February 2, 1936: The 1st Baseball Hall of Fame Election

Top left: Christy Mathewson. Top right: Honus Wagner.

Center: Ty Cobb.

Bottom left: Babe Ruth. Bottom right: Walter Johnson.

February 2, 1936, 90 years ago: The Baseball Hall of Fame holds its 1st election for players.

Members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) were given authority to select individuals from the 20th Century; while a special Veterans Committee, made up of individuals with greater familiarity with the 19th Century game, was polled to select deserving individuals from that era. The intent was for 15 honorees to be selected before the ceremony that would open the Hall's Museum in 1939: 10 from the 20th Century and 5 from the 19th; and that additional players from both eras would be selected in later years.

The Voters were given free rein to decide for themselves in which group a candidate belonged, with neither group knowing the outcome of the other election; some candidates had their vote split between the elections as a result: Cy Young, the pitcher with most wins in Major League history, finished 8th in the BBWAA vote, and 4th in the Veterans vote.

In addition, there was no prohibition on voting for active players, a number of whom received votes. Individuals who had been banned from baseball, such as "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and Hal Chase, were also not formally excluded, though few voters chose to include them on ballots.

In the BBWAA election, voters were instructed to cast votes for 10 candidates, the same number of desired selections. In the Veterans' election, voters were also instructed to vote for 10, although the desire for only 5 initial selections led to revisions in the way the votes were counted. Any candidate receiving votes on at least 75 percent of the ballots in either election would be honored with induction to the Hall upon its opening in the sport's supposed centennial year of 1939.

A total of 226 ballots were cast, with 2,231 individual votes for 47 specific candidates, an average of 9.87 per ballot. 170 votes were required for election.

Player	Votes	Percent
Ty Cobb	222	98.2
Babe Ruth	215	95.1
Honus Wagner	215	95.1
Christy Mathewson	205	90.7
Walter Johnson	189	83.6
Nap Lajoie	146	64.6
Tris Speaker	133	58.8
Cy Young	111	49.1
Rogers Hornsby	105	46.4
Mickey Cochrane	80	35.3
George Sisler	77	34.0
Eddie Collins	60	26.5
Jimmy Collins	58	25.6
Grover Cleveland Alexander	55	24.3
Lou Gehrig	51	22.5
Roger Bresnahan	47	20.7
Willie Keeler	40	17.6
Rube Waddell	33	14.6
Jimmie Foxx	21	9.2
Ed Walsh	20	8.8
Ed Delahanty	17	7.5
Pie Traynor	16	7.1
Frankie Frisch	14	6.1
Lefty Grove	12	5.3
Hal Chase	11	4.8
Ross Youngs	10	4.4
Bill Terry	9	3.9
Johnny Kling	8	3.5
Lou Criger	7	3.1
Mordecai Brown	6	2.6
Johnny Evers	6	2.6
Frank Chance	5	2.2
John McGraw	4	1.7
Ray Schalk	4	1.7
Al Simmons	4	1.7
Chief Bender	2	0.8
Joe Jackson	2	0.8
Edd Roush	2	0.8
Frank Baker	1	0.4
Bill Bradley	1	0.4
Fred Clarke	1	0.4
Sam Crawford	1	0.4
Kid Elberfeld	1	0.4
Connie Mack	1	0.4
Rube Marquard	1	0.4
Nap Rucker	1	0.4
Dazzy Vance	1	0.4
Charlie Gehringer	0	0
Gabby Hartnett	0	0
Billy Sullivan	0	0

Note: All players whose names are in italics here have since been elected. Eddie Collins and Jimmy Collins were not related, but they were teammates, on the 1907 and 1908 Philadelphia Athletics, at the end of Jimmy's playing career and near the beginning of Eddie's.

Still active at the time of the vote: Hornsby, Cochrane, Gehrig, Foxx, Traynor, Frisch, Grove, Simmons, Gehringer and Hartnett. Ruth had played his last game only 8 months earlier.

The Hall would eventually ban from its balloting all players declared ineligible by Major League Baseball, so, as of February 2, 2022, Chase and Jackson have never been elected. Nor have, from this list, Kling, Criger, Bradley, Elberfeld and Rucker. None of those have many advocates at this point. 

Cobb finished 1st in the voting. This made him, unofficially, not just in baseball, but the 1st member of any major sport's Hall of Fame. As time passed, however, despite neither man playing a game in the interim -- Ruth was the most recently-retired of the 5, having played his last game on May 30, 1935 -- Ruth came to surpass Cobb in fans' minds as the greatest player in the history of the sport.

Brief profiles:

* Tyrus Raymond Cobb, born on December 18, 1886 in Narrows, Georgia, and grew up in Royston, Georgia. Nicknamed "The Georgia Peach."

Center field, Detroit Tigers, 1905-26; Philadelphia Athletics, 1927-28. .366 lifetime batting average, still an all-time record. 4,189 hits, formerly a record, still 2nd all-time. 892 stolen bases, formerly a record. 168 OPS+. (His hit total had long been listed as 4,191, and thus his batting average at .367, but a later check of records showed that 1 game, and thus 2 of his hits, had mistakenly been counted twice.)

This photo is colorized, but real.

* George Herman Ruth Jr., born on February 6, 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland, and grew up there. Nicknamed "Babe" because his teammates, referring to the scout who signed him, called him "Jack Dunn's Baby." Also known as "The Great Bambino," "The Sultan of Swat," and a lot of similar hard-hitting royal nicknames.

Boston Red Sox, 1914-19; New York Yankees, 1920-34; Boston Braves, 1935. As a pitcher, most of it from 1914 to 1918: 94-46 record, 2.28 ERA, 122 ERA+, 1.159 WHIP, so he was on his way to a Hall of Fame level at that before his hitting meant that he had to be was switched to an everyday player. As an offensive player, mostly from 1918 onward: .342 batting average. 714 home runs, formerly a record. 2,214 RBIs, formerly a record. .474 on-base percentage, 2nd all-time. .690 slugging percentage, still a record. 206 OPS+, still a record. 

The Yankees did not put the interlocking N-Y logo

on their jerseys permanently until 1936,

so Ruth never wore such a jersey.

* John Peter Wagner, born February 24, 1874 in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, outside Pittsburgh. Being of German descent, he was called the German variation of John, "Hans," which became "Honus." Known for his speed as "The Flying Dutchman," keeping in mind that "Dutch" was a name given to people of German descent, as well as to people descended from the Netherlands.

