Who Deserves to be "The Most Credit To The Game"?

[Bill Burgess]

This is a fun thing. Who are your Top Candidates to be considered the "Most Credit To the Game of Baseball"? Who served with the most honor, integrity, clean sportsmanship, good intangibles. This one will be limited to players only. No executives this time around.

You may select a player who later became an executive, but they had to first have had to have been a player.

I'd like to see your Top 5, and why not some Honorable Mentions too? Some of those listed had some excess baggage, such as Cap Anson, but maybe you can see your way clear to where their positives outweighed their negatives. Your call, guys. This is just for fun, so let's not get too intense, OK?

[janduscframe]

Last month for my 50th, my wife gave me a grill for my truck, my mama bought me a satellite dish and the neighbor gave me a bag of potatos and a six pack of beer, so I ain't no liberal. ( No,I don't live in a trailer) But,I do feel credit must be given to Jackie Robinson. If he'd failed,think not of just those playing the negro leagues but also how many younger blacks would have said 'What's the use?"We could have missed out on quite a few excellent major leaguers. So, this right wing conservative picks Robinson number one

[Sliding Billy]

Last month for my 50th, my wife gave me a grill for my truck, my mama bought me a satellite dish and the neighbor gave me a bag of potatos and a six pack of beer, so I ain't no liberal. ( No,I don't live in a trailer) But,I do feel credit must be given to Jackie Robinson. If he'd failed,think not of just those playing the negro leagues but also how many younger blacks would have said 'What's the use?"We could have missed out on quite a few excellent major leaguers. So, this right wing conservative picks Robinson number one
I agree that Jackie Robinson did more for baseball than anyone else; he saved its soul.

[KCGHOST]

I went with Johnson, Mathewson, Wagner, Musial, and J. Robinson, but there were several others I really like, too.

[Brian McKenna]

Baltimore had another guy who is held in the highest regard by anyone that ever met him.

[RuthMayBond]

Baltimore had another guy who is held in the highest regard by anyone that ever met him.IF you're not referring to Brooksie, then Baltimore has ANOTHER guy. I take it you don't mean Eddie Murray or Earl Weaver or Frank Robinson ;)

[milladrive]

I voted for, in no particular order, Christy Mathewson, Cal Ripkin, Frank Robinson, Jackie Robinson, and Hank Aaron.

I feel that the aforementioned players were a credit to the game, given the standards set by the initial post. All were sportsmen in the truest sense of the word, and the class with which these players conducted themselves on and off the field was, imo, without peer. True gentlemen with great integrity.

Johnson and Banks get honorable mention.

[Erik Bedard]

Forgot I had to vote for five. Add one each to Banks, Mathewson, and Gehrig. My first two votes were for Ripken and J. Robinson.