Lineups for an All-Time All-Star Game

I'm glad I didn't watch the All-Star Game. I don't like the National League, and they won, 8-0. American League starter, and defending AL Most Valuable Player, Justin Verlander looked like Derek Zoolander out there!

I'm happy for ex-Yankee Melky Cabrera though. I always liked the Melkman, and trading him away to get Javier Vázquez back will always been an entry on Brian Cashman's ledger page for the What The Hell File.

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How about a better game? How about an All-Time All-Star Game?

The selections are mine, and mine alone, based on my own criteria.

The location is Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. Hey, this is a fantasy exercise, so while I'm reviving dead ballplayers, why not a dead ballpark?

Not every team gets a representative. But most do, including all the current ones. This required me to assign certain players to certain teams, even though they may not have been most associated with that team, or in a couple of cases perhaps not even with that League.

And each League gets 4 Honorable Mention inductees, included because they deserved it, even if their career statistics couldn't justify their inclusion. There will be no designated hitters, but with the hitters and pitchers on the bench, finding a decent pinch-hitter, and a decent relief pitcher to take the place of both, will be no problem.

So, here we go...

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First, the non-starters for the American League. (As the game is played at Ebbets Field, the National League is the home team, so the American League bats first, and is introduced first.)

The manager, from the New York Yankees, Number 37, Casey Stengel.

The coaching staff. From the Philadelphia Athletics, no uniform, Connie Mack. From the Chicago White Sox, Number 43, Al Lopez. And from the Oakland Athletics, Number 23, Dick Williams.

(Teams now listed in alphabetical order, and the players thereof in numerical order.)

From the Baltimore Orioles: 3rd base, Number 5, Brooks Robinson; right field, Number 20, Frank Robinson; and 1st base, Number 33, Eddie Murray.

From the Boston Red Sox: Pitcher, Number 19 (wore it in an old-timers' game, long after he retired), Cy Young; left field, Number 8, Carl Yastrzemski; pitcher, Number 21, Roger Clemens; catcher, Number 27, Carlton Fisk; pitcher, Number 38, Curt Schilling; and pitcher, Number 45, Pedro Martinez.

From the Chicago White Sox: Left field, Number 4 (his usual place in the batting order), Joe Jackson; shortstop, Number 4, Luke Appling; and pitcher, Number 16, Ted Lyons.

From the Cleveland Indians: Center field, Number 14, Larry Doby (Honorable Mention, as the AL's 1st black player); pitcher, Number 19, Bob Feller; pitcher, Number 29, Satchel Paige (Honorable Mention, as the greatest Negro League pitcher); and center field, Number 43 (wore it in an Old-Timers' game), Tris Speaker.

From the Detroit Tigers: 2nd base, Number 2, Charlie Gehringer; right field, Number 6, Al Kaline; and center field, Number 25 (wore it in an Old-Timers' game), Ty Cobb.

From the Kansas City Royals: 3rd base, Number 5, George Brett.

From the Los Angeles Angels: Pitcher, Number 30, Nolan Ryan.

From the Milwaukee Brewers (who were in the AL from 1970 to 1997): 3rd base, Number 4, Paul Molitor; and shortstop, Number 19, Robin Yount.

From the Minnesota Twins: 2nd base, Number 29, Rod Carew.

From the New York Yankees: Shortstop, Number 2, Derek Jeter; center field, Number 7, Mickey Mantle; catcher, Number 8, Bill Dickey; right field, Number 9, Roger Maris (Honorable Mention, for the single season home run record); pitcher, Number 16, Whitey Ford; pitcher, Number 18, Don Larsen (Honorable Mention, for his World Series perfect game); pitcher, Number 42, Mariano Rivera; and right field, Number 44, Reggie Jackson.

From the Oakland Athletics: Left field, Number 24, Rickey Henderson; and pitcher, Number 43, Dennis Eckersley.

From the Philadelphia Athletics: 1st base, Number 3, Jimmie Foxx; pitcher, Number 10, Lefty Grove; and pitcher, Number 11 (never wore it but I had to give him some number), Eddie Plank.

From the St. Louis Browns: 1st base, Number 4 (his usual place in the batting order), George Sisler.

From the Seattle Mariners: Center field, Number 24, Ken Griffey Jr..

From the Tampa Bay Rays: 3rd base, Number 12, Wade Boggs.

From the Texas Rangers: Catcher, Number 7, Iván Rodríguez.

And from the Toronto Blue Jays: 2nd base, Number 12, Roberto Alomar.

Now, the starting lineup:

Leading off, the 2nd baseman, from the Chicago White Sox, Number 32 (wore it as a Philadelphia Athletics coach), Eddie Collins.

Batting 2nd, the center fielder, from the New York Yankees, Number 5, Joe DiMaggio.

Batting 3rd, the right fielder, from the New York Yankees, Number 3, Babe Ruth.

Batting 4th, the 1st baseman, from the New York Yankees, Number 4, Lou Gehrig.

Batting 5th, the left fielder, from the Boston Red Sox, Number 9, Ted Williams.

Batting 6th, the 3rd baseman, from the New York Yankees, Number 13, Alex Rodriguez.  (How about that, Squawker Lisa: A-Rod starts, Jeter on the bench!)

Batting 7th, the catcher, from the New York Yankees, Number 8, Yogi Berra.

Batting 8th, the shortstop, from the Baltimore Orioles, Number 8, Cal Ripken Jr.

Batting 9th, the pitcher, from the Washington Senators, Number 21 (wore it in an Old-Timers game), Walter Johnson.

