if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>steve</b><p>Babe Ruth<br />Ty Cobb<br />Walter Johnson<br />Willie Mays<br />Lefty Grove<br /><br />Ruth, Cobb & Johnson are easy choices. The other two - Mays because of both longevity and position, ie. centerfield. Grove - pitching wins championships. Honus maybe #5a. Had Aaron been a centerfielder, then yes. No rings for Teddy. Gehrig played easy position, not necessarily his fault. Ryan gave up too many walks. Koufax career too short. Then there is Satchel, no way to really tell.<br /><br />Steve.

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>john/z28jd</b><p> If the Hall started today id start from the beginning of baseball and elect the most deserving players,breaking down the eras and making sure everyone who should be there is. The first election would be pre-1871 people(give or take on the year) and then id go from there. It annoys me that theres 19th century players who are so deserving who barely if all get mentioned except on this forum

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>joe brennan</b><p>Along with your 3 I have to include Cy Young. 511 wins. I know it was a different game back then but 511 wins is still 5111 wins. Hank Aaron could get a strong look for the 5th. Although he wasn't completely dominate in his time, his career #'s are very impressive. <br><br>In Rememberance of James W. Brennan Sr. 1924-1982. Dad, thanks for everything you did for me.

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>jay behrens</b><p>Ruth<br />Bonds<br />Johnson<br />Grove<br />Johnson<br /><br />Just to stir things up <img src="/images/wink.gif" height=14 width=14><br /><br />Jay<br><br>I love pinatas. You get to beat the crap of something and get rewarded with candy.

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>Mark L</b><p>Ruth<br />Wagner. <br />Cobb.<br />Johnson.<br />Williams.

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>peter chao</b><p>Jay,<br /><br />So you think Walter Johnson is underrated, is that why you included him twice in your top 5. <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14><br /><br />I suppose you meant Matty.<br /><br />At one time Barry Bonds had a legitimate shot at being among the top 5 of all time. Now he's out in purgatory somewhere.<br /><br />Peter

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>Bill Stone</b><p>In my mind the names that most people associate with the game of baseball would include <br /> 1) Babe Ruth<br /> 2) Mickey Mantle<br /> 3) Joe Dimaggio<br /> 4) Ted Williams<br /> 5) Lou Gehrig<br />They would be my first five.

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>jay behrens</b><p>I meant to put Grove at 5<br /><br />Jay<br><br>I love pinatas. You get to beat the crap of something and get rewarded with candy.

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>drew</b><p>Hi John<br /><br />How about these guys from the 1870's.<br /><br />Spalding<br />O'Rourke<br />Stovey<br />G.Wright<br />D.White<br><br>Drew

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>Mark Evans</b><p>Steve's initial post makes sense to me. Having started following baseball in the late 50s, if there is to be but one post-War representative, Willie Mays is the correct choice in my opinion. Mark

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>john/z28jd</b><p> Drew,Id elect H.Wright and Spalding in the first election and give much thought to other guys such as Jim Creighton,Al Reach, Dickey Pearce,Candy Cummings,Ross Barnes, George Wright and pioneers like Chadwick and Cartwright. O'Rourke,White and Stovey would be in the next era class

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>jay behrens</b><p>Cumming shouldn't even be on the radar for HOF consideration anymore. There has been enough research done now to disprove the Cummings invented the curve ball.<br /><br />Jay<br><br>I love pinatas. You get to beat the crap of something and get rewarded with candy.

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>Joe_G.</b><p>Ty Cobb<br />Babe Ruth (same #1 & #2 as in 1939 - HOF got that right)<br />Walter Johnson<br />Cap Anson<br />Honus Wagner<br /><br />Best Regards,<br />Joe Gonsowski<br /><br />&lt;edit&gt; - I also like John & Drew's picks, great selections !

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>john/z28jd</b><p> Jay,actually Cummings had a 145-94 record in professional baseball but was a star pitcher before professional ball ever started.Even if he didnt invent the curve,he still mastered the pitch and was a star because of it and thats why i mentioned him.

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>Jerry</b><p>Mathewson<br />Johnson<br />Ruth<br />Gehrig<br />Cobb

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>John H.</b><p>I can't for the life of me understand how Mantle and DiMaggio can be placed on a list ahead of Henry Aaron.<br /><br />My top five are:<br /><br />Ruth <br />Cobb<br />Johnson<br />Aaron <br />Williams wins a multiple player tiebreaker because he's my favourite player of all time. Not to mention that he would have had around 700 homeruns, 2,400 RBI's and a .350 batting average if not for the five years he lost to WWII and Korea.<br /><br />John

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>Ken W.</b><p>How about righting the wrong the first year out:<br /><br />Josh Gibson<br />Satchel Paige<br />Rube Foster<br />Martin Dihigo<br />Buck Leonard<br /><br /><br /><br />

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>Max Weder</b><p>Great post KW; just what I was thinking

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>anthony</b><p>john kruk<br />steve sax<br />billy ripken<br />pete rose jr<br />mike krukow<br /><br />

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>Shanon</b><p>Here we go.....<br /><br /><br /><br />GROUP A<br /><br />Bench<br />Morgan<br />Rose<br />Perez<br />Sparky<br /><br /><br />GROUP B<br /><br />Duke<br />Pee Wee<br />Hodges<br />Robinson<br />Campanella

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>Sean Coe</b><p>1.Babe Ruth<br />2.Willie Mays<br />3.Walter Johnson<br />4.Satchel Paige<br />5.Ty Cobb

