Of the four major pro sports Hockey, Baseball, Football, Basketball in the United States and Canada only eight teams actually have a color as part of the mascot. Soccer was not included because it is lower than bowling and poker on the sports food chain in America. Simply looking at the four sports and the 122 pro sports teams there is one thing obvious, if you are a team of color you better have "red" in the name.

  Teams with the name "red" include the Redskins, Red Wings, Red Sox, and Reds. These teams comprise 50% of the list known as the "A list". The Browns, White Sox, and Blue Jays represent the other 50% of the list known as the "B list".

  The Red teams have a combined 27 Championships between them. The Red Wings have won 11 Stanley Cups, the Red Sox have won 6 World Series, the Reds have won 5 World Series, and the Redskins have won 5 Super Bowls. This is why they are the "A list".

  The other #### teams have only 12 combined Championships. That is why they are on the "B list". They are not new franchises either. These teams have been around a long time. In fact every team of color has been around a long time. The newest team on the list is the Toronto Blue Jays whose franchise began in 1977 which is relatively young in comparison to the other teams on the list.

Teams of color are old school. You will probably never see another team name including a color as part of the name. But if your city gets one, they better make the name have "Red" in it!

 The entire list of most championships by pro teams of color:

Red Wings 11

Red Sox 6

Reds 5

Redskins 5

Browns 4

White soxs 3

Blackhawks 3

Blue Jays 2


The Breakdown:

4 teams were from MLB

Zero teams were from the NBA

Chicago has 2 teams on the list

2 teams with Indian names on the list and 2 about colors of Sox.

2 teams of color left off the list the St. Louis Blues and Columbus Blue Jackets have never won a Championship.

Of all teams "Blue" only a combined 2 Championships

One subject that many, including myself, have done for so long is give top ten lists of pretty much everything under the sun. Sports fans really like to make these lists. But what many readers don’t realize, unfortunately, is that 99% of top ten lists are nothing more than an opinion.  Some of the writers don't realize it either though.

Some of the more popular lists I have done would include the top ten baseball players of all time, top ten hottest WNBA players, and the big one, the top ten most overrated sports moments which I wrote earlier this year.

A marketing firm compiled data and fan feedback from all 122 pro sports franchises. With this list it is based on many items. This list is not my list. This list was done by two companies as well.

The list is called the "Ultimate Standings" by Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon and Markitecture INC. The list was published in the May issue of ESPN the Magazine.

The data used to figure all this out was put together with these factors included. Most of these factors included: Ownership, Coaching, Players, Fan Relations, Affordability Stadium Experience, and ####-for-the-Buck.

So who are the Top Ten Franchises and who are the Bottom Feeders? Here are the lists.

Top Ten Sports Franchises:

10. Arizona Diamondbacks

9. Jacksonville Jaguars

8. Detroit Pistons

7.Detroit Tigers

6.Los Angeles Angels

5. Anaheim Ducks

4. Green Bay Packers

3.New Orleans Hornets

2. San Antonio Spurs

1. Indianapolis Colts

 
The Bottom Feeders:

113. Memphis Grizzlies

114. Baltimore Orioles

115. Cincinnati Bengals

116. Seattle Supersonics

117. Oakland Raiders

118. Minnesota Timberwolves

119. Atlanta Falcons

120. Detroit Lions

121. Toronto Maple Leafs

122. New York Knicks

 Notables and other numbers:

The city of Detroit had three teams in the top 12 and one in the bottom. The Detroit Red Wings came in at 12th.

No New York team ranked higher than the Giants at number 48. New York has seven pro sports franchises which is more than any other city.

The New England Patriots were ranked as the 11th best franchise.

The Chicago Cubs were ranked 95th. I guess without any living fans from the last World Series it is hard to rank higher. The Cubs have only won two World Series’ and they were back-toback in 1907-08.

The number 100 team is the New Jersey Nets.

The Indiana Pacers just missed the Bottom Feeder list at number 112

In MLB the Boston Red Sox ranked 89th while the New York Yankees ranked 65th. The Tampa Bay Rays ranked 75th while the Toronto Blue Jays ranked 67th and the Baltimore Orioles were ranked 114th. The AL East is not a good franchise division apparently.

Surprises on the list were the Milwaukee Brewers who were 13th and the St. Louis Blues were 14th.

Of coarse, that is the question! It has happened so many times recently that someone gets on T.V. and adamantly denied something. It has also been the exact opposite every time! Someone goes on T.V. and points their finger, screams, or cries and it turns out to be a complete fallacy.

So when Roger Clemens goes on 60 Minutes and says he didn’t inject steroids or HGH, I think he did. No one has any credibility or "an inch or respect" (Roger Clemens) because all the credibility was used up by prior allegations on American Icons that got on many cameras and lied right to our T.V. screen.

I remember where I was when President Bill Clinton came into that press conference and started it off by saying "I did not have sexual relations with that woman Miss Lewinsky" as he tapped his pointing hand on the press table. Well we all know what happened there. He did have sexual relations with that woman Miss Lewinsky! If you do not believe #### sex is a sexual relation than ask your wife/girlfriend or both if she would care if you got #### sex from someone else. Or better yet. Would you care if she gave #### sex because it isn’t a sexual relation?

I don’t remember where I was when Marion Jones said she had not violated and anti-doping rules. "They" have been after her for so many years that when they finally figured out that she really had, I didn’t care anymore. However, she was stripped of all medals years later. Many say the price of success is paid in advance. But in Jones’ case her past took her to the top and dropped her right back off.

