Your City/Region's Top 20 All-Time Athletes

[BillD1984]

Everyone will have different criteria for this, but here's mine:

1. Individual contributions
2. Championship pedigree
3. Relative greatness in athlete's era
4. Attitude towards their craft
5. Performance in the clutch

Here's my opinion for Boston:

1. Bill Russell (Celtics)
2. Ted Williams (Red Sox)
3. Larry Bird (Celtics)
4. Bobby Orr (Bruins)
5. Tom Brady (Patriots)
6. Rocky Marciano (Boxer)
7. John Havlicek (Celtics)
8. David Ortiz (Red Sox)
9. Carl Yastrzemski (Red Sox)
10. Bob Cousy (Celtics)
11. Ray Bourque (Bruins)
12. John Hannah (Patriots)
13. Kevin McHale (Celtics)
14. Marvin Hagler (Boxer)
15. Pedro Martinez (Red Sox)
16. Robert Parish (Celtics)
17. Tedy Bruschi (Patriots)
18. Cam Neely (Bruins)
19. Tom Heinsohn (Celtics)
20. Roger Clemens (Red Sox)

 

[SabresRule]

Here's my opinion for Boston:

1. Bill Russell (Celtics)
2. Ted Williams (Red Sox)
3. Larry Bird (Celtics)
4. Bobby Orr (Bruins)
5. Tom Brady (Patriots)
6. Rocky Marciano (Boxer)
7. John Havlicek (Celtics)
8. David Ortiz (Red Sox)
9. Carl Yastrzemski (Red Sox)
10. Bob Cousy (Celtics)
11. Ray Bourque (Bruins)
12. John Hannah (Patriots)
13. Kevin McHale (Celtics)
14. Marvin Hagler (Boxer)
15. Pedro Martinez (Red Sox)
16. Robert Parish (Celtics)
17. Tedy Bruschi (Patriots)
18. Cam Neely (Bruins)
19. Tom Heinsohn (Celtics)
20. Roger Clemens (Red Sox)

Personally, I'd replace Clemens with Phil Esposito.

Clemens never won a title in Beantown: Espo contributed to the Bruins' two Cups.

 

[BillD1984]

Personally, I'd replace Clemens with Phil Esposito.

Clemens never won a title in Beantown: Espo contributed to the Bruins' two Cups.

Sabres,

that's a legitimate point. In fact, I listed (on paper) my top 30 and Espo was #21.


BTW, Me- Me Ramirez was #28 on my list.

 

[Hart5150]

Everyone will have different criteria for this, but here's mine:

1. Individual contributions
2. Championship pedigree
3. Relative greatness in athlete's era
4. Attitude towards their craft
5. Performance in the clutch

Here's my opinion for Boston:

1. Bill Russell (Celtics)
2. Ted Williams (Red Sox)
3. Larry Bird (Celtics)
4. Bobby Orr (Bruins)
5. Tom Brady (Patriots)
6. Rocky Marciano (Boxer)
7. John Havlicek (Celtics)
8. David Ortiz (Red Sox)
9. Carl Yastrzemski (Red Sox)
10. Bob Cousy (Celtics)
11. Ray Bourque (Bruins)
12. John Hannah (Patriots)
13. Kevin McHale (Celtics)
14. Marvin Hagler (Boxer)
15. Pedro Martinez (Red Sox)
16. Robert Parish (Celtics)
17. Tedy Bruschi (Patriots)
18. Cam Neely (Bruins)
19. Tom Heinsohn (Celtics)
20. Roger Clemens (Red Sox)

Good list, Bill

I will do this myself later, but I think your list is pretty spot on, except, I would have a hard time not putting Tom Brady #2 and putting Adam Vinatieri on there somewhere.

 

[BillD1984]

Good list, Bill

I will do this myself later, but I think your list is pretty spot on, except, I would have a hard time not putting Tom Brady #2 and putting Adam Vinatieri on there somewhere.

Thanks, Hart

you're right about Vinatieri. I have him at #23 because of his performance in the clutch. Unfortunately, I would have him higher, but I just couldn't bring myself to put a kicker that high. But I certainly wouldn't argue if you or someone else did.


As far as Brady goes, I think one more championship gets him to #3 and two more to #2. IMO, right now, Russell and Williams are locks for #1 and #2. However, I think as it currently stands, Bird, Orr, and Brady are interchangeable at #'s 3-5.

 

[HD MM]

Cleveland

I came up with a solid list of 30. I'm having a tough time narrowing this list to 20 and ranking them in order. Any other Clevelanders are welcome to help modify/condense this list. Also, I realize #29 and #30 are full of controversy, but there's no denying their contributions to our teams during their tenure here.

