TalkChicagoSports.com's Top 40 Greatest Chicago Sports Players

[knightni]

25. Harold Baines

 

(4 of 18 lists - 33 points - highest ranking #9 farmteam, The Prophet)

 

Harold Douglas Baines (born March 15, 1959 in Easton, Maryland) is a former right fielder and designated hitter in Major League Baseball who played for five American League teams from 1980 to 2001. He is best known for his three stints with the Chicago White Sox, the team which he now serves as a coach. As one of the most durable, consistent and respected hitters of his era, he ranked 7th in AL history in games played (2,830) and 10th in runs batted in (1,628) upon his retirement. Noted as well for his power hitting in clutch situations, he was tied for 7th in AL history in grand slams (13)[1] and for 4th in 3-home run games (3),[2] and tied for 7th in major league history in walk-off home runs (10).[1] Baines batted over .300 eight times, and hit .324 in 31 career postseason games, topping the .350 mark in five separate series. A six-time All-Star, he led the AL in slugging average in 1984. He held the White Sox team record for career home runs from 1987 until Carlton Fisk passed him in 1990; his eventual total of 221 remains the club record for left-handed hitters, as do his 981 RBI and 585 extra base hits with the team. His 1,652 games as a designated hitter are a major league record, and he held the mark for career home runs as a DH (236) until Edgar Martínez passed him in 2004.

 

Early years

 

Baines graduated in 1977 from St. Michaels High School on Maryland's Eastern Shore where, as a senior, he batted .532 and was named a High School All-American.[3] A month later, the White Sox made Baines the first selection in the amateur draft. The owner of the White Sox at the time, Bill Veeck, had spotted Baines playing Little League ball many years before at the age of 12.

 

Professional career

 

In 1980, the smooth-swinging 20-year-old became a regular outfielder on the White Sox, and he began to produce in 1982 when he had 165 hits, 25 home runs and 105 RBI. In 1984, baseball writer Bill James called Baines his favorite opposing player to watch, saying, "He is gorgeous, absolutely complete. I've seen him drop down bunts that would melt in your mouth, come up the next time and execute a hit and run that comes straight off the chalkboard. I've seen him hit fastballs out of the yard on a line, and I've seen him get under a high curve and loft it just over the fence."[4] Baines ended the longest game in major league history (eight hours and six minutes over 25 innings on successive evenings) with a home run against the Milwaukee Brewers' Chuck Porter on May 9, 1984; the bat he used is currently kept at the Baseball Hall of Fame.

 

In 1986, a succession of knee problems began which would gradually end his fielding career, forcing him to become a regular designated hitter. Despite the knee ailments and the resulting lack of speed, however, he remained a powerful hitter, picking up 166 hits in 1988.

 

Trades

 

Midway through the 1989 season, the Texas Rangers acquired Baines, along with Fred Manrique, from the White Sox in a much-derided trade which sent Wilson Alvarez, Scott Fletcher and Sammy Sosa to Chicago. In 1990 Baines was traded to the Oakland Athletics for minor league pitchers Scott Chiamparino and Joe Bitker, and he helped them reach the post-season only to be swept by the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series. In 1992 the Athletics returned to the playoffs, only to lose to the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL Championship Series.[5]

 

Prior to the 1993 season, Baines was traded by the A's to the Baltimore Orioles for minor league pitchers Bobby Chouinard and Allen Plaster. At the age of 34, Baines was still productive, batting .313, .294 and .299 over his three seasons with the O's. Baines returned to the White Sox as a free agent in 1996 but was traded back to Baltimore midway through the 1997 season; he helped the Orioles to reach the playoffs, although they lost to the Cleveland Indians in the League Championship Series.

 

His final contract with the White Sox was not renewed following the 2001 season, after his third stint with the team. His uniform number (#3) was retired by the White Sox following his initial departure from the city to Texas, but was "un-retired" three times following his two returns as a player and one as a coach. He finished his career with 2,866 hits, 384 home runs and 1,628 RBIs. His career RBI total is 23rd all-time; his hit total ranks 37th all-time.

 

Back to the Sox

 

True to form, Baines' fourth stint with the Chicago White Sox began when he was named bench coach in March 2004 under new manager Ozzie Guillén, his White Sox teammate from 1985 to 1989 and in 1996-97. Baines has become such a big, yet soft-spoken, hero that people in Chicago and the nearby suburbs have even named their pets after him, according to The Commish Online, a baseball website.

 

In 2005, as a coach for the White Sox, he finally earned a World Series ring.

 

He became eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame for the first time in 2007, and received 29 votes or 5.3%. This was enough to ensure he will remain on the ballot in 2008. Baines has both the most career hits and most career RBI of any eligible player not in the Hall of Fame.

 

MLB career rankings

 

* Games - 2,830 (17th)

* At bats - 9,908 (27th)

* Plate appearances - 11,092 (31st)

* Hits - 2,866 (39th)

* Total bases - 4,604 (30th)

* Doubles - 488 (T-52nd)

* Home runs - 384 (50th)

* RBI - 1,628 (23rd)

* Walks - 1,062 (82nd)

* Singles - 1,945 (53rd)

* Runs created - 1,657 (44th)

* Extra-base hits - 921 (T-45th)

* Times on base - 3,942 (41st)

* Sacrifice flies - 99 (T-27th)

* Intentional walks - 187 (18th)

 

Personal life

 

Baines' hometown of St. Michaels has designated every January 9 as Harold Baines Day. He has also created the Harold Baines Scholarship Fund to help deserving college-bound students.[6]

 

Baines is married to Marla Henry and has four children: Toni, Britni, and Harold, Jr., and Courtney. All attended Baines' alma mater, St. Michaels Middle/High School.[7]

 

Career statistics

 

Batting average .289

Home runs 384

Runs batted in 1,628

 

Teams

 

* Chicago White Sox (1980–1989, 1996-1997, 2000-2001)

* Texas Rangers (1989-1990)

* Oakland Athletics (1990–1992)

* Baltimore Orioles (1993–1995, 1997-1999, 2000)

* Cleveland Indians (1999)

 

Career highlights and awards

 

* 6x All-Star selection (1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1999)

* 1989 Silver Slugger Award winner

* 2x Outstanding Designated Hitter award (1987, 1988)

* Chicago White Sox #3 retired

 

[knightni]

24. George Halas

 

(2 of 18 lists - 35 points - highest ranking #3 BrianBear)

 

George Stanley Halas, Sr. (February 2, 1895 - October 31, 1983), nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was an American player, coach, owner and pioneer in professional football and the iconic longtime leader of the NFL's Chicago Bears.

