Rankings/List

If you read my stories very often you know my history. I've been a diehard Atlanta Braves fan for 20-plus years. But I am first and foremost a baseball fan. I love the game of baseball.

I've watched many of the greats play this wonderful game.

That said, I decided to compile a starting lineup of my favorite non-Braves of all time. The players included are guys that stand out in my mind as guys who played the game the right way, were professional, and guys that I just enjoyed watching play.

In order to maximize my time and get in everything I want to say. I'm not going more than four lines per team.

You might be saying, "Why would you restrict yourself to that number? What's the big deal?"

And in reality you are right, because now I'm conscious about going over four lines and I know when I get to Cleveland, I'll end up coming back and erasing this portion of the introduction.

See the thing is, the change of groupings is fine, but it is no longer enough to keep my amusement. So I need to add in something to make it fun.

Do yourself a favor, and hit the single page link below.

This is the eighth installment of the Cooperstown’s Best Series.  We only have one more to go after this, and then the recap showing each position’s leader.

This position has more Negro League players than most of the others.  They are Cool Papa Bell, Willard Brown, Oscar Charleston, Pete Hill, Turkey Stearnes and Cristobal Torriente.  As has been my policy, I cannot rank them on this list.

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The season isn't even half over, but there have been many spectacular performances out of unlikely, and likely, players so far this season.

Several players have stepped out of the shadows to showcase their abilities and many players have looked like stars in the first two and a half months of the season.

These players should not go unnoticed.

With the All Star Game just around the corner, die hard baseball fanatics have seen their share of ups and downs.

In baseball hot-beds, such as LA, fans watch baseball the way it is meant to be played. In other cities, like Washington, fans can't say that much.

Now, I'm not the biggest NBA fan in the world, but I appreciate it. One of the things I most admire is the league standings. I like seeing where my teams rank amongst the entire league, not just the division. I, personally, think baseball should switch to it.

Team (Current Record|Last Week's Ranking)

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (41-22|1)

The offense functionally disappeared last week. Pierre, Loney, and Hudson have cooled off significantly. Kemp has sustained his good play (.353 avg/5 RBI/1.095 OPS last week). Despite that, the Dodgers still are second in the National League in batting average (.278) and on-base percentage (.357).

The 2009 Major League Baseball Season is full of surprises, lost expectations, new heroes and fallen goats. The Los Angeles Dodgers have the best record in the Major Leagues with a 40-22 mark, a .645 winning percentage. All this is accomplished without the player some claim is the best in baseball - Manny Ramirez, out on a 50-game substance abuse suspension. Veteran Juan Pierre's play, taking full advantage of Ramirez's absence, is a big reason why the Dodger's are baseball's best team to date.

The econd base position is one of the most important defensive positions on the field. In fact, other than the pitcher, catcher and shortstop positions, it is probably the most important defensive position on the field.

Let's talk about who the best ever were at that position, defensively speaking.

note-next to each player I will also list an offensive letter grade, so you know where they stand in that category, the way I see it (we can assume they are all an "A +" defensively, since they are among the top 10 all time, defensively).