ADN

Sports Illustrated also did a thing with baseball. I'm sure basketball will come soon

All-Current Team

C Joe Mauer - Only 24, with a .316 lifetime average and .396 on-base percentage.
1B Albert Pujols - Maybe the greatest start to a career in history: six straight seasons hitting .300 or better, with at least 30 homers, 100 RBIs, 100 runs and a top-four MVP finish.
2B Chase Utley - He's clearly the best second baseman in the game and getting better. His batting average has gone up four consecutive years.
SS Derek Jeter - His defense is slipping, but he is a consistent offensive force who will march well beyond 3,000 hits.
3B Alex Rodriguez - Best ever among a rare breed: a game-changing infielder.
LF Manny Ramirez - His power numbers may be down slightly this year, but he's still as pure a hitter as they come.
CF Ichiro Suzuki - A hit machine, his graceful, gliding style at bat, and in the field, is a pleasure to watch.
RF Vladimir Guerrero - He's the most dangerous offensive force in the game because he can hit absolutely anything and hit it hard. Guerrero is a great combination of power and hand-eye coordination.

SP Johan Santana
SP Roy Halladay
SP Roy Oswalt
SP Jake Peavy
SP Justin Verlander
Five reasons why young pitchers (and steroid testing) have begun to take back the game from the sluggers.
Closer Mariano Rivera - His cutter is among the greatest pitches in history. When he's on, he's a one-pitch pitcher, but hitters still can't hit what they know is coming.

Reserves Russell Martin (C), Jose Reyes (INF), Miguel Cabrera (INF), Grady Sizemore (OF), Barry Bonds (OF), Matt Holliday (OF), Trevor Hoffman (RP), CC Sabathia (SP), Ben Sheets (SP), Brandon Webb (SP), Francisco Rodriguez (RP)

Manager Jim Leyland - Excels at both in-game strategy and player motivation.
Pitching Coach Rick Peterson - His track record in Oakland and New York is too good to ignore.
Hitting Coach Rudy Jaramillo - There's a reason he's the highest-paid and longest-tenured hitting coach.



Source: Sports Illustrated

All-Time Team

C Josh Gibson (Pittsburgh Crawfords '30-37, Homestead Grays '37-46) - Gibson might never have been granted the chance to play in the major leagues -- he died three months before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947 -- but that's no reason to keep him off this team. Satchel Paige called Gibson "the greatest hitter who ever lived." Gibson hit almost 800 home runs over a 17-year career in the Negro Leagues, some of those blasts estimated at more than 500 feet. He hit .426 in all recorded at-bats against big league pitchers.
1B Lou Gehrig (NY Yankees '23-39) - So devastating a hitter was Gehrig that in a 13-year span his worst totals included 112 RBIs, 115 runs, 92 walks, a .410 OBP and a .523 slugging percentage./i]
2B Rogers Hornsby (StL Cardinals '15-26, 33, NY Giants ' 27, Boston Braves '28, Chicago Cubs '29-32, StL Browns '33-37) - The Rajah just might be the greatest right-handed hitter who ever lived -- he does own the highest career-adjusted OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of all right-handed hitters. Two Triple Crowns, two home run titles, seven batting titles, nine slugging titles and that freakish .424 batting average in 1924, when he could have endured an 0-for-30 slump and still hit .400.
SS Alex Rodriguez (Seattle Mariners '94-2000, Texas Rangers, 2001-2003, NY Yankees 2004-Present) - He deserves a place on the team and this is it. He did log eight full seasons at shortstop. Someday he should be the greatest home run hitter of all time as well as the all-time RBI champion.
3B Mike Schmidt (Philadelphia Phillies '72-89) - Here's why baseball is such a great, confounding game: At the age of 24 Schmidt was a career .197 hitter after more than 400 at-bats. Eight home run titles later -- and with 548 total dingers for his career -- Schmidt makes the all-time team.
LF Ted Williams (Boston Red Sox '39-42, '46-60) - A career .344 hitter with the highest slugging percentage of all time this side of Babe Ruth.
CF Ty Cobb (Detroit Tigers '05-26, Philadelphia Athletics '27-28) - Better than Willie Mays? Yes, he was that good. Cobb won 11 batting titles, owns the highest career batting average in history (.366) and led the league in virtually every statistical category at least once.
RF Babe Ruth (Boston Red Sox '14-19, NY Yankees '20-34, Boston Braves '35) - Only one explanation is needed: the greatest player who ever lived.

