The Fourth of July is one of the most beloved holidays Americans experience. We enjoy a day off from work, spend time with our families, relax by the pool, eat good food, and watch fireworks. Some may describe it as the perfect day.
There are few things more “American” than baseball. Since the 1850s, it’s been considered our national pastime. Arguments about if that remains true today are sprouted every day with the rapid growth and ravenous fanbases of the NFL and NBA. However, we all grew up playing baseball. In my town, even in the late ’90s and early 2000s, EVERYBODY played baseball. It was my first love. Don’t get me wrong, football caught my attention first (that’s why most of what you read from me has been football), but I could play baseball, and I fell in love with playing the game.
That early childhood obsession probably stems from the passion for sports (more specifically baseball) instilled in me by my grandfather. I grew up listening to him talk about the game. I had plenty of Red Sox memorabilia, clothes, and more by the time I was old enough to walk. In my childhood, in Mass, it was all about Nomar and Pedro. Those were the names constantly tossed around. I was immediately attached. Nomar’s #5 became my number for every sport I played, and I had to watch Pedro every fifth day.
Growing up, and even to this day, my conversations have always been focused around sports. I learned stories of the old Boston Braves, Boston Beaneaters, New York Yanks, etc. My grandfather had seen the progression of baseball from his childhood in the ’40s to today. Every time we’ve talked, the first topic has always been baseball and the Red Sox. It’s in my blood.
This Fourth of July, a family friend that I’ve known since I was just a kid (shout out Woody) joined us for the festivities. Woody, himself, is an avid baseball fan who grew up in Red Sox nation during the ’70s and ’80s. He had a great exercise for us:
Build your all-time baseball lineup to win one game. You can use any player from either league. There are only two qualifiers. First, they have to play the correct position (you can’t play Ken Griffey Jr. in LF because he only played there 11 games in his entire career). Second, you have to have seen them play in your lifetime. So, obviously, different generations will have different answers. My grandfather and I had wildly different teams, but we also had some of the same guys, which is even more impressive for them.
You want to build a good team, batting order, defensive lineup. You can choose one player for each position, including the DH (will the NL just make the switch already), two SPs (one to start and one for clutch/long-relief situations), and a closer. Think about how you want your lineup to be built. There needs to be some solid defense, contact hitting, power, clutch ability, etc.
Baseball is such an individual sport that it’s perfect for this exercise. Football is probably the most difficult because of how reliant the players are on one another. There are too many “what ifs” in the game. What if Calvin Johnson didn’t play with the Lions? Would he be considered the best WR of all-time? If Brady didn’t have Belichick, would he have anywhere near the same level of success? Baseball, for the most part, is pitcher vs. hitter. It’s a one-on-one game within a bigger game.
Woody and I would like to see this spark a bigger discussion. I want to hear more all-time lineups of the lives of the readers. Eventually, I’m going to find a simulator (if anyone has any suggestions let me know) to test out one lineup against another. It won’t be 100% accurate, but I think it’ll be fun to see the different responses from generations. And, again, it’s even more interesting to see who the generations agree on.
I’ll give you my lineup as a guide, but in the comments on social media, as our comments on the site are still disabled, I’d like for you to complete this same exercise. Give me some reasons why as well. Why do you have one player in over one of my guys? Let’s debate and talk about America’s pastime on America’s birthday.
Uncle Mike’s Starting MLB Lineup
- RF: Ichiro Suzuki
- CF: Mike Trout
- SS: Alex Rodriguez
- LF Barry Bonds
- DH: David Ortiz
- 1B: Albert Pujols
- 3B: Adrian Beltre
- 2B: Robinson Cano
- C: Joe Mauer
- SP: Pedro Martinez
- SP2/RP: Madison Bumgarner
- CL: Mariano Rivera