 

Early life and sports career

 

Halas, born in Chicago, Illinois into a family of Czech immigrants, had a varied career in sports. In 1915, Halas worked temporarily for Western Electric and was planning on being on the Eastland. He was running late, however, and missed the capsizing. After graduating from Crane Tech High School in Chicago, he attended the University of Illinois, playing football for coach Bob Zuppke as well as baseball and basketball, and earning a degree in civil engineering. He also became a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He helped Illinois win the 1918 Big Ten football title.

 

Serving as an ensign in the Navy during World War I, he played for a team at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station, and was named the MVP of the 1919 Rose Bowl. On a team which included Paddy Driscoll and Jimmy Conzelman, Halas scored two touchdowns and returned an intercepted pass 77 yards in a 17-0 win; the team was also rewarded with their military discharges.

 

Afterward, Halas played minor league and semi-pro baseball, eventually earning a promotion to the New York Yankees, where he played 12 games as an outfielder in 1919. However, a hip injury effectively ended his baseball career. The popular myth was that Halas was succeeded as the Yankees' right fielder by Babe Ruth, but in reality Ruth replaced Sammy Vick.

 

Professional football career

 

Offered a position with the A. E. Staley Company, a Decatur, Illinois starch manufacturer, as a company representative, player on the company-sponsored baseball team, and player-coach of the company-sponsored football team, Halas selected his alma mater's colors — orange and navy blue — for the team's uniforms. In 1920, Halas represented the Staleys at the meeting which formed the American Professional Football Association (which became the NFL in 1922) in Canton, Ohio.

 

After suffering financial losses despite a 10-1-2 record, company founder and namesake Augustus E. Staley turned control of the team to Halas in 1921. Halas moved the team to Chicago and took on teammate Dutch Sternaman as a partner. The newly minted "Chicago Staleys" won the NFL championship that year. They took the name Bears in 1922 as a tribute to baseball's Chicago Cubs, who permitted the Bears to play their games at Wrigley Field.

 

Halas not only played end (wide receiver on offense, defensive end on defense) but also handled ticket sales and the business of running the club; lore says he even sold tickets before the game. All of that perhaps not being enough to do, Halas also coached the team. Named to the NFL's all-pro team in the 1920s, his playing highlight occurred in a 1923 game when he stripped Jim Thorpe of the ball, recovered the fumble, and returned it 98 yards — a league record which would stand until 1972. In 1925, Halas persuaded Illinois star player Red Grange to join the Bears; it was a significant step in establishing both the respectability and popularity of the league, which had previously been viewed as a refuge for less admirable players.

 

After ten seasons, Halas stepped back from the game in 1930, retiring as a player and leaving the sidelines as coach; but he remained the owner of the club, becoming sole owner in 1932. The lure of the field was too much, however, as Halas returned in 1933 to coach the Bears for another ten seasons. During his absence from coaching, the team had also won the 1932 championship. His 1934 team was undefeated until a loss in the championship game to the New York Giants.

 

In the late 1930s, Halas — with University of Chicago coach Clark Shaughnessy — perfected the T-formation system to create a revolutionary and overwhelming style of play which drove the Bears to an astonishing 73-0 victory over the Washington Redskins in the 1940 NFL Championship Game. Every other team in the league immediately began trying to imitate the format. The Bears repeated as NFL champions in 1941, and the 1940s would be remembered as the era of the "Monsters of the Midway."

 

Halas and Shaughnessy had created a revolutionary concept with the T-formation offense. The complex spins, turns, fakes, and all around athletic versatility required to execute the scheme, limited the possible players available. Halas recruited Columbia University quarterback Sid Luckman in 1939. Luckman launched his Hall of Fame career, playing the position from 1939 to 1950. Halas was not satisfied with other players who succeeded Luckman. During this coaching stint, he had on the Bears roster two future Hall of Fame players, Bobby Layne in 1948 and George Blanda from 1949 to 1958. Other notable players included Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Lujack from 1948 to 1951 and Zeke Bratkowski from 1954 to 1960. Blanda played in the NFL until 1975; Bratkowski moved on to Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers from 1960 to 1971; and Bobby Layne quarterbacked the Detroit Lions to three NFL championship games between 1952-54, winning two.

 

Halas went on a second three-year hiatus during World War II, serving in the Armed Forces from 1943-45, while the Bears won another title in 1943. Returning to the field in 1946, he coached the club for a third decade, again winning a title in his first year back as coach. After a brief break in 1956-57, he resumed the controls of the club for a final decade from 1958 to 1967, winning his last championship in 1963. He did not, however, enjoy the same success as he had before the war. He did win his 200th game in 1950 and his 300th game in 1965, becoming the first coach to reach both milestones. In 40 years as a coach, he endured only six losing seasons.

 

Later life

 

After the 1967 season, Halas — then the oldest coach in league history — retired as coach. He continued as the team's principal owner, and took an active role in team operations until his death. He was honored in 1970 and 1980 as the only person involved in the league throughout its first fifty and sixty years of existence. His son George, Jr. served as president of the Bears from 1963 until his sudden death at age 54 in 1979. One of Halas's final significant ownership acts was to hire Mike Ditka as head coach in 1982 (Ditka was a former Halas player in the 1960's).