Barry Bonds said for so many years that he didn’t do steroids. People would always say "look at his head". It is huge! That is from steroids! Actually that is not from steroids. That is what happens as you get older. My head has grown almost ½ inch since my first fitted Tigers hat back in 1991. Look around you. Older people have bigger heads. Look at T.V. star George Lopez. He says it all the time that he has a really big head and he does. It is also why you occasionally see much older people that have oversized facial features.

Barry Bonds always said he had just taken flack seed oil "the cream" "the clear" I don’t know. He has a Federal Grand Jury indictment against him for perjury on this and Tiger outfielder Gary Sheffield said that he and Bonds had shot steroids into their butts. As it turns out he is just another person lying to all of our faces.

Michael Vick is sitting in prison right now over dogfighting after he had to tell the truth. Too bad he didn’t start with it. He may not have a suspension when he gets out of prison. He may have even garnered a much shorter sentence.

Now Roger Clemens says he only injected B-12 and lidocaine I don’t believe him. I also took a one week coarse on Neurolinguistic programming about ten years ago. Neurolinguistic programming is the study of the neurological processes underlying the development and use of language. Or how to tell if people are telling the truth, lying, or just making stuff up.

He does so much reflecting the blame on other people to start off. He is aggressive as well which says to me that he can’t be caught so don’t even try. Then he releases this weird cell phone conversation he just had with Brian McNamee? McNamee, questioned by federal prosecutors, told them last year he injected Clemens with performance-enhancing drugs in 1998, 2000 and 2001. Prosecutors had him repeat those charges to Mitchell. Since the report was issued, Clemens has repeatedly and vehemently denied the allegations.Also invovled in this was Andy Pettitte. He has admitted McNamee injected him twice with HGH. Pettitte coming clean has really had no heat at all from this.

So the question is To Believe or Not to Believe. I do not believe Roger Clemens. I really don’t care that he did it. After all he was pitching to hitters that were juicing as well. In fact players at all positions and ages were doing it.

Roger Clemens is still a first ballot Hall of Fame player based on his career, including 1998, 2000, and 2001. He has been dominant his entire career and is one of the few 300 game winners all-time. He has six 20 + winning seasons along with a span from 1997 to 2005 with 13 or more wins. His best season was way back in 1986. His first breakout season. It was his third year in the league. The Rocket was 24-4 with a 2.48 ERA. He also had 238 strikeouts that year as well.

You have heard it for years.  The Cowboys are America's team.  You may have even heard the Yankees were America's team in baseball.  I wanted to find out what America thinks about this.  One factor I used to determine this is that the team could qualify in its particular sport if they have an equal or greater approval rating than the President of the United States.  According to Pollreporting.com the president's approval rating is right around 30%.

One thing needed to determine this was a lot of input from fans all across America.  I was able to gather over 700 responses to put this list together.  Most sports actually have what would be considered America's team.  Some sports were close but didn't have enough support.  Whether you like it or not America has spoken and here are their teams.

NFL-  Lets start with the most talked about and most obvious team.  In the NFL the Dallas Cowboys wear the crown of being America's team.  It has been said for years but with a 30% vote for, it was confirmed.  Only one other team even registered a number higher than 3% and that was the New England Patriots with 17%. 

MLB-  Here is another team that really was no surprise.  In MLB the New York Yankees were anointed America's team with 33% of the vote.  I thought maybe the Chicago Cubs might have a shot in this category but this one wasn't even close.  The Yankees winning ways have given so many fans a reason to keep watching.  They are a franchise that has been capable of putting together back-to-back Championships in almost every era.

The Yankees like the Cowboys have a love hate relationship with America.  Fans either love them or hate them.  There is always one or the other with these two storied franchises.

Now when you think of other sports they may not be as obvious but they are completely legitimate.  Who do you think of as America's teams in College football and basketball?  What about NHL and NBA?  Upon further review it is the usual suspects.  The teams we always see on nationally televised games because they get the best ratings.

NHL-  Currently the NHL has fallen almost completely off the sports map in most cities.  The NHL has its team though.  That team is none other than the Detroit Red Wings.  The Red Wings received the highest percentage of any team throughout the entire poll.  The Wings garnered 37% of the vote to be crowed America's hockey team.  The Wings were the team of the 90's and were able to put together Three Stanley Cups under "the Captain" Steve Yzerman.  They also play in "HockeyTown" which may help too.

NBA- well in the NBA this was a little bit of a surprise.  It was a huge 50% vote in this lopsided win that there is actually NO America's team in the NBA.  The only team that even registered a double digit number was the Los Angeles Lakers with 27% of the vote.  The Pistons were the only other team to get mentioned with 9% of the vote.  So in the NBA there is actually no team but we know who gets the most ratings when they are on TV.  That is why the NBA needs a Laker/Piston finals in 2008!

College sports the BIG 2-

College Football-   You know America's college football team isn't going to be a team from the Big Ten or the SEC.  You also know it isn't a team from the Pac 10 or the Big 12 right?  It is the team with its own network.  This was a no brainer.  Notre Dame is America's college football team with 37% of the vote.  This wasn't close at all with no other team getting more than Michigan's 9% total.  Notre Dame has every game as a Nationally televised game.  NBC is called the Notre Dame Network, if the games aren't on NBC they are on ABC.

College Basketball- This was somewhat of a surprise to me because I thought this team would be most hated.  That is also why so many of the other America's teams are thought of this way.  Duke Basketball is America's team in a landslide.  No other team even registered more than 5% of the vote.

If you didn't know, now yo know.  America claims a team for almost every sport.  It isn't just the Cowboys either.  Now when you see these teams on TV next time you will know why they are on, because they are America's Teams, Like it or Not!