SP Walter Johnson (Washington Senators '07-27)
SP Cy Young (Cleveland Spiders 1890-98, StL Cardinals 1899-1900, Boston Red Sox '01-08, Cleveland Indians '09-11, Boston Braves '11)
SP Roger Clemens (Boston Red Sox '84-96, Toronto Blue Jays '97-98, NY Yankees '99-2003, '07-Present, Houston Astros 2004-06)
SP Lefty Grove (Philadelphia Athletics '25-33, Boston Red Sox '34-41)
SP Christy Mathewson (NY Giants 1900-16)
To make this rotation you need a spectacular peak and longevity. If Pedro Martinez can extend his career, he just might knock a legend out of this rotation.
Closer Mariano Rivera (NY Yankees '95-Present) - The October component leaves him without competition. In 73 career postseason games, Rivera has been beaten once and thrown 112 2/3 innings with a 0.80 ERA.

Reserves Pudge Rodriguez (C), Stan Musial (INF), Honus Wagner (INF), Hank Aaron (OF), Willie Mays (OF), Mickey Mantle (OF), Pedro Martinez (SP), Greg Maddux (SP), Randy Johnson (SP), Sandy Koufax (SP), Pete Alexander (RP)

Manager John McGraw (Baltimore Orioles 1899-1902, NY Giants 1902-32) - Holds the all-time record with a career managerial mark of 815 wins over .500.
Pitching Coach Johnny Sain (Pitcher from '42-'56 and pitching coach for 6 teams) - Mentor to Leo Mazzone and others, the master of teaching the art of changing speeds.
Hitting Coach Charley Lau (Catcher from '56-67 and hitting coach for 5 teams) - Popularized the "weight shift" style of hitting.



Source: Sports Illustrated

Babe Ruth the greatest player who ever lived..?

Shit, I'll put my chips on A-Rod for that honor, even now...

All-Future (2012) Team

C Joe Mauer - Gets the edge over Brian McCann because of athleticism and defense.
1B Albert Pujols - Only 27 and averaging 200 hits and 42 homers per 162 games.
2B Chase Utley - What's not to like? A second baseman with a .520 slugging percentage and one of the best, smartest runners in baseball.
SS Jose Reyes - Rare player who has improved his plate discipline dramatically at the big-league level.
3B Alex Rodriguez - His next five seasons will take him to 37 years old and 700 home runs.
LF Matt Holliday - Terrific hitter, though his career home/road splits (.362/.269) suggest he could be another Coors Field creation.
CF Grady Sizemore - If you're starting a franchise, he must be among the five players you'd consider for your top pick.
RF Justin Upton - Big-time bat who could be a Ken Griffey Jr.-type impact player. Now, all the Diamondbacks need to do is establish a regular position for him.

SP Johan Santana
SP Felix Hernandez
SP Francisco Liriano
SP Andrew Miller
SP Justin Verlander
Don't forget about Liriano, who was on his way to a Cy Young Award last year before blowing out his elbow.
Closer Francisco Rodriguez - Still only 25, with 130 career saves and a 2.28 ERA.

Reserves Russell Martin (C), Hanley Ramirez (INF), Miguel Cabrera (INF), Prince Fielder (INF), Cameron Maybin (OF), Carl Crawford (OF), Jake Peavy (SP), Joel Zumaya (RP), Clayton Kershaw (SP), CC Sabathia (SP), Clay Buchholz (SP)

Manager Omar Vizquel - So smart he might be able to jump right into a job without a minor-league apprenticeship.
Pitching Coach Greg Maddux - No one knows pitching better. The question is, will he want to stay in the game?
Hitting Coach Mark Loretta - Career .299 hitter with four teams could also be managerial material.



Source: Sports Illustrated

Yea, I'm not too big of a fan of his All-Time Team. I think Dennis Eckersley, Ozzie Smith, Brooks Robinson, and if they add a DH then Edgar Martinez. Also, you can't overlook Jonny Bench and Pete Rose as catchers. They should make the team also. Hell, even Griffey Jr. in his prime should make the all-time team. But that's just because I'm a huge Griffey fan

I met Brooks Robinson, got some pictures with him... and even got an auto'd Brooks Robinson bat with his names brazened into the wood.

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.c ... ID=8267936

That's an awesome picture RR. I would love to meet him

The story I wrote on it is here: http://www.rotorob.com/baseball/a-night ... -robinson/

He was great! Funny, friendly, and talked with anyone that wanted to talk to him.

Definitely some cool shit Ruff...

I'm not a big baseball fan, so I can't really speak on many of these picks...But I do know this, baseball today is MUCH harder to play than it was when The Babe and all those guys are playing...They want to put up asterisks for guys on roids, but I bet if they had let a black guy in the MLB when Ty Cobb was playing he would have quit baseball, lol...

IMO, if Babe were playing today, he would have been what John Kruk was...Good, but not great...

I agree... nobody was burning fastballs down the strike zone at 100 MPH back in the days. They threw hard, but more around the mid 80's I bet. If Satchel Page would have made it to MLB before/during his prime... WATCH OUT!

Next time I see you AYHJA, I will wear a Negro League throwback jersey... JUST FOR YOU!