1. Jim Brown (Browns)
2. Jim Thorpe (Canton Bulldogs)
3. Jesse Owens (Cleveland’s East Tech HS and Ohio State University)
4. Otto Graham (Browns)
5. Bob Feller (Indians)
6. LeBron James (Cavs)
7. Cy Young (Cleveland Spiders, Indians)
8. Shoeless Joe Jackson (Indians)
9. Satchel Page (Indians)
10. Larry Doby (Indians)
11. Bernie Kosar (Browns)
12. Lou Groza (Browns)
13. Rocky Colovito (Indians)
14. Paul Warfield (Browns)
15. Ozzie Newsome (Browns)
16. Mark Price (Cavs)
17. Larry Nance (Cavs)
18. Marion Motley (Browns)
19. Dante Lavelli (Browns)
20. Lou Bordreau (Indians)
21. Bob Lemon (Indians)
22. Leroy Kelly (Browns)
23. Earl Avrill (Indians)
24. Omar Vizquel (Indians)
25. C.C. Sabathia (Indians)
26. Braylon Edwards (Browns)
27. Kelly Pavlik (Boxer)
28. Sandy Alomar Jr.(Indians)
29. Jim Thome (Indians)
30. Manny Ramirez (Indians)

 

[Ramy]

Cincinnati

1. Pete Rose (Reds)
2. Johnny Bench (Reds)
3. Barry Larkin (Reds)
4. Ken Anderson (Bengals)
5. Anthony Munoz (Bengals)
6. Boomer Esiason (Bengals)
7. Joe Morgan (Bengals)
8. Oscar Robertson (University of Cincinnati)

 

[SabresRule]

7. Joe Morgan (Bengals)

I think there's a mix-up...

 

[BillD1984]

I came up with a solid list of 30. I'm having a tough time narrowing this list to 20 and ranking them in order. Any other Clevelanders are welcome to help modify/condense this list. Also, I realize #29 and #30 are full of controversy, but there's no denying their contributions to our teams during their tenure here.

1. Jim Brown (Browns)
2. Jim Thorpe (Canton Bulldogs)
3. Jesse Owens (Cleveland’s East Tech HS and Ohio State University)
4. Otto Graham (Browns)
5. Bob Feller (Indians)
6. LeBron James (Cavs)
7. Cy Young (Cleveland Spiders, Indians)
8. Shoeless Joe Jackson (Indians)
9. Satchel Page (Indians)
10. Larry Doby (Indians)
11. Bernie Kosar (Browns)
12. Lou Groza (Browns)
13. Rocky Colovito (Indians)
14. Paul Warfield (Browns)
15. Ozzie Newsome (Browns)
16. Mark Price (Cavs)
17. Larry Nance (Cavs)
18. Marion Motley (Browns)
19. Dante Lavelli (Browns)
20. Lou Bordreau (Indians)
21. Bob Lemon (Indians)
22. Leroy Kelly (Browns)
23. Earl Avrill (Indians)
24. Omar Vizquel (Indians)
25. C.C. Sabathia (Indians)
26. Braylon Edwards (Browns)
27. Kelly Pavlik (Boxer)
28. Sandy Alomar Jr.(Indians)
29. Jim Thome (Indians)
30. Manny Ramirez (Indians)

Question HDMM,

Is it reasonable to assume LeBron could climb to #2 before all is said and done (reaching Jim Brown, to me at least, seems unattainable)?

 

[HD MM]

Question HDMM,

Is it reasonable to assume LeBron could climb to #2 before all is said and done (reaching Jim Brown, to me at least, seems unattainable)?

Yes. Absolutely. If you notice, I've ranked any current or recently retired players on that list pretty conservatively. I did this since their legacy and careers are still unfinished.

 

[hancox]

Wow - my brain might explode trying to do this for NY. Too many teams!

Trying to rank, say, some of the Islanders HOF'ers over, say, Messier or Brodeur - impossible!

Dr J vs Ewing?

Seaver vs Whitey Ford?

Namath vs Gifford?

Just amazing comparisons to make - not sure I'm up to it!

 

[BlackHitachi]

I came up with a solid list of 30. I'm having a tough time narrowing this list to 20 and ranking them in order. Any other Clevelanders are welcome to help modify/condense this list. Also, I realize #29 and #30 are full of controversy, but there's no denying their contributions to our teams during their tenure here.

1. Jim Brown (Browns)
2. Jim Thorpe (Canton Bulldogs)
3. Jesse Owens (Cleveland’s East Tech HS and Ohio State University)
4. Otto Graham (Browns)
5. Bob Feller (Indians)
6. LeBron James (Cavs)
7. Cy Young (Cleveland Spiders, Indians)
8. Shoeless Joe Jackson (Indians)
9. Satchel Page (Indians)
10. Larry Doby (Indians)
11. Bernie Kosar (Browns)
12. Lou Groza (Browns)
13. Rocky Colovito (Indians)
14. Paul Warfield (Browns)
15. Ozzie Newsome (Browns)
16. Mark Price (Cavs)
17. Larry Nance (Cavs)
18. Marion Motley (Browns)
19. Dante Lavelli (Browns)
20. Lou Bordreau (Indians)
21. Bob Lemon (Indians)
22. Leroy Kelly (Browns)
23. Earl Avrill (Indians)
24. Omar Vizquel (Indians)
25. C.C. Sabathia (Indians)
26. Braylon Edwards (Browns)
27. Kelly Pavlik (Boxer)
28. Sandy Alomar Jr.(Indians)
29. Jim Thome (Indians)
30. Manny Ramirez (Indians)

WOW!!!!!!! Now that is a LIST!!! WOW:up:up:up:up

 

[cybok0]

I can't have a Cleveland guy have more than me.

