Viewer’s Choice #3: My Top Ten Favorite Athletes

The third installment in my viewer’s choice posts is an idea that came from Julie, a self-admitted avid reader of yours truly, and Hammen, who has an excellent blog of his own and is one of the handful who actually shares his thoughts and comments. They both declared their love for my previous posts in which I created a top ten list about something, and Hammen suggested I write about my ten favorite athletes of all time. So, that is what I will set out to do here and now. I am going to focus on professional careers rather than dabble in collge as well. Fair warning, as I’ve mentioned before, I don’t care for hockey so you can expect to see exactly zero puck pushers in this list. Another fair warning, I love the Minnesota Twins - a lot. Which would explain the number ten spot …

10. Chuck Knoblauch - 2B (1991-2002)
Although he finished his career putting in three years with the Yankees (puke!) and a season with the Royals, Knobby is a Twin through and through, playing there from 1991 to 1997. He made an immediate impact on the ‘91 Twins roster, hitting in the lead off spot most of the time and playing solid defense at second base. His standout play not only won him American League Rookie of the Year, but it also helped the Twins win their second World Series in four years. His unique batting stance, humble attitude, and fantastic range in the field made him a fan favorite here in Minnesota. Despite the fact that he was named in the Mitchell Report, it was alleged that his HGH use was during his 2002 season with the Yankees. This having been said, I’ll be damned if I don’t blame the Evil Empire for turning my favorite infielder into a cheater … allegedly of course. He would more than likely be ranked a little higher on this list had he not demanded a trade from the Twins in 1997.

Career stats: .289 batting average; 1,839 hits; four time All-Star; four time World Series champion; Gold Glove recipient; 1991 AL Rookie of the Year.

9. LaDanian Tomlinson- RB (2001-Present)
This is the most exciting player in the NFL right now in my mind. If you’re any kind of a sports fan, you’ve heard the cliche about a player being a threat to score every time he touches the ball. Well LT is exactly that. After being drafted 5th by the Chargers, he has rushed for at least 1,200 yards in each of his seven NFL seasons. In 2006, he notched an NFL record 31 touchdowns and rang up over 2,300 all-purpose yards as well. LT has the unique combination of speed, elusiveness, and strength that make him the best in the game today and he is single-handedly bringing back the stiff arm, no pun intended.

Career stats: 10,650 rushing yards; 4.5 yards per carry; 115 total touchdowns; 2006 NFL Most Valuable Player; five time Pro Bowl selection

8. Bo Jackson - RB (1987-1990)/OF (1986-1994)
The list’s only two sport athlete is one I grew up watching. I still maintain that he could have been one of the greatest running backs in NFL history had his career not been shortened by a massive hip injury. Jackson was a beast in college and a force in the NFL, combining a love for contact with lightning fast speed. He was one of the best power backs in the game who could also run right past any defender. Many speculate that if he had stayed healthy, he may have ended up atop the all-time rushing list due to the fact that he boasts an NFL record 5.4 yards per carry even despite the fact that he was second string behind Marcus Allen. His unique blend of power and speed also carried well into his baseball career, most of which was spent with the Kansas City Royals. He could hit a towering home run or notch an infield hit with a ground ball to third base, so he was very difficult to adjust to defensively.

Career stats, NFL: 2,782 rushing yards; 5.4 yards per carry; 16 touchdowns; one Pro Bowl selection.

Career stats, MLB: .250 batting average; 598 hits; 141 home runs; 1989 All Star MVP

7. Randy Moss - WR (1998-Present)
Despite the many off-field incidents throughout his career, Moss is without question one of the most dominant receivers in the NFL today. He is so fun to watch because he can lay dormant for play after play, series after series, but all it takes is one play for him to take it 80 yards to the house. His explosive speed and incredibly soft hands make him a threat to score on a fifty yard bomb or a five yard slant. For defenders, the choice is yours: either play up on him and try to jam him at the line, risking a total whiff followed by a good long look at the back of his jersey as he makes his way into the end zone, or play back on him and give him a running start at you. I’ll go so far to say that he is more explosive off the line than any other receiver I’ve ever seen. In his rookie season, he helped the Vikings lead the league in offense and score a then-NFL record 556 points. Moss has since gone on to set the single season record for receiving touchdowns with the 23 he caught last season en route to a Super Bowl berth with the Patriots. Look for Moss to continue to be a headache for defensive backs in the years to come. He has stated publicly that he would like to finish his career in New England, and it’s only a matter of time before he gets himself a Super Bowl ring playing there.

