10 baseball player's I'D pay good money to see in the prime

Ok, yesterday Tom Verducci of SI.com wrote a column in which he picked 10 guys he'd pay to see play. Considering that he's probably never had to pay to see a damned game in his life, you would think that would count for something.

Then he produced a list that, in my opinion, simply sucked. Ted Williams 10th? Bo Jackson? Jackie Robinson first? I'm sorry, but at the last one, I was appalled. The column stopped taking on a baseball tone and became a political statement. His rationale for Jackie being #1 were weak at best. Robinson's truly great and did everything very, very well--but he was never dominant in any area. Would you rather go see Clyde Drexler play, or Michael Jordan? I put Jackie more in the Clyde category, which still makes him tremendous--just not someone I'd put in a top 10 list.

There are some people missing from this list because, well, I did pay to see them in their prime. Hence, no Cal Ripken Jr. or Jeff Bagwell, even though their 1991 and 1994 seasons, respectively, were as good as it gets. There were also a lot of close calls, like Ty Cobb, Bob Feller, Frank Robinson, Hank Aaron, Ken Griffey Jr. and George Brett, but 10's 10 (yeah, like I'm gonna stick to that). But without further adieu, my 10 guys I'd pay to see in their prime (note: since my MLB covering days are pretty much dead, I wouldn't have a choice, anyway):

10. Joe DiMaggio, New York Yankees:

He's...going...STREAKING!

Joe D. may have been a weird bird off the field, but give him credit for two things: he nailed Marilyn Monroe and nobody defined offensive consistency better than he did. Nobody's gotten close to a 56-game hitting streak since 1941 and, probably, nobody ever will. The dude could rake. And, if the legends are right, nobody played a better center field or ran the bases better. The complete package who just won, baby. I would have like to have seen him take his hacks in the summer of 41.

9. Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees:

He hit one 565 feet? One ticket, please.

I am not a Yankee fan. In fact, I loathe them. I've heard enough about Mantle as a person to dislike him immensely. But Mantle, in his time, was the dominant force in baseball. Before he got hurt, he had great speed. He had a cannon for an arm. And he was, simply, the best switch-hitter ever. But he not only hit for average, he hit for power--a sick amount of it. Even though he struck out a lot, when he made contact, it was incredible. He almost hit a ball out of Yankee Stadium and hit one 565 feet in Washington. That's not too tough to do--if you're hitting a golf ball. No roider did it hitting a baseball (suck it, Barry), so the Mick's something special.

8 (tie). Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson

Heat, 90-2000s version, meet heat, 70-80s version.

I pondered for a long time about guy I wanted to leave off this list, then decided I couldn't leave either off. The dominant right- and left-handed power pitchers of all time, Nolan and the Big Unit amazed well into the 40s. Nolan's later years with the California Angels and his stint with the Houston Astros were remarkable, as he crushed hitters with his 100 mph-plus fastball and big bending curve. Sadly, only two of those teams (1980 and 86) were worth a hoot, so his record suffered. Johnson's fastball was nearly as fast and his slider as devastating, so he owned both leagues for more than a decade.

Both guys were intimidating not only because they threw hard, but because they weren't afraid to throw AT you, either. The plate was theirs, and if you tried to get too close (or talk trash), they'd drill you. Reggie Jackson said that Nolan was the only pitcher who ever scared him, not because he could strike you out, but "because he can kill you." Nobody ever said that about Randy Johnson--probably because they were too scared to.

Man, it would have been fun to watch those guys light up the radar gun in their prime.

7. Greg Maddux, Chicago Cubs/Atlanta Braves

Dear hitter: A nerd is fixing to own you.

The only guy to come close to Randy Johnson in the 1990s and the first part of the 21st century fairly (get the hell out of here, Clemens, you scumbag) when it came to pitching excellence was a guy topped out at about 90 mph on the gun. Greg Maddux didn't intimidate anyone, on or off the mound (trust me, I've see him in the locker room, and "nerd" is an accurate descriptor); he just made hitters look really, really stupid. Maddux had absolute command of all of his pitches, absolute command of the strike zone and studied hitters weaknesses like he was trying to pass a nuclear physics exam. The combination of the three made him one of the greatest pitchers not of his time, but any time. I saw him pitch once, late in his career (against scumbag Clemens, actually), but it didn't kill the desire to see him pitch in his prime. I used to watch him on TV and just laugh as he carved up the opposition. It would have been a thrill to see that Mad Dog in person.

6. Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals

Must. Crush. Ball.

I have seen Albert Pujols in person. I've seen him in the playoffs against the Astros. Against my boy Brad Lidge.

Lidge struck him out the time I saw him, though. I didn't see the homer that essentially Lidge's career in Houston in person. In fact, oddly, he's never CRUSHED BALL when I've been in attendance.

So I want a mulligan.

I've watched Pujols destroy a pitch and the stroll up the line with a look of disdain so many times on TV that I want to experience it in person (though not really against the 'Stros anymore). He is the greatest hitter of our time--maybe the greatest right-handed hitter of any time--and such talents (when clean) should be embraced. We may never see the likes of him again, so I'd like to see some more. Just, if you must homer against the 'Stros, Albert, do it when you're down like 10-1, ok?

5. Sandy Koufax, Los Angeles Dodgers

The heat or the hammer? Not that it matters, you can't hit it.

It's a crying shame that Koufax struggled with his control in his early career, then suffered from an arthritic condition that ended his career long before it should have. Because, is his prime, there's an argument that could be made that Sandy Koufax was the greatest pitcher ever. He was left-handed, had good command, a blazing fastball, sweeping curve and even a good changeup. He didn't do well against the National League--he owned it. And he crushed the Yankees and Twins in the World Series, to boot. His last start was Game 2 of the 1966 World Series against the Orioles, were he pitched magnificently, but was undone by bad outfield play in a 3-0 loss. The Oriole who outdueled him? A 20-year-old rookie named Jim Palmer. Palmer, of course, was the dominant pitcher of the 1970s.

4. Walter Johnson, pitcher, Washington Senators

You can't hit what you can't see.

My wife's great-uncle actually pitched for a short period of time with the Washington Senators in the 1920s, which means he got the best seat in the house to watch the greatest pitcher in the history of baseball. Walter Johnson pitched for some horrible, horrible Sens teams, but still goes down in history as one of the hardest throwers and biggest winners the game has ever known. He threw sidearm, which some people say cuts down the reality that he could throw hard, but I don't buy that. Baseball has been around 160 years and there's only been one Babe Ruth, so to think that Walter Johnson couldn't be another extraordinary talent is silliness.

Bob Feller who claims he threw much harder than Nolan Ryan (he says 104 mph), is very proud of his fastball, but says he's not the hardest thrower of all time. That man, he says, is Walter Johnson. I'd sure like to see for myself.

3. Willie Mays, center fielder, New York/San Fransisco Giants

Say Hey.

Willie Mays might have been the ultimate five-tool player in the history of baseball. He hit for average and for power; he could steal bases, he patrolled center field like no other and had a cannon for an arm. To see a player do one thing better than everyone else is a treat--to see someone do everything better at the same time is astounding. But that was Willie Mays.

2. Ted Williams, Boston Red Sox

Simply the best hitter. Ever.

It's been nearly 70 years since Ted Williams hit .406 and nobody's done it. But Williams was much bigger than .406--he redefined how opposing teams dealt with hitters. They used the first infield shift against him, decided pitching around him wasn't "bush league", since it saved their butts from defeat, and some say that the slider was invented as a way to get him out (he figured out how to crush that pitch, too). There are tons of Ted Williams stories I've read that describe his greatness, but the one that my dad told me is the best. His father took him to Griffith Stadium to see a ballgame, then my grandfather stood up and applauded (along with a number of other Senators fans) when the third hitter for the other team came up.

My father asked his dad what he was doing. "That, son, is the greatest hitter of all time."

That hitter, of course was one T.S. Williams. Who promptly homered. What I wouldn't give to have seen it.

1. Babe Ruth, New York Yankees

As if it could be anyone else.

He was the ultimate showman. He was, and remains, the ultimate power hitter. He is baseball. To see him swing that massive bat would have been something to savor. Even if he didn't homer--even he struck out--the experience must have been electric. But to even consider the prospect of seeing Babe Ruth, the man who out-homered an entire league, hitting is something that can give you chills.