The Best Lineup Ever?

Hello Interweb using baseball fans. My name is Bob and I am going to be a contributor to this brand new baseball blog. I have literally been a baseball fan since before I can remember. And when I use the word literally I’m actually using it the right way, not in the, “Mr. Creosote is literally as big as my apartment,” way. My parents could tell you about one year old Bobby sitting in front of the TV trying to announce the game I was watching.
I’m going to be honest up front. I’m an Orioles fan first and while that may sound depressing I promise you it’s actually far more depressing than it sounds. But they’ve been my team since I was a small boy and I love ‘em. My two favorite players circa 1986 were Cal Ripken and Eddie Murray and it’s always stuck.
I grew up and live in Seattle so naturally I’m a Mariners fan as well. This has also been mostly depressing, as is essentially everything associated with Seattle sports. I remember attending games with my family at the Kingdome in the mid to late ‘80s. I think there might have been six other people in the stands as well. But I could be wrong.
So being a baseball fan hasn’t always been easy but I’m not going to whine. I mean I could have thrown on a green Boston hat in 2004 and claimed to have been a life-long member of “Red Sox Nation,” but then I wouldn’t feel very good about myself. The day will come again when the O’s start playing like it’s 1970 and I’ll have pictorial evidence of myself wearing a birded cap in a year they lost 98 games. I don’t ride bandwagons.
So for my first entry I give you my choices for the ultimate all-time 25 man roster. I’ve based it on need at each position. Every team needs a back-up first baseman, or a left hand pitcher you can bring in from the bullpen, or a guy you can plug in essentially anywhere in the infield. So with that in mind here is my roster. Sure there are glaring omissions (Stan Musial, Pete Rose) but in a game with so much history how could there not be?
The starting lineup…
1. 2B - Jackie Robinson
2. LF - Ty Cobb
3. DH - Babe Ruth
4. 1B - Lou Gehrig
5. RF - Roberto Clemente
6. CF - Willie Mays
7. SS - Cal Ripken
8. C - Yogi Berra
9. 3B - Brooks Robinson
Starting Rotation:
Cy Young
Walter Johnson
Sandy Koufax
Bob Feller
Christy Mathewson
Bullpen:
Nolan Ryan
Warren Spahn
Bob Gibson
Trevor Hoffman (closer)
Bench:
C - Johnny Bench
1B – Jimmie Foxx
IF - Honus Wagner
OF - Hank Aaron
OF - Ted Williams
OF - Joe Dimaggio
OF - Mickey Mantle