Shortstop, Louisville Colonels, 1897-99; Pittsburgh Pirates, 1900-17. .328 batting average. 3,420 hits, the record until surpassed by Cobb. 723 stolen bases. Considered the best defensive player of his era. 151 OPS+.

* Christopher Mathewson, born August 12, 1880 in Factoryville, in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. Nicknamed "Christy," "Matty" and "Big Six," because he was 6 feet tall, at a time when that was considered big. Pitcher, New York Giants, 1900-16, concluding that last year with the Cincinnati Reds. 373-188, 2.13 ERA, 136 ERA+, 1.058 WHIP.

Colorized, but definitely a photo, not a painting.

* Walter Perry Johnson, born November 6, 1887 in Humboldt, Kansas, and grew up in Fullerton, California, outside Los Angeles. Nicknamed "The Big Train" early in his career, and "Old Barney" in his later years. Pitcher, Washington Senators, 1907-27. 417-279, 2.17 ERA, 147 ERA+ 1.061 WHIP.

These men became known as "The First Five," or "The First Class." Their plaques are located in an X pattern, with leading vote-getter Cobb's in the middle, at the center of the back wall of the Hall's Gallery.

Cobb was infamous for being difficult to get along with, including with Ruth, but the men eventually put aside their personal and, in terms of baseball playing, stylistic rivalry, and formed a friendship. Cobb had no problem getting along with the others, nor did any of them with each other.

Cobb visiting with Mathewson, 1911 World Series

In 1999, The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Baseball Players. Ruth had last played 64 years earlier; Cobb, 71; Johnson, 72; Wagner, 82; Mathewson, 83. The number of people who could accurately remember watching them play was already pretty small. The rankings: Ruth came in 1st, Cobb 3rd, Johnson 4th, Mathewson 7th, Wagner 13th. (In between: Willie Mays was 2nd, Hank Aaron 5th, Lou Gehrig 6th, Ted Williams 8th, Hornsby 9th, Stan Musial 10th, Joe DiMaggio 11th, and Alexander 12th.)

In 2022, ESPN listed their Top 100. Ruth's last game was now further back that Mathewson's was in the earlier vote. Ruth came in 1st again, with David Schoenfeld writing for their article, "The baseball we watch today is Babe Ruth's game. Many players make an impact, a few become folk heroes, but nobody changed a sport like Ruth did when he joined the Yankees and transformed baseball into a game of power."

Cobb came in 4th, Johnson 9th, Wagner 12th, Mathewson 25th. (In between: Mays 2nd, Aaron 3rd, Williams 5th, Gehrig 6th, Mickey Mantle 7th, Barry Bonds a steroid-aided 8th, Musial 10th, Pedro Martinez a stupid 11th, Ken Griffey Jr. 13th, Greg Maddux 14th, Mike Trout a laughable 15th, DiMaggio 16th, Roger Clemens 17th, Mike Schmidt 18th, Frank Robinson 19th, Hornsby 20th, Young 21st, Tom Seaver 22nd, Rickey Henderson 23rd, and Randy Johnson -- no relation to Walter, although nearly as fast -- 24th.)

Lajoie, Speaker and Young were elected to the Hall of Fame in its 2nd election, in 1937; Alexander in 1938; Anson, Eddie Collins, Ewing, Keeler, Radbourn, Sisler and, in a special election due to his fatal illness, Gehrig, in 1939.

In addition, elected as managers were Connie Mack and John McGraw in 1937; elected as executives or "pioneers" were Morgan Bulkeley, Ban Johnson and George Wright in 1937; Alexander Cartwright and Henry Chadwick in 1938; and Charles Comiskey, Candy Cummings and Al Spalding in 1939.

So there were 25 inductees when the Hall had its opening ceremony in Cooperstown, New York, already known not to really be the sport's birthplace, on June 12, 1939. There were 11 still alive: Cobb, Ruth, Wagner, Johnson, Lajoie, Speaker, Young, Alexander, Eddie Collins, Sisler and Mack. Transportation links being what they were at the time, Cobb had difficulty getting there, and arrived just too late to appear in the photograph taken of the other 10.

Cobb did turn out to be the last survivor of the First Five, living until 1961. Mathewson had died in 1925, well before the vote; Johnson in 1946, and Ruth in 1948; both too young and from cancer; and Wagner in 1955. Sisler was the last of the Initial Inductees, living until 1973.

October 15, 1925: Walter Johnson's Rainy Last Stand

Walter Johnson

October 15, 1925, 100 years ago: The World Series comes to a soggy end at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. It is one of the rare major league sports finals that is better remembered for the losing side, or for someone on it.

In the American League, the Washington Senators, winners of the previous season's World Series, won the Pennant again, by 8 1/2 games over the resurgent Philadelphia Athletics, getting into their 1st Pennant race in 11 years. Bucky Harris, their 28-year-old 2nd baseman and "Boy Manager," led a team highlighted by Walter Johnson, the "Big Train," one of the greatest pitchers who ever lived. The winningest pitcher in American League history finally became a World Series hero the year before, pitching innings 9 through 12 of Game 7 against the New York Giants.

The New York Yankees, who the Senators had edged the season before, and had won the previous 3 Pennants, fell apart: Babe Ruth developed a mysterious illness in Spring Training that kept him out for a month and a half, and several other established stars simply stopped hitting. They would be replaced by new players who would lead a new dynasty starting the next season, including Lou Gehrig.

In the National League, the Giants' 4-year run as Pennant winners came to an end, as they finished 8 1/2 games ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Only pitcher Charles "Babe" Adams, now 43 but a rookie on their 1909 World Series winners, remained on that team. Their hitting stars included slick-fielding 3rd baseman Harold "Pie" Traynor, right fielder Hazen "Kiki" Cuyler, and speedy center fielder Max Carey, who was not well-known for his nickname, although it was "Scoops," which suggests he was a very good fielder.

*

October 7, 1925: Game 1 was played at Forbes Field. a Wednesday. Johnson started for the Senators, and he was aided by a home run by Joe Harris (no relation to Bucky), as the Senators win, 4-1. The only Pirate run came on a home run by Traynor. In the 5th inning, Peckinpaugh made an error, but it didn't amount to anything.

Late in the game, word reached the ballpark of the death that day of Christy Mathewson, the star pitcher for the Giants in the 1900s and 1910s. A series of lung ailments led to his death at the age of 45. The flag at Forbes Field was lowered to half-staff, and it remained so there and at Griffith Stadium in opposing Washington for the remainder of the Series. The Commissioner of Baseball, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, orders that black armbands be applied to both teams' uniforms, even though Mathewson had never been involved with either of the teams playing.

