All great choices, all among my favorite players of all time—even though yes, I know Cobb could be a flaming a-hole at times. But all share one overriding characteristic: within the rules of the game, the boundaries of honor and the needs of the team, they would do whatever they possibly could to win.

Ryan is one of my life heroes, and is the reason why I developed an unquenchable love for the game. He was my hero because even with his natural talent, success did not come easily for him. He had to work very hard to tame his wildness. As a boy, this made a strong impression on me. I learned from him that talent is nothing without the hard work necessary to develop and channel it. Recently, Guby was talking about picking Ryan’s brain about his conditioning program. Ryan said he ran 15 miles of long distance, and then when he had gotten himself good and exhausted, he ran sprints until he could no longer move. That’s Pantheresque right there.

Ersty—well, we all remember him well. But two things stand out about him for me. The first was during the on-field celebration immediately after the deciding game 5 of the ALCS. Everyone else is jumping around in glee, but Ersty is stalking amongst his teammates with a warrior’s look on his face and his index finger pointed up, saying “ONE MORE! ONE MORE!” One more series, that is. Eyes always on the prize. The other was his home run in game 6 of the WS. Months later, it was revealed that he had hit that HR with a broken hand incurred several games previously. No complaints, no boasting, just getting the job done. God, I revere that guy.

With Cobb I must of course rely upon historical accounts, but one story stands out for me: typically, when he got to first base, he’d chat up the opposing team’s first baseman. Of course, we see that all the time now. But Cobb was doing it to take the first baseman’s mind off the game, so that he’d be rendered clueless when Cobb suddenly broke for second in mid-sentence. I love that sort of dedication to the inner game.

I think Torii deserves to be considered among this group, but he has something more: a built-in natural talent for living, an innate joy for life that is quite rare—not just among baseball players, but among humanity. Of all his evident attributes, it is this that I find the most admirable.

He plays hard. He wants to play every inning of every game. That comes from a work ethic. He’s gives you all-out hustle on the field.

But Torii has three other rare factors that make him great.

One: Ability. It’s one thing to see Eckstein or Willits hustle. They pretty much have to to keep up and play at the major league level. But it’s another thing to see a talented player hustle. Torii combines hustle with amazing defensive skill [witness the gold gloves, you’ve all see his level of play as well.] And he gives us a very solid bat with good power … lately, pretty exceptional power. And would Torii slack to first base like Matthews did the other day? Not likely.

Second: Joy. Torii acts like a ten year old who likes to play baseball. He never seems tired of his circumstance or that he takes it for granted. Some players, you get the feeling that they’d rather be playing guitar with Sandfrog [Spezio] or riding their motorcycles [Jeff Kent] or surfing or golfing than playing baseball. Torii, both on the field, and in post game interviews, just seems like he respects the game and enjoys his work. Would he do this for nothing? Probably. At least he seems like it. And he gives the best interview ever. Telling reporters that “You can tan naked” in Southern California during the Sign Tex period? That’s just nuts! He brings nutty, unpredictable enjoyment to his work. It’s a pleasure watching him treat his work – from the pregame workout to the postgame interview – as insanely fun.

Third: Respect for the owner. Torii went out of his way publicly trying to get hired gun Teixeira to sign. Who does that? He had his own media blitz. If you’re cynical, you could say “Well, it’s self-serving for him to do that.” But treat it like the rare event that it is, especially Torii’s statements about how great it was to be an Angel, speaking well of Arte Morena and so forth. That’s just pure class. And it shows that he knows that his situation is rare.

Many players have one or two of these qualities, but Torii is – right now – the complete package. Let’s enjoy it – we’re watching a superstar who doesn’t act like a prima donna, who’s not roided out, who not a buffoon like Clemens or Bonds. Rare? Hell yes! Personally, I feel like we’re in the presence of Willy Mays or Ernie Banks. Someone who rakes, plays great D, plays hard and has a great personality. Let’s play two, Hula Dula!