  In a dramatic swing Magglio got the Tigers into the World Series and the A's skipper gets canned.  Now I know most think that getting a team into the playoffs should be good enough.  But it isn't.  Look at the Yankees nearly firing Joe Torre after have the best record in the league.  However both should have been fired.  And hear is why.

1.  Joe Torre should have been fired for losing to the Tigers because he had the best hitting line up we may ever see in our lifetime.  That line up looked like one of a kid playing in season mode on MLB 06' on X Box.  If you can't figure out a way to get those guys to hit, you have to go.

2.  Torre and Macha both decided to just sit back and watch their respective teams get their #### handed to them by the Tigers by not EVER being aggressive.  As a Tigers fan I was shocked neither team bunted or stole a base in any game.  Without them doing either of those things you know they never once tried a hit and run.

3.  They didn't show any confidence in certain players that they would step up.  Instead Torre hit A-Rod 8th in a game and Macha just let Frank Thomas slump his way through and abismal series.


Out of both American League series the Tigers won, only one player seamed to even show up and try and that is Milton Bradley.  He is the guy no one wanted because he is a cancer in the dugout.  Maybe he doesn't like losing or being around players that sit back and don't ever show any emotion.  Without emotions there can be no momentum, and I know you saw the Tigers players showing emotion.

I was thinking about all the different types of sellouts around sports and I think I have come up with a few different examples of how many different ways Players, teams, and or fans are sellouts or will sellout. In no order of significance.

1. Yankee fans selling out on A-rod. It is already happening in New York that many fans and reporters are willing and advocating the trade Alex Rodriguez. Trust me now is not the time to bail out on the youngest player to hit 450 HRs because he is the highest paid player of anything in the World. This is the same guy that the Yankees traded Alphonso Soriano for and have been rumored to want to reacquire. The Yankees and fans sold out on Soriano in trading him, the fans and media are selling out on A-Rod and Brian Cashman (ironically named in being the Yankees GM) has sold out the Yankees future by making far too many trades.

2. The city of Detroit for not scheduling a Lions game and Tigers game on the same Sunday. When the Lions open up their season and the Tigers close theirs down, it would have been possible to sellout two games on the same intersection of downtown. The Lions continually sellout the home games and the Tigers have been selling outain and are making a playoff run which in turn may be the only way they would be able to have the two-fer of sellouts in October. Being the great sports town that Detroit is, the fans would sellout both games for sure.

3. Chris Brown of the Tennessee Titans is selling out on the Titans and his fans. The oft injured Brown is in the final year of his contract. The Titans drafted Lindale White as well. Brown's agent, Wynn Silbermann, formerly asked for a trade last week. Brown and his agent believe being traded away from a crowded backfield is his best career move. To me that tells me he is either not competitive or just does not believe he is good enough to get the bulk of the carries. How much does he think he is really going to get as a free agent? I am not looking for a player who wants out at the first sight of serious competition for his job. To me he is just a sellout.

4. Monday Night Football is a sellout for selling out to itself. They moved MNF to ESPN this year and changed the crew up. To me if they were really looking for an improvement in ratings, they would have made adjustments to the actual games! There were so many things to tweak but they never really did anything bout the actual games. They should have had more variety of teams on, less Packers (so we didn't have to hear Madden say Brett Favre's name over 100 times per and besides he is washed up now, move on!), and had an 8 O'clock start time EST. They should have had some signs that the games didn't mean anything because there wer so many games that weren't sold out.

5. The Brewers and Carlos Lee are sellouts. The fans of the Brew Crew are the big losers in this though. The Brewers need to trade Carlos Lee or resign him to a multi year deal. The fans have not had a World Series contender since 1982 and have never even won the World Series. They need to run the team less like a business and more like a team that wants to win. How about making a run for once instead of setting new lows in mediocrity. The Brewers and Detroit Lions are like distant sports cousins I guess, but do they both Sellout on their fans?  Either way they have never won it all.  The Lions only claim to a chamtpionship in way back in 1957 before it was even called the Super Bowl.

6.  Maurice Clarrett was a sellout to the team that made him famous, the Ohio State Buckeyes.  He was also a sellout to the fans of OSU, and he was a sellout to coachs of OSU.  Then to top it off he sold out his NFL career by having a year off.  He then sold out his future when he was arrested for aggrevated robbery.  He is now better known for non football activities, which is not good.




Do you think you know about sports?  try fanIQ and try to predict all the games, divisions, and stats you can.  just follow this link!  http://www.faniq.com/index.php?id=24942

 

     Major League Baseball has made the error. The MLB having the All-Star (exhibition) game decide home field advantage in the World Series is absurd. Next year they need to put a stop to this. Now I am happy that MLB tries to be innovative. However they need to just say that the All-Star game will only be played in nine innings or maybe even ten. But to have an All-Star game decide who have home field advantage is just terrible. It is like deciding a world wide tournament that only happens every four years be decided by a shoot out........oh wait.

     If MLB is so intent on bringing meaning to the All-Star game they need to forget about it. This is supposed to be a fun game and teams do NOT want their guys getting hurt. They wouldn’t even be in this predicament had the All-Star game in Milwaukee had not been called a tie in the 11^th inning. Bud Selig getting on that microphone to tell the crowd they were going to end the game was surreal to say the least. It did cause quite an uproar by fans everywhere. That is when it was decided that they will try to make the All-Star game have more meaning.

                                              
      Could you imagine any other sport letting their respective All-Star game decide this. I am guessing that the NBA isn’t going to do this anytime soon. If they want to have the players play harder and the game to mean something, give them another payday. That is what gets these guys going is money. They could have each player on the winning team get 500K and the losing team get 50K. I think you would then see both teams having fun and playing hard. There is also just something about players deciding where the World Series will be played at that won't even be in it. But hey what do I know?

