Throwback Thursday: A book in need of a revision

October 15, 2026 · 0 comments

But sadly, Christy Walsh is no longer around.

A lot of these TT posts are a product of laziness. I look around the house and see what might qualify. In this case, I was reconciling my checking account when my eyes fell on this on an adjacent bookshelf:

https://pictures.abebooks.com/inventory/32171050472._FMavif_.jpg

Published in 1952, it obviously includes players that might not even make modern “best” lists.

Walsh compiled and edited the 300-plus page book which contains the “usual suspects”: Ruth, Cobb, Mathewson, DiMaggio, et al. The chapters were contributed by writers whose names mean little to all but the most ardent fans of sports writing. But there’s always some deserving player who gets overlooked. Perhaps why there is a final chapter by the estimable Fred Lieb titled “A Rebuttal.”

I purchased my copy on-line. I see Abe Books has one for sale for $20.

Act now!

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