October 8, 1925: Game 2 was played at Forbes Field. Home runs were hit in the 2nd by the Senators' Joe Judge and in the 4th by the Pirates' Glenn Wright. In the 8th, Peckinpaugh made an error that did end up mattering, which that led to a home run by Cuyler. He made another error later in the inning, which did not matter. The Senators loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the 9th, but they only got 1 run home, and the Senators won, 3-2. The Series was tied going to Washington.

*

October 10, 1925: Game 3 was played at Griffith Stadium. Peckinpaugh made his 4th error of the Series in the 6th, which led to an unearned run. Joe Harris singled home a run to put the Senators up 4-3 in the bottom of the 7th.

In the 8th, Earl Smith hit a drive to right-center field. Sam Rice leapt for it, and fell into the temporary stands that had been constructed. For a moment, a World Series crowd went silent, not knowing what had happened. Rice stood up, and held up the ball, indicating that he had made the catch. The umpires ruled the catch legal, and the Senators hung on to win, going up 2-1.

Sam Rice

Edgar Charles Rice (one of his minor-league managers changed his name to "Sam") is one of several great players virtually forgotten because their team no longer exists in its current form: They became the Minnesota Twins in 1961. And don't look for his retired uniform number anywhere: While he did last in the major leagues until 1934 and did wear numbers, none is retired for him, anywhere. If one was -- he wore 2 for the Senators in 1931 and 22 for them in 1932 and '33 -- he might be better remembered.

He might also be better remembered if he'd gotten into the 3,000 Hit Club. Instead, he fell just short: He collected 2,987 hits, the closest any player has gotten to 3,000 without getting it. (Unless you count Stan Ross, the Bernie Mac character in Mr. 3000.)

Rice later said, "The truth of the matter is, I did not even know how many hits I had. A couple of years after I quit, (Senators owner) Clark Griffith told me about it, and asked me if I'd care to have a comeback with the Senators and pick up those 13 hits. But I was out of shape, and didn't want to go through all that would have been necessary to make the effort. Nowadays, with radio and television announcers spouting records every time a player comes to bat, I would have known about my hits and probably would have stayed to make 3,000 of them."

He had a .322 lifetime batting average, a 112 OPS+, 498 doubles, 184 triples, and 351 stolen bases. He is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. But, today, when he is remembered at all, he is remembered for his 1925 World Series catch. Too bad there's no film of it: While a highlight film did capture some action in that Series, the catch is not part of it.

Also on October 10, the football team of the Olympic Club of San Francisco traveled across San Francisco Bay, and beat the University of California 15-0, in front of a crowd of 50,000 at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley.

This ended a 50-game unbeaten streak for the Golden Bears, who had been 46-0-4. They hadn't lost since November 27, 1919, away to the University of Washington. The stadium was nicknamed "The House That Andy Built," as head coach Andy Smith made the team so good, ticket receipts alone covered the $1.4 million cost in 1923. It was seriously renovated in 2012.

Coaching took a severe toll on Smith, who went just 6-3 with Cal in 1925. On a visit to Philadelphia, where he had coached the University of Pennsylvania from 1909 to 1912, he was hospitalized with pneumonia, and died on January 8, 1926, only 49 years old. His career coaching record was 116-32-13, including 74-16-7 at Cal.

Also on this day, James Buchanan Duke died at his mansion at 1 East 78th Street, on 5th Avenue across from Central Park in New York. He was 68. "Buck" Duke is essentially the father of the American cigarette industry, and is thus responsible for the deaths of millions of people.

He's also responsible for the Duke Endowment, which contributed $40 million after his death (about $594 million in today's money) to Trinity College in his hometown of Durham, North Carolina. In his memory, it was renamed Duke University. So he's also responsible, if rather indirectly, for Coach K and the Cameron Crazies.

The James B. Duke House now hosts the New York University Institute of Fine Arts.

*

October 11, 1925: Game 4 was played at Griffith Stadium. Leon "Goose" Goslin, the greatest player ever to come from South Jersey -- he's in the Hall of Fame, and, as of the end of the 2025 regular season, Mike Trout does not yet have the career stats to get in -- and Joe Harris hit home runs. Johnson needed no more than that, as he pitched a 6-hit shutout. The Senators won, 4-0, and went up 3-1. Just 1 more win to go.

Washington baseball would not find that 1 more win for another 94 years.

On the same day, having already played some minor and semi-pro teams, the New York Giants football team plays its 1st game against an actual NFL team, although it's not one that most modern fans will recognize. At the Cycledrome in Providence, Rhode Island, a stadium built for bicycle racing (a big sport in the Roaring Twenties), they lose 14-0 to the Providence Steam Roller.

This team, officially having no S on the end, was no pushover, and deserves to be remembered today: It will win the NFL Championship in 1928 (73 years before the Patriots will win New England’s next NFL title), and host the NFL’s first night game in 1930 (5 years before Major League Baseball allows games to be played under lights), before the Great Depression put it out of business in 1931.

Although the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Providence Bruins are at the highest minor-league levels in their respective sports, the State of Rhode Island has never had another major league sports team: The closest they've come since is the Patriots, who since 1971 have played in stadiums in Foxboro, Massachusetts, 10 miles from the State Line, and closer to Kennedy Square in Providence than to Downtown Crossing in Boston.

Also on this day, Elmore John Leonard Jr. was born in New Orleans, but grew up in Detroit and was a hard-core Tigers fan. Or, perhaps I should say, "hard-boiled," as he was the writer of hard-boiled crime fiction.

Among his works that got turned into movies are Hombre (a Paul Newman film), 3:10 to Yuma
(made with Glenn Ford and Van Heflin in 1957, and Russell Crowe and Christian Bale in 2007), Mr. Majestyk (starring Charles Bronson), Get Shorty (with John Travolta), Out of Sight (in which George Clooney is a thief fooling around with the cop trying to catch him, played by Jennifer Lopez), and Rum Punch (which became the Quentin Tarantino film Jackie Brown starring Pam Grier). He is also responsible for the story that became the TV series Justified. He died in 2013.

*

October 12, 1925: The Senators wanted to wrap the Series up at home in Game 5. But the Pirates took a 2-1 lead in the 3rd, a 4-2 lead in the 7th, and won, 6-3, despite a 3rd homer in the Series by Joe Harris. Peckinpaugh made an error in the 6th inning, his 5th of the Series.

