celestial ponderings

In a year when there are no Mississippi-born players in the major league All-Star Game, it might be a good time to remember how many great MLB players the Magnolia State has produced. You could win a lot of games with this all-time squad of Mississippians: Leading off and playing center field Chet Lemon (Jackson); batting second and playing shortstop Buddy Myer (Ellisville); hitting third in left field Ellis Burks (Vicksburg); the cleanup batter and right fielder Dave Parker (Calhoun City); in the 5-hole playing first base George Scott (Greenville); batting sixth at third base Bill Melton (Gulfport); hitting seventh and playing second base Frank White (Greenville); hitting eighth and catching Jake Gibbs (Grenada); and batting ninth and pitching Guy Bush (Aberdeen). Boo Ferriss (Shaw), Claude Passeau (Wayneboro), Roy Oswalt (Weir) and Oil Can Boyd (Meridian) would round out the rotation. Joe Gibbon (Hickory) could close. On the bench you’d have the likes of Harry “The Hat” Walker (Pascagoula), Gee Walker (Gulfport), Don Blasingame (Corinth), Sam Leslie (Moss Point), Charlie Hayes (Hattiesburg), Barry Lyons (Biloxi) and Herb Washington (Belzoni). If we made Negro Leagues stars eligible, then you could throw in Cool Papa Bell (Starkville), Howard Easterling (Mount Olive), Luke Easter (Jonesboro) and Sam Hairston (Crawford). That is a star-studded group that stacks up with any state’s all-time squad.