Baseball's forgotten stars: some of the great performers of the past have not received the deserved tributes that their careers deserve.

WILLIAMS? TED, OF COURSE. WHO ELSE BUT THE "SPLENDID Splinter," the super star considered among the greatest of all hitters by even casual fans as well as the contemporary major leaguers who idolized him in his final years.

Admittedly, among fanatic Chicago Cubs followers, Williams might evoke a different first name, that of another left-handed hitting left fielder, one "Sweet Swinging" Billy, also a Hall of Famer.

Bygone players both, but blessed with enduring fame, neither diminished nor likely to be by the oft cruel erosion of time.

Then there's the current Williams, Bernie, standout center fielder of the New York Yankees, a major contributor ...