but of all the stars, Hornsby’s shined the brightest. From 1921-1925, Hornsby averaged a .402 batting average, 120 RBIs, 123 runs scored, 13 triples, 29 home runs, 41 doubles, and 216 hits. A winner of seven batting titles, including six consecutive, Hornsby still holds the NL record for career batting average, measuring in at .359 over 23 seasons. His .424 average in 1924 is still the modern NL record and he was the first NL player to hit 300 career home runs. He also won two NL MVPs and Triple Crowns.

Third Baseman Frank “Home Run” Baker: In the annals of the blue book, his story was one of my favorites. An Athletics’ and Yankees’ third baseman during the dead-ball era, Baker gained the nickname after hitting game-winning home runs in two World Series Games against the Giants in 1911. He also led the American League in home runs for four seasons though he never hit more than 12 in any year. In six World Series, he batted .363 and never played a single inning in his career at any position besides 3^rd base.

Shortstop Honus Wagner: It seems everyone is familiar with his priceless baseball card,  but few seem to realize his impact on the game of baseball. One of the Hall-of-Fame’s original inductees in 1936, “The Flying Dutchman” amazed Pirates’ fans with a lethal combination of defensive prowess and offensive firepower. He won eight NL batting titles, finished his career with a .329 batting average and also stole 722 bases. He was also the first player to ever have his name engrained in a Louisville Slugger baseball bat.

Outfield Tris Speaker: Instead of choosing outfielders based on position, I just chose three greats and Speaker was a great as they came. Although he was somewhat overshadowed by Cobb, Speaker compiled a career that few will ever reach. His 793 doubles and 450 Outfield Assists are still the all-time records and “The Grey Eagle” batted .345 for his career. As the 1912 AL MVP, Speaker guided the Boston Red Sox to a World Series Championship while slugging a major league-leading 10 home runs. And as a player-manager, he guided Cleveland to a World Series Championship in 1920 while hitting .388 with 50 doubles and 107 RBIs.

Outfield Babe Ruth: I’m not sure if anything else can be said about the Ruth, the man who revolutionized professional sports. In sports, only Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, and Billie Jean King had as large an impact on society and culture as the Sultan of Swat. Put all the statistics aside; Babe Ruth was the greatest baseball player ever.

Outfield Mel Ott: Like I said, he was always my favorite. Something just drew me to him, whether it was his unique batting stance or his diminutive stature. When he retired, his 511 home runs was a NL record and he played in 11 All-Star Games. He was also one of the first major leaguers to skip the minors, as Giants’ manager John McGraw didn’t want managers down there to tinker with his swing. Finally, Ott is the only player  to lead his league in home runs while also managing the team, which he did in 1942.

Pitcher Christy Mathewson: Another personal favorite, Mathewson dominated his era like few have ever done or will do. He won at least 22 games for 12 straight seasons and won 30 games four different times using his infamous “fade away” pitch.  Although he won only one World Series Championship (1906), he won three games in six days in that series. In his career, he won 374 games and set the modern NL record with 37 wins in 1908.

Pitcher: Walter Johnson: I couldn’t decide between Mathewson and Johnson, so I just included them both. In his 21-year career, the “Big Train” struck out 3,508 batters and his 110 shutouts is a record that still holds today. His 417 wins are second only to Cy Young and he was a two time AL MVP. On one day’s rest, he pitched and won Game 7 of the 1924 World Series, winning the only championship of his career.

Designated Hitter Jimmie Foxx: In the end, I couldn’t leave him out and I decided to give him the recognition he so rightfully deserves, even if the appointment is for a position that didn’t exist (and nor should it ever have) when played. However, it’s hard to create a list and exclude Foxx, a fearsome hitter who became known as “The Beast.” In his career, he mashed 534 home runs and belted 30 or more in 12 consecutive seasons. He won back-to-back AL MVP awards in 1932 and 1933, capturing the AL Triple Crown as well in 1933.

So there it is folks. Obviously, each person will have his or her own list of favorite players and legends. But that just demonstrates how rich the history and tradition of baseball is, especially as this season unfolds and enters the dog days of August. Each year provides new stories and feats and although we move farther away from these towering figures of our past, their impact will not be forgotten. I know the first thing I am going to do when I get home is find that blue book.