BASEBALL’S ALL TIME BEST? Ronn

About thirty years ago, Robert Redford starred in a movie called “The Way We Were”. In it he played a game with his long-time friend where each would challenge the other with a question. Each wanted to know the “best” of a certain category, situation, or personal preference. There was no right or wrong answer, but it was interesting to both to hear the other’s viewpoint. At that time, I tried to solicit a close friend or two in engaging me in this game. Alas, no one seemed as interested in it as I was, so that reduced me to playing the game by myself. And I have been ever since. Over the years I've noticed I wasn't alone in this area as evidenced by the many “lists” books on my shelves and “best and worst” articles on my coffee table.

This all brings me to what some would call the ultimate list – baseball’s all-time best. This list has been topic A around many a pot-bellied stove at the general store and has probably caused more heated barroom discussions than any other list ever. That’s because, like Redford’s game, it has no right or wrong answer. But more than that, baseball is the least evolved of all our major sports. What was played in 1903 is very close to what is played in 2003.

When I first started the list five years ago, I realized that even though I could compare stats to determine who was best on paper, I was leaving out the intangibles of fielding (no gold glove awards given in the early days), leadership, ability to deliver in the clutch, and how he fit with his team mates. This bothered me. How could the list be the “ultimate” in my mind if I couldn't answer these questions? Then it came to me. I would have to interview someone who had seen these players. But who? Some of these players had competed 60, 70, and 80 years ago. The answer came on a Sunday morning while reading the Washington Post. One of my favorite sports writers, Shirley Povich, was writing his guest column that day. “That’s it!” I thought. Here’s my eyewitness. Shirley had been the Post’s sports editor since 1927, after just a few years on the job. Although he was now in his nineties, his mind was still sharp as a tack.

Tracking down Mr. Povich proved easier than I thought; he was in the phone book! I honestly felt that contacting his son, Maury, would be easier. On my very first call, I connected with Shirley and told him of my quest. He said there was no time like the present and we got started. To my surprise, he concurred with all but two of my choices. And even those two weren't clear cut for him (more about that later). I could not have been more elated. Here was the one person in the world that was probably more qualified than anyone to render an opinion on this subject, and he was helping me. No question, Shirley and I were riding the same horse.

With that, we started around the horn, just talking baseball:

1^st base ... Lou Gehrig. Easy pick. Lifetime .340 average, 493 HR, 1990 RBI, 13 seasons of 100 or more RBI’s, 23 grand slams – an all time record . No other first baseman is even close.

2^nd base ... Rogers Hornsby. Lifetime .358. For goodness sakes, the guy averaged over .400 from 1921 to 1925. Hit over .380 8 times. I asked Shirley about his fielding. He said he was only fair, but he still led the NL in double plays in his second year.

3^rd base ... Mike Schmidt. 548 HR, 1595 RBI – more than any other 3B in ML history. Also had 174 stolen bases. Brooks Robinson and Pie Traynor, as good as they were, were not Schmidt’s equal.

SS ... Honus Wagner. Considered by many as the second greatest player ever and by others as the best fielding SS. But his strength lay in his hitting. .327 lifetime, 3418 hits, 1732 RBI while compiling 722 SB (led league 5 times). Led league at least twice in every major hitting category except HR and walks. Had 8 batting crowns. In the original 5 elected to Hall of Fame.

Outfield ... Babe Ruth. Greatest player ever. Not even close. Babe hit his 714 HR in 8,399 at bats. Took Aaron 12,364 to hit his 755. Had 2,211 RBI. Led the league in walks 11 times even though Gehrig batted behind him. Highest career slugging pct. As a pitcher, had 67-34 record – considered by some as the best pitcher of the teens. Was 3-0 in World Series play. I could go on and on, but this case is closed.

Outfield ... Willie Mays. 1903 RBI, 660 HR. That’s enough right there. But he also had a .557 slugging pct along with 338 SB and a .302 lifetime. And when you’re one of the best fielding outfielders ever, you’re a shoo-in.

Outfield ... Ted Williams. My original pick was Ty Cobb, but Shirley convinced me of Williams. .344 lifetime – Cobb .367 (highest ever); 521 HR – Cobb 118; 1839 RBI – Cobb 1961; 24 SB – Cobb 892. But remember, Williams lost 4 years due to WWII during the height of his career. Williams just edges Cobb.

Catcher ... No clear cut pick between Shirley and me. We bandied about  Bench (.267, 389 HR, 1376 RBI), Dickey (.313, 202 HR, 1209 RBI) and Berra (.285 avg, 1430 RBI, 358 HR). Any of the three would be all right. But I think now my pick would be Josh Gibson. No records to rely on, they just weren't kept. Walter Johnson said Gibson was a better catcher that Dickey. Roy Campanella called Gibson  “not only the greatest catcher but the greatest ballplayer I ever saw.” His lifetime average was .354 or .440 depending on your source. Against major league pitching in 16 exhibition games, he hit .424 with five homers. Hit some of the longest homers ever seen. Total homers are believed to be between 800 and 950.

RH Pitcher ... Walter Johnson. Played his career with a perennial loser, the Senators, yet had a .599 winning pct.(416-279). Seven straight years of 25 wins or better. Had an incredible 2.17 ERA along with 110 shutouts, a baseball record. Had he been with the Yankees his entire career, he’d have easily won 500 games. Mathewson (.665, 2.13 ERA, 373-188) or Cy Young (.620, 511-313, 2.63 ERA) are great candidates, but Johnson was better.

LH Pitcher ... Lefty Grove. 300-141. .306 ERA  An unbelievable .680 winning pct – a baseball record. Because of his contract in the International League, he didn't start pitching ML ball until he was 28! It’s hard to leave off Spahn (.590, 363-245, 3.09), but Grove was just better.

Well, that’s enough to stir the waters and cause even more arguments. But that’s what baseball fans have been doing for over a hundred years.