October 13, 1925: Game 6 was played back in Pittsburgh. Goslin hit a home run in the 1st inning, and the Senators made it 2-0 in the 2nd. But the Pirates tied the game in the 3rd, and Eddie Moore hit a home run in the 5th, giving the Pirates a 3-2 lead the held to the end, tying the Series. Peckinpaugh made his 6th error of the Series in the 7th inning.

Also on this day, Leonard Alfred Schneider was born in Mineola, Long Island, New York. We knew him as Lenny Bruce. According to sportswriter Dick Schaap, who collaborated with Lenny on his book Stamp Help Out!, Lenny attended only 1 Major League Baseball game in his short life (he died from drugs on August 3, 1966). It was as Schaap's guest, as a birthday present. It was October 13, 1960, and it was Game 7 of the World Series, the Bill Mazeroski Game, another World Series that the Pirates won in improbable fashion. Lenny wasn't a baseball fan, but he told Schaap he liked the drama.

Also on this day, Margaret Hilda Roberts was born in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England. How about that: Lenny Bruce and Margaret Thatcher were born on the exact same day. He didn't live long enough to have heard of her. If he had, with his sick sense of humor, I suspect there would have been a few jokes about her sex life (possibly suggesting that she had none), and about Bobby Sands (possibly, "For letting him starve, she can eat me!") and the Brighton Bombing.

One thing's for sure: In serving as Prime Minister of Britain, the 1st woman to do so, from 1979 to 1990, "The Iron Lady" treated all English soccer fans as if they were hooligans. She is widely believed to have been involved in the cover-up of the police's actions, both the negligent ones and the intentionally harmful ones, at the Hillsborough Stadium Disaster on April 15, 1989.

When her friend and fellow 1980s conservative icon, Ronald Reagan, died in 2004, most of his political opponents maintained a respectful silence. When the Iron Bitch died in 2013, a majority of Great Britain cheered, and was more than willing to say what a horrible person she was.

October 14, 1925: Game 7 was supposed to be played at Forbes Field, but the game was called off due to rain. They would have to try again tomorrow.

*

October 15, 1925: A steady downpour, continuing from the day before into this day, has left the field at Forbes Field a muddy mess, as Game 7 of the World Series is scheduled to be played. The weather forecast suggested rain for the next 3 days for both cities involved, Pittsburgh and Washington. So moving the game to Washington would have been pointless, and Commissioner Landis was anxious to get it over with. So, they would play through the rain.

I've never seen film of this game. I don't even know if any survives, although YouTube has footage from earlier in the Series, and of the Game 7s of 1924 and 1926. Maybe the film crews didn't want to risk getting electrocuted in the rain. At any rate, all we have to go on for the inclement weather are news reports.

On August 8, 2025, as commemorations for the 100th Anniversary of this Series began, I saw a photograph of a rather dubious method of drying the infield: Dousing it with gasoline and setting it on fire.

This insane tactic actually happened. It wasn't the only time, either.

But it would have been just plain wrong to play if the rain were as bad as what Philadelphia and Tampa Bay faced when Game 5 of the 2008 Series was suspended. There was a 6-day delay due to rain in 1911, and there were 3-day delays in 1962 and 1975. It could have been done again.

It was a short day for Pirate starter Vic Aldridge: 3 walks and 2 hits‚ and he was out of there with just 1 out in the 1st. Walter Johnson took a 4-0 lead to the mound. In what became known as "Johnson's Last Stand," the Bucs clobbered the 38-year-old Big Train for 15 hits‚ good for 24 total bases. Max Carey's 4-for-5 gave him a Series-high batting average of .458.

The Senators made the most of 7 hits‚ scoring 7 runs. But in the bottom of the 7th, Eddie Moore led off with a grounder to short, and Peckinpaugh made his 7th error. Carey doubled the run home. Cuyler bunted Carey over to 3rd base. Clyde Barnhart grounded out, and Carey couldn't score. But Traynor hit a triple down the right-field line, and that scored Carey. Traynor tried to stretch it into an inside-the-park home run, but was thrown out at the plate.

In the top of the 8th, Peckinpaugh hit a home run‚ the 12th homer of the Series by both teams combined‚ then a Series record, despite Forbes Field and Washington's Griffith Stadium both having some of the most distant fences in the game. That made it 7-6 Senators.

With the rain still coming down, Johnson got the 1st 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th. But Earl Smith doubled, and Pirate manager Owen "Donie" Bush sent Emil Yde (that's "EE-dee"), normally a pitcher, in to pinch-run for him. Johnson walked Moore. Carey grounded to short, and Peckinpaugh tried to turn a force play at 2nd. But he made a bad throw, his 8th error. The bases were loaded, and Cuyler cleared them with a double down the right field line. Red Oldham, in relief of Ray Kremer, got the Senators out 1-2-3 in the 9th, and the Pirates were 9-7 victors.

Roger Peckinpaugh

They became the 1st team to come from 3 games to 1 down to win a World Series. They would also be the 3rd and the 4th, in 1971 and 1979, respectively, both times against the Baltimore Orioles. The 2nd would be the 1958 Yankees, against the Milwaukee Braves.

Peckinpaugh's 8 errors are still a record for a single World Series. The rest of the Senators combined only made 1 error in the 7 games.

In the next day's New York Times, James Harrison wrote, "In a grave of mud was buried Walter Johnson's ambition to join the select panel of pitchers who have won three victories in one World Series. With mud shackling his ankles and water running down his neck, the grand old man of baseball succumbed to weariness, a sore leg, wretched support and the most miserable weather conditions that ever confronted a pitcher."

The last surviving member of the 1925 Pirates was shortstop Glenn Wright, who lived until 1984.

Old-Time Pitchers: 5 Who Would Be Great In the Modern Era (And 5 Who Would Have Trouble)

April 14, 1920, 100 years ago today: Babe Ruth makes his debut for the New York Yankees. It doesn't go so well for them: They lose 3-1 to the Philadelphia Athletics, at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.

In the 1st inning, Wally Pipp hit a home run, followed immediately by Ruth's 1st Yankee at-bat, a single to right field. He then struck out in the 4th, beat out a grounder to 2nd base in the 6th, and popped up to 3rd base in the 8th. So he went 2-for-4.

But, for the A's, Cy Perkins hit a game-tying home run in the 5th, and the Yankees' center fielder misplayed a fly ball in the 8th, leading to the winning runs, as Philadelphia's Scott Perry outpitched Yankee ace Bob Shawkey. The Yankees' center fielder that day? Babe Ruth. Yes, "the GOAT" (Greatest Of All Time) was "the goat" (scapegoat).

