All all-star team for the ages

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), July, 1998 by Wayne M. Barrett

When I Was A Kid, my dad loved to compile baseball All-Star teams. He'd scratch them out on the backs of envelopes, then we'd talk for hours about the merits of his selections: All-Righty team, All-Lefty team, All-Black team, All-White team, All-Hispanic team, All-Turn-of-the-Century team, etc. Space prohibits compiling multiple All-Star units here. However, there is enough room to put forth a personal All-Time All-Star squad. The wonderful part of this exercise is that if 10 rabid and knowledgeable fans each did the same, the respective lineups would all be different and all would be just as good as the next:

Ty Cobb, right field. The Georgia Peach was the greatest baseball player who ever lived. He set the standard for every offensive category imaginable, except home runs. He also was the National Pastime's most reviled character, in many instances, even by his own teammates. The legend of his sitting on the top step of the dugout to sharpen his spikes in front of nervous opponents is no myth. He did that and a lot more. His lone shortcoming and bitterest disappointment was that he never won a World Series.

Tris Speaker, center field. The Gray Eagle played center field as no one before or since (except for maybe Willie Mays). Standing so shallow that he was within quick running distance of second base, Speaker often pulled off unassisted double plays. Balls hit over his head? Forget it. He backtracked so fast that he had time to count to three as he waited for even the longest drives to descend. No wonder he retired with the records for putouts, assists, and chances accepted by an outfielder, all the while batting .345 lifetime. A two-time World Series winner with the Boston Red Sox, he also was player-manager of the 1920 world champion Cleveland Indians.

Lou Gehrig, first base. The Iron Horse finally got his due in the 1990s when Cal Ripkin broke his consecutive games played record (and only the fatal disease that carries Gehrig's name was able to stop his 14-year streak in 1939). It was he and Babe Ruth who were the foundation of the first Yankee dynasty in the 1920s. And after Ruth moved on, it was Gehrig and Joe Dimaggio spearheading a second Yankee run of supremacy. A feared slugger (his 184 RBIs remains an American League single-season record and he's the major league leader in grand slams), Gehrig also was an adept base-stealer, swiping 102, including home 15 times.

Babe Ruth, left-handed pitcher. The Bambino. The Sultan of Swat. The most renowned home run hitter in the National Pastime's long and storied history. But when he was a three-time World Series champ with the Bosox (before his glory days with the Bronx Bombers), Ruth was an incredible hurler who seemed destined for the Hall of Fame on the merits of pitching alone. Then he started clubbing home runs, was switched to the outfield to get his bat in the lineup every day, and the rest is history.

Ted Williams, left field. Possibly the number-one batsman in the game's annals, Williams' statistics are absolutely eye-popping. Imagine what they would have been had he not lost five seasons to military service in two separate wars. And like Ty Cobb, here's a super special player who never won a World Series.

Honus Wagner, shortstop. Before Cobb made his mark, the Flying Dutchman was considered baseball's best. His career bridged the 19th and 20th centuries, as he converted from a first baseman-outfielder-third baseman to shortstop, the most important and toughest position on the diamond. He stole 720 bases.

Roy Campanella, catcher. As a lifelong Giants' fan, it hurts to name a Brooklyn Dodger. But Campy won three MVPs and went to the World Series five times. The power-hitting backstop also was part of Brooklyn's lone championship club.

Joe Morgan, second base. A back-to-back MVP for Cincinnati's Big Red Machine of the 1970s, Morgan was a key contributor to the 1976 Reds, arguably baseball's greatest team. The year before, Morgan starred in the 1975 Reds-Red Sox World Series, undoubtedly baseball's most unforgettable October showdown.

Brooks Robinson, third base. Unparalleled glove. The best ever. American League MVP. Good power. The ultimate symbol of longevity combined with loyalty, as he was a Baltimore Oriole for more than two decades. Two Series titles, and the three-time A.L. champion O's of 1969-70-71 rank among the game's best.

Ralph Kiner, pinch hitler. There are many pinch-hitting specialists who perhaps should fill this slot. Kiner did not leave his mark in this department, but he is baseball's most underrated and forgotten home run hitter. Saddled with a horrible team, no protection in the lineup, and an unforgiving ballpark, Kiner nevertheless holds baseball's most unassailable record--seven consecutive home run crowns in his first seven seasons in the bigs.

Christy Mathewson, righthanded pitcher. The Big Six is tied with Grover Cleveland Alexander for most National League wins. His three shutouts in the 1905 World Series is remarkable enough, but consider he did it in a five-game series.