Greensboro is not a big league town. We almost got there once, completely screwing up a chance to bring the Minnesota Twins south. One of the local restaurant guys rallied the locals against a very minor restaurant tax that would have financed a stadium and we lost out.

But I have gotten around to a few games over the years and seen some good players. These are the best I've seen so far.

Catcher-I want to say Choo Choo Coleman as a joke (an original Met I saw in the minors when I was much, much, younger). Truth is I haven't seen any great catchers, just a number of good ones. Pencil in Mike Lieberthal of the Phillies. In Martinsville, Virginia when he first signed he was so small he looked like he should be holding a lantern and standing in someone's yard. But he already had a great arm and good mechanics.

First Base-Mark McGwire. Jeff Bagwell was a better player and hitter, with a violent uppercut you never forgot. But McGwire was a monster. In Pittsburgh I saw him hit a liner over the shortstop's glove by maybe two feet that ended up striking the outfield wall with such force it sounded like a shell impacting a target. Whether he earned that power on the level is for someone else to decide.

Second Base-Joe Morgan. When you saw Morgan play it felt like you should give the ticket money directly to him. Inspired pure panic among pitchers and catchers with his base stealing. Not a great hitter, but smart enough to turn himself into a threat. Craig Biggio was a pleasure to watch, an honest worker who played with everything he had. But Morgan was a show.

Shortstop-Derek Jeter. Saw him in the minors. Wouldn't sit behind first base with him playing short. Made something like 50 errors in one season. He was already a polished hitter, though.

Third Base-Cal Ripken. Saw Ripken hit a line drive home run late in his career, at the stage when he was being worshipped in Baltimore. I never joined that particular cult, but you appreciated the moment and the crowd reaction to him. You sensed he was smarter than talented, getting alot of bat speed from an unusual stance. Never understood why he isn't managing somewhere today.

Left Field-Has to be Bonds. For all the criticism, I really am glad I got a chance to see him play. Forget the home runs. He may have been the best hitter since Ted Williams. And when he came to bat you knew exactly what it was like to have been in the crowd and seen Babe Ruth. There was an electricity every time he came to the plate, like when Gretzky touched the puck in hockey. Saw Stan Musial in an old-timers game, still had that sweet swing. If I was a GM and could have built a team around one hitter it might have been Musial.

Center Field-Cesar Cedeno and nobody close. I was fortunate enough to see Cedeno before the injuries and off field problems robbed him of his gifts. Leo Durocher, who tended to exaggerate, said Cedeno could have been in a league with Willie Mays. I don't disagree. He had such great speed he just ate up ground in the outfield without looking like he was running. On the bases he was explosive. The very definition of the 5 tool player. Eric Davis was another from the same mold. Loved to watch him, even if he did nearly hit me with a line drive into the upper deck one night in Baltimore.

Right Field-Hank Aaron. Aaron was regal. Baseball royalty. It wasn't so much exciting to see him as it was an event. I saw him toward the end of his career in Atlanta, but you could still see the pitchers coming at him like an ordinance disposal technician approaches a bomb. The best outfielder I've seen, in terms of his throwing arm and fielding technique, has to be Dwight Evans. The funny thing is, I saw him in Winston-Salem when he was probably 20 and he already looked like a big leaguer. If I wanted to teach someone how to be an outfielder, I've have them look up Evans.

Pitcher-There is alot of really bad pitching and I feel like I've seen most of it. I'm the guy who always shows up when the #5 starters face off. I'm going to say Mark Mulder, mainly because he was so good the day I saw him pitch. It's a shame injuries have kept him from achieving his potential.

One of the joys of baseball, maybe more than any other sport, is the memories. The game you see might be good or bad, but if you luck out and see a great player you have something to hold in your mind's eye for a lifetime.

Baseball, you gotta love it.