The Hall of Fame and "The Christian Gentleman"

On this date in 1936, the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York elected its first members: Ty Cobb, George Herman Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson. Mathewson had a strong Christian testimony reflected in his nickname. Johnson was the Big Train, Cobb the Georgia Peach, Ruth the Babe. Mathewson, one of the most dominant pitchers in any era, was known as "The Christian Gentleman." He was one of the earliest superstars to openly and effectively proclaim Christ. "In a time when baseball was known for hard-living, hard-drinking baseball players, there was Christy Mathewson to prove that there was another way for athletes to live. He was the role model after whom every parent wanted their children to shape their lives." (www.christymathewson.com)