1. Mario Lemieux (Penguins)
2. Roberto Clemente(Pirates)
3. Willie Stargell(Pirates)
4. Terry Bradshaw(Steelers)
5. "Mean" Joe Green(Steelers)
6. Jack Lambert(Steelers)
7. Franco Harris(Steelers)
8. Cool Papa Bell(Grays/Crawfords)
9. Josh Gibson(Grays/Crawfords)
10. Satchel Paige(Crawfords)
11. Sidney Crosby(Penguins)
12. Dan Marino(Pitt F.)
13. Tony Dorsett(Pitt F.)
14. Honus Wagner(Pirates)
15. Mel Blount(Steelers)
16. Mike Webster(Steelers)
17. Lynn Swann(Steelers)
18. John Stallworth(Steelers)
19. Chuck Noll(Steelers)
20. Barry Bonds(Pirates)
21. Jack Ham(Steelers)
22. Jaromir Jagr(Penguins)
23. Paul Coffey(Penguins)
24. Tom Barrasso(Penguins)
25. Rod Woodson(Steelers)
26. Jerome Lane(Pitt B.)
27. Dave Parker(Pirates)
28. Hugh Green(Pitt F.)
29. Mike Ditka(Pitt F.)
30. L.C. Greenwood(Steelers)
31. Dermonti Dawson(Steelers)
32. Jerome Bettis(Steelers)
33. Hines Ward(Steelers)
34. Ben Roethlisberger(Steelers)
35. marc andre fleury(Penguins)

 

[SabresRule]

Trying to rank, say, some of the Islanders HOF'ers over, say, Messier or Brodeur - impossible!

You're lucky Sandra's not online. She'd be livid at you for the idea of putting Ice-landers ahead of the great Messier.

 

[hancox]

that's the thing - you literally are talking a a slew of first ballot HOF'ers in my lifetime alone, from the 3 hockey teams alone!

Isles: Bossy, Potvin, Gillies, Smith, Torrey, Trottier
Rangers: Messier, Gretzky, Leetch, and a few borderlines too (Richter, Graves)
Devs: Brodeur, Lemieux, Stevens, Niedermayer

...and that's off the top of my head! I'm sure I'm missing a few that people will bludgeon me for!

...AND THAT'S ONLY FROM HOCKEY!!!

See what I mean?

 

[jbernardi]

Home town of Buffalo (left in 1966); here's a baker's dozen off the top of my head

Jim Kelly (Bills)
Thurman Thomas (Bills)
O.J. Simpson (an embarrassment in later life) (Bills)
Andre Reed (Bills)
Cookie Gilchrist (Bills)
Elbert "Golden Wheels" Dubenion (Bills)
Billy Shaw (Bills)
Tom Sestak (Bills)
Paul Maguire (Bills)
George Saimes (Bills)
Gilbert Perrault (Sabres)
Rick Martin (Sabres)
Luke Easter (Bisons)

 

[SabresRule]

Home town of Buffalo (left in 1966); here's a baker's dozen off the top of my head

Jim Kelly (Bills)
Thurman Thomas (Bills)
O.J. Simpson (an embarrassment in later life) (Bills)
Andre Reed (Bills)
Cookie Gilchrist (Bills)
Elbert "Golden Wheels" Dubenion (Bills)
Billy Shaw (Bills)
Tom Sestak (Bills)
Paul Maguire (Bills)
George Saimes (Bills)
Gilbert Perrault (Sabres)
Rick Martin (Sabres)
Luke Easter (Bisons)

I wasn't alive when O.J. was in his prime or when Perreault and Martin were teammates, but I obviously remember Kelly, Thomas, and Reed.

I'll also throw in Hasek, LaFontaine, Mogilny, Andreychuk, Housley, and Hawerchuk.

 

[BillD1984]

Home town of Buffalo (left in 1966); here's a baker's dozen off the top of my head

Jim Kelly (Bills)
Thurman Thomas (Bills)
O.J. Simpson (an embarrassment in later life) (Bills)
Andre Reed (Bills)
Cookie Gilchrist (Bills)
Elbert "Golden Wheels" Dubenion (Bills)
Billy Shaw (Bills)
Tom Sestak (Bills)
Paul Maguire (Bills)
George Saimes (Bills)
Gilbert Perrault (Sabres)
Rick Martin (Sabres)
Luke Easter (Bisons)

No offense, but Bruce Smith has to be near or at the top of this list. Also, Cornelius Bennett and to a lesser extent Shane Conlon belong on this list too.

 

[jbernardi]

hancox - to add to your Rangers' list:

Rod Gilbert
Jean Ratelle, a classy center
Ed Giacomin

 

[jbernardi]

Bill D1984 -

No Question, Bruce Smith should have been near the top.
I also agree on Bennett and Conlin.

I should also add Steve Tasker.