This is a picture of Cy Young in 1906. As you may know, Cy Young is one of the best pitchers to ever throw a baseball. There is even an award named after him (The Cy Young Award). Today, the starting pitcher at the beginning of the game rarely pitches until the game is over. There are relief pitchers, closers, and many other kinds of pitchers that take the game over in the later innings. Cy Young would not only pitch through the whole game, he would pitch both sides of a double header, then pitch the whole game the next day. Pitchers today normally pitch About 7 innings. Cy Young would pitch 27 in a row. 

In this picture Honus Wagner is standing in at the Polo Grounds, New York, in 1908. The Catcher in this picture is Roger Bresnahan, wearing the shinguards he invented. 

Honus and Ty Cobb were playing in opposite leagues all year. They couldn't be any different. There was Ty, the rude, arrogant Georgia boy who was known for turning up his spikes coming into second. He was perfectly athletic-looking. On the other hand, there was Honus, who was the picture of strength. A German boy who liked to keep to himself, he was never cocky.  When they were finally to play each other, Honus was in his place on second base, Ty was Leading off of first, he yelled "Look out, I'm coming and I'm gonna tear you to shreds!" When Ty was sliding to second Honus could have tagged him out on the shoulder, but instead he Smack his glove hard into Ty's face, splitting his lip. 

Ty Cobb was taking the country by storm in the early 1900's. He was one of the best players to ever hold a bat. But he was always mean and snide to other players on his team. He once stabbed a man who dared to ask who he was. 

He roomed with one of the other players on his team and when they came home from practice Ty would always take the first shower. Well, one day the other room mate just happened to get home before him, and got in the shower. When Ty came home he stormed into the bathroom and pulled the man out of the shower. Then Ty yelled, "Don't you understand? I always have to be first!"

As you probably already know, Jackie Robinson was the first black player to ever play in Major Leagues. When he was asked to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers, the manager told him he had to spend the first season quite. If a fan yelled at him or called him a dirty name or even spit on him, he could not retaliate. His number now flies on a flag in every stadium his number (42) is retired every where. 

 Babe Ruth hit 714 home runs in his career, including 60 in 1927. Those records no longer stand, but they show how great he really was. Babe was loud, magnetic, and lived life to the fullest. Babe brought fans back to the game after the 1919 Black Sox Scandal disgusted them. Babe Ruth was the greatest ball player there ever was.

Willie Mays, know as the Say Hey Kid, played for the New York and San Francisco Giants. He set the standard by which center fielders will always be judged. There are many stories of his spectacular dives and catches. he also hit 600 homeruns and had 3,283 hits.

 Lou Gehrig was a teammate of Babe Ruth, but they were nothing alike. Where Babe was noisy and the center of attention, Lou was quiet and withdrawn, happy to let his hits do the talking for him. He played in 2,130 consecutive games, a record only broken by Cal Ripken, Jr. Lou had to retire from the Yankees because he had a fatal disease, now know as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

 Willie Stargell was know for to things: hitting the ball very, very far and being the gentle, inspiring leader of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was so well loved every one called him "Pops". He is one of the two players who ever hit a ball out Dodger Stadium. He hit the World Series-deciding homerun in game seven of the 1979 world series against Baltimore.