Career stats: 774 receptions; 12,193 receiving yards; 124 touchdowns; NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1998; six time Pro Bowl selection

6. Johan Santana- LHP (2000-Present)
The league’s most dominant pitcher of the past few years has a new home this year in New York, but at least he’s not wearing pinstripes. The Mets immediately became the favorite to win the NL East and became the sexy pick to make it to the World Series after signing Santana, and for good reason. His laser-like precision with his fastball combined with one of the best changeups in the game make him very difficult to hit no matter who you are. I’ve seen him pitch in person about four times and if there is one thing I can attest to, it is that he has a way of just taking over a game. There was such a different demeanor among Twins fans on days when Santana is pitching as opposed to anyone else. It was like a sense of calm in knowing that as long as we managed to score three runs, we would be alright, especially if it was the second half of the season. Back in 2004, Santana had the best second half of any season on record, going 13-0 with a 1.21 ERA, notching 11.13 strikeouts per nine innings and allowing only 4.74 hits per nine. Look for him to have plenty more outstanding years despite last year’s downturn. Remember, he is only 29 years old and the way he takes care of himself, he can easily pitch on an effective level well into his 30s.

Career stats: 93 wins, 44 losses; 3.22 ERA; 1,381 strikeouts; three time All Star selection; two Cy Young awards; 2006 AL Pitching Triple Crown; one Gold Glove award

5. Kevin Garnett - F/C (1995-Present)
In his 12 seasons with the Timberwolves, KG was often the only part of the franchise worth mentioning. He was constantly surrounded by sub-par talent and his frustrations became rather public over the past few seasons during his tenure in Minnesota. The Wolves were unable to get further than the first round of the playoffs until the 2003-04 season, during which they got all the way to the Western Conference Finals, only to have 90-year old Sam Cassell go down with a back injury leading up to a 4-2 defeat at the hands of the Lakers. Despite the lack of talent he had with him most seasons, KG is a player who was able to make people around him better. Were it not for him, I submit that no one would even know who Fred Hoiberg, Darrick Martin, and Troy Hudson are. In his 13-year long pursuit for an NBA Finals title, Garnett was seemingly pleased when he landed in Boston to join the budding Celtics for the 07-08 season. Even though he is no longer a part of Minnesota sports, I still root for The Big Ticket. He deserves a title more than anyone else in my mind. He stands for everything that is right with sports today.

Career stats: 19,041 points; 10,542 rebounds; 4,146 assists; 1,576 blocked shots; 1,282 steals; 49.1 FG%; 78.0 FT%; 11-time NBA All-Star selection; 2003-04 NBA MVP; 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist

4. Eddie George - RB (1996-2004)
This is the man who single handedly made me a fan of Ohio State Football as well as the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans. While I can certainly admit he is far from the best athlete on the list, he had several qualities that appealed to me. Firstly, he played hard every single play. Second, he played the game the way it was meant to be played: with heart and passion. And mostly, you could tell it was never about the money for him. He played because he truly loved the game and because he loved the competition. His efforts at OSU landed him the Heisman and made him a first round pick in the 1996 draft. George’s Titans experienced their best season when they made it to Super Bowl XXXIV against the Rams. George rushed for 95 yards and scored two touchdowns, but his team came up about a two feet short of victory when receiver Kevin Dyson was tackled on his way into the end zone, ending the game. George went on to enjoy a few more successful seasons despite battling injury in his last few years. He rushed for at least 1,200 yards in each of his first five seasons and over 1,000 yards in seven out of nine seasons throughout his career.

Career stats: 10,441 rushing yards; 3.6 yards per carry; 268 receptions; 2,227 receiving yards; 78 touchdowns; four time Pro Bowl selection; 1996 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year

3. Kirby Puckett - OF (1984-1995)
In my opinion, you can’t think of Twins baseball without thinking of Kirby Puckett. This is the man I grew up idolizing. His love for life and love for the game of baseball made him one of the most inspiring and fun-to-watch players of his time. He is one of only two players to reach 2,000 hits during his first ten full years in baseball, and as if that weren’t impressive enough, he is the holder of Twins records for hits, doubles, runs, and total bases. Kirby is most often remembered for his heroics in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series, in which he made an amazing, acrobatic catch against the center field wall to prevent an Atlanta Braves rally and followed it up with an 11th inning walk-off home run to send the series to Game 7. Despite the controversy that arose in Kirby’s life in 2002, he never lost his fan base and was welcomed by a huge amount of support when he was accused of sexual harassment (he was acquitted of all charges). He retired from baseball due to glaucoma which greatly affected his vision. On March 5th, 2006, Kirby had a massive stroke and passed away the next day. His legacy lives on in Minnesota where his familiar number 34 has been retired and he will forever live on as the foremost ambassador of Minnesota sports.

