My All-Time Great Baseball Lineup...

I have always liked to bounce around the idea of my ideal starting line up if I could pick any players from the modern era (call it 1950 to the present)who would be in my starting lineup. Willie Mays is the only easy decision I had putting my "all-time" lineup togther, the rest were pretty tough and many great players did not make the list. BTW, cheaters like Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, and Roger Clemens are not eligible, neither is Ricky Henderson because he always seemed like such a pain in the rump - the Ty Cobb of his time. Here we go...

1B - Albert Pujols
2B - Jackie Robonson
SS - Ozzie Smith
3B - Brooks Robinson
C - Johnny Bench
LF - Mickey Mantle
CF - Willie Mays
RF - Ken Griffey, Jr

Some of the decisions are made with the thought of putting a line up together and rating defensive skill as an important decision criteria. It would have been easy to pick Mike Schmidt at the third base, but while a great fielder, Brooks Robinson was better and seemed a better bat control hitter versus having another "bopper" in the lineup. Similar thoughts with SS where clearly Cal Ripken and A-Rod make sense, but no one was a better fielder than Ozzie and he provides additional speed to this line up.

Batting Order....maybe

2B - Jackie Robinson
3B - Brooks Robinson
LF - Mickey Mantle
CF - Willie Mays
1B - Albert Pujols
RF - Ken Griffey, Jr
C - Johnny Bench
SS - Ozzie Smith

Starting Rotation:

Sandy Koufax
Bob Gibson
Greg Maddux
Randy Johnson
Juan Marichal

The reality is that you could come up with a second line up just as good as this one. Just off the top of my head, an outfield of Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson, and Roberto Clemente would be pretty impressive. An infield of Jeff Bagwell at first (maybe Willie McCovey instead) Joe Morgan at second, Cal Ripken at short, Mike Schmidt at third, and Yogi Berra or Roy Campanella behind the plate makes a formidable lineup.

Baseball is a game of history and statistics. It is what makes it a great game, maybe the greatest game.