 

In the 1971 made-for-television film Brian's Song, about the friendship between Chicago Bears players Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers, Halas was portrayed by Jack Warden, who won an Emmy Award for his performance.

 

Halas died of pancreatic cancer in Chicago on October 31, 1983 at age 88, and is entombed in St. Adalbert Catholic Cemetery in Niles, Illinois. His eldest daughter, Virginia Halas McCaskey, succeeded him as majority owner (even though her sons run the team's day-to-day operations). In the 1985 season when the Bears won their first ever Super Bowl, they recorded a song called "Super Bowl Shuffle". In the song, backup quarterback Steve Fuller states "This is for Mike [then current coach Mike Ditka] and Papa Bear Halas."

 

Impact on football

 

Halas played an integral part in the segregation of the league in the 1930s by refusing to sign black players for the Bears. Fritz Pollard, who in the 1920s was the league's first African-American coach, blamed Halas for keeping him out of the league in the 1930s and 1940s. Halas eventually changed course and helped to integrate the league, drafting the NFL's first black player since 1933, George Taliaferro, although Taliaferro did not play for the Bears; Halas later signed Willie Thrower, who with the Bears became the league's first black quarterback.

 

A pioneer both on and off the field, Halas made the Bears the first team to hold daily practice sessions, to analyze film of opponents to find weaknesses and means of attack, place assistant coaches in the press box during games, and to broadcast games by radio. He also offered to share the team's substantial television income with teams in smaller cities, firmly believing that what was good for the league would ultimately benefit his own team. A firm disciplinarian, Halas maintained complete control of his team and did not tolerate disobedience and insubordination by players. He also insisted on absolute integrity and honesty in management, believing that a handshake was sufficient to finalize a deal; few, if any, intermediaries were necessary.

 

George Halas' career ledger reads as follows: 63 years as an owner, 40 as a coach, 324 wins, and 8 NFL titles as a coach or owner. He was a charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963; the Hall of Fame is appropriately located on George Halas Drive. The NFC championship trophy also bears his name. In both 1963 and 1965 he was selected by The Sporting News, the AP and the UPI as the NFL Coach of the Year. In 1997 he was featured on a U.S. postage stamp as one of the legendary coaches of football. He has been recognized by ESPN as one of the ten most influential people in sports in the 20th century, and as one of the greatest coaches. In 1993, Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula finally surpassed Halas' victory total. To this day, the jerseys of the Chicago Bears bear the initials "GSH" on their left sleeves in tribute to Halas.

 

Career Highlights

Awards 1919 Rose Bowl MVP

1965 AP NFL COY

1963 AP NFL COY

1965 Sporting News NFL COY

1963 Sporting News NFL COY

1965 UPI NFL COY

1963 UPI NFL COY

 

Honors

NFL 1920s All-Decade Team

Retired #s Chicago Bears #7

 

Records

Chicago Bears

Career Wins (324)

Career Record 318-148-32 (Regular Season)

6-4 (Postseason)

324-152-32 (Overall)

 

Championships

1963 NFL Championship

1946 NFL Championship

1941 NFL Championship

1940 NFL Championship

1933 NFL Championship

1921 NFL Championship

 

Team(s) as a player

1920-1928 Decatur Staleys

Chicago Staleys

Chicago Bears

 

Team(s) as a coach/administrator

1920 Decatur Staleys

1921 Chicago Staleys

1922-1929 Chicago Bears

1933-1942 Chicago Bears

1946-1955 Chicago Bears

1958-1967 Chicago Bears

 

Pro Football Hall of Fame

1963

[Felix]

Only one person other than myself had George Halas? I'm pretty shocked at that, I had him at 4.

 

I mean, most of the people on my list were from the modern era that I actually watched play, but Halas is a Bears legend. There was no way I could leave him off.

Edited May 21, 2008 by Felix

[knightni]

23. Bronko Nagurski

 

(4 of 18 lists - 39 points - highest ranking #7 southsidehawkeye)

 

Bronislau "Bronko" Nagurski (November 3, 1908 – January 7, 1990) was an American football player of Ukrainian origin. He was also a famous professional wrestler, being one of the first football players to succeed as a professional wrestler. In professional wrestling, he was a multiple-time World Heavyweight Champion.

 

Bronko has the largest recorded NFL Championship ring size at 19½ (86 mm inside circumference).[1]

 

Youth and collegiate career

 

Nagurski was born in Rainy River, Ontario, Canada, and his family moved to International Falls, Minnesota when he was still a boy. His parents, "Mike" and "Emelia" Nagurski, were immigrants, ethnic Ukrainians from the Polish Ukraine (Galicia). Nagurski became a standout at the University of Minnesota, where he played fullback on offense and tackle on defense and was named an All-American.

 

According to legend, Nagurski was discovered and signed by University of Minnesota Head Coach Clarence "Fats" Spears who had gotten lost and asked for directions to the nearest town. Nagurski (who had been plowing a field without a horse) lifted his plow and used it to point in the direction of town. He was signed on the spot for a full ride football scholarship. [1] However, the same legend is told about the Baseball Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx.

 

Nagurski played both tackle on defense and fullback on offense at Minnesota from 1927 to 1929. In 1929, he was a consensus All-American at tackle and also made some All-American teams at fullback. Some voters apparently listed him at two positions (this was before there were separate offensive and defensive teams -- everyone went "both ways"). Perhaps his greatest collegiate game was against the Wisconsin in 1928. Wearing a corset to protect cracked vertebrae, he recovered a Badger fumble deep in their territory and then ran the ball six straight times to score the go-ahead touchdown. Later in the same game, he intercepted a pass to seal the victory. During his time with the Gophers, the team went 18-4-2 and won the Big Ten Conference championship in 1927.

