| |
Best things/moments in sports; or the times when it’s great to be a sports fan in no certain order...
1. Game 7 of a Stanley Cup playoff series (nothing matches the intensity of the NHL playoffs)
2. Game 7 of the World Series
3. 2:00 left, ball on your own twenty, John Elway under center
4. 1:30 left, ball on your 30, Joe Montana under center
5. Michael Jordan pouring in 63 against Boston in the playoffs
6. Ray Bourque hoisting the Stanley Cup
7. Tiger winning the Masters by twelve strokes
8. Muhammad Ali lighting the Olympic flame
9. Secretariat obliterating the field at Belmont...he won by 35 lengths
10. Lance Armstrong with the yellow jersey (God damn French)
11. The Miracle on Ice
12. Jim Valvano running around like a chicken with its head off after NC State upset Phi Slamma Jamma (rest in peace Jimmy)
13. Villanova upsetting Georgetown
14. Jim McMahon getting knocked the F out against Green Bay
15. First Bronco home game
16. Watching Anna "What a" Kournikova bounce seductively in a white mini skirt
17. A hot dog at Yankee Stadium
18. A micro brew at Coors Field...followed by three hours of shitty baseball
19. Meeting Peter Forseberg who's the nicest guy, BTW
20. No annoying chicks with annoying questions
21. Mike Tyson getting his face beat in by some journeyman
22. John Rocker getting crushed in the minors
23. Randy Moss running a deep pattern
24. Marvin Harrison catching a TD
25. Jerry Rice working harder than everyone
26. Michael Jordan switching hands in mid air and making the lay-up
27. John Stephen Akhwari finishing the marathon in the ’68 Olympics. When asked why he didn’t just quit after falling and dislocating his knee Akhwari responded, “My country did not send me 7000 miles away to start the race. They sent me 7000 miles to finish it.”
28. Jack Nicklas winning the ’86 Masters
29. Sugar Ray Leonard humbling Roberto Duran in the “No Mas” fight
30. Muhammed Ali standing over George Foreman after knocking him to the canvas
31. Listening to the silky smooth Vin Scully broadcast a baseball game
32. Hearing the crowd groan after Steve Atwater knocked Christian Okoye into next week
33. Watching Barry Sanders dart around like a scared rabbit
34. Al Michaels’ call as the clock wound down on the Miracle on Ice…”Do you believe in miracles? Yes!”
35. John Madden diagramming a play and going “Boom!”
36. Chris Berman doing his schtick on ESPN
37. Charlie Steiner losing it and laughing for five minutes straight on Sportscenter
38. Ricky Waters crying at the national anthem the first game after 9-11
39. Lawrence Taylor hunting down quarterbacks
40. Cal Ripken and 2131
41. Lou Gehrig giving his speech at Yankee Stadium
42. Willie Mays making the over-the-shoulder basket catch in deep center field
*Update* 7/19-05
There were some glaring omissions in my list...
43. Tom Brady's humility. He gave up an opportunity to demand $10 million per year for the betterment of the Patriots. That's a man.
44. Red Sox beating the hated Yankees and sweeping the Cards to shake off 86 years of Ruth's curse.
45. That 75 yard hail Mary from Kordell Stewart to Michael Westbrook that broke the hearts of 103,000 at Michigan Stadium.
46. John Elway getting pin-wheeled on 3rd & 6 that gave the Broncos the adrenaline boost needed to beat Green Bay
47. Doug Flutie’s last second heave that beat Miami
48. Turner Gill and his incomplete pass that got batted down by Miami to give the ‘Canes the national title in 83
49. Watching CU take the field behind a real buffalo
50. Bobby Thompson’s “Shot heard around the world”
51. The US making it to the final eight in the 2002 World Cup
52. Watching Pele
53. Jesse Owens taking Hitler’s “Aryan superiority” myth and blowing it out of the water
54. In the ’32 Berlin Olympics Hitler demanded every country dip their flag as they passed by the Fuhrer…the only country that refused was the United States of America
55. Jackie Robinson breaking down the color barrier in baseball
56. Ronnie Lott cutting a path of destruction through opposing receivers
57. Jim Everett jumping across the table to shove Jim Rome…he so had it coming
58. Shannon Sharpe taunting the late Derek Thomas so bad that Thomas eventually lost it and got ejected
59. Nobody could talk smack like Muhammad Ali
60. DU winning back-to-back NCAA titles in hockey…I went to law school at DU
So in an effort to be more like David Ellis, I've decided to do a sports-related post featuring a list. Because the NFL draft is tomorrow, I thought it might be relevant to publish a list of the best Patriots of all time, considering they are the greatest team of all time. And I say that because while other teams may have been more dominant in their respective eras, none of them had to deal with the modern challenges of the salary cap. Most of the players will be from the modern era for two reasons. First, I have first-hand memories of it. Second, the most recent years are by far the best of the franchise. Anyway, without further ado, here it is:
QB - Tom Brady - This is a no brainer. He's the only QB to actually win an SB for the Pats, so he gets it by default if for no other reason. But there are plenty of other reasons that will not be gone into here. Drew Bledsoe, Steve Grogan and Babe Parilli all tie for a distant second. Tony Eason is dead last.