The 1920 season was a watershed for baseball. It wasn't just that Ruth hit home runs farther and more frequently than anyone had before. Pitching changed as well. Doctoring the baseball -- scuffing it, and putting various substances on it, including human saliva, all of which got put under the category of "spitball" -- was banned. Also, new balls were put into play as soon as possible, to keep them whiter and easier to see, thus less dangerous.

As a result, a new era of big hitting began, the Lively Ball Era. And pitching feats like winning 30 games in a season fell by the wayside.

Some pitchers who were great before 1920 managed to adjust. Some didn't. Some didn't get that far, having already retired.

There have been other major changes since. After "The Year of the Pitcher" in 1968, the pitcher's mound was lowered from 15 inches high at its crest to 10 inches. The strike zone, allegedly, has also been changed. We still saw lots of "high strikes" in the 1970s, but in the 1980s, they became fewer and farther between.

I wonder: Which pitchers from the Dead Ball Era (1900 to 1919) -- or even the pre-Divisional Play Era (up until 1968) would have excelled in today's game? And which would have had trouble?

10. Would Be Great: Cy Young

Denton True Young (pictured above) originally had the nickname "Cyclone," because an early minor-league manager said the fence he was throwing his fastball against looked like a cyclone, or a tornado, had hit it. It was shortened to "Cy." Good thing he wasn't called "Tornado": You think MLB would have established a "Tor Young Award"?

He pitched in the majors from 1890 to 1911, and he successfully adjusted to both the 1893 and the 1901-03 changes. Given that he began to rely more on his curveball as he got older, I have no doubt that he could have handled big sluggers -- be they Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson or Aaron Judge -- with finesse.

The trick would have been to see how he would have adjusted to pitch or innings limits. Cy didn't just win an all-time far-and-away record 511 games: He pitched 7,356 innings, including 749 complete games. Don't show those stats to Brian Cashman, or he might have a stroke.

9. Would Have Had Trouble: Jack Chesbro (And Any Other Spitballer)

"Happy Jack" pitched in the majors from 1899 to 1909, winning Pennants with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1901 and 1902, and almost doing so with the Yankees (then known as the New York Highlanders) in 1904, winning 41 games. However, his spitball got away from him in his last start, resulting in a wild pitch that let in the winning run, costing the proto-Yankees the game against the Boston Red Sox (then known as the Boston Americans) and giving them the Pennant.

These days, finding a catcher who can catch a decent knuckleball is hard. Can you imagine finding one willing to catch regularly doctored balls? From guys like Chesbro? Ed Walsh? Stan Coveleski? Red Faber? Burleigh Grimes? All 5 of those guys made the Hall of Fame. They would have to have adjusted to not having their "money pitch" today, as well as to today's boom-boom-boom game.

8. Would Be Great: Christy Mathewson

Pitching for the New York Giants from 1900 to 1916, "Big Six" won 373 games. He had the greatest array of pitches the game had yet seen. A good fastball, a good curveball, and he was the 1st major league pitcher to master the screwball, which he called the "fadeaway." There aren't too many guys today who can hit it.

Most of all, Matty had exceptional control. And he was hailed as the smartest pitcher of his era. It's not hard to imagine him "pitching with his head," like Catfish Hunter or David Cone.

7. Would Have Had Trouble: Walter Johnson

In their 1981 book The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time, Lawrence S. Ritter and Donald Honig wrote, "He had just one pitch, a fastball -- but what a fastball!" The fastest pitcher of his era? It helped "The Big Train" win 417 games from 1907 to 1927, 1st all-time in American League play, including a record 113 shutouts, and his record of 3,508 strikeouts stood until 1983.

But without a 2nd pitch, managers would be skeptical. He might be converted into a reliever. A closer with just a fastball? How well does that work for today's fastest pitcher, Aroldis Chapman? Usually, very well. Sometimes, however... Let's face it: Jose Altuve didn't need anyone to cheat, he knew a fastball was coming.

6. Would Be Great: Grover Cleveland Alexander

"Old Pete" pitched from 1911 to 1930, and won 373 games (tied with Mathewson for 3rd all-time and 1st among National Leaguers -- Cy Young spread his 511 over both Leagues) against just 208 losses. From 1911 to 1920, he had 6 seasons of at least 27 wins, 3 of at least 30. But from 1921 to 1930, he still managed seasons of 22-12 (at age 36), 12-5, 21-10 and 16-9.

In 1923, 1926 and 1927, he led the NL in WHIP (not that anyone knew about that stat at the time). From 1921 onward, he had 7 seasons with an ERA+ of at least 120 (making him 20 percent better, or more, at preventing runs than the average pitcher of the time), and peaked at 160 in 1927 -- at age 40, his 21-10 season.

Thanks to the 1952 film The Winning Team, starring Ronald Reagan in the role, the image of Alexander now is of the old drunk coming in because he was needed to save the day for the St. Louis Cardinals against the Yankees in Game 7 of the 1926 World Series, and working through both the hangover and the Bronx Bombers to do it. By his own account, he wasn't hungover at the time, but he did mix his pitches up to strike Tony Lazzeri out. That shows quick thinking.

Also, today, both his alcoholism (already present before he served in World War I, but what he dealt with in the war made it worse) and his epilepsy (which began in the war) would be properly treated. There was no Betty Ford (or, given his era and the epilepsy, Ida McKinley) Center back then. There is now. And medication would have helped. "Alexander the Great" could absolutely have been a good pitcher had he come along 100 years later, especially since he wouldn't have had to go off to war.

5. Would Have Had Trouble: Dizzy Dean

But another Cardinal great wouldn't be. Jay Hanna Dean might have had the talent to pitch today, but nobody would put up with his antics. His braggadocio would have ticked his teammates off, never mind the opposition. On September 21, 1934, he and his brother Paul, a.k.a. Daffy Dean, both pitched shutouts in a doubleheader. Except Paul's was also a no-hitter. And Diz said, "Gee, Paul, if I'd a-known you was gonna throw a no-hitter, I'd a-thrown one, too." As it turned out, that was something Diz ended up never doing.

It's easy to imagine "Ol' Diz" getting into a feud with an opposing hitter with a big mouth. It's easy to imagine him getting into a Twitter war, something not possible in the 1930s.

