Shortly before his death in 1948, Babe Ruth, in an interview with The Saturday Evening Post, picked an all-time all-star team, minus the right fielder—though he offered some suggestions. “I just don’t want to pick myself,” he said. His most surprising omission, however, was that of Lou Gehrig. You’re probably thinking: “Maybe he went with Jimmie Foxx or George Sisler?” Wrong. Babe chose the infamous Hal Chase for the top spot. “He had unbelievable fielding ability,” explained Ruth, “and he was no punk at the plate, either.” Well, let’s get to it. With no further ado, here’s the Bambino’s lineup as it appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, and numerous newspapers, in March 1948:
“Pitchers—Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Grover Cleveland Alexander and Herb Pennock; Catcher—Ray Schalk; First base—Chase; Second base—Napoleon Lajoie; Shortstop—Honus Wagner; Third base—Jimmy Collins; Left Field—Ty Cobb; Center field—Tris Speaker; Right field—Mr. X.”
Ruth said he left it up to the readers to choose a right fielder and offered up a list of players—Mel Ott, Ross Youngs, Joe Jackson, Harry Heilmann, and Harry Hooper—he thought worthy of consideration. As for his other picks: “I put Larry Lajoie at second for his remarkable hitting skill,” said Ruth, “and because Lajoie could make the hardest chances look easy.” As for the left side of the infield, Babe proclaimed: “Honus Wagner was just head and shoulders over anyone else at shortstop, [and] Jimmy Collins could come in and pounce on bunts and short hits like a cat.”
Moving on to the outfield, Ruth declared: “No one can dispute Ty Cobb’s right to be placed on anyone’s all-star team. . . . [H]e was a player with unbeatable competitive spirit. My old sidekick, Tris Speaker wins center field in my book, even though I recognize that Joe DiMaggio . . . is a great center fielder. But ‘Spoke’ had something extra-special.”
Ruth chose Ray Schalk, a defensive whiz, as his catcher because “he was one of the greatest throwers I’ve ever seen.” Getting to his pitching staff, Babe offered a quick rundown: “Walter Johnson always knew what to pitch. Christy Mathewson belongs among the pitching immortals. Old Alec was just a born pitcher. Herb Pennock was a left-handed Mathewson.”
◼️Sources: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov + http://www.baberuthcentral.com
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