RB - Curtis Martin - This was actually a tough one. I was tempted to take Corey Dillon, but he's only had one good year. Martin's best years were obviously with the Jets, but he had three really good years with the Pats before Parcells stole him away. The Pats running game wasn't the same until they traded for Dillon in 'o4. Jim Nance had some good years in the '60's and early 70's, but given Martin's overall track record, I just don't think he compares.
FB - Sam Gash - This position doesn't really exist anymore with the Pats offense, since they like to use multiple TE sets rather than have a blocking back. Sam Gash was the complete package at fullback. Great blocker, reliable pass catcher, and an awesome fullback name to boot. The mid-90's would not have been nearly as enjoyable without him.
TE - Ben Coates - Another no brainer. No one even comes close. I like TE's to be the complete package too. I don't like Shannon Sharpe because he was basically an oversized receiver. Actually most of the highly regarded TE's these days are little more than pass catchers (Heath Miller may be an exception to that rule though). Ben Coates was the whole package and then some. Caught 96 and then 84 balls in consecutive years and was the one of the best blocking tight ends of his generation. I'd actually rate him up there with Ozzie Newsome as one of the best TE's of all time.
WR - Stanley Morgan and Gino Cappelletti - Two blasts from the and by far the two greatest Patriot receivers of all time, given their overall track records and the fact that they both spent their entire careers with the Pats. I'd have Deion Branch as the third receiver on account of his Super Bowl performances and his creative touchdown dances. As for Terry Glenn, she was really good, but she had some personal problems that keep her off this list.
C - Dan Koppen - For lack of a better candidate. Koppen was a steal as a 5th round draft choice and while not overpowering, is a very reliable center that always gets the job done.
G - John Hannah and Stephen Neal - Hannah is an NFL Hall of Famer, arguably the greatest guard of all time and all-around badass. He also gets bonus points for saying that Tony Eason should have worn a skirt after the 46-10 shellacking at the hands of the Bears in Super Bowl XX.
Neal is a more interesting story. A college wrestler who never played a single down of Div. I college football, Neal is a raw player with plenty of strength who is just tapping into his potential. The Patriots just signed him to big extension and I think that if he keeps going the way he has been, he can be truly great. That and I couldn't think of anyone else who played guard for the Pats.
T - Bruce Armstrong and Matt Light - Armstrong is the greatest Pats offensive lineman after John Hannah and will probably be inducted into Canton one day. Light is a proven veteran who's done a great job protecting Tom Brady since 2001. He's played on all 3 Super Bowl teams and is a very reliable blocker in both the passing and running games.
DT - Richard Seymour and Jim Lee Hunt (note, I'm doing the defensive alignment in a 3-4, since that's what the Pats run today) - Richard Seymour is the most dominant 3-4 tackle in the NFL today. He is such a disruptive force that teams rarely run to his side of the field anymore. At 6-6 and 315(?), he is one of the most impressive physical specimens at D-Line today. I actually feel sorry for the poor bastards that have to try to block this guy.
Jim Lee Hunt played for the Pats from 1960, when they were founded, until 1971. According to the Pats Hall of Fame website, he was nicknamed "earthquake", made 4 AFL all-star games and was very good at stopping the run. That's about all I know about this guy.