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Now, the non-starters for the National League, starting with the manager: From the New York Giants, Number 1, John McGraw.

The coaching staff. From the Los Angeles Dodgers, Number 24, Walter Alston. From the Cincinnati Reds, Number 10, Sparky Anderson. And from the Atlanta Braves, Number 6, Bobby Cox.

From the Arizona Diamondbacks: Pitcher, Number 51, Randy Johnson.

From the Atlanta Braves: 3rd base, Number 10, Chipper Jones; and pitcher, Number 31, Greg Maddux.

From the Boston Braves: Center field, Number 1, Billy Hamilton (1890s star, once the all-time stolen base leader); and pitcher, Number 21, Warren Spahn.

From the Brooklyn Dodgers: Center field, Number 4, Duke Snider; catcher, Number 39, Roy Campanella; and 2nd base, Number 42, Jackie Robinson.

From the Chicago Cubs: Shortstop, Number 14, Ernie Banks; and pitcher, Number 31, Ferguson Jenkins.

From the Cincinnati Reds: 2nd base, Number 8, Joe Morgan; shortstop, Number 11, Barry Larkin; 3rd base, Number 14, Pete Rose (yes, he's eligible, as is Shoeless Joe Jackson); and pitcher, Number 31, Johnny Vander Meer (Honorable Mention, for his back-to-back no-hitters).

From the Colorado Rockies: Right field, Number 33, Larry Walker.

From the Florida Marlins: Right field, Number 10, Gary Sheffield.

From the Houston Astros: 1st base, Number 5, Jeff Bagwell.

From the Milwaukee Braves: 3rd base, Number 41, Eddie Mathews.

From the Montreal Expos: Left field, Number 30, Tim Raines.

From the New York Giants: Right field, Number 4, Mel Ott; pitcher, Number 11, Carl Hubbell; 3rd base, Number 23, Bobby Thomson (Honorable Mention, for hitting perhaps the most famous home run ever); and pitcher, Number 66 (because his nickname was "Big Six"), Christy Mathewson.

From the New York Mets: Catcher, Number 8, Gary Carter (Reggie, take note); catcher, Number 31, Mike Piazza; and pitcher, Number 41, Tom Seaver.

From the Philadelphia Phillies: Pitcher, Number 16 (for the 16 shutouts he pitched in 1916), Grover Cleveland Alexander; pitcher, Number 32, Steve Carlton; and pitcher, Number 36, Robin Roberts.

From the Pittsburgh Pirates: 2nd base, Number 9, Bill Mazeroski (Honorable Mention, as the only man to win a World Series Game 7 with a walkoff home run); and catcher, Number 20, Josh Gibson (Honorable Mention, Negro League star with the Pittsburgh Crawfords and Homestead Grays); and right field, Number 21, Roberto Clemente.

From the Providence Grays: Pitcher, Number 60 (for his 60 -- or 59 -- wins in 1884), Charles "Old Hoss" Radbourn.

From the St. Louis Cardinals: Shortstop, Number 1, Ozzie Smith; 2nd base, Number 3, Frankie Frisch; 1st base, Number 10, Johnny Mize; left field, Number 20, Lou Brock; 1st base, Number 25, Mark McGwire; and pitcher, Number 45, Bob Gibson.

From the San Diego Padres: Right field, Number 19, Tony Gwynn.

From the San Francisco Giants: Left field, Number 25, Barry Bonds.

And from the Washington Nationals: 3rd base, Number 11, Ryan Zimmerman. (I had to pick someone, as their only Hall-of-Famer so far, Frank Robinson, was a manager.)

Now, the starting lineup:

Leading off, the shortstop, from the Pittsburgh Pirates, Number 33 (wore it as a coach), Honus Wagner.

Batting 2nd, the left fielder, from the St. Louis Cardinals, Number 6, Stan Musial.

Batting 3rd, the 2nd baseman, from the St. Louis Cardinals, Number 11 (wore it with the Cards and the Browns), Rogers Hornsby.

Batting 4th, the right fielder, from the Atlanta Braves, Number 44, Hank Aaron.

Batting 5th, the center fielder, from the San Francisco Giants, Number 24, Willie Mays.

Batting 6th, the 1st baseman, from the St. Louis Cardinals, Number 5, Albert Pujols. (Yes, I know, he's not with the Cards anymore.)

Batting 7th, the 3rd baseman, from the Philadelphia Phillies, Number 20, Mike Schmidt.

Batting 8th, the catcher, from the Cincinnati Reds, Number 5, Johnny Bench.

Batting 9th, the pitcher, from the Los Angeles Dodgers, Number 32, Sandy Koufax.

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Ladies and gentlemen, would you please rise? To honor the nations in which Major League Baseball is played, please welcome Roger Doucet, as he sings "O Canada." Sadly, I couldn't find one of him singing it at an Expos game, as he did many times. This is at hockey's World Junior Championships at the Montreal Forum.

And now, to honor America, here is... Elvis Presley!

Okay, I couldn't find one of the real Elvis singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" -- just a few impersonators. This one was better than most.

The ceremonial first ball is thrown out by the President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. I have to admit, his form has gotten a lot better since death and this fantasy cured him of polio, allowing him to toss from the mound. But I don't have a clip of that, so here is FDR, with his leg braces locked into a standup position, hanging on for dear life, trying not to show that he's handicapped, while throwing a baseball. And, oh yeah, he was 54 years old at the time.

Play ball? Not yet. I'll have the actual game for you tomorrow.