 

Sports Illustrated named Nagurski one of the three greatest athletes in Minnesota state history (the other two were Dave Winfield and Kevin McHale). In 1993, the Football Writers Association of America created the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, awarded annually to the best defensive player in college football. Notable winners include Warren Sapp, Charles Woodson, Champ Bailey, and Derrick Johnson. In 2007, Nagurski was ranked #17 on ESPN's Top 25 Players In College Football History list.

 

Professional career

 

Nagurski turned professional to play for the Chicago Bears from 1930 to 1937. At 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) and 235 pounds (107 kg), he would have been a formidable presence in any era of the NFL, and in his day he was a dominant force in the league, helping the Bears win several division titles and two NFL championships.

 

He was probably the largest running back of his time, bigger than most linemen of the day, and a forerunner to large fullbacks like Marion Motley, John Henry Johnson, Jim Brown, Larry Csonka and John Riggins, often dragging multiple tacklers with him. In a time when players were expected to play on both sides of the ball, he was a standout defensive lineman as well. Following an injury, instead of sitting on the bench, he put in some time as an offensive tackle, making him the only player in NFL history to be named All-Pro at three non-kicking positions. In a 1984 interview with Sports Illustrated writer Paul "Dr. Z" Zimmerman, when asked what position he would play if he were coming up in the present day, he said, "I would probably be a linebacker today. I wouldn't be carrying the ball 20 or 25 times a game."

 

A time-honored and almost certainly apocryphal story about Nagurski is that on one occasion carrying the ball, he was charging toward the goal line, head down, shoving tacklers out of the way, and that he ran right through the end zone and smacked his head on the close-in brick wall at Wrigley Field. When he came back to the bench, he told coach George Halas, "That last guy gave me quite a lick!"[citation needed]

 

During his football career, he built a second athletic career as a professional wrestler, becoming a three-time world heavyweight champion.

 

During World War II, professional football teams were short of players and in 1943 Bronko Nagurski returned to the Bears for one season. He scored a touchdown in the Bears' championship victory against the Washington Redskins, served one season as backfield coach for UCLA in 1944, and finally returned to wrestling until his retirement in 1960.

 

After his retirement from wrestling, he returned home to International Falls and opened a service station. He retired from that in 1978, at the age of 70. He lived out a quiet life on the shores of Rainy Lake on the Canadian border.

 

He died in International Falls and is buried there in the Saint Thomas Cemetery.

 

Legacy

 

Nagurski was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a charter member on September 7, 1963.

 

At the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities house of his fraternity, Sigma Chi, Nagurski's jersey and Significant Sig recognition certificate are on display.

 

After his death, the town of International Falls honored him by opening the Bronko Nagurski Museum in Smokey Bear Park. It is the only museum dedicated to a single football player [2].

 

In 1995, Nagurski was again honored when the Football Writers Association of America voted to have his name attached to college football's Defensive Player of the Year trophy (Bronko Nagurski Trophy).

 

A fictionalized eyewitness account of Nagurski's 1943 comeback is the subject of a dramatic monologue in the film version of Hearts in Atlantis. Another account is in the William Goldman novel Magic.

 

In 1999, he was ranked number 35 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, the highest-ranking foreign-born player.

 

In 2000, he was voted the second-greatest Minnesotan sportsman of the 20th century by the sportswriters of the Star Tribune, coming in only behind Minnesota Twins Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett.

 

Professional Wrestling Championships and accomplishments

National Wrestling Alliance

 

* NWA World Tag Team Champion (Minneapolis version) (1 time) - with Verne Gagne

* NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Champion (San Francisco version) (2 times)

 

National Wrestling Association

 

* NWA/NBA World Heavyweight Champion (2 times)

 

Other titles

 

* World Heavyweight Championship (Los Angeles version) (1 time)

* World Heavyweight Championship

* World Heavyweight Championship (Minneapolis version) (2 times)

 

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

 

* Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame - inducted in 1996

 

Career information

 

Position(s): FB

Jersey №: 3

College: Minnesota

 

Organizations

 

1930-1937, 1943 Chicago Bears

 

Career highlights and Awards

 

* NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team

* NFL 1930s All-Decade Team

* Retired numbers (#72 and #3)

 

College Football Hall of Fame

Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1963

[rangercal]

Is it jumping the Gun to add Rose or Beasley to this list?

[knightni]

22. Ed Walsh

 

(5 of 18 lists - 44 points - highest ranking #8 knightni)

 

Edward Augustine Walsh (May 14, 1881 – May 26, 1959) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He holds the record for lowest career ERA, 1.82.

 

Born in Plains Township, Pennsylvania, Walsh had a brief but remarkable major league career. He made his major league debut in 1904 with the Chicago White Sox and pitched his first full season in 1906, going 17-13 with a 1.88 ERA and 171 strikeouts. From this season through 1912, Walsh averaged 24 victories, 220 strikeouts and posted an ERA below 2.00 five times. He also led the league in saves five times in this span. His finest individual season came in 1908 when he went 40-15 with 269 strikeouts, 6 saves and a 1.42 ERA. In 1910 he posted the lowest ERA (1.27) for a pitcher with at least 20 starts and a losing record.

 

In 1910, the White Sox opened White Sox Park, which was soon nicknamed Comiskey Park by the press in honor of team owner Charles Comiskey. The name would be officially changed to Comiskey Park in 1913. A story, perhaps apocryphal, states that Zachary Taylor Davis, the architect who would later design Wrigley Field across town, consulted Walsh in setting the park's field dimensions. Choosing a design that would favor himself and other White Sox pitchers, rather than hitters, Walsh not only made Comiskey Park a "pitcher's park" for its entire 80-year history, but he can be said to be the man who "built" Comiskey Park to a greater degree than Babe Ruth "built" Yankee Stadium, "The House That Ruth Built": While the money the Yankees were making due to fans coming to see Ruth made building the Stadium possible, and the short distance to the right-field fence may have been chosen with Ruth in mind, Ruth did not choose that distance. Walsh appears to have been the man who chose what kind of playing conditions Comiskey Park would have.