 

Both the Red Sox and the Yankees have both been a staple of the playoffs the last few years. One team will win the American League East and the other gets in via the Wild Card. This year it looks as if only one of them have a shot. But to be that team they are going to have to win their division because right now the White Sox have a seven game lead on New York in the Wild Card standings. The two teams (Yankees and White Sox) play each other right out of the box following the All-Star Break in a three game series at Yankee Stadium. This has the potential to either move closer and almost put out in July. If the Yankees were swept they would be possibly ten or more out in July depending on how both teams finish going into the All-Star break. They would then need to solely focus on catching Boston.

 
 As for Boston coming out of the break and the rest of July. They get a steady diet of west coast teams in a eight game home stand that includes Oakland, Seattle, Kansas City, and Texas before going out west for six games back in Oakland and Seattle.

  The White Sox also have a huge July. After playing in New York for three games, they then head to Detroit, the best team in baseball right now, the team they are also only one game back of currently for a three game home stand.  They play a three game series with Boston this weekend as well.  So July is going to be a big month this season and the trade deadline is getting closer as well.

  Detroit will be playing the divisional teams all month with the exception of a three game home stand with the Athlectics, a team that just took 2 of 3 from the Tigers. With Detroit playing divisional teams they may just separate the teams a little more or bring it a little closer. They need to take advantage of Chicago in by winning the series with them. Chicago has already taken 5 of 6 on the season.  Detroit really needs to win that series, they aren't must wins, but they need to prove they can beat the White Sox in a series.  They may have to steal Bobby Abreu from Philadelphia to do it though.

  This seasons trade deadline in Major League Baseball will have yet again, several big names trading uniforms.  One move I always hate to see is when any player gets traded during the All-Star break from his team.  The Royals Mark Redman may be that guy this season, a player who has seen more locker rooms than Lisa Guerrero has given her phone number out in.

The Yankees and Mariners are just two teams of many looking to make a change for the better before the trade deadline.  The fact that the Yankees make more moves than anyone is the reason why any team that trades with them should make sure they aren't giving the Yankees anyone.  If the Yanks had stood pat on many occasions they would't be looking to add $12 - $15 million in payroll again this season just to finish second to the Red Sox.   The Yankees have been rumored to be trying to acquire Washington's Alfonso Soriano and José Guillen, Milwaukee's Carlos Lee, and Philadelphia's Bobby Abreu.  The move the Yankees need to make is getting healthy.  Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui are on the 15 day DL along with second baseman Robinson Cano and pitcher Carl Pavano.  That is four players they will have back but may not be able to contribute in time to make the playoffs.  It may be time for the Yankees to actually keep some of their prospects and see them come to fruition in the big leagues.   If they kept players longer it may them not the White Sox enjoying a 17 game winning streak by Jose Contreras.  They traded Contreras for Estoban Loaiza WITH CASH to the White Sox and it was also right after his family got here from Cuba.

The Seattle Mariners are trying to recoup a pitcher this season in a deadline trade.  They have been rumored to be looking for a starting pitcher.  It is kind of funny since just two seasons ago it was them who traded Freddy Garcia with Ben Davis to the White Sox for Jeremy Reed, Miguel Olivo, and Michael Morse.  It may be Karma but it is just aother case of a team making a move when they had zero patience and zero thought of actually being a contender in another year or two.  They should only be so lucky to get a pitcher like him back in the fold after botching that trade so badly.

 

For some teams in baseball right now they are looking to make a significant move via trade to make a playoff run.  Some teams need and will acquire starting pitching, or a big bat.  Some teams really truely need to make a move, but for some teams, no move may be the right move.

I am not going to go through all the teams but here are a few that need a new face in the clubhouse and a few that no move may be the best move.

Chicago Cubs - With the Cubs struggling all season long now it is time to make some moves.  They have several players they can trade and if they want to have a better future it is time to move some players and stock up some younger players.  They have starting pitching and several veteran players they can move.  Kerry Wood and Mark Prior however should not be traded, they should be rested.  This is not the season they hoped to have but next season at least they could start over.  Any baseball franchise needs a solid 1-2 punch to start the rotation, with Wood and Prior they have that when they are healthy.  If they can make any trades they need to get as many players in return as possible.

Washington Senators - They are in great position to trade Alphonso Soriano and possibly Nick Johnson.  They also are a team who needs to get as much in return as possible.  Getting cash back for these players is not a smart option.  They can't afford to make a deal to get a prospect and cash for Soriano.  They should be looking for several players in return even if they are all prospects.  Cash does not win you games, look at the Yankees, they pay over $200 million for a team in second place in the AL East and 6.5 games back of the wild card.

Cincinnati Reds - Staring pitching is needed most.  They have also been very streaky this season as well.  Every time they have been counted out they put a string of wins together like as of late.  They now lead the wild card race for the National league.  The Reds should not be looking to move Griffey either.  With Dunn and Griffey in the line up in gives them two solid left handed hitters that most teams only dream of.

Florida Marlins - if they have another fire sale they may as well move this franchise.  No team in baseball has let more talent go than them.  It is a shame that baseball fans in south Florida have had to be a part of a team that has won two World Series and traded away any player that remotely has a fan base.  Maybe baseball should have a minimun cap as well to prevent teams like the Marlins from selling out on their fans as many times as they already have.  Have they ever thought about trying to win back to back championships?

Chicago White Sox - No move may be best for them.  They won the World Series last year and have only the Tigers in front of them in all of baseball.   Bullpen help may be the only move they make.