NT - Ted Washington - I know he only played one year for the Pats, but what a year it was. Teams just couldn't run on the Pats when he was on the field. One of the best run-stopping NT's of all time, he was an integral part of the Pats' record-breaking win streak. Vince Wilfork may surpass him one day though.
OLB - Andre Tippett and Willie McGinest - If John Hannah was the biggest badass on the offensive side of the ball, then you better believe that Andre Tippett earned that title on the defensive side. Cut out of the mid-1980's LT outside linebacker mold, he was simply dominant. 100 sacks all time and a franchise record 18.5 in 1984. Just about the only person who could force Mike Vrabel off this list.
Willie McGinest gets the other starting spot on the basis of his longevity, playoff record and overall strong performance over time. He's still very good at stopping both the run and the pass. A product of the Parcells era, he was still producing at the highest level as late as last year. I truly wish him the best in Cleveland and hope that when he is ready to retire, the Pats sign him to a one day contract to honor his many years of service to the franchise.
ILB - Tedy Bruschi and Nick Buoniconti - Is anyone really going to argue with me about Bruschi? He's heart and soul of the Pats dynasty and possibly the most beloved Pats player of all time, surpassing even Brady. And I'm not just saying that cause I own his jersey (thanks to my wonderful girlfriend).
Buoniconti in my opinion had his better years in Miami as the leader of the No-Name Defense that won two Super Bowl championships (including the undefeated season). But he was a force to be reckoned with on the Patriots in the days of the AFL as well. This was actually a really tough decision. I could have put Vincent Brown, Ted Johnson, Roman Phipher and Steve Nelson here just as easily. But Buoniconti gets in here because he's an NFL Hall of Famer and he spent enough years with the Pats (6), to warrant more than just a cup of coffee. He's also from my hometown, so I'm a little biased.
CB - Ty Law and Mike Haynes - One is a Hall of Famer, the other is sure to be inducted when he retires. Law is the all-time interception leader on the Pats and was the chief reason that Peyton Manning was the Patriots' personal bitch during his time there.
Haynes was a great CB that the Pats let get away too early in his career (very typical of the Pats prior to the Belichik era). A member of the NFL's all-75th Anniversary team, he was one of the best cover corners of his era and was an all-pro five times.
SS - Lawyer Milloy and Rodney Harrison (tie) - I just couldn't pick one here. They were both integral parts of Patriots Super Bowl teams and they were both intimidating forces that made wide receivers think twice about trying to catch a ball over the middle. After an opening day hiccup against the Bills, Harrison caught on so quickly that the Pats immediately forgot about Milloy and won their second Super Bowl, rolling off 15 straight wins in the process. Milloy made the Pats defense a legitimate force to be reckoned with during the Parcells era. Like I said, these two were so close, that I just couldn't choose one. So sue me.
FS - Eugene Wilson - For lack of any better options. Actually hits like a strong safety and has a lot to learn about coverage, but he's a young player with a lot of potential. He's also very versatile and can play corner or strong safety, which has come in handy during the Pats injury plagued seasons.
K - Adam Vinatieri - If you disagree with me on this one, just go out, buy a gun and blow your brains out because you're too fucking stupid to be on this planet. Two Super Bowl winning kicks. Enough said.
P - Does anyone care? - Seriously that's my answer. If you insist though, I'll say Tom Tupa if only for the reason that he saved the Pats a roster slot because he was the third QB too.
12th man/Special teamer - Troy Brown - Did you really think I could leave him off this list? No one has done more for this franchise, the only problem being that he just hasn't been so great at any one thing to warrant inclusion in a regular position. But the man is a good WR, great punt returner, solid emergency CB and just solid person all around. Continually takes pay-cuts to keep playing for the Pats. I'd actually take him over one of the two all-time WR's if I had to start a team from scratch.
Coach - Bill Belichik - Duh!
Mascot - Pat Patriot - Only true Pats fans prefer Pat Patriot (the guy squatting over the ball with a constipated look on his face), to the Flying Elvis. Sure the Pats are much more successful with Elvis, but Pat is a link to our inglorious past, a reminder of what once was that makes us appreciate the current successes all the more. For nostalgia alone, Pat wins.
Well there's my list. If you don't like it, feel free to email me and tell me what you think. Otherwise, fuck off.
Denver Broncos Schedule
Other Searched Terms: shannon sharpe com
, shannon sharpe art
,
|
|
