Franchise Fours

MLB asked fans to vote on the greatest players of their teams, each team to select 4 players as “The Franchise Four”.  And when you ask fans to vote, I guess you get what you pay for.  All the players seemed to come from the last 50 years.  Not surprising but when you consider that the Cincinnati Red Stockings got started in 1871 as the first fully paid professional baseball team, doesn’t it seem a bit odd that the oldest good player they can find was Johnny Bench and Pete Rose? Weird that they didn’t have anybody before about 1970 to elect.

            Now of course some teams haven’t had a lot to cheer and some are so new all their players are still playing (Rays).  But the Phillies missed the boat when they couldn’t remember Connie Mack who played and then managed for a total of 53 years, won 5 World Series and 9 pennants.  Well, of course he wasn’t that smashing a player, I understand. So pick Grover Cleveland Alexander whose 1.22 ERA was the lowest ever until Bob Gibson of the Cards beat it in 1968.

            And either the Giants who couldn’t elect anyone older than Willie Mays, or the Orioles should have named John McGraw.  He hit .350 lifetime on the 1890s Orioles (of course the present Orioles in Baltimore derive from the St. Louis Browns) and went on to manage the Giants for 30 years and 10 pennants.  He was brilliant, innovative and a tyrant.  He cursed fans and was famous for his battles with umpires, once organizing a lynch mob after a game in search of an ump.  Or the Giants could have chosen Christy Matthewson, the first well-educated and wholesome player in an era of baseball by street punks.  He won 373 games and invented the curveball and screwball.  He won 30+ games in 1903, 1904 and 1905, a consecutive record that surely will stand forever. And what happened to Bill Terry who hit a lifetime of .341 over 14 years and was considered the best shortstop in baseball?

 I wonder, why didn’t the Cubs select Pop Anson who not only was a terrific early player, but a manager and principal author of the rules of modern baseball.  Well, I guess we should also point out he hated blacks and was also responsible for the fact that they were shut out of MLB for 50 years. Or alternatively select Al Spalding, the dominant pitcher of the 1880s who went into the business of making balls and gloves and became a household name.  He and W.A. Hulbert organized the National League in 1876.  Their rules of ownership, no liquor at games, no gambling, and published schedules became a model for all sports leagues. Or why not choose Frank Chance, the first baseman who immortalized Tinkers to Evers to Chance and invented the 6-4-3 double play?  As player-manager he won 4 pennants and 2 world series.  Evers went on to play for the Miracle Boston Braves of 1914 who went from last place on July 19 to WS winners in 4 games.

Of course some guys didn’t stay in one place, like Al Pujols or Hippo Vaughn who went from Yankees to Senators to Cubs.  He was unstoppable from 1908 to 1921 and had a lifetime ERA of 2.49.

The Cards, Tigers and Yankees elected old-timers with Hornsby, Cobb, Greenburg, Ruth and Gehrig. These teams have a long history of stars although Cards and Yanks began badly before 1918.  Hornsby was considered the best all around hitter to have ever lived with a lifetime .358 average. His lifetime slugging avg. of .557 is still the National League record.  But ‘Rajah’ was arrogant and tactless and played and managed 5 different teams because he couldn’t get along with anybody.  Ty Cobb, the Georgia boy who lost his father and turned bitter, was probably the only guy who was more hated.  But it was also Rogers Hornsby who, in 1919 was told as a rookie to “gain some weight”, went home to the farm and put on 40 pounds of pure muscle.  When general manager Branch Rickey asked in astonishment what he had done, he said, “farm system” which gave Rickey the brilliant idea to buy up small town minor league teams and organize them into a “grow your own talent” system.  The Yankee voters didn’t even consider Lefty O’Doul who played with a succession of teams and had a lifetime .349 avg.  He started and ended with the Bronx Bombers.

The Redbird I voted for and wasn’t elected was Dizzy Dean who holds the 5-year record of 120 wins which will surely stand as an MLB record forever.  You couldn’t shut him up and his extremely colorful hillbilly language popularized baseball as Cardinal announcer and CBS Game of the Week announcer.

All things considered, I guess the fans had their vote.  Just wish more of them knew some history which is pretty fun.