Detroit Tigers - Rumored to be trying to work out a deal with Philadelphis for Bobby Abreu to add a left handed hitter to an already potent line up one through nine.  They have also been rumored to be involved with a John Smoltz for Joel Zumaya trade.  To trade Zumaya for anyone would be a mistake they would regret for many seasons to come.  He is the future closer and has three pitchs already in his arsenal.  It would be ironic if they did make that move since it was Detroit who traded Smoltz for a veteran pitcher in the first place when they traded him to Atlanta for Doyle Alexander in 1987.  As for a left handed bat, they have Dmitri Young rehabing in the minors and he is a switch hitter.  He has been almost the only force in the line up the Tigers had in years past.  He may be just what they need and they already have him.  No move may be the best move.  They have the best record in baseball, they should go with what has gotten them there.

Milwaukee Brewers - If they can trade Carlos Lee they must.  They have been fading fast and Lee makes a lot of dough.  He will be a free agent at the end of the season and they need to get something for him. Lee will be in high demand but his impending free agency may hinder what they get in return.

New York Yankees - Starting pitching is imperative to acquire for the Yanks.  They have had injuries and weak pitching all season.  They need to look to National league to get what they need as American League teams will be less willing to trade with them.  They will get their star outfilders back before the playoffs.  Pitching wins anyway.  And if they really want to win that is the direction they need to go.

  First of all I would like to thank all the people who voted and left comments.  Everyones opinion was considered.  I don't want to give the entire list to you all at once though.  Check back to see who the next players are as I roll them out. 

  There was a lot to condiser when putting together a list like this.  Some of the things that were taken into consideration were not just based on stats.  There is only one pitcher on the list as well and you will find that out when I get to it.  I quickly realized that this was a tough subject due to the amount of players that have played the game.  Remember they have been keeping stats since 1876.  MLB was established in 1845 though.  One hundred and thirty years they have been keeping stats, at least by my reasearch.  I guess I would have been a Detroit Wolverines fan in 1883 and that was also the year that the Philadelphia Quakers team ERA was 8.96.  Anyway back to the list, coming in at number:

10. Pete Rose (Charlie Hustle) - Rose is the career leader in hits (4,256), singles (3,215), at-bats (14,053) and games played (3,562). He is second all-time in doubles, fourth in runs, and collected at least 100 hits in his first 23 seasons, a record. He had more than 200 hits in a season 10 times, also a record, led the league in hits in seven seasons, and is the most prolific switch-hitter in history.  He played 1B, 2B, 3B, OF, and managed as well as being a player manager several seasons.  He played for Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and Montreal.

Pete is known for a lot of things in and out of baseball.  The important thing to remember with Pete is that he was nicknamed Charlie Hustle for a reason.  He is well known for crashing into Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game to score the winning run in the 12th.  Some may say he hung around way to long to pad his stats which is not true.  Many players have played until they just can't anymore.  Everyone always says they remember Willie Mays limping around the bases in his final season. It is more of a testament to the character, heart, and durability to a player if he plays a long time. It is about the love of the game.  Pete once said "I'd walk through hell in a gasoline suit to play baseball."  Rose had more heart than almost all the other players from his era.  He was a great sports hero and will always be remembered for "hustling".



9. Stan Musial -  Stan was a three time NL MVP winner, two time player of the year, and winner of the Lou Gehrig award.  The Lou Gehrig Memorial Award was established by Lou Gehrig's college fraternity, Phi Delta Theta at Columbia University. The award is presented annually to the Major League baseball player who both on and off the field best exemplifies the character of Lou Gehrig.  His career stats are compared to the games best including several players to be named in this list.  On a 162 average of 22 seasons he has stats of 25 home runs, 104 RBI, and a .331 average. He played from 1941 - 1963.  One of the best things about his longevity in MLB is that all 22 seasons were played with the Cardinals.  He also was dubbed "Stan the Man".  In 1954, Stan Musial became the first player to hit 5 home runs in a double header against the New York Giants.  A statue of Musial was dedicated at Busch Stadium in 1968.  He played 22 seasons but every place and bio for him says he was selected to 24 straight All-Star games.  He won three World Series rings (42', 44', and 46')  and had 475 career home runs.  For one who played so long, Musial was unbelievably consistent. He smacked 1,815 hits at home and the same number on the road.  All the statistics and awards were accomplished by a 175 pound man,  the same size as Derek Jeter.  To top it all off he gave up the 1945 season to serve his country in WWII.  Stan Musial will always be remembered as one of the most feared hitters in the National League and for being a diplomat to the game.


8. Joe DiMaggio - Joltin Joe still holds the hitting streak record at 56 games!  He was a 3-time MVP winner and 13-time all-star who was widely hailed for his accomplishment on both offense and defense, as well as for the grace with which he played the game, at the time of his retirement at age 36 he had the fifth-most career home runs(361) and sixth-highest slugging percentage (.579) in history.  In 1969 a poll was conducted to coincide with the centennial of professional baseball voted him the sport's greatest living player.   The "Yankke clipper" was touted by sportswriters as Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and Shoeless Joe Jackson rolled into one, he made his major league debut on May 3, 1936,  batting ahead of Lou Gehrig. The Yankees had not been to the World Series since 1932, but, thanks in large part to their sensational rookie, they won the next four. DiMaggio is the only athlete in North American pro sports history to be on four championship teams in his first 4 full seasons. In total, he led the Yankees to nine titles in thirteen years.  A 162 game average of his career would be 34 HR and 134 RBI per season, so in other words he would get paid about $12 million per season these days, maybe more playing for the Yankees.  He also enlisted in WWII but was sent to California because it was thought that if he were killed or injured in the war it would devastate morale.  Joe was also famous for visiting childrens hospitals.  Broadway Joe loved to visit with kids.  At the time he was probably the biggest icon in America and for him to take time away for the kids says something about how great of a person and player he was.  Once he retired he met, fell in love with, and married Marilyn Monroe.  The relationship was loving yet complex, marred by his jealousy and her ambition. DiMaggio biographer Richard Ben Cramer asserts it was also violent. One incident allegedly happened after the skirt-blowing scene in "The Seven Year Itch"  was filmed on New York's Lexington Avenue before hundreds of fans, director Billy Wilder recalled "the look of death" on DiMaggio's face as he watched.  When she filed for divorce just 274 days after the wedding, Oscar Levant said "it proved that no man could be a success in two pastimes". 