 

Interviewed for Lawrence Ritter's book The Glory of Their Times, Hall-of-Famer Sam Crawford referred to Walsh's use of a pitch that would later be outlawed: "Big Ed Walsh. Great big, strong, good-looking fellow. He threw a spitball. I think that ball disintegrated on the way to the plate, and the catcher put it back together again. I swear, when it went past the plate, it was just the spit went by."

 

Walsh's playing time began dwindling in 1913. Some claim that he came into spring training around this time in poorer physical shape than other members of the White Sox pitching staff, and his pride led him to try to keep up with the other pitchers in terms of pitch speed before getting into adequate shape, thereby causing damage to his pitching arm. By 1916 his arm was dead. He wanted a year off, but Charles Comiskey released him instead. He attempted a comeback with the Boston Braves in 1917, but was let go, ending his major league career. He later did some pitching in the Eastern League and gave umpiring a brief try. After that he was a coach for the White Sox for a few years. He retired with 195 wins, 126 losses and 1736 strikeouts. His career 1.82 is the lowest major league ERA ever posted, but is unofficial since ERA was not an official statistic in the American League prior to 1913.

 

Walsh died on May 26, 1959. That night, Harvey Haddix of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitched a perfect game for 12 innings before losing to the Milwaukee Braves in the 13th inning.

 

Walsh was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946. In 1999, he ranked Number 82 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

 

Career statistics

 

Pitching Record 195-126

ERA 1.82

Strikeouts 1736

 

Teams

As Player

 

* Chicago White Sox (1904 – 1916)

* Boston Braves (1917)

 

As Manager

 

* Chicago White Sox (1924)

 

Career highlights and awards

 

* World Series champion: 1906

* Best career ERA (1.82) in Major League history

* Second-best WHIP (1.00) in Major League history

* American League ERA champion: 1907, 1910

* American League wins champion: 1908

* 4-time American League innings pitched leader

* 4 20-win seasons

* 1 40-win season

* 6 sub-2.00 ERA seasons

 

Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame

 

Elected 1946

Election Method Veteran's Committee

[knightni]

Is it jumping the Gun to add Rose or Beasley to this list?

It certainly wasn't with Hester.

[knightni]

21. Tony Esposito

 

(6 of 18 lists - 46 points - highest ranking #10 ChiSox_Sonix)

 

Anthony James "Tony O" Esposito (born April 23, 1943 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) is a retired professional ice hockey goaltender, who played in the National Hockey League, most notably for the Chicago Black Hawks. He is considered one of the pioneers of the now popular butterfly style.

 

Hockey career

 

Early years

 

Esposito grew up Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario with his brother, fellow future NHL star Phil Esposito. He played college hockey for Michigan Tech University.

 

A three-year hockey letterwinner, Esposito was a three-time first-team All-America selection. He was a driving force in helping the Huskies to the 1964–65 NCAA Championship and was named a first-team NCAA All-Tournament Team choice in 1965. Still currently the MTU career leader in goals against average (2.55) and second in career saved percentage (.912), Esposito was also a three-time All-WCHA first-team selection.

 

Esposito turned pro with Vancouver in the Western Hockey League in 1967–68 and played with the Houston Apollos in the Central League in 1968–69.

 

He first played in the NHL for the Montreal Canadiens during the 1968–69 season. A famous game against the Boston Bruins, led by his brother Phil, ended in a 2–2 tie, in which Phil scored both goals for Boston. The Canadiens club was very deep in goaltenders at that time, with Gump Worsley, Rogie Vachon and others in the system. As a result, Esposito was left unprotected by the Canadiens in 1969.

 

Rise to fame

 

For 1969–70, the Chicago Black Hawks (the team name during Esposito's playing days) claimed him from Montreal on waivers, known at the time as the "intra-league draft". Esposito had a spectacular season with Chicago, posting a 2.17 GAA and setting a modern day NHL record with 15 shutouts. Having not played enough games with Montreal, he was still eligible for, and won the Calder Trophy as the league's best rookie. He also took the Vezina Trophy and was named to the First All-Star team at season's end. He also balloted second for league MVP (Hart Trophy). It was during this record setting season he earned the nickname Tony 'O'. In 1970–71, he again proved to be one of the league's top goalies and helped Chicago finish first in the NHL's West division. The Black Hawks made it to the Stanley Cup finals, but lost in 7 games to Montreal. The following season he posted the lowest GAA of his career (1.77) and shared the Vezina with backup Gary Smith. He was again selected to the NHL's 1st All-Star team.

 

Esposito was named to Team Canada for the Summit Series of September, 1972. He was the first goalie to earn a win against the Soviets, splitting Canada's goaltending duties with Montreal's Ken Dryden. Esposito posted the lowest GAA of the three goalies who appeared in the series.

 

Despite the loss of Bobby Hull, Esposito and the Hawks led their division in 1972–73, but lost the Stanley Cup in 6 games to Montreal. 1973–74 was another brilliant season with a sparkling 2.04 GAA and 10 shutouts. Esposito won his 3rd Vezina, sharing it with Philadelphia's Bernie Parent.

 

The Black Hawks declined the next few seasons although Esposito remained among the top netminders in the NHL. In 1979–80, Esposito enjoyed a fine season with 6 shutouts and his third 1st All-Star team selection. In 1981 he adopted an American citizenship and played for Team USA in the Canada Cup (he had previously represented Canada at the 1977 Ice Hockey World Championship tournament). He played a few more seasons in the Windy city, retiring after the 1983–84 season.

 

Tony Esposito is the younger brother of Phil Esposito, who also played for Team Canada during the Summit Series of 1972.

