The Baseball 100

I bought the book, but an online subscription to the Athletic will give you Joe Posnanski's excellent articles on his top 100. It's extremely well done. Here's the first part of the Willie Mays piece, where Posnanski hits the nail on the head:

Think for a moment about the first vivid baseball memory you have.

Perhaps you have a hollow plastic bat in your hands and a Wiffle Ball floats toward you. How old are you? 3? 5? Older? All you want to do is hit the ball. Where does that hunger come from? Who taught you that? Nobody. It is an instinct. You stand rigidly with your legs spread apart and the bat resting on your shoulder — maybe your parents set you up that way like an action figure. The ball dangles in midair like a disco ball. You swing the bat the way you imagine it should be swung, and you connect, perfect contact.

The ball takes off like a leaf caught in the wind, and you begin to run and stumble toward invisible bases that hide in the grass. You run a tight circle around the pitcher — is it your dad? Your mom? Your grandpa? Your best friend? — until you make it all the way around.

And when you get back where you started, you tumble over in the best version of a slide that you can muster. Who taught you how to slide? No one. You just knew.

That memory is Willie Mays.

Here's a link, if anyone's interested: https://theathletic.com/tag/the-baseball-100/

I had a subscription to The Athletic a couple of years ago specifically because of Joe Posnanski. When he left, so did I. His countdown of the top 100 players in baseball was a treat, real highlight for me to read every morning.

I posted a link to another excellent Joe Poz column about the troubled history of Hall of Fame voting on another topic.

I had a subscription to The Athletic a couple of years ago specifically because of Joe Posnanski. When he left, so did I. His countdown of the top 100 players in baseball was a treat, real highlight for me to read every morning.

I posted a link to another excellent Joe Poz column about the troubled history of Hall of Fame voting on another topic.

Thank you. I'll have to check it out. Feels like I'm late to the party!

Just finished reading the book.
couldn't put it down.
In all those AB's against Greg Maddux in his career, Tony Gwynn never struck out. not once.
The book is full of rich anecdotes.

Sorry when Babe Ruth who won 3 world series as a pitcher and 4 as a player.

In 1916, Ruth was 23-12 and lead the American League with a 1.75 ERA, 40 Games Started and 9 Shutouts. That season he dueled with pitching great Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators 5 times, with Ruth winning 4 of the matchups. Including a 13 inning 1-0 shutout. That season, the Red Sox Returned to the World Series beating the Brooklyn Robbins in 5 games. In Game 2, Ruth beat the Brooklyn squad 2-1 pitching all 14 innings! This feat was the beginning to a historic record. Ruth kept on rolling in 1917. He was 24-13 with a 2.01 ERA. While completing 35 of the 38 games he started
games completed in a season plus his over all pitching stats.
Babe Ruth’s career pitching record was 94-46 2.28 ERA. 147 Games Started, 107 CG, 17 Shutouts, allowing 7.2 Hits/9. His average Won-Loss record over 162 games is 21-10. Add all his batting accomplishments no disrespect to Willie Mays but Ruth hands down rates greatest EVER!!

Add that juicers like big head liar barry bonnds and roger clemens are rated higher than the Iron horse Lou Gehrig is sad do in my opinion based on facts above the guy is wrong period!

Well...I think he got #1 right. Or close to it. Also don't think it was all statistically driven.

You make the same argument for the Babe that I would. He hit and he was a first rate pitcher. I also recall having discussions about Mays/Mantle. My response was always, "At their peak, I'd take Mantle, only because Willie couldn't hit from the left side of the plate." In my heart, though?

Willie. Every time.

For pure fundamentally best all around fielder and hitter Willie Mays would be best over! But for best player ever given Babe to me wins it because he won 3 WS as a pitcher and 4 WS as a fielder

Can't change anything, but if Mantle had today's medical treatment AND took better care of himself, I am not sure there would have been an argument at all. As it is so many great players from so many eras, really hard to choose.

Can't change anything, but if Mantle had today's medical treatment AND took better care of himself, I am not sure there would have been an argument at all. As it is so many great players from so many eras, really hard to choose.

The tragedy of Mantle. "I blew it."

Man, I know he lived hard and fast, but still...the man was a miracle.

Gotta wonder how much that devastating knee injury as a 19 year old rookie affected all of those things, with today's medicine he would have been at 100% of his true athletic ability...he probably would have still been the same wild man that he was.