7. Ty Cobb - Tyrus Raymond (Ty or Georgia Peach) Cobb is a name that every baseball fan knows and it is for a reason. He didn't have a lot of power, but no one really did when he played.  He was known for his aggressive play and ability to will his team to victory.  He is also know as one of the best hitters of all-time.  After a mediocre year for the Tigers in 1906, owner Frank Navin hired the enthusiastic, aggressive Hughie Jennings to be the manager. Jennings knew what Cobb could do and let him run the bases on his own, without signals from the manager.  The main tenet of Cobb's baserunning strategy was that the base paths belonged to him. He felt that he had every right to do whatever he could to keep it that way. An example of this was against Cleveland in June 1907, when he tripled. Instead of stopping at third, Cobb continued to home where the catcher, Harry Bemis, was waiting with the ball. Cobb lowered his shoulder and plowed Bemis over, knocking the ball loose. Bemis picked up the ball and beat Cobb over the head with it until the umpire pulled Bemis off Cobb and ejected the catcher.  Cobb claims in his autobiography that because Bemis beat him over the head with the ball and verbally abused him, he became one of only two intentional-spiking victims in Cobb's career. He also claims that although he missed Bemis with his spikes, the message had been clear and Bemis never again bothered him. Cobb liked to talk about his exploits, and even in his autobiography, when he states that he is writing it to dispel vicious rumors about him, it is clear that he revels in the image of him as a demon.  It is hard to say whether or not most stories about him are true or the accuracy of them, either way he liked being portayed in the manner that he was.

One of Cobb's most devastating approaches to baseball and perhaps the one that left the most lasting impression was his psychological intimidation. One part of that particular program was to nurture his image as a monster that both he and the media were creating. The more horrible that opponents thought that he was, the more that he felt that he could manipulate them to his advantage. For example, it was a good thing that opposing fielders thought that he sharpened his spikes. It seems that in 1908 at Highland Park in New York, a couple of Detroit benchwarmers sat outside their dugout sharpening their spikes. Eventually, the story became that Cobb would sit "with mouth twisted and eyes ablaze" filing his spikes in front of the dugout. Cobb waited until after his playing days to publicly refute those allegations, since they undoubtedly helped add to the Cobb aura. Cobb once said "Baseball was one-hundred percent of my life." 

  Cobb won 12 batting titles, including 9 in a row from 1907 thru 1915 and he was the youngest AL player to reach 1,000 hit level (24 years old).  He played 22 seasons  for the Detroit Tigers and two years with the Philadelphia Athletics.  He never hit more than 12 HRs in a season but averaged over 100 RBI per season for his career. He batted over .400 three times and hit under .320 once.  One of the first five players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936 where he received 98.23% of the votes (222 out of 226).  He is number 2 on the all-time hits list and had a career batting average of .366 which puts him with the all-time greats of the game. A 162 game average fo Cobb would be 6 HR 103 RBI and a .366 BA.  The only thing that made him fall to number 7 is lack of power and the era he played in.  However he stole home 54 times in his career which is unheard of in todays era.    He could be argued as the best ever, but no matter where he is on a list like this he will always be a name synonymous with baseball greatness.



6. Barry Bonds - The book on Bonds stills has chapters to be written which may someday move him up this list (as if he cares).  Barry Bonds career has been one of the most prolific of all-time.  He is currently 2nd on the all-time career home runs list. He has already played 20 seasons and has averages of 42 HR, 110 RBI,
and a .300 BA.  He has only played for two teams, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Fransisco Giants.  Bonds is a 13 time All-Star, 7 time NL MVP, 8 Gold Gloves, and 3 time Player of the Year Award winner.  The 7 MVP awars is a record including 4 straight from 2001 through 2004.  Oh and there is that other thing, he holds the Home Run record for a single season with 73 in 2001.  Bonds has generally been known as reclusive in the clubhouse, and is not a favorite with the media. Teammates have occasionally remarked that they do not have any conversations with Bonds, but after passing Ruth on the all-time home run list, Bonds himself spoke of his teammates's support and their having celebrated the event together.   He is now in pursuit of Hank Aaron's all-time career home runs record which he will more than likely pass in the 2007 season. 

Players like Bonds only come along every so often.  Bonds has reached and raised the bar for players to come as players before had done for him in the past.  In order to measure greatness the bar has to be set, and later to be raised by the next great player.