If you're familiar with his career, you know that a good but not great Cardinal team won the 1934 World Series mainly on the right arms of Diz (30-7, the last 30-win season in the NL, plus 2-1 in the Series) and Daff (19-11, plus 2-0 in the Series).

You may also know that, in the 1937 All-Star Game, Diz took a line drive off the bat of Earl Averill off his foot. Looking at an X-ray, the doctor told him that the big toe was fractured. Diz said, "Fractured, hell, the damn thing's broken!" And in order to favor the toe, he changed his pitching motion, and that hurt his arm. Goodbye, fastball: He was done in 1941, age 31.

You might think that better medical techniques would have saved his arm, and allowed him to pitch until he was 40 or so. Probably not: That requires the patient listening to the doctor, and Diz didn't listen to anybody.

Furthermore, without his fastball, he was finished. After the Cardinals traded him to the Chicago Cubs in 1938, he had a memorable "last stand," helping them win the Pennant and holding the Yankees off for 8 innings in Game 2 of the World Series, but they ultimately got to him. He would have needed another pitch to make it today, and he really didn't have one.

4. Would Be Great: Bob Feller

Like Walter Johnson, "Rapid Robert" was believed to be the fastest pitcher of his era. Unlike the Big Train, he also had a very good curveball. He won 266 games, despite losing most of 4 seasons in his prime to serving in World War II. He won 93 in his last 4 seasons before The War, and 65 in his 1st 3 full seasons after it -- in each case, an average of 23. Given that he came back in late 1945, The War probably cost him around 80 wins, which would have given him 356, nearly as much as Mathewson, Alexander, and Warren Spahn (363).

Given that he started in 1936, when he was still just 17 and in high school, it's not surprising that he threw his last professional pitch in 1956, at 37. But as late as the Cleveland Indians' 1954 Pennant season, at 35, he was still 13-3, with an ERA+ of 120 and a WHIP of 1.186.

3. Would Have Had Trouble: Satchel Paige

"Ol' Satch" is more myth than man. He pitched in the Negro Leagues from 1926 to 1947, before finally getting called up to the major leagues at age 42 in 1948, helping the Indians win the World Series. He lasted in the majors until 1953, plus a 3-inning one-shot deal in 1965, making him, at 59, the oldest player in MLB history.

And what an array of pitches he allegedly had, and what great control he had. He claimed he could throw a pitch over the top of a soda bottle, and, "I ain't never thrown an illegal pitch. But, sometimes, I throw a pitch that ain't been seen before -- by this generation."

Now, imagine Leroy Robert Paige coming along 50 years later. Integration would have been a fact of life. Had he reached the majors in 1976, the mystery would have been gone pretty quickly. He might have had a career like that of Fernando Valenzuela: Sensational at first, but soon, hitters like Wade Boggs and Tony Gwynn would have used videotape to break his mechanics down, discovered any weaknesses he had, and rendered him a good, but not great, pitcher.

2. Would Be Great: Sandy Koufax

Break the Koufax career into thirds. From 1955 to 1960, he was talented, but erratic. Then, Los Angeles Dodger scout Kenny Myers showed him how to correct a hitch in his windup, and catcher Norm Sherry told him to ease up on his fastball a little, and work on his curve. He had been trying too hard to strike everybody out.

By not trying to do that, he ended up striking out more batters than anybody had ever seen, and, from 1961 to 1966, he was maybe the best pitcher the Lively Ball Era would ever see. Then, with his arm wracked with arthritis, he retired just before turning 31, so we never got to see the final third of his career.

If Koufax had come along 50 years later, in 2005, his problems would have been addressed at age 19, not 25. The arthritis issue could also have been dealt with early, given modern technology. Given a great fastball and an equally unhittable curveball, a Koufax who reached the majors in 2005 could still have been excelling in 2019, at 33.

1. Would Have Had Trouble: Nolan Ryan

But "The Ryan Express" had just the fastball. He didn't get it really controlled until he went to the team then known as the California Angels in 1972, at 25. Now, imagine he came along 40 years later. A 2006 debut, with hitters studying his fastball, might have meant he got clobbered.

Speaking of clobbering, lots of fans not old enough to remember the "unhittable" Ryan of the mid-1970s know him from his elderly no-hitters of 1990 and 1991, and his "noogie" of Robin Ventura in his last season, 1993. Now, imagine old Nolan Ryan facing the insane, steroid-boosted Manny Ramirez of 2003. It would have been Tyson vs. Spinks, and Ryan would not have been Tyson.

New York's 10 Greatest Athletes

Four of the ten greatest athletes in New York Tri-State Area history.

Or, if you prefer, five of the Top 20.

This included players who played for New York Tri-State Area teams, although some of them are also from the Area.

I'm not going to include the old New York Cosmos, or the New York MetroStars/Red Bulls, because, no matter how good they were in soccer in Europe or South America, it just wasn't the same level of consequence here.

Honorable Mention to Hall-of-Famers from our teams that didn't make this Top 10. These players are listed in chronological order of their arrival with the team in question:

* New York Giants (baseball): Roger Connor, Buck Ewing, John Montgomery Ward, Mickey Welch, Tim Keefe, Jim O'Rourke, Amos Rusie, George Davis, Joe McGinnity, Roger Bresnahan, Rube Marquard (also Dodgers), Ross Youngs, Dave Bancroft, Frankie Frisch, George "High Pockets" Kelly, Travis Jackson, Fred Lindstrom, Bill Terry, Mel Ott, Carl Hubbell, Johnny Mize (also Yankees), Monte Irvin, Hoyt Wilhelm -- and Willie Mays, who only played 5 seasons for the Giants in New York, because of the Korean War and then the move. No matter how good those seasons were, it's not enough to put him in this Top 10.

* Brooklyn Dodgers: Dan Brouthers, Joe Kelley, Willie Keeler (also Yankees), Zack Wheat, Dazzy Vance, Burleigh Grimes, Arky Vaughan, Billy Herman, Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, Roy Campanella -- and Jackie Robinson, who would be Number 1 if by "Greatest" we meant "most important."

* New York Mets: Tom Seaver, Gary Carter and Mike Piazza. Nope, no Mets make the Top 10.

* New York Yankees: Clark Griffith, Jack Chesbro, Frank "Home Run" Baker, Waite Hoyt, Herb Pennock, Earle Combs, Tony Lazzeri, Bill Dickey, Red Ruffing, Lefty Gomez, Joe Gordon, Phil Rizzuto, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Jim "Catfish" Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Rich "Goose" Gossage, Dave Winfield, Rickey Henderson and Wade Boggs. Honorable Mention also to Mariano Rivera, who becomes eligible for the Hall next January; and to Derek Jeter, eligible the January after that.

