Hi there, and welcome to our first Gather.com discussion under the Texas Public Radio banner. We picked a little lighter topic to begin with as we experiment with this online community. On the July 28 edition of Texas Matters, former Astro Larry Dierker was interviewed about baseball and his new book, My Team, wherein he picks his all time dream team. Dierker limited his choices to players he has observed during his career, eliminating greats like Honus Wagner, Babe Ruth, and Jackie Robinson.
Here's a further description from Simon & Schuster's press materials:
Dierker selects twenty-five players for My Team and another twenty-five for the opposition, the Underdogs, or "Dogs." There are two players at each position, five starting pitchers, and four relievers. (When your starters are the likes of Roger Clemens, Greg Maddux, Bob Gibson, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, and Juan Marichal, you don't worry about bullpen depth.) All are players that Dierker has played with or against or watched in his years as player, coach, manager, and commentator. Each athlete must have played at least ten years in the major leagues to qualify, and players are judged on their ten best seasons. Leadership skills and personality -- critical components of team chemistry -- are highly valued.
Dierker's squad shakes down like this:
Starting Pitchers: Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson
Catchers: Johnny Bench, Mike Piazza
1st Base: Jeff Bagwell, Willie Stargell
2nd Base: Joe Morgan, Craig Biggio
3rd Base: Mike Schmidt, George Brett
Shortstop: Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter
Left Field: Barry Bonds, Frank Robinson
Center Field: Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle
Right Field: Hank Aaron, Ken Griffey, Jr.
Relievers: Dennis Eckersley, John Smoltz, Tervor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera
Myself, I think I would want Nolan Ryan on board for his power and intimidation factor. Few hitters liked to face him. It's a shame that the Angels weren't able to back him up with some offense in the 1970s. But it's hard to argue with Dierker's pitching choices that are already up there.
So, what do you think? Who would make your dream team?