 

Trivia

 

* Tony O. was one of just eight goalies to win the Vezina catching the puck right-handed. The other seven were fellow Hawks' legend Charlie Gardiner (in 1932 and 1934), the New York Rangers' Davey Kerr (1940), ambidextrous Montreal goalie Bill Durnan (1944—47, 1949 and 1950), the New York Rangers' Gilles Villemure (1971), Tom Barrasso of the Buffalo Sabres (1984), Edmonton Oilers' Grant Fuhr (1988) and José Théodore of the Montreal Canadiens in 2002.

 

Retirement

 

He retired from professional play in 1985 and was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988. His number 35 was retired by the Blackhawks.

 

Tony Esposito later became General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins rather briefly, where he hired former Black Hawks teammate Gene Ubriaco as head coach, until they were both terminated.

 

In 1991, when his brother helped found the Tampa Bay Lightning, Phil hired Tony as chief scout. Legend has it that they came up with the team name during a thunderstorm. Both Espositos were fired in 1998.

 

In 1998, he was ranked number 79 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.

 

In 2007, Tony was inducted (alongside brother Phil) into the Sault Ste Marie Walk of Fame.

 

On March 19, 2008, the Chicago Blackhawks honored Esposito with "Tony Esposito Night", where he was formally introduced as an Ambassador to the Blackhawks organization. Current Blackhawk goaltenders Patrick Lalime and Nikolai Khabibulin both wore Esposito's #35 jerseys in the pre-game warmups, and coincidentally, Khabibulin recorded a shutout in a Hawks 5–0 win over the Washington Capitals

 

Awards and Accomplishments

 

* Stanley Cup Champion (1969)

* Calder Memorial Trophy (1970)

* NHL First All-Star Team Goalie (1970, 1972, 1980)

* NHL Second All-Star Team Goalie (1973, 1974)

* Vezina Trophy (1970, 1972, 1974)

* Member of Canadian national team at 1972 Summit Series and 1977 Ice Hockey World Championship tournament

* Played for United States national team in the 1981 Canada Cup

 

In popular culture

 

* Garth Algar (Dana Carvey) wears Esposito's jersey while playing road hockey in Wayne's World and Wayne's World 2.

 

Pro clubs

WHL

Vancouver Canucks

CHL

Houston Apollos

NHL

Montreal Canadiens

Chicago Black Hawks

 

Pro Career 1967 – 1984

Hall of Fame, 1988

[knightni]

20-16 will be tomorrow!

[Texsox]

Pretty solid list so far. I at least considered most of these players. I considered Halas, but more for coaching and owning. If we had a Chicago Sports legend list, I'd consider him for the top spot. I thinkn Big Ed was too low, but he's usually forgotten anyways.

[ChiSox_Sonix]

Pretty solid list so far. I at least considered most of these players. I considered Halas, but more for coaching and owning. If we had a Chicago Sports legend list, I'd consider him for the top spot. I thinkn Big Ed was too low, but he's usually forgotten anyways.

 

 

I debated putting Cicotte on my list but totally forgot about Walsh.

[knightni]

20. Chris Chelios

 

(5 of 18 lists - 49 points - highest ranking #4 ControlledChaos)

 

Chris Chelios (born Christos Kostas Tselios on January 25, 1962 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League. Chelios has also played for the Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks. Chelios has played in the NHL since 1984, and has earned many awards during his long career. Chelios is the oldest active player in the NHL, has played the most games of any active player in the NHL, and has the most career penalty minutes of any active player. On November 24, 2006, he played in his 1,496th NHL game, the most of any American-born player, passing the record total of Phil Housley. In the 2007–08 season, he appeared in the playoffs for an NHL record 23rd time, having missed the playoffs only once (1997–98) in his entire career. Chelios is of Greek heritage. His cousin, Nikos Tselios, also plays professional hockey.

 

Playing career

 

Early years

 

Chelios was raised in Chicago and was a standout youth hockey player. He attended Mount Carmel High School, but moved to Southern California in 1977. As a teenager, he was twice cut by Junior B teams in Canada and hit a low point when he had to borrow money from strangers to get home to California one year. As Chelios said, "I wasn't any bigger or any better than the other guys, so they weren't going to take a kid from the States when they could have a local guy." He returned home and grew three inches while adding 40 pounds of muscle. Chelios was then drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. Prior to being drafted, he played for the Moose Jaw Canucks of the SJHL. Chelios enjoyed two strong years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison after being drafted. As one of the top collegiate players in the country, he was selected to play for the United States at the 1981–82 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship. In 1983, he was part of the Badgers NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship team and was named to the All-Tournament Team and the Second WCHA All-Star Team. Chelios was a member of the U.S. Olympic Hockey team for the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. After the Olympics he made his debut for the Canadiens, playing 12 games in the regular season and 15 in the playoffs. That summer he joined the United States team at the 1984 Canada Cup. He wore number 24 in Montreal and Detroit, and number 7 in Chicago.

 

The Montreal years 1981-1990

 

In 1984, he made the Habs for good, and distinguished himself with his play. He earned a trip to the National Hockey League All-Star Game and was named to the 1985 NHL All-Rookie Team. He scored 64 points in 74 games, a high total for a defenceman, even in the higher-scoring 1980s. In the playoffs that year, he scored 10 points in 9 games, with a +17 plus/minus. Although he only played 41 games in the 1985-1986 season, he won his first Stanley Cup, playing in front of Conn Smythe Trophy winner Patrick Roy.

 

Following two more good seasons, Chelios really broke out in the 1988-1989 season. He scored 73 points in 80 games at +35, was named to the All-Star First-Team, and won the James Norris Memorial Trophy. In that season's Prince of Wales Trophy final Series against the Philadelphia Flyers, which the Canadiens won in six games, Chelios became reviled by Flyer fans for a hit on Brian Propp that left the Flyer winger concussed and forced him to miss the Flyers' next game. For the remainder of the series, the Flyers vented their anger against Chelios until finally, late in Game Six, Philly goaltender Ron Hextall whacked his stick and blocker pad at Chelios, apparently in retaliation for the hit.

