Who are your favorite players from days past?

[stl jason]

to name some star players...

Walter Johnson
Joe Jackson
Sam Crawford
Jimmie Foxx
Rogers Hornsby
Stan Musial
Ed Walsh

and my who-the-heck-is-that-guy pick:

Don Lenhardt.... only played from 1950-1954 for the Browns (bounced around to a few teams in that period)... top season of 22 HR/.273 BA... main reason I picked him is he and my parents are good friends... used to have him and his wife over for dinner on many-a-night when I was growing up...

[Sagitta]

Having grown up in the Philly area, you have to have some love for Tug McGraw.

[Cowboys3356]

From the players listed it would seem like you guys would love playing in an online league called Boys of Yesteryear. I have the following "favorites" on my team: http://www.boysofyesteryear.com/

"Shoeless" Joe Jackson
Big Ed Walsh
John "Mugsy: McGraw
Sam "Wahoo Sam" Crawford
Smokey Joe Wood
Roger "Duke of Tralee" Bresnahan

Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Nap Lajoie, Chief Meyers, Christy Mathewson, Zack Wheat, Art Devlin, and Mike Donlin are all in the league putting great numbers. The mighty Ed Delahanty has retired and is in the Hall of Fame where he belongs!

[scott1964]

Germany Schaefer
Hank Aaron
Gary Carter
Walter Johnson
Ty Cobb

[DreamTeams]

I'd say...

Willie Mays
Babe Ruth
Jackie Robinson
Roberto Clemente
Walter Johnson
Steve Garvey

[bogieman]

Being from Minnesota I got to have the local faves, Killebrew, Carew, Oliva growing up dreaming of playing baseball. I remember one of those magic moments the Twins playing Chicago Killer comes up of course what any kid of 8 or 9 yell "Harmon hit a homer!", sure enough next pitch WHAM! out of the park to left. I was sitting about 10 rows behind and just to the third base side of the plate, so I always thought it was me that made him hit that homer.

[Lastplaneout]

Bill Lee

[BrentBlades]

Ty Cobb
Walter Johnson
Mickey Mantle
Billy Herman (little known real life HOFer from my small hometown)

[slic1149]

Roger Maris
Harry Heilman
Charlie Gehringer
Walter Johnson
Babe Ruth
Stan Musial
Bob Feller
Mickey Mantle
Lefty Grove
Bob Johnson
Kirby Higbee

I really love baseball history. Thanks for letting me mention a few of my favorites

[CONN CHRIS]

From a Sim that I did several years ago with Puresim, I fell in love with the Russian-born star of early Nippon baseball Victor Starffin.

His personal story is an interesting one, as an outsider in Japan (his parents had moved there when he was a boy) he never felt as though he fit in until he starred for Tokyo. Then, during the war, he was not allowed to play and was under house arrest (I believe, though he may have been sent to a camp). Though he came back after the war, he was once again an outsider.

http://japanesebaseball.com/players/...?PlayerID=1756

[boilermaker]

Having created a habit out of managing meticulously out of 1901 with the Philadelphia Phillies, I'd have to say that 1B/LF Ed Delahanty is the cornerstone of everything I've done, at least for non-pitchers. He can steal, he can homer, he can hit for contact, he can field....he's just the cornerstone of the deadball Phillies.

Al Orth and Doc White have been a lethal one-two in the rotation.

So there's my top 3 favorite players.

[AstrosPhan]

Lou Gehrig
Tony Lazzeri
Joe DiMaggio
Ted Williams
Walter Johnson
Ed Walsh
Grover Cleveland Alexander
Lefty Grove
Christy Mathewson
Harry Brecheen
Sandy Koufax
Nolan Ryan (goes without saying )

[Wombat42]

Addie Joss
Lou Gehrig
Smokey Joe Wood
Tris Speaker
Ted Williams
JR Richard
Sandy Koufax
Hank Greenberg
Ted Kluszewski
Joe Gordon

[Cubs_Fan]

Some of my favorites are:

Frank Chance
Mordecai Brown
Tris Speaker
Bill Dickey
Carl Hubbell
Buck Weaver
Luke Appling
Jimmie Foxx
Rogers Hornsby
Dizzy Dean

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by CONN CHRIS

From a Sim that I did several years ago with Puresim, I fell in love with the Russian-born star of early Nippon baseball Victor Starffin.

