In the 19th Century, conversations about baseball in hotel lobbies
The Chicago Daily News shared one such discussion in 1896:
“’Who’s the greatest ballplayer that ever lived?’ Demanded the old ball crank of the gathering at the hotel. And there were, straightaway, almost as many opinions as there were gentlemen in the party.”
A man in town on business said:
“To my mind, Anson outranks them all. When you consider the wonderful grip which Anse has retained on the sport for all these twenty-five tears, when you take into consideration his qualifications as a player and as a man, his work as a leader and a general, the great batting he has always done every little point that can be recalled about both uncle and the game, I can’t see where any other player, living or dead, ranks with Anson.”
Anson
The paper said there were murmurs, then the night clerk weighed in:
“Mike Kelly was his ideal.
“‘Poor old Mike,’ said he, ‘had baseball genius and brilliancy to an extent never paralleled. He had the mind to originate, the ability to execute. He was, in the hearts of the masses, what John L. Sullivan was to pugilism. Remember the tricks he worked, the batting and the base running he did, and the way in which he filled every position—remember only his methods of play, if you will, and then see if any one can compare with poor dead King Kel!’
Kelly
The “theatrical man” in the group said:
“’Bill Lange is the best that ever came down the road. Who is there who does not like to see Lange play ball? What other player in the league, taking batting, base running and fielding into account, is as of as much value as Lange? What club would not eagerly give him the best position and the best salary it could command? Bill Lange is destined to leave a mark in baseball history as deep as that Mike Kelly made, and future generations will speak of him as they do of Kelly now.’”
Then the “Old baseball crank” spoke up:
“’To my mind gentlemen, the greatest player of them all was Charlie Ferguson of Philadelphia. There was a man who never realized how good he was. When it came to effective playing, in any position, Ferguson was the man who could step into the gap so well that the regular man would never be even missed. He could kill the ball, he was fast on the bases, and we all know he could pitch. And the head that Charlie Ferguson wore was as good a head as ever decorated any player’s shoulders. I saw hundreds of great players before Ferguson came, I have seen hundreds since he died, but I never to my mind at least, have seen his equal.’”
Ferguson
The assembled men said the paper, “remembered the time of Ferguson,” with “nods and mutterings of assent,” thinking of Ferguson’s four seasons in Philadelphia—he died just 12 days after his 25th birthday in 1888.
“Jim Hart, who ought to be a good judge of players, thinks Ferguson the greatest that the world has ever known. A canvass of ball cranks would probably show sentiments about equally divided between Ferguson and Mike Kelly.”
The paper concluded that there were, and would be, “few such popular idols” as Kelly and Ferguson:
“The increased batting has, queer as it may seem, done away with hero worship. In the old days hits were few and the man who could step up and kill the ball was a popular king. Nowadays the fact that nearly everybody is apt to hit takes away the individuality and accompanying romance of the great isolated sluggers.”
The paper said Lange was one of the few contemporary players who “comes as near being the subject of hero worship,” as players in previous years and that there were only players who had that impact in their own cities:
Lange
“(Jesse) Burkett might be worshipped in Cleveland for his grand batting, but is handicapped by morose, unsociable ways.
‘(Jimmy) McAleer’s fielding would make him an idol, but his batting is pitifully light. Baltimore’s great hero is Hughey Jennings, and the cranks treat him as though he owned the town. Brooklyn has no heroes. There is nobody on the Boston nine whom the crowd raves over, even Hugh Duffy having lost his grip.”
“Eddie Burke and Charlie (Dusty) Miller have great followings in Cincinnati. Louisville dotes on (Charlie) Dexter and Fred Clarke. New York is idolless. Philadelphia gives ovations to the whole team as a matter of principle but singles out no player. Pittsburgh is the same way. There is nobody at St. Louis or Washington whom the crowds adore.”
Baseball History Daily 