Now batting cleanup, the starting pitcher...

It’s a fun question and I’m going to give you my answer but, as usual, I have to do things my own way. My all-time favorite 25-man baseball roster, complete with a starting lineup and the bench players is below.

          And, every fifth day, my pitcher will bat cleanup.

          I know, I know. The suspense is gone. You all know the move I’m making. But it’s my blog and my all-time team. If you disagree, go blog your own team.

          Not sure what we need pitchers for anyway. This lineup might never make an out.

          But we’ll we start with the pitchers just to get them out of the way. I’ll take Sandy Koufax, thank you very much, and Don Drysdale, Bob Gibson and Walter Johnson. Those are the other four starters. You already know the fifth.

          Do we really need relief pitchers? Well, maybe one of the starters will get bored, pitching with a 20-run lead all the time. Dennis Eckersley would be in the pen (he’d stay there if we ever had to play against Kirk Gibson) with Goose Gossage, Carl Hubbell, Rollie Fingers and Cy Young. Satchel Paige would also be there, as much to give us advice on life as to pitch.

          I had a hard time with the catchers. Johnny Bench is the starter but I didn’t know what to do after him. You can’t bench Bench, but he might get tired some day and so we need another catcher on the bench. And then we need another catcher in the bullpen to warm up a relief pitcher in case we decide to pull a starting pitcher. So we need Bench, someone on the bench and another guy on the bench in the pen.

          I like the idea of putting Roy Campanella on the dugout bench behind Bench (although he doesn’t have to sit behind Bench on the bench) because Campy was just a great guy to have in the dugout. Yogi Berra would be the third catcher.

          The infield is next and Lou Gehrig plays first. Lou doesn’t take many days off, but we’ll bring in Pete Rose to run the bases when Lou wants an inning of rest. Rogers Hornsby is my second baseman, Ozzie Smith is the shortstop and I’d alternate Mike Schmidt and Brooks Robinson at third. Rabbit Maranville backs up The Wizard at short and Jackie Robinson backs up Hornsby. I like Robinson as another pinch runner.

          Willie Mays, the best player I ever saw play the game, is my centerfielder, Babe Ruth plays right and Lou Brock gets the starting nod in left. By the way, I want Brock to steal bases every time he gets aboard. Roberto Clemente, Hank Aaron and Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio are the backup outfielders.

          Yeah, I know. That’s 27 players. But it’s the end of the season and we get some extra guys. Ted Williams and Josh Gibson get extra spots.

          My manager? Casey Stengle. I don’t care how he manages, I just wanna listen to him talk.

          Oh, you figured out my fifth pitcher, right? He’s a lefty. He started his career with the Red Sox, who deftly dealt this guy, one of the top left handed pitchers in baseball, to the Yankees. His name was George Herman ‘Babe’ Ruth and it turned out he was a pretty good hitter, too. So I’d start Ruth on the mound every fifth day (thus allowing another outfielder to play regularly) and have my pitcher bat cleanup.

          Designated hitter? We don’t need no stinkin’ designated hitter.

          Thanks for reading.