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>steve</b><p>1. Pete Rose<br />2. Joe Jackson<br />3. Barroid Bonds<br />4. Sammy "corkie" Sosa<br />5. misc. Cobb era players<br /><br />In Cobb's bio with Al Stump, Cobb mentions couple times of shady doings with other players/teams.<br />

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>Jason L</b><p>perhaps consider McGwire, Palmeiro, and Hal Chase<br />

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>Jay</b><p>Ruth<br />Cobb<br />Hornsby<br />Anson<br />Jackson<br />

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>John Kalafarski</b><p> The five greatest players of all time on my list:<br />1. Babe Ruth<br />2. Ted Williams<br />3. Ty Cobb<br />4. Willie Mays<br />5. Honus Wagner<br />6. Mickey Mantle<br />7. Joe Dimaggio<br /><br />These seven you could throw a small handkerchief over. To make ten I would add:<br />8. Walter Johnson<br />9. Josh Gibson<br />10. Lefty Grove<br /><br />although I like to give pitchers their own list. There. I like my list best.

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>T206Collector</b><p>1. Ruth<br />2. Cobb<br />3. Mathewson<br />4. Grove<br />5. Johnson

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>John S</b><p>Anson<br />Cobb<br />Wagner<br />Ruth <br />Johnson

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>Marty Ogelvie</b><p>1. Ruth<br />2. Cobb<br />3. Aaron<br />4. Mays<br />5. Gehrig<br><br>martyOgelvie<br />nyyankeecards.com

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>Jason L</b><p>Babe Ruth<br />Ty Cobb<br />Honus Wagner<br />Cy Young<br />Jackie Robinson (find me someone else who could have done what he did!)<br /><br />Next 5:<br />Hank Aaron<br />Rickey Henderson<br />Christy Mathewson<br />Nap Lajoie<br />Warren Spahn

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>peter chao</b><p>Jason L.,<br /><br />I like your pick of Rickey Henderson for the second five. The greatest lead-off hitter of all time and a major disruptive force on the basepaths. If only he didn't hang on so long, it got pretty embarassing.<br /><br />Peter

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>Peter Spaeth</b><p>The very first post is the best list I have seen. My only possible substitution would be Matty for Grove.

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>Jason L</b><p>it did get to be a bit long-in-the-tooth there towards the end...I actually think Rickey is a very underrated ballplayer. <br />He was fast and disruptive, not a bad hitter, and he was entertaining - I think he was the first ballplayer to begin talking about himself in the third person!<br />I was very surprised to see where he ranks on some of the all-time lists when he finally hung up the spikes...runs, walks, SBs, etc...<br /><br />When his plaque is hung, I honestly think he will be a unique addition to the Hall.<br /><br />Perhaps that would be another list of interest: Most uniquely-talented HOFers - or uniquely exceptional (in no order)<br />Rickey Henderson<br />Babe Ruth<br />Ozzie Smith<br />Jackie Robinson<br />Nolan Ryan<br />Walter Johnson<br />of course, this is an almost indefensible sort of list to put together

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>Andrew</b><p>1. Ruth<br />2. Cobb<br />3. Wagner<br />4. Johnson<br />5. Williams

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>Scot Reader</b><p>Since it is the Hall of FAME--not the Hall of STATS--why not enshrine those who are the most famous? In other words, ask your wife who should be in. Here's my "pop culture" list of the first 15 inductees:<br /><br />1. Babe Ruth (John Goodman movie + candy bar)<br />2. Lou Gehrig (disease + recent Alcatel ad)<br />3. Jackie Robinson (color barrier)<br />4. Henry Aaron (fairly recent player + people THINK he has a candy bar)<br />5. Joe DiMaggio (Simon and Garfunkel song + Marilyn Monroe spouse)<br />6. Ty Cobb (Tommy Lee Jones movie)<br />7. Ted Williams (war hero + recent cryogenics mess)<br />8. Cy Young (major annual award)<br />9. Willie Mays (Terry Cashman song)<br />10. Mickey Mantle (ditto)<br />11. Duke Snider (ditto)<br />12. Honus Wagner (famous baseball card)<br />13. Abner Doubleday (Doublemint gum ad SAID he invented baseball)<br />14. Roger Maris ("61" movie)<br />15. Roy Hobbs (Redford movie)<br /><br />Would be in but for moral turpitude:<br /><br />Pete Rose (fairly recent player + gambling mess)<br />Joe Jackson (Kevin Costner movie + John Cusack movie)<br /><br />Honorable mention:<br /><br />Johnny Bench (Krylon paint ads--"No runs, no drips, no errors!")<br />Wade Boggs (Hair club for men)<br />Reggie Jackson (Failed candy bar)<br />

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>Jason L</b><p>But <br />Jim Palmer (Jockey ads, and more recently, some financial planning ads)<br /><br />oh, and don't forget Yogi Berra (for all his Yogi-isms)<br />

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>Cobby33</b><p>Scot-<br />Don't forget the reference to "Say Hey Willie" in Fogarty's "Centerfield."<br /><br />P.S. For that matter, DiMaggio and Cobb as well.

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>Ed</b><p>Merkle<br />Snodgrass<br />Branca<br />Buckner<br />The fan from Wrigley that blew the pennant<br /><br />

if HOF started today - First Five
 

Posted By: <b>Ken W.</b><p>Steve Bartman, I think was his name.