* New York Giants (football): Steve Owen, Ray Flaherty, Benny Friedman, Red Badgro, Mel Hein, Ken Strong, Tuffy Leemans, Emlen Tunnell, Arnie Weinmeister, Frank Gifford, Roosevelt Brown, Sam Huff, Andy Robustelli, Y.A. Tittle, Fran Tarkenton, Harry Carson and Michael Strahan. Honorable Mention also to Eli Manning, quarterbacker of 2 Super Bowl wins. One Giant makes the Top 10.

* New York Jets: Don Maynard, Joe Namath, John Riggins and Curtis Martin. No Jet, not even Broadway Joe, makes the Top 10.

When The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, they ranked Brown 57th, Tunnell 70th, Hein 74th, Huff 76th and Namath 96. When the NFL Network named its 100 Greatest Players in 2010, they ranked Tunnell 79th, Huff 93rd, Hein 96th, Strahan 99th, Namath 100th, and, inexplicably, dropped Brown from the list entirely.

* New York Knicks: Harry Gallatin, Dick McGuire, Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, Richie Guerin, Tom Gola, Willis Reed, Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere, Earl "the Pearl" Monroe, Spencer Haywood, Bernard King and Patrick Ewing. One Knick makes the Top 10.

* Brooklyn Nets: Julius Erving, Drazen Petrovic. No, Dr. J doesn't make it. Despite being from Long Island, he only played 3 seasons for a Tri-State Area team, although they did include 2 ABA titles -- still the last league titles won by any pro basketball team in the New York Tri-State Area (and that includes the Liberty as well as the Knicks).

* New York Liberty: Rebecca Lobo.

* New York Rangers: Frank Boucher, Bill Cook, Frederick "Bun" Cook, Ivan "Ching" Johnson, Earl Seibert, Lynn Patrick, Art Coulter, Neil Colville, Bryan Hextall, Babe Pratt, Clint Smith, Edgar Laprade, Chuck Rayner, Buddy O'Connor, Allan Stanley, Andy Bathgate, Harry Howell, Lorne "Gump" Worsley, Bill Gadsby, Rod Gilbert, Jean Ratelle, Eddie Giacomin, Brad Park, Phil Esposito, Mike Gartner and Mark Messier. No, neither Adam Graves nor Mike Richter is yet in the Hall of Fame. One Ranger makes the Top 10.

* New York Islanders: Billy Smith, Clark Gillies, Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy and Pat LaFontaine. One Islander makes the Top 10.

* New Jersey Devils: Brendan Shanahan, Peter Stastny, Viacheslav Fetisov, Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer. One Devil makes the Top 10.

Here they are:

10. Joe DiMaggio, Yankees, center field, 1936-51. Because of his World War II service and a heel injury that forced him to retire right after his 37th birthday, the Yankee Clipper played only 13 seasons. He was named to the All-Star Game all 13 times.

There was no Gold Glove Award to confer on the best center fielder of his generation, but he won 3 AL MVPs (1939, '41 and '47), 3 batting titles, 10 Pennants and 9 World Series: 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1947, 1949, 1950 and 1951. The 56-game hitting streak he had from May 15 to July 16, 1941 is what stands out, but what got remembered by those for whom he was the player in their youth was the way he glided around the bases, and around center field. Nobody ever looked more like a ballplayer than Joltin' Joe.

Oh yeah, he was a pop culture icon, too, with that hit song in 1941, his brief marriage to iconic actress Marilyn Monroe that boosted both of them to the stratosphere of American imagination, his commercials for The Bowery Savings Bank and Mr. Coffee, and his name-drops in Ernest Hemingway's novel The Old Man and the Sea; in songs by Paul Simon, Billy Joel and Madonna; and on the TV show Seinfeld, some of these long after he hung up his spikes.

The Yankees retired his Number 5, and in 1977, President Gerald Ford awarded him the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame, the 1969 Baseball Centennial Team (including, perhaps incorrectly, as "The Greatest Living Player"), The Sporting News' 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and the MLB All-Century Team. The latter 2 took place shortly after his death in 1999, at which point the Yankees replaced his Plaque in Yankee Stadium's Monument Park with a Monument, and New York City renamed the West Side Highway the Joe DiMaggio Highway.

Broadcaster Bob Costas put it best: "DiMaggio played his last game in 1951. I was born in 1952. And my dad, and every guy in my dad's generation, said the same thing: 'Willie Mays? Great. Mickey Mantle? Hit the ball out of sight. You never saw DiMaggio, kid. You never saw the real thing."

9. Denis Potvin, Islanders, defenseman, 1973-88. He was a star in junior hockey with the Ottawa 67s, and was taken by the 2nd-year expansion Islanders as the 1st pick in the 1973 Draft. He was supposed to be the Isles' Bobby Orr. He was more than that: He was enough of a star and enough of a leader so that, to extend the Bruin analogy, he was both their Orr and their Phil Esposito.

He remains the only man to Captain a New York Tri-State Area team to 4 Stanley Cup wins. In 1979, he became the 2nd NHL defenseman, after Orr, to score 30 goals and 100 points in a single season. At the time of his retirement, he was the NHL's leader in career goals and points by a defenseman.

The Islanders retired his Number 5, and he was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame, The Hockey News' 100 Greatest Players in 1998, and the NHL 100th Anniversary 100 Greatest Players in 2017.

And, for the record, even Ulf Nilsson, the Ranger he injured in an infamous 1979 regular-season collision, has said it was a clean hit. Therefore, when Ranger fans shout, "POTVIN SUCKS!”"they are being idiots.

8. Brian Leetch, Rangers, defenseman, 1987-2004. In 1988-89, he set an NHL record that still stands with 23 goals by a rookie defenseman, and was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year.

A 10-time All-Star, he won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman in 1992 and 1997. In 1994, when the Rangers won the Stanley Cup, he was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoffs MVP, the 1st American to receive it. And, in 1996, he captained the U.S. team to the World Cup of Hockey.

He was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame, The Hockey News' 100 Greatest Players in 1998 (while still active), and the NHL's 100th Anniversary 100 Greatest Players in 2017. At the retirement ceremony for his Number 2 in 2008, no less than Mark Messier called him the greatest Ranger of all time. This was backed up a year later in Russ Cohen and John Halligan's book 100 Ranger Greats.