 

After playing only 53 games in the next season (in which he served as co-captain, with Guy Carbonneau), on June 29, 1990, Chelios was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks with a 2nd-round draft pick for Denis Savard, who is now in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

 

The Chicago years 1990-1999

 

In his first season with Chicago, he continued to score at his usual rate, tallying 64 points, and earned a spot on the Second NHL All-Star Team. Chelios would help lead the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup Final in 1992, before losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was in top form for the 1992-1993 season, scoring 73 points and won another Norris Trophy.

 

In 1995–96, Chelios would have another great season for the Blackhawks, scoring 73 points and winning his third Norris Trophy. When the Summer of 1996 rolled around, he would help lead the United States to its biggest international hockey win since the 1980 Winter Olympics, beating Canada in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey final series and was named to the All-Tournament Team. Chelios was captain of the Blackhawks from 1995 to 1999.

 

The Detroit Years 1999-present

 

By 1999, though, Chelios was starting to show signs of age. At 37, his career was clearly in decline, and he was no longer the offensive and defensive force he had once been. However, even if he did not have much to offer the Blackhawks, he could still help teams with his veteran leadership and his largely-remaining talent. On March 23, he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings for Anders Eriksson and two first-round draft picks.

 

The move to Detroit, where he had fewer responsibilities and more skilled teammates, helped keep Chelios playing at close to his peak level. In 2002, his +40 plus/minus led the league, and he was again named to the First All-Star Team. He also led the United States hockey team to a silver medal in the 2002 Winter Olympics, and was named to the Tournament's All-Star Team. His season culminated in the Red Wings' victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Finals, giving Chelios his second Stanley Cup.

 

In 2004, because of the cancellation of the NHL season, Chelios, along with fellow Red Wing teammates Derian Hatcher and Kris Draper, decided to play hockey for the Motor City Mechanics, a UHL team based out of Fraser, Michigan. He was heavily criticized for this decision as the UHL has a maximum salary in place, but at the same time he was strongly against a salary cap in the NHL. In October 2004 he trained with the U.S. bobsled federation in a bid to compete for the Greek bobsled team at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

 

On August 4, 2005, the 43-year-old re-signed with the Red Wings for a one-year contract.

 

Recent years

 

On February 1, 2006, Chelios was again named captain of the US Olympic Hockey Team that played at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. Chelios was also captain in the 1998 Nagano games and of the silver-medal-winning team in the 2002 Salt Lake City games.

 

On May 24, 2006, Chelios signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings. On July 3, 2006, Chelios became the active leader for most games played upon the retirement of teammate Steve Yzerman. On April 21, 2007 he became the oldest defenseman to score a short-handed goal in the NHL in a playoff game against Calgary Flames.

 

On May 22, 2007, at Game 6 of the 2007 Western Conference Finals, Chelios and the Red Wings were eliminated from postseason play by the Anaheim Ducks. After the game, Chelios did not shake the hands of the Anaheim Ducks at center ice, as is the custom, and chose instead to shake the hands of only the coaches at their bench. This drew much criticism from fans and the media. He later stated that he was overcome by emotion, and felt he could not maintain his composure on the ice. [1]

 

On June 12, 2007, Chelios re-signed with the Detroit Red Wings for one year. This is his 24th NHL season and 10th with the Red Wings.

 

On January 8, 2008 Chelios became the second oldest player in the history of the NHL, at 45 years, 348 days, passing Moe Roberts. Only Gordie Howe, who played until age 52, was older. He is older than his coach Mike Babcock.

 

On April 12, 2008 Chelios played in his 248th playoff game, breaking the NHL record set by Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy.

 

Chris Chelios is one of 5 currently active NHL players to be a captain of 2 different NHL teams, both the Montreal Canadiens and the Chicago Blackhawks. The players who currently share this honour are Jason Smith, Chris Pronger, Trevor Linden, Jaromir Jagr and Chris Chelios. Although Smith, Pronger and Jagr are the only players of these 5 who currently wear the C on their respective teams.

 

Personal

 

Chelios grew up in Chicago, where his father, Constantine "Gus" Chelios owned a chain of Greek restaurants. The family moved to Poway, CA in 1977 when his father left his struggling business in Chicago to open a restaurant in the San Diego area. He was a Chicago Blackhawks fan during his childhood but was more focused on football, idolizing Bears linebacker Dick Butkus.

 

Chelios has been married to his wife, Tracee, for twenty years. They met while students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. They have four children, Dean, 18, Jake, 16, Caley, 14, and Tara, 12. Dean Chelios, a forward, scored a pair of power play goals to help his high school team, Cranbrook-Kingswood, win the division 3 Michigan state high school hockey championship in 2006. Dean plays for the Cedar Rapids Roughriders of the USHL in Cedar Rapids, IA.

 

He was very active in charitable causes during his playing days in Chicago, founding Cheli's Children. to "Chelios."[2]

 

He is the older brother of former minor-leaguer Steve Chelios, Cousin of NHL player Nikos Tselios, whose father was one of Gus Chelios' brothers. The family name was originally Tselios, but Gus Chelios changed his family's spelling. His cousin, also named Chris Chelios (little Chris), is a former minor league player and current coach of the Robert Morris College Women's Hockey team in Chicago, IL, he is also founder of the CCH Xtreme hockey school.[3]

 

In his career, he has befriended many non-Hockey athletes and entertainers. In 2004, Chris and surfer Laird Hamilton trained with the US bobsled team, and hoped to form the first Greek bobsled team at the 2006 Winter Olympics. They weren't successful. On Scrubs, Dr. Perry Cox often wears a Chelios Red Wings jersey; Chelios is friends with actor John C. McGinley, who portrays Cox. During the fourth season of the show, which was concurrent with the 2004–05 lockout, Cox was seen on at least one occasion wearing a number 24 Motor City Mechanics jersey. He is also close friends with actor John Cusack, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan and musician Kid Rock.

