# Who is on your Mount Rushmore of Baseball? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 14, 2013, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-on-your-mount-rushmore-of-baseball/666247 "2013-08-14T20:40:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zyanthia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Zyanthia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyanthia)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-on-your-mount-rushmore-of-baseball/666247/21 "2013-08-15T12:24:26Z")
Alexander Cartwright (Codified early rules) Harry Wright (Organizer of first fully professional team) Casey Stengel (Best Manager) Babe Ruth (Best Player) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-on-your-mount-rushmore-of-baseball/666247/22 "2013-08-15T12:31:50Z")
Babe Ruth Lou Gehrig Willy Mays Jackie Robinson ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-on-your-mount-rushmore-of-baseball/666247/23 "2013-08-15T13:42:51Z")
Babe Ruth Jackie Robinson Cy Young Sadahura Oh (since the OP said “baseball” and not “MLB”). If we stick to MLB players, I am tempted to put Mariano Rivera in the last slot. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-on-your-mount-rushmore-of-baseball/666247/24 "2013-08-15T13:48:20Z")
Babe Ruth Joe DiMaggio/Lou Gehrig (I’m split and could accept either one) Willy Mays Jackie Robinson Those are the “faces” of baseball. Yes, pitching is left out (except sort of Ruth), but really, how many ball players would the average person recognize? Those are all names that most people would know were baseball players. If you want to make it more spread out by era: Babe Ruth Jackie Robinson Johnny Bench (assuming Pete Rose is ineligible, if not Rose) Derek Jeter (in spite of not really wanting to include an active player) Again, not necessarily the best players (although some were), but recognizably the face of baseball in their time. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-on-your-mount-rushmore-of-baseball/666247/25 "2013-08-15T16:54:46Z")
Babe Ruth Willie Mays Sandy Koufax Bill James ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-on-your-mount-rushmore-of-baseball/666247/26 "2013-08-15T18:41:13Z")
Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle, and Harry Caray. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-on-your-mount-rushmore-of-baseball/666247/27 "2013-08-15T18:44:04Z")
Sandy Koufax Don Drysdale Pee Wee Reese Don Sutton Honorable mention: Vin Scully ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-on-your-mount-rushmore-of-baseball/666247/28 "2013-08-15T18:49:00Z")
Ruth, Aaron, Robinson, Scully ---
**Author:** ![Wargamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Wargamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wargamer)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-on-your-mount-rushmore-of-baseball/666247/29 "2013-08-15T18:50:56Z")
Babe Ruth - best player Casey Stengel - best manager A. Cartwright - codified the game Jackie Robinson - truly turned it into America’s pasttime. ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-on-your-mount-rushmore-of-baseball/666247/30 "2013-08-16T04:19:18Z")
Babe Ruth - greatest ever Jackie Robinson - changed the game forever Hank Greenberg - Jewish Jackie Roberto Clemente - Latin Jackie ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-on-your-mount-rushmore-of-baseball/666247/31 "2013-08-16T04:30:42Z")
Ruth Robinson Aaron Nolan Ryan ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-on-your-mount-rushmore-of-baseball/666247/32 "2013-08-16T10:48:33Z")
(Cartwright wrote the earliest surviving written set of rules, but that doesn’t mean he invented the game). Babe Ruth, obviously Jackie Robinson, for what baseball has meant in society Harry Wright (if you can only pick one name to be the founder of the major leagues) Earl Weaver (one of the faces of what is so much fun about the game) ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-on-your-mount-rushmore-of-baseball/666247/33 "2013-08-16T11:09:46Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Sandy Koufax > Don Drysdale > Pee Wee Reese > Don Sutton > > Honorable mention: Vin Scully There ARE teams other than the Dodgers! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-on-your-mount-rushmore-of-baseball/666247/34 "2013-08-16T11:43:43Z")
Babe Ruth Jackie Robinson Mariano Rivera Rickey Henderson ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-on-your-mount-rushmore-of-baseball/666247/35 "2013-08-16T11:49:26Z")
I’m not qualified to opine but will try to contribute as a clerk. By my count the votes as of post #34 are: ``` 25 Babe Ruth 17 Jackie Robinson 8 Willie Mays 6 Alexander Cartwright 5 Ted Williams 3 Sandy Koufax 3 Lou Gehrig 3 Walter Johnson 3 Hank Aaron 2 Mickey Mantle 2 Joe DiMaggio 2 Harry Wright 2 Casey Stengel 1 Warren Spahn 1 Ty Cobb 1 Turk Wendell 1 Stan Musial 1 Vin Scully 1 Sadahura Oh 1 Roberto Clemente 1 Pete Rose 1 Pee Wee Reese 1 Oil Can Boyd 1 Nolan Ryan 1 Mark McGwire 1 Ichiro Suzuki 1 Harry Caray 1 Hank Greenberg 1 Eddie Gaedel 1 Earl Weaver 1 Don Sutton 1 Don Drysdale 1 Cy Young 1 Branch Rickey 1 Bob Feller 1 Bill James 1 Barry Bonds 1 Alex Rodriguez 1 Al Hrabosky 1 Mariano Rivera 1 Rickey Henderson ``` (We’re waiting on a 4th vote from a few posters. I didn’t know what to do with **Zakalwe** ’s post – he needs to subtract one from the five votes I’ve credited to him above.) ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-on-your-mount-rushmore-of-baseball/666247/36 "2013-08-16T12:15:40Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > (Cartwright wrote the earliest surviving written set of rules, but that doesn’t mean he invented the game). Of course. Nobody invented baseball. Cartwright was still more foundational than anyone else mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-on-your-mount-rushmore-of-baseball/666247/37 "2013-08-16T12:25:43Z")
Babe Ruth Pete Rose Nolan Ryan Joe Shlabotnik ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-on-your-mount-rushmore-of-baseball/666247/38 "2013-08-16T12:31:55Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > (We’re waiting on a 4th vote from a few posters. I didn’t know what to do with **Zakalwe** ’s post – he needs to subtract one from the five votes I’ve credited to him above.) I listed DiMaggio first, so subtract one from Gehrig. Thanks for that, it’s an interesting list. 2 “of course” players and then it gets muddy fast… ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-on-your-mount-rushmore-of-baseball/666247/39 "2013-08-16T12:50:13Z")
Gutzon Borglum had it easy with the actual Mount Rushmore; he only had 30 possibilities to choose from. I’m dismayed to see so little representation for the art of pitching, which is so fundamental in distinguishing baseball from all previous bat-and-ball games. Christy Mathewson? ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-on-your-mount-rushmore-of-baseball/666247/40 "2013-08-16T15:05:44Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > So I think I’ll just leave that 4th spot empty for now. OK, the other posts have convinced me that we need a founding father up there - so add Cartwright as my 4th (making my vote: Ruth, Mays, Walter Johnson, Alexander Cartwright). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-on-your-mount-rushmore-of-baseball/666247.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-on-your-mount-rushmore-of-baseball/666247.md?page=3)