7. Lawrence Taylor, football Giants, linebacker, 1981-93. For all the controversies, during and since his pro career, Taylor has been considered one of the best players ever. On TSN's 100 Greatest Football Players, L.T. came in at Number 4, the highest-ranking defensive player. On the NFL Network's 100 Greatest Players, named 11 years later, he was promoted to 3rd. The Giants retired his Number 56, and he was an easy choice for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

6. Walt Frazier, Knicks, guard, 1967-77. He was called "Clyde" because he reminded someone of the way Warren Beatty dressed in the film Bonnie and Clyde. But Clyde Frazier never killed anything except opponents' hopes, and he never robbed anybody of anything except the basketball.

It was a special time, with Tom Seaver, Joe Namath, and Frazier, each in their own way, being parts of it. Clyde and Broadway Joe seemed to move the culture, while Tom Terrific seemed to be great in spite of it. Clyde helped bring a 2nd title, and has since become a great analyst on Knicks' broadcasts, and remains a style icon.

The Knicks retired his Number 10, and he was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame and the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players. I'm not going to tell you that Walt Frazier is the coolest man who ever lived. But if you already believe that, I'm not going to try to change your mind.

5. Christy Mathewson, baseball Giants, pitcher, 1900-16. In addition to his fadeaway/reverse curve/screwball, Matty had one of the fastest fastballs of his time, a great curveball, and a troublesome "slow ball" (today we would call it a changeup). He might have had the best "stuff" in baseball history, and was renowned for his incredible control.

"Big Six" won 373 games, tied with Grover Cleveland Alexander for 3rd all-time and 1st in the NL. His career ERA+ was 136, and he struck out 2,507 batters, 2nd only to Cy Young at the time he retired. In the 1905 World Series, he shut out the Philadelphia Athletics 3 times, a feat never repeated in Series play. With him, the Giants won 5 Pennants and nearly 3 others.

Christy Mathewson might just have been the greatest pitcher of all time. In one way, we can say he was the Pitcher of the Century: He made his major league debut on July 7, 1900, and on October 25, 1999, during the World Series, he was announced as one of the pitchers on the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, voted there by fans even though he pitched his last game 83 years (5/6th of a century) earlier.

In 1936, much closer to his time, he got the most votes of any pitcher in the 1st Hall of Fame election, thus making him the first pitcher elected. In 1999, The Sporting News listed him 7th on their list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players.

4. Lou Gehrig, Yankees, 1st base, 1923-39. It's not just the streak of 2,130 consecutive games played, a record long since broken by Cal Ripken. "The Iron Horse" was the American League's 1st baseman in the 1st 6 All-Star Games. He won 6 World Series with the Yankees: 1927, '28, '32, '36, '37 and '38.

He was named AL MVP in 1927 and 1936. In 1931, he had 184 RBIs, which remains an AL single-season record. In 1932, he became the 1st AL player to hit 4 home runs in a game (and a double off the wall meant he just missed becoming the only 5-HR-a-game man). He won the Triple Crown in 1934, the 1st Yankee to do so.

Only the illness that took ended his career, took his life, and came to bear his name stopped him from reaching 500 home runs (he finished with 493) and 2,000 RBIs (1,995). His lifetime batting average was .340 -- which, coincidentally, was Cal Ripken's peak for one season. His career OPS+ was 179. That's insane. The only guys who've done better are Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Barry Bonds (and Bonds cheated).

His Number 4 was the 1st retired by any MLB team. The Yankees dedicated a Monument to him. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1939, out of (well-founded) fear that he might not live to see himself become eligible. He was named to the MLB All-Time Team in 1969, and the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999. That same year, The Sporting News put him at Number 6 on their list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players -- behind Ruth, Willie Mays, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson and Hank Aaron.

3. Mickey Mantle, Yankees, center field, 1951-68. Yes, ahead of Gehrig, and ahead of DiMaggio. He was a 16-time All-Star. He won the American League Most Valuable Player award in 1956, 1957 and 1962, and was arguably robbed of it in 1955 (his teammate, Yogi Berra), 1958 (Jackie Jensen) and 1964 (Brooks Robinson). Only once did he win a Gold Glove, in 1962, although it should be noted that the award didn't begin until 1957. He won the MVP in 1956 by winning the Triple Crown, making him the last player to this day to lead both Leagues in batting average, home runs and runs batted in.

He hit 536 home runs, 3rd all-time at the time of his retirement. He won 12 Pennants and 7 World Series: In 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961 and 1962. He hit 18 home runs in World Series play, a record. And, despite all his injuries, he retired as the Yankees' all-time leader in seasons (18) and games played (2,401, both records later broken by Derek Jeter).

The Yankees retired his Number 7 and gave him a Plaque for Monument Park in 1969, and replaced it with a Monument in 1996, after his death. He was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and to The Sporting News' 100 Greatest Players (ranked 17th) and the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1969.

2. Martin Brodeur, Devils, goaltender, 1992-2014. Is there another NHL team whose greatest player ever is a goalie? Along with his idol Patrick Roy and Terry Sawchuk, Marty is on the short list for the title of Greatest Goalie Ever.

Sawchuk's records of 447 wins and 103 shutouts were once thought of as unbreakable. Marty ended up with 691 wins (although Roy got to that record first) and 124 shutouts -- plus another 113 wins and 24 shutouts in the Playoffs. Seven times, he played the most minutes in goal in the NHL, and 9 times had the most wins, including a League record 48 in 2006-07. In the regular season and the postseason combined, he played 74,439 minutes in goal -- that's 1,240 hours, or 51 days, or over 7 weeks.

He should have won the Conn Smythe Trophy in both 2000 and 2003. Seriously, in 2003 he had 3 shutouts in the Finals, something that had only been done once before and never since, and they give it to the goalie of the losing team (Jean-Sebastien Giguere of the Ducks)?

He now has a statue outside the Prudential Center, the Devils have retired his Number 30, he was named to the NHL 100th Anniversary 100 Greatest Players in 2017. and he becomes eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame this year.

But is there any doubt as to who is Number 1?


1. George Herman "Babe" Ruth, Yankees, right field, 1920-34. Baseball Hall of Fame. Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Number 3 retired by the Yankees. 10 Pennants. 7 World Championships. 714 home runs. A one-man revolution.

In 1999, The Sporting News released its list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players. Editor John Rawlings admitted to Bob Costas in the accompanying TV special that the debate was always about who would fit in slots 2 through 100, and that Number 1 was never in question.

He didn't actually say this -- that was Art LaFleur, playing his ghost in the film The Sandlot -- but... Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.