ON THIS DATE IN 1929, iron on patchesthe numbers game began

 ON THIS DATE IN 1929, iron on patchesthe numbers game began. The Yankees Customized wall decals were the first team to put numbers on the back of their uniforms. The numbers often corresponded to where the player hit the batting order, which is how Babe Ruth ended up with No. 3 and Lou Gehrig No. 4. So we'll pick the greatest baseball player of all time from uniform No. 1 to No. 55, a harmless game I call "From Ozzie To Orel.'' The full "On this date ..." archive It is a fun exercise, which, in spots, requires a healthy debate. But, in these trying times, there is no need for hate here. There are no right or wrong answers, not on something as unofficial as the best No. 5 ever (DiMaggio, Pujols, Bench, Brett, others), No. 8 (Berra, Ripken, Morgan, Yaz, others), No. 19 (Feller, Gwynn, Yount), No. 20 customized stickers decals (Frank Robinson or Schmidt), No. 21 (Spahn or Clemente) or No. 45 custom car decals (Gibson or Pedro Martinez). It is subjective. Use your own judgement. This is my list: 1 to 55. It is not the correct list. It is my list, with facts and opinion. Mostly opinion. It is not your list. It should not be your list. 1: Ozzie Smith Best defensive shortstop ever 2: Derek Jeter Top-four shortstop. 3: Babe Ruth Best hitter ever, as many shutouts (17) as Pedro Martinez 4: Lou Gehrig Best first baseman 5: Joe DiMaggio Three MVPs, top four center fielder 6: Stan Musial Most underrated superstar player 7: Mickey Mantle Top-three center fielder 8: Yogi Berra Second-best catcher ever, three MVPs, three seconds 9: Ted Williams Higher career OPS than best single-season OPS of any active player 10: Chipper Jones Top-four third baseman 11: Barry Larkin Amazingly athletic shortstop 12: Roberto Alomar Best defensive second baseman I've ever seen