In November of 1911, an interviewer asked industrialist Andrew Carnegie to name the 20 greatest men of all time. Within days, Carnegie’s list was parsed and picked apart, and led to what The Chicago Daily News called “The twenty greatest fever.”
Lists of the twenty greatest everything appeared in papers across the country for the next year. Of course, the question was put to many baseball figures and led to a number of interesting lists and quotes.
One of the first to weigh in was Chicago White Sox owner Charles Comiskey, in The Daily News:
- Buck Ewing
- King Kelly
- Cap Anson
- Charlie Ferguson
- Fred Pfeffer
- Eddie Collins
- Honus Wagner
- Jack Glasscock
- Harry Lord
- Ty Cobb
- Fred Clarke
- Willie Keeler
- Tom McCarthy
- Napoleon Lajoie
- Charles Radbourn
- Bobby Caruthers
- Christy Mathewson
- Clark Griffith
- Ed Walsh
Charles Comiskey
Comiskey said Eddie Collins, who would acquire for $50,000 three years later, was the best current player:
“He’s got it on all the others in the game today. I don’t know that a good lawyer went to waste, but do know that a mighty good ballplayer was found when Eddie decided to give up the technicalities of Blackstone for the intricacies of baseball. There isn’t much use saying anything about Connie Mack’s star, everybody knows he is a wonder as well as I do.”
Cy Young was asked by The Cleveland News to name his 20 greatest:
“I guess we’d have to make a place for old Amos Rusie, ‘Kid’ Nichols should be placed on the list too, ‘Kid’ forgot more baseball than 90 percent of us ever knew. And there was Bill Hutchinson, just about one of the greatest that ever lived. You can’t overlook Walter Johnson, and, by all means Ed Walsh must be there. The same applies to Mathewson. Then comes my old side partner, Bill Dinneen. Bill never was given half enough credit.”
Amos Rusie
Young rounded out the battery:
“I’d pick old Lou Criger first of all the catchers. George Gibson of the Pittsburgh team, to my way of thinking, stands with the leaders. Give the third place to Oscar Stanage of Detroit, and I feel safe in saying that I have chosen a really great catcher.”
Young said:
“Doping out the infields is comparatively easy. Without hesitation I would name Hal Chase, Eddie Collins, Nap Lajoie, Hans Wagner, Bobby Wallace, Jimmy Collins, Herman Long, and Charlie Wagner.”
Young said of his infield choices:
“You can’t get away from Bobby Wallace for a general all round gentlemanly player, he has never had a superior at shortstop unless that man was Honus Wagner. Maybe Johnny Evers is entitles to consideration, but I never say him play.”
As for his outfielders, Young said:
“Ty Cobb’s equal never lived, according to my way of thinking, and I doubt if we will ever have his superior. Say what they will about Cobb, but one who is true to himself must acknowledge his right to rank above all other players.
“I chose Cobb, Fred Clarke of Pittsburgh, Tris Speaker of Boston and Bill Lange for the outfield, and regret that the limitations prevent me from choosing Jim McAleer. McAleer was the best fielder I have ever seen. I say that with all due respect to Cobb and other competitors.
“Tris Speaker is a marvel, and only because of his playing at the same time as Cobb is he deprived of the honor of being the greatest outfielder…Many fans of today probably don’t remember Bill Lange. Take my word for it, he was a marvel. He could field, bat, and run bases with wonderful skill. No man ever had the fade-away slide better than Lange.”
The reporter from The News noticed that Young had, “chosen his twenty greatest players without mentioning his own great deeds,” and asked Young whether her felt he belonged on the list. Young said:
“Oh, I’ve heard a whole lot of stuff about myself as a player, but I was but ordinary when compared to the men I name as the greatest in the game.”
Cy Young
When Ty Cobb presented his list of the 20 greatest current American League players to The Detroit News, the paper noted his “Very becoming modesty” in leaving himself off of his list. Cobb’s picks were:
- Ed Walsh
- Bill Donovan
- Walter Johnson
- Jack Coombs
- Vean Gregg
- George Mullin
- Billy Sullivan
- Oscar Stanage
- Ira Thomas
- Hal Chase
- Napoleon Lajoie
- Eddie Collins
- Jack Berry
- Owen Bush
- Frank Baker
- Harry Lord
- Sam Crawford
- Clyde Milan
- Joe Jackson
- Tris Speaker
Ty Cobb
Cobb included Bobby Wallace, Russ Ford, and Heinie Wagner as honorable mentions.
More of the lists and quotes from “The twenty greatest fever,” on Thursday
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Tags: Amos Rusie, Bill Dinneen, Bill Donovan, Bill Hutchinson, Billy Sullivan, Bobby Carruthers, Bobby Wallace, Buck Ewing, Cap Anson, Charles Radbourn, Charlie Comiskey, Charlie ferguson, Chicago White Sox, Christy Mathewson, Clark Griffith, Clyde Milan, Cy Young, Detroit Tigers, Ed Walsh, Eddie Collins, Fred Clarke, Fred Pfeffer, George Gibson, Hal Chase, Harry Lord, Heinie Wagner, Honus Wagner, Ira Thomas, Jack Coombs., Jack Glasscock, Joe Jackson, Kid Nichols, King Kelly, Lou Criger, Napoleon Lajoie, Oscar Stanage, Russell Ford, Tom McCarthy, Tris Speaker, Ty Cobb, Vean Gregg, Willie Keeler
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