This "roar of the crowd" stuff is vastly overrated.
This weekend, Major League Baseball named a 30-member All-Century team as voted on by fans and a panel of experts. After studying the results, all we can say is: Aah, what do they know?
You see, The Sun asked its own distinguished group of voters -- columnist George F. Will, broadcaster Bob Costas, Hall of Fame announcer Ernie Harwell, sportswriters Dave Kindred and Christine Brennan and Sun publisher and long-time fan Michael E. Waller -- for their selections.
(We also asked baseball documentarian Ken Burns for his thoughts. We received a reply from his secretary saying, essentially, that Burns would have no time to consider such a request "for the coming two years." Two years! The man's day planner must be a sight!)
The fans made few surprising choices. Yankees legend Lou Gehrig narrowly edged the most famous athlete of all time, Babe Ruth, in total votes. And Pete Rose, banned from baseball for gambling, got the ninth spot in the All-Century outfield.
By contrast, the selections of The Sun's panelists were often controversial.
Will, for instance, listed Stan Musial, one of the great outfielders of all time, as his backup first baseman. Will also voted Kansas City great George Brett ahead of Baltimore's sainted Brooks Robinson at third base, and chose Tony Gwynn of the Padres and ex-Phillies center fielder Richie Ashburn for the outfield.
Costas left Cy Young, whose name is on baseball's top pitching award, off his list. Kindred of the Sporting News left Joe DiMaggio out of his outfield, saying Stan Musial was more deserving. And Waller opined that Nolan Ryan, voted first among pitchers by the fans, doesn't rank among the top 15 hurlers of the century.
Bob Costas, World Series sportscaster
Catcher: Johnny Bench, Josh Gibson
First base: Lou Gehrig, Mark McGwire
Second base: Rogers Hornsby, Jackie Robinson
Shortstop: Cal Ripken Jr., Honus Wagner
Third base: Mike Schmidt, Brooks Robinson
Outfield: Hank Aaron, Ty Cobb, Joe DiMaggio, Ken Griffey Jr., Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Stan Musial, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams
Pitcher: Bob Gibson, Lefty Grove, Walter Johnson, Sandy Koufax, Satchel Paige, Warren Spahn
Comments: "If I could add five more players they would be: George Brett, Jimmie Foxx, Frank Robinson, Tom Seaver and Steve Carlton. ... And that still leaves out: Greg Maddux, Christy Mathewson, Cy Young, Tony Gwynn, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, etc., etc. It's just impossible!"