Career stats: .318 batting average; 2,304 hits; 207 home runs; ten time All Star selection; six time Gold Glove recipient; 1993 All Star MVP; 2001 Hall of Fame inductee

2. Michael Jordan - G (1984-2003)
There isn’t much I can say about His Airness that hasn’t already been said a thousand times. He is the man, the elite, the supreme being. If you’re a basketball fan, you no doubt worship this man for everything he’s done for the game over the past 20+ years. In addition to winning six NBA Titles, Jordan’s individual accolades and accomplishments include five MVP awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star Game appearances and three All-Star MVP, ten scoring titles, three steals titles, six NBA Finals MVP awards, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. He holds the NBA record for highest career regular season scoring average with 30.1 points per game, as well as averaging a record 33.4 points per game in the playoffs. In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, and was second only to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press’s list of athletes of the century.

Career Stats: 32,292 points; 2,514 steals; 5,633 assists; 14-time All Star selection; five time NBA MVP; 1985 Rookie of the Year; 1988 Defensive Player of the Year; three time All Star MVP; everything listed above and much, much more

1. Barry Sanders - RB (1989-1998 )
In my opinion, Sanders is the most exciting player to watch in all of sports history. No running back was ever dreaded more than him due to his almost inhumanly ability to shift and change directions on a dime and then kick into high gear in a matter of just a few steps to leave everyone in the dust. The best part about Barry in my opinion is the fact that he was constantly on awful teams. He never had a decent quarterback, he never had a worthwhile offensive line, and he never had a good defense to give him a rest. Yet despite all this, he still managed to climb to second on the NFL’s all time rushing yards list, only behind Walter Payton. Had he not retired prematurely due to his team’s inability to win, many speculate that Sanders would have passed Payton within the next two seasons for the lead on the list. As it stands, Sanders is now third on the all time list behind Emmitt Smith and Payton. Not only is he one of only a handful of players to ever rush for 2,000 yards in one season, but Barry did it in only 14 games after notching only 53 yards in the first two games of the season. Another thing worth mentioning is Sanders’ poise and demeanor on the field. He played the game the way it was meant to be played. He didn’t talk trash, he let his actions do the talking. He never spiked the ball and did a dance after scoring, he would hand the ball to the ref, hug a couple teammates, and trot back to the sidelines. Barry Sanders made football so exciting to watch in the same way watching Rounders always makes you want to go play poker. Had Sanders been part of a more capable franchise, I can only assume he would have done even more for himself and others around him. As it is though, it’s impossible to put the guy down for everything he has done. Seriously, watch the clip below of his highlights. At about 2:59 he makes John Lynch look like a school girl, as he did to almost everyone else at one time or another.

Career stats: 15,269 rushing yards; 5.0 yards per carry; 99 touchdowns; ten time Pro Bowl selection; 1997 co-MVP; 1989 Offensive Rookie of the Year; two time NFL Offensive Player of the Year; dozens of college and NFL records

Well there we have it. Those are the athletes I grew up watching and/or continue to love to this day. Since ten is a rather small number, I decided to throw in a few extras that were close, but didn’t quite make the cut …

Honorable Mention: Tiger Woods, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Jerome Bettis, Joe Montana, Torii Hunter, Ray Lewis, Vince Carter, Kobe Bryant

Well, thus concludes our viewer’s choice posts, unless you have any more ideas for me. I’d like to keep this train moving, so don’t be shy about suggesting something. I’m really open to anything, so if you’ve got an idea, anything, throw it at me. I’m a roast, baste me.

One love,

10

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Tags: Barry Sanders, Bo Jackson, Chuck Knoblauch, Eddie George, Johan Santana, Kevin Garnett, Kirby Puckett, LaDanian Tomlinson, Michael Jordan, MLB, NBA, NFL, Randy Moss, Sports, Viewer's Choice

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