Bonds career has been marred in steroid allegations the past few seasons.  He has had a syringe thrown at him, he is booed every at bat on the road, and fans yell at him every chance they get.  The thing that bothers me most about this is that Bonds has never tested positive for anything.  Steroids weren't even illegal in MLB at the time.   People have even said that the stats he has should have asterisks next to them.  Isn't this America?  We have found him guilty without even testing him positive?  Raphael Palmero tested positive after testifying to congress and pointing at them while he said he never took steroids.  What about all the current players that have tested positive, including pitchers?  No one really ever talks about it.  The U.S. Government launched an investigation into Bonds and steroids in baseball.  This is actually being lead by Senator George Mitchell.  I have an idea, how about we launch an investigation into why gas is almost $3.00 a gallon now.  I would like to see money they spend on this investigation (which could be hundreds of thousands) put into our school systems!  How about an investigation into why we have cut backs in education year after year or why so many jobs keep going over seas day after day with out any hope that will change.  "Nothing is more important to me than the integrity of the game of baseball," said Selig, commenting on the investigation after the publication Game of Shadows, a book written by two San Francisco Chronicle reporters that details alleged steroid use by Bonds and others.  No matter what is said about him he can still be argued as one the the best ever, and maybe he is or will be.



5. Lou Gehrig - Standing inside Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939, Lou Gehrig declared himself the “luckiest man on the face of the earth.” Remarkably humble and modest for a man of his stature, he was not used to the outpouring of public support showered upon him by 62,000 fans in attendance. It was on that day Lou Gehrig officially retired from Major League Baseball.  It is probably one of most famous speaches in baseball if not in American History.  The image of Gehrig a humbled man in front of his peers and fans will be remembered forever.  Lou Gehrig said "Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.  

 

Gehrig played seventeen years all in New York.  He had 162 game averages of 37 HR, 149 RBI, and .340 BA.  This does include three seasons (1923, 1924, 1939) in which Gehrig played less than 13 games.  He is considered one the most prolific hitters to ever play the game.  He won the Triple Crown in 1934 as well as winning the AL-MVP award in 1927 and 1936.  He is a seven time All-Star and helped the Yankees win 6 World Series titles.  Gehrig also holds the record for most grand slams in a career with 23.  He set a record by playing in a consecutive streak of 2,130 professional baseball games throughout his career, despite 17 fractures in his hands and other minor injuries. Gehrig’s record stood until Cal Ripken, Jr. broke it in 1995.  He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. In light of his progressive illness, the usual two-year waiting period after a player retires was waived in Gehrig’s case.

ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), is now known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is an incurable fatal neuromuscular disease characterized by progressive muscle weakness, resulting in paralysis.  On June 2, 1941, Lou Gehrig succumbed to ALS and the country mourned.  He is now honored by many and considered one of the best players to ever play and one of the finest men to represent the greatest game ever played, baseball.

4. Henry "Hank" Aaron - "Hammerin" Hank Aaron is the all-time Home run record holder with 755 in his career.  A career that spanned 23 season (21 with the Braves).  The Atalanta Braves were still in Milwaukee and then were moved to Atlanta.  He played his last two seasons back in Milwaukee with the Brewers.  In a 162 game average of his career he would hit 37 HR, 113 RBI, and a .305 BA.  The durability fort a player to accomplish such high numbers for suach a long period is only compounderd by the racism endured through this time period as well.  Lesser men would have broken.  The chase to beat the Babe heated up in the summer of 1973 and with it the mail. Aaron needed a secretary to sort it as he received more than an estimated 3,000 letters a day, more than any American outside of politics.  Unfortunately, racsist initially did much of the writing. 

The letters came from every state, but most were postmarked in northern cities. They were filled with hate; more hate than Aaron had ever imagined. "This," Aaron said later about the letters, "changed me."  Aaron hit his 700th home run off of the Phillies', Ken Brett. The 1973 season ended with Aaron at 713 homers after hitting a remarkable 40 in just 392 at-bats. He was 39.   Aaron broke baseball's all time RBI record in May of 75' and in July of 76' he hit his 755th and final home run.
 
Aaron was a 21 time All-Star, the 1970 Lou Gehrig award winner, and the NL- MVP in 1957.  He also is the All-time RBI leader (2,297), All-time total bases leader (6,856), All-time extra-base hits leader (1,477) and was the first player to reach 3,000 hits and 500 home runs.

3.  Willie Mays - Mays was a 20 time All-Starand is regarded as one of the finest players to ever play the game of baseball.  He played in a time when whites weren't exactly ready for the best baseball player to be black.  If you have ever heard the term "the catch" it is him.  With his back to home plate, Mays caught the ball over his left shoulder, and "then whirled and threw, like some olden statue o####reek javelin hurler, his head twisted away to the left as his right arm swept out and around ... And as he turned, or as he threw -- I could not tell which, the two motions were welded into one -- off came the cap, and then Mays himself continued to spin around after the gigantic effort of returning the ball whence it came, and he went down flat on his belly, and out of sight." The Catch helped the Giants win the World Series in four games, their first series win since 1933, and their last to date.  The catch is widely known as one of baseballs finest plays of all time and one of the most memorable.

In 1952 the "Say-Hey-Kid" traded in his spikes for military boots after being drafted.  The Giants lost Mays for most of 1952 and all of 1953.  He returned to the team in 1954.

Mays has no shortage of awards for his storied career as well.  He is also the first player to have 300 stolen bases and 300 home runs, he finished with 660 HR.   His combination of speed, fielding and hitting put him in the top five of the all century team created in the late nineties. 

For 22 seasons in baseball Mays had a 162 game average of 36 HR, 103 RBI, and a .302 BA.  Mays was a 12 time Gold Glove winner, 20 time All-Star, 1951 Rookie of the year, 1954 Player of the year (after returning from the Korean War), two time All-Star MVP, 1971 Roberto Clemete Award winner, and two time NL-MVP.  While he only won one World Series he apeared in four.  He led the Majors from 1956-1959 in stolen bases.  He was also in the top five in all of baseball every season he played in extra base hits.  Mays said that Joe Dimaggio was the greatest living player, until he died in 1999.  Now with Mays it's worth looking back at the 20-time All-Star,  who is now, officially, the "greatest living baseball player" -- much better late than never.

