Monday, October 25, 1999

Stars of all eras

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All-Century team unites greats

The Associated Press

Hank Aaron throws out the first pitch at Sunday's game. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        ATLANTA — It is baseball's ultimate dream team, a collection of the game's best players from Ruth to Ripken, Mays to McGwire, Gehrig to Griffey and Cobb to Clemens, with a dash of Pete Rose thrown in.

        The 17 living members of the 30-player All-Century team were invited to Atlanta to be honored before Game 2 of the World Series in the greatest gathering of baseball talent ever assembled on one field.

        The team, elected by the fans, is composed entirely of Hall of Famers or those headed there. The exception is Rose, who is ineligible for Cooperstown after being banned from baseball in 1989 for gambling.

        The basic 25-man roster, elected in a nationwide balloting conducted by MasterCard, was supplemented with five players added by a special panel of baseball executives, media and historians. Rose, the alltime hit king with 4,256, was the last of nine outfielders chosen by fans.

        Joining him in the All-Century outfield were fan choices Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Ty Cobb and Ken Griffey Jr. Stan Musial was added by the special panel.

        Fan balloting chose six pitchers — Nolan Ryan, Sandy Koufax, Cy Young, Roger Clemens, Bob Gibson and Walter Johnson. Lefty Grove, Warren Spahn and Christy Mathewson were added.

        The remainder of the team had catchers Johnny Bench and Yogi Berra, first basemen Lou Gehrig and Mark McGwire, second basemen Jackie Robinson and Rogers Hornsby, shortstops Cal Ripken Jr., Ernie Banks and Honus Wagner, who was added, and third basemen Mike Schmidt and Brooks Robinson.

        Gehrig and Ruth, cornerstones of the New York Yankees Murderers Row teams in the 1920s and '30s, were the leading vote-getters. Gehrig had 1,207,992 and Ruth 1,158,044. Among the active players, Ripken received the most votes (669,033). Rose got 629,742.

        Ripken, McGwire, Griffey and Clemens were the lone ac tive players picked.

        Bench and Gibson recalled playing with many of the All-Century picks.

        “I called the pitch that Aaron hit for his 714th home run and shook his hand as he crossed the plate,” Bench said. “They made me feel a part of them.”

        “Now if Ruth and Gehrig were to walk through that door, they were mythical idols.”

        Gibson was part of Bench's generation, the man many say they would pick to pitch Game 7 of a World Series. “That would be my answer, too,” he said.

        “You're not aware until after your career who came before and who came after you. I don't know if there ever was a group as good as that group from the '60s and '70s. I don't know if that will ever happen again.”

        Gibson recalled the All-Star game ceremony and wondered if he belonged in this All-Century group. “Then I looked around,” he said, “and most of the other guys I got out.”

        And Bench said he thought the inscription on his Hall of Fame plaque was his ticket to this team. “Redefined his position,” he said, quoting it.

        Koufax was asked who he thought the best pitcher was and he picked Spahn, who won more games than any left-hander in history.

        “Not only for what he did on the field,” he said. “He'll kill me for doing this. He pitched in the whole damn century.”

       

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