A friend sent a list of the 10 greatest baseball players of all time.

These lists bore me since they are so arbitrary.

This one included Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson and Babe Ruth, who I never saw play. I never saw Ted Williams play in person either.

That leaves five I did see.

Roger Clemons was ten. He was also a jerk. I did see him pitch once in Kansas City on a cold windy day in April.

Hank Aaron was five. He had this incredible power in his wrists when he swung, it was a pleasure to watch him.

Same goes for Willy Mays at number two.

Barry Bond was three. Besides also being a jerk, steroids made this whippet of a man expand so much he had a head that was so big it was the size of a melon. I did see him homer at Coors Field in Denver and it was a mammoth shot into the upper right field stands.

The only one I cared about was number eight, Stan Musial, who played for my beloved St. Louis Cardinals and who I saw play his final game and get a hit.

What I loved was when the writer said Stan was “quite possibly the greatest person the list.”

That made me smile.