2. Ted Williams - He is also simply known as "Teddy Ballgame".   He is widely know as the pure hitter of all time.  He served in two different wars during his career which also only heightens the lure of one of baseballs greatest players.  In May of 1942 , Ted signed up for duty.  He went to the naval recruiting station on Causeway Street in Boston where he met with Lieutenant Donahue. Lt. Donahue swore him in and signed Ted up for naval aviation. He didn’t have to report until the end of the 42’ season.  He returned to baseball in 1946 and promptly hit 38 HR, 123 RBI ant batted .342 for the season.  In 1952 he again was serving his country in the Korean War.  He flew 39 missions before returning home of July 1953.

  Ted Williams has some hardware as well, and you knew I was going to let you know what it was.  It is quite a list of accomplishments.  He was the Rookie of the Year in 1939 (according to his website) he is a 17 time All-Star, two time AL_MVP, two time Triple Crown winner and five time Major League Player of the year award winner.  He had a 162 game average of 37 HR, 130 RBI, and a .344 average.  He is the last player to hit .400 as well.  He led the league in On base percentage as well.

  Ted Williams was not close at all with the media.  He was very uncomfortable around them.  He felt they liked to discuss his personal life as much as his baseball performance. Insecure about his upbringing, stubborn because of the immense confidence in his beliefs, Williams made up his mind that the "knights of the keyboard" were against him and treated most of them accordingly, as he describes in his memoir, "My Turn at Bat."  Williams also had an uneasy relationship with his fans as well.  He was great one-on-one with fans.  Williams felt at times a good deal of gratitude, for their passion and their knowledge of the game. On the other hand, Williams was temperamental, high-strung, and at times tactless. He gave generously to those in need, and demanded loyalty to those around him.

Ted Williams will be forever known as Teddy Ballgame and as one of the most iconic Personas in all of sports.  He fought in two wars, never won a World Series, and still managed to have one of the most prolific careers in all of sports.  Ted Williams retired from the game in 1960, and hit a home run in his final at-bat, on September 28, 1960, in front of only 10,454 fans at Fenway Park.


1. George Herman "Babe" Ruth - The Babe is the first name in baseball.  He is the name that all have heard.  He became a Major Leaguer at the tender age of 19. He pitched and played outfield for the Red Sox for the next six years. Ruth made an immediate impact both on and off the field. Stories of his off-the-field eating and drinking escapades have become as legendary as his baseball accomplishments.  He will always be remembered as one of the greatest hitters of all time, but he was an equally adept pitcher. In his first World Series game for Boston in 1916, Babe set a record that still stands today. Ruth took the mound in Game 4 against the National League Champion Brooklyn Robins. He got off to a rocky start in the first inning by giving up a quick run, but settled down to pitch 13 scoreless innings for the 2-1 win. The 14-inning gem stands as the longest complete game in World Series history.

During his 22-year professional career, Babe cemented his name as the most prolific home run hitter of his time. In 1927, he hit 60 home runs during a 154-game stretch. This record stood until 1961, when Roger Maris hit 61 homers in an expanded 162-game schedule. Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick decided Maris' record would enter the record books with an asterisk denoting the difference in the schedule. He may no longer be the career home run king, but his record .690 lifetime slugging percentage may never be topped. Writers attempted to capture the essence of his greatness by giving him nicknames like "The Great Bambino" and "The Sultan of Swat."


There is also the famous called shot.  Perhaps the most famous moment in baseball history, and certainly of Babe's career, came during Game 3 of the 1932 World Series against the Chicago Cubs. In 5th inning, after he had already hit one homer, Babe came up to bat. He ran the count to two balls and two strikes. Before Cubs pitcher Charlie Root hurled the next pitch, amid the heckling of Cubs fans, Babe pointed to the center field bleachers. Then he slammed what is believed to be the longest home run ever hit out of Wrigley Field, directly above the spot where he had pointed. This story has been as debated as often as it has been celebrated. Did he really call his shot, or was he simply pointing at the pitcher? The world may never know. However, to many fans this moment symbolizes the golden age of baseball. The Yankees went on to win the 1932 World Series, their third sweep in four years.

The Babe was also a quite the elder statesman of the game and was almost always pictured with bunches of kids all around him.  He also promoted the game overseas as well.  Which at the time was a lot harder than it is today.  Babe spent his post-baseball years giving talks on the radio, orphanages and hospitals. He also served as a spokesperson for United States War Bonds during World War II. He was acknowledged for his legendary status as a player when he was among the first five inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936, along with Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson and Honus Wagner.

While it was nearly impossible to compare these players through all the different eras than can be arguments made all around as to who should be on this list.  Mickey Mantle and Roberto Clemente should have maybe been on the list as well as Tris Speaker and many others.  The were so many factors that made the comparison almost impractical.  It is always imperative to remeber that some of the players didn't play intergrated baseball and todays players have strength and conditioning programs as well.  Anyway here you have it, my list of the top tep players in baseball of all time.

NFL


Tennessee Titans- Former San Francisco 49er first round pick Ahmed Plummer has played only nine games in the past two years after a succession of injuries. Twelve-year veteran Ty Law picked off 10 passes for the New York Jets in 2005, but also comes with a high price tag and, even more troubling, a warning label. They have had both in this month to see what interest each player has in Tennessee and a decision will come soon.

Detroit Lions- Warren Sapp a Lion?  The Lions released Dan Wilkinson yesterday in a move that suprised some.  He has talked about retirement all off-season.  He also has pending law suits in Maryland from a restaurant deal he had going from his Redskins days that didn't work out.  Ironically his lack of working