An October listing of 40 diamond kings

The Fall Classic is once again upon us. This is the time when champagne is poured, championship rings are earned, and great players take giant steps toward the Hall of Fame.

In my own World Series celebration, I will now identify the 40 greatest major leaguers I have ever seen. Pitchers, since they are the specialists of the baseball world, are excluded.

Also excluded, since I have nothing to rely on but record books and the word of other fans, are the great players of yesteryear. Everyone on this list played at least one game in 1976 or later.

Without further ado, here they are (in order of greatness).

• Pete Rose -- Charlie Hustle himself!
• Rod Carew -- the man to call if you needed a hit.
• Tony Gwynn -- .300 is a forgone conclusion.
• Ozzie Smith -- He grabbed everything that hit the yellow brick infield.
• Mike Schmidt -- was a better third baseman ever born?
• Reggie Jackson -- what month is it, now?
• Wade Boggs -- believe it!
• Eddie Murray -- was a better switch-hitter ever born?
• Rickey Henderson -- was a better base stealer ever born?
• Cal Ripken Jr. -- forget his consecutive game record, take a look at how few innings he missed.
• Barry Bonds -- power, speed, defense, duuuuh.
• Kirby Puckett -- the best thing to ever happen to Minnesota..
• George Brett -- a great hitter, with or without pine tar.
• Ken Griffey, Jr. -- he had a good teacher.
• Fred McGriff -- be afraid, be very afraid.
• Johnny Bench -- was a greater catcher ever born?
• Gary Carter -- Canadians don't know how lucky they were.
• Joe Morgan -- The heart and soul of the Big Red Machine.
• Dave Winfield -- I never new a 40-year-old man could do those things.
• Mike Piazza -- and he's still learning.
• Steve Garvey -- I want him at first.
• Darryl Strawberry -- if not for personal problems, he would certainly be higher on this list.
• Allan Trammel -- Who? Just that quiet, unassuming, dependable shortstop.
• Joe Carter -- you Phillies fans know what I mean.
• Frank Thomas -- he can put a Big Hurt on you at any given moment.
• Ken Griffey -- the old block the chip came off.
• Cecil Fielder -- one year with a winning team, and he can't keep the ball in the park.
• Jose Canseco -- his autograph is almost worth $22.
• Dusty Baker -- he's got the rings to prove it.
• Willie McCovey -- he was nearly left off this list for chronological reasons.
• Dave Parker -- 100 percent will get you in every time.
• Mark McGwire -- If he's not hurt early in the year, Maris' record is history.
• Willie Stargell -- "Pops" goes the trophy.
• Tony Perez -- his worst beat a lot of guys' best.
• Jose Cruz -- or is it cruise, as in cruise into immortality.
• Bobby Bonilla -- just one hit in the 1996 ALCS, but he picked the right one.
• Paul Molitor -- Milwaukee's best.
• Ruben Sierra -- Can a team trade him away and still improve? Probably not.
• Albert Belle -- not a guy I'd want to hang out with, but I'd gladly welcome him into my lineup.
• Howard Johnson -- HoJo knows.