Best Team of All Time
 

This is a fun topic, and I have been thinking about it for the last couple of days. Here is who I would run on the field vs. your squads...

Henderson Lf
Rose 3b
Aaron 1b
Ruth Rf
Speaker Cf
Lajoie 2b
Smith (Geo) ss
Berra C
Young SP
Doug Jones RP

Cobb cf
Hornsby 2b
Ruth lf
Gehrig 1b
J. Jackson rf
Wagner ss
Schmidt 3b
Piazza c

Mathewson
Johnson
Alexander
Spahn
Carlton

Rivera

LOL; my man Deer gives me some situational right handed power vs. lefties and late inning D if needed!!!

Ryan - WaJo was considered to be a very-good-hitting pitcher. In fact, he was frequently used as a pinch hitter when he wasn't pitching.
Val

All-Time "Banned From Baseball List" (Pre-the end of World War I):

Vernon Ayau SS
Bud Fowler 3B
Charlie Grant 2B
Jimmy Claxton 1B
Welday Walker OF
Merito Acosta OF
Jose Acosta OF
Fleet Walker C
Lang Akana P

A couple out of position, but understand Fowler played all over the field. Claxton played C/1B/RF in semi-pro baseball. Merito Acosta did play professional baseball but "retired" at age 22. Don't think Jose Acosta did anything but pitch but oh well, this is for fun.

Here's my 25 man roster:

Batting Order:

SS: Honus Wagner
LF: Ty Cobb
CF: Oscar Charleston
DH: Ted Williams
RF: Babe Ruth
1B: Lou Gehrig
C: Josh Gibson
3B: Wade Boggs
2B: Nap Lajoie

Bench:

C: Mike Piazza
2B: Rogers Hornsby
3B: Mike Schmidt
OF: Rickey Henderson
OF: Mickey Mantle
OF: Willie Mays


SP: Walter Johnson
SP: Pedro Martinez
SP: Randy Johnson
SP: Satchel Paige
SP: Lefty Grove

Long Relief: Christy Mathewson
Long Relief: Greg Maddux

RP: Dennis Eckersley (Setup)
RP: Billy Wagner (Setup)
RP: Mariano Rivera (Closer)

The hodgepodge of personalities would be wild. I'm sure Cobb would love to hear that he is moving to LF so Charleston can play center.

I kept Bonds, ARod and Clemens off because of roids. They otherwise should be included. Tough exclusions are J.Foxx as backup 1B, Pop Lloyd or Derek Jeter as backup SS, Tris Speaker or Griffey Jr. as another backup OF.

Fun idea. Here's my lineup:

1. Rickey Henderson LF
2. Willie Mays CF
3. Babe Ruth RF
4. Lou Gehrig 1B
5. Honus Wagner SS
6. Jackie Robinson 2B
7. Mike Schmidt 3B
8. Johnny Bench C
9. Walter Johnson RHP, Sandy Koufax LHP, Mariano Rivera closer
if we get a DH:
9. Ted Williams

My bench (4):

Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, Oscar Charleston, Josh Gibson.

A few are surprises, I guess, so I will explain:

Rickey Henderson: I want a leadoff hitter to get on base for the heavy lumber I have coming up next. Look at these on-base figures:

1980 AL .420 (3rd)
1981 AL .408 (3rd)
1982 AL .398 (3rd)
1983 AL .414 (2nd)
1984 AL .399 (3rd)
1985 AL .419 (4th)
1988 AL .394 (5th)
1989 AL .411 (3rd)
1990 AL .439 (1st)
1991 AL .400 (6th)
1992 AL .426 (2nd)**
1993 AL .432 (3rd)
1994 AL .411 (8th)
1995 AL .407 (10th)
1996 NL .410 (5th)
1999 NL .423 (7th)

in his prime, Henderson was as good as anyone at getting on base and a walk or single for Rickey was often a de facto double or triple for Rickey.

I put Robinson on the team for the same reason: he got on base a lot and drove pitchers and catchers crazy.

Why Koufax? I picked players for their peak performances, and Koufax at his best was a world-killer. Besides, speed kills; you can't hit what you can't see.

I did not put Cobb or Hornsby on the team. Great players, no questions there, but lousy teammates. I don't think Cobb could have stomached the blacks and Jews and Hispanics on the team, so why have him? Hornsby was so loathed as a player that he was traded twice in three seasons in his prime.

I left out all of the steroid-linked players, which kept Bonds and possibly Clemens off. I happen to believe that Bonds and Clemens are worthy of any alltime team except that I am convinced that they cheated, so the heck with them.

All Time line-up...just for fun

1B Salty Parker
2B Cookie Rojas
SS Rabbit Maranville
3B Pie Traynor
LF Ducky Medwick
CF Turkey Stearns
RF Darryl Strawberry (Pepper Martin on DL)
C Pickles Dilhofer
DH Ty Cobb

RHP Candy Cummings...Peaches Davis...Spud Chandler

LHP Karl Spooner...Carl 'Meal Ticket' Hubbell

CLOSER Goose Gossage

UTIL Frank Buttery

Top minor league prospect and September call-up: Ham Patterson

MGR Bob Lemon

PARK Coors Field...Busch Stadium...Tropicana Field

Here's my list (while on the "juice" of course):

1B Mark McGwire
2B Chuck Knoblauch
SS Miguel Tejada
3B Alex Rodriguez
C Ivan Rodriguez
OF Barry Bonds
OF Sammy Sosa
OF Gary Sheffield
P Roger Clemens

Pretty good Dan,
i would make one change though, i would put in Juan Gonzalez
instead of Shefield.

lol thought u were gonna say jeff kent instead of Knoblauch

And at DH: Mike Piazza

Because the Yankees were afraid of offending Jeter when they acquired A-Rod? C'mon, this isn't even a discussion. Jeter has a higher batting average but A-Rod has a higher OBP and has won a batting title. Jeter has 400 more hits but A-Rod has 400 more homers. Jeter has more Gold Gloves than A-Rod but didn't start winning any until A-Rod stopped playing short - and has consistently been ranked as the worst defensive shortstop in the majors, or among them, while A-Rod was a top-rated defensive shortstop.

If you wanna knock A-Rod for steroids, go ahead. If you wanna knock him for being a douche, go ahead. But if we go by just what each guy did on the field as a shortstop, there is no way, no how, that Jeter was a superior shortstop compared to Alex. None.

I will give you the defense. There is no way Arod is even close to the same level as Jeter on offense. In the top of the 8th inning with a 6 run lead there is no better hitter than Arod. The guy would hit moon shot homers in that situation. Get a bottom of the 9th with a runner on 2nd with 2 outs in a tie game and Arod could not hit water if he fell out of a boat. In that same bottom of the 9th situation Jeter gets the game winning hit. To me it matters when all that offense actually happens.:D

Late and close, ARod and Jeter have basically the same stats. 9th inning, Arod is better than Jeter.

Try again.

CF Willie Mays
LF Ted Williams
2B Rogers Hornsby
RF Babe Ruth
1B Lou Gehrig
3B Mike Schmidt
SS Honus Wagner
C Josh Gibson
P Walter Johnson

I'd choose Mays over Cobb because although Cobb was a marginally better hitter, he was only average in the field, while Mays was superior. That more than makes up the difference.