His personal story is an interesting one, as an outsider in Japan (his parents had moved there when he was a boy) he never felt as though he fit in until he starred for Tokyo. Then, during the war, he was not allowed to play and was under house arrest (I believe, though he may have been sent to a camp). Though he came back after the war, he was once again an outsider.

http://japanesebaseball.com/players/...?PlayerID=1756

I became interested in Starffin after I read his story, too. I've added him to my Pat O'Farrell universe, and as a 19-year-old, he's already pitching fairly well in the major leagues.

I'll make sure to provide some Starffin updates, and possibly work him into a storyline or two.

[Big Six]

You'd expect a guy who uses "Big Six" as his handle to be a Christy Mathewson fan, right?

Besides Matty, I'd list, in no particular order...

Smokey Joe Wood
Lou Gehrig
Dale Murphy (my all-time favorite player)
Bob Feller
Charlie Gehringer (my grandfather's favorite player)
Ted Williams (my dad's favorite player)
Tom Glavine
Bill Carrigan (courtesy of my Pat O'Farrell dynasty)
Sean Casey (he played at the University of Richmond, and I followed him there)
Carl Yastrzemski

[blgoblue2]

Wally Schang
Eddie Collins
George Brett
Lou Gehrig
Frank Robinson
Joe Jackson
Ed Delehanty
Cap Anson
Dick Allen
Tris Speaker
Earl Averill
Ty Cobb
Lefty Grove
Mickey Lolich
Mel Parnell
Eddie Plank
John Wetteland
Dave Smith
Red Faber
Jack Fournier

[Lee]

Ty Cobb
Hal Chase (Not a favorite, but he was such I dark character I always follow how he does when he can't throw Games)
Walter Johnson
Christy Matthewson and Mordecai Brown-Great rivalry IRL, but Brown never seems to do much in my Historical Sims and Matty is hit and miss.
Joe Jackson
Rube Waddell-Another really intriguing character
Jake St Vrain-who always seems to do much better than in RL

From more recent times
Mark Fidrych and Joe Charboneau-Two guys that seemed destined for greatness that injuries cut down.

One interesting note regarding Historicals.
I am simming a complete history from 1871 to bring back my old "Notes from an alternate reality" dynasty from a couple years back.....Cy Young was taken as the first overall pick by Chicago, went 1-1 his Rookie Season and never pitched again, no injuries, just didn't fit into the plans of the White Stockings and retired. With a decline of 514 in victories, he is definitely the biggest bust I've ever had.

[CONN CHRIS]

Originally Posted by Big Six

I became interested in Starffin after I read his story, too. I've added him to my Pat O'Farrell universe, and as a 19-year-old, he's already pitching fairly well in the major leagues.

I'll make sure to provide some Starffin updates, and possibly work him into a storyline or two.

Fantastic! He is definitely an unheard of great in my opinion. He barnstormed briefly with a Japanese team in Western Canada but I have yet to see accounts of what any western players thought of him.

[CONN CHRIS]

Originally Posted by Lee

...From more recent times
Mark Fidrych and Joe Charboneau-Two guys that seemed destined for greatness that injuries cut down.

Hey Lee:

Fidrych is a great favorite of mine as well. From what I have read, he bought a 100 acre farm in Marlborough Mass where he raises hogs and sells firewood. He married a waitress from a diner down the road and seems as happy as ever.

I saw him play in an exhibition game about ten years ago along with Bill Lee, Daulton Jones and some others. My favorite line from him was when he was trying one last time in the early eighties (I believe) to catch on with the Pawtucket Red Sox, a reporter asked him if he was bitter about the bad breaks he got in baseball.

His response was "Nah, it beats pumping gas."

I wish there were more like The Bird.