Baseball is America's game. For more than a century, fans have cheered the home team, booed the umpire, and argued over which players were the greatest. While many may claim football or basketball has a bigger following, baseball players have etched their way into America like none other. Simply say names like Ruth, Cobb, Mays, Aaron, and Gehrig, and everyone down to the youngest child knows exactly who is being talked about. That just doesn't happen with the names of the great football and basketball players of the past.
Everyone has an opinion of which ballplayers were the greatest of all time. Here's my list:
1st Team 1B - Lou Gehrig 2B - Jackie Robinson 3B - Mike Schmidt SS - Honus Wagner OF - Willie Mays OF - Babe Ruth OF - Ty Cobb C - Johnny Bench P - Sandy Koufax P - Nolan Ryan P - Walter Johnson P - Bob Feller Manager - Casey Stengel
2nd Team 1B - Willie McCovey 2B - Napolean Lajoie 3B - Brooks Robinson SS - Luke Appling OF - Hank Aaron OF - Ted Williams OF - Joe DiMaggio C - Yogi Berra P - Warren Spahn P - Tom Seaver P - Grover Cleveland Alexander P - Cy Young Manager - John McGraw
Honorable mention: these guys were so good, I had to mention them even
though they didn't make my first two lists: Ernie Banks, Roy Campanella, Roberto Clemente, Dizzy Dean, Whitey Ford, Jimmie Foxx, Bob Gibson, Hank Greenberg, Rogers Hornsby, Reggie Jackson, Al Kaline, Mickey Mantle, Juan Marichal, Christy Mathewson, Joe Morgan, Stan Musial, Frank Robinson, Pete Rose, Ozzie Smith, Carl Yastrzemski.