 

Chris Chelios restaurant/bar

 

Chelios has two restaurant/bars in Dearborn (opened in 2003) and Detroit (opened in 2006), Michigan (Cheli's Chili Bar I and Cheli's Chili Bar II). He previously owned a Cheli's Chili Bar on West Madision in Chicago near the United Center, but this closed after his move to the Red Wings.

 

On January 2, 2007 two employees of Cheli's in Detroit were fatally stabbed. Megan Soroka, 49, was a manager at the restaurant and Mark Barnard, 52, was a chef. Police arrested Justin Blackshere, 17, who allegedly confessed to the crime. He was a busboy at the restaurant and was fired in November 2006. Blackshere's pregnant girlfriend had also been fired from her job as a dishwasher. Blackshere was found guilty of murder in the first degree on August 22, 2007. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole on September 7, 2007.[4] Chelios took a leave of absence from the Detroit Red Wings to help the families of his murdered employees. He said, "I'll come back when I feel ready and the families feel ready. I'm just going to try to get through this day by day with everybody."[5] On January 9, 2007, the Red Wings announced that Chelios would be playing that night.[6]

 

Awards

 

* 1982–83: Second All-Star Team (WCHA)

* 1982–83: All-Tournament Team (NCAA)

* 1984–85: Played in All-Star Game (NHL)

* 1984–85: All-Rookie Team (NHL)

* 1985–86: Stanley Cup Montreal Canadiens (NHL)

* 1986–87: Played in Rendez-vous '87 (NHL)

* 1988–89: First All-Star Team (NHL)

* 1988–89: James Norris Memorial Trophy Defenseman of the Year (NHL)

* 1989–90: Played in All-Star Game (NHL)

* 1990–91: Played in All-Star Game (NHL)

* 1990–91: Second All-Star Team (NHL)

* 1991–92: Played in All-Star Game (NHL)

* 1992–93: Played in All-Star Game (NHL)

* 1992–93: First All-Star Team (NHL)

* 1992–93: James Norris Memorial Trophy Defenseman of the Year (NHL)

* 1993–94: Played in All-Star Game (NHL)

* 1994–95: First All-Star Team (NHL)

 

* 1995–96: Played in All-Star Game (NHL)

* 1995–96: First All-Star Team (NHL)

* 1995–96: James Norris Memorial Trophy Defenseman of the Year (NHL)

* 1996–97: All-Star Team (1996 World Cup of Hockey)

* 1996–97: World Cup of Hockey Championship (1996 World Cup of Hockey)

* 1996–97: Played in All-Star Game (NHL)

* 1996–97: Second All-Star Team (NHL)

* 1997–98: Played in All-Star Game (NHL)

* 1999–00: Played in All-Star Game (NHL)

* 2001–02: All-Star Team (XIX Olympic Winter Games)

* 2001–02: Silver Medal (XIX Olympic Winter Games)

* 2001–02: Played in All-Star Game (NHL)

* 2001–02: First All-Star Team (NHL)

* 2001–02: Bud Light Plus/Minus Award (NHL)

* 2001–02: Stanley Cup Detroit Red Wings (NHL)

* 2006–07: Mark Messier Leadership Award (NHL)

 

International play Olympic medal record

Men's Ice hockey

Silver 2002 Salt Lake City Ice hockey

 

* 1982 - Played for the United States in the 1982 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship

* 1984 - Played for the United States in the XIV Olympic Winter Games

* 1984 - Played for the United States in the 1984 Canada Cup

* 1987 - Played for the United States in the 1987 Canada Cup

* 1991 - Played for the United States in the 1991 Canada Cup

* 1996 - Played for the United States in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey

* 1998 - Played for the United States in the XVIII Olympic Winter Games

* 2002 - Played for the United States in the XIX Olympic Winter Games

* 2004 - Played for the United States in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey

* 2006 - Played for the United States in the XX Olympic Winter Games

 

His only medal came from the 2002 Salt Lake games, winning the Silver losing to team Canada. Playing an important defensive role along with Brian Rafalski. In the 2004 World Cup of Hockey he did not medal however he did play as captain during that stretch.

[knightni]

19. Tom Seaver

 

(6 of 18 lists - 55 points - highest ranking #9 whitesoxfan99)

 

George Thomas Seaver (born November 17, 1944) is a former right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who broke into the major leagues in 1967 and retired in 1987. He played for four different teams in his career, but is primarily associated with the New York Mets. Nicknamed "Tom Terrific" and "The Franchise", Seaver had 311 wins, 3,640 strikeouts and a 2.86 ERA during a 20-year career. In 1992 he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

 

He won the National League Rookie of the Year Award and three Cy Young Awards as the league's best pitcher. As the Mets' all-time leader in wins, Seaver is considered one of the greatest players in club history, as well as one of the best starting pitchers in the history of baseball.

 

Early life & development

 

Seaver was born in Modesto, California to Betty Lee Cline and Charles Henry Seaver.[1] As a high school pitcher at Fresno High School in Fresno, California, Seaver compensated for his lack of size and strength by developing great control on the mound. Despite being an All-City basketball player, he hoped to play baseball in college. He joined the United States Marine Corps Reserves in June 28, 1962. He served with AIRFMFPAC 29 Palms, California through July 1963.[2] After six months of active duty in the Reserves, Seaver enrolled at Fresno City College. He was much stronger and threw with greater velocity, but still had the same fine control of his pitches. In anticipation of the following season, he was being recruited to pitch for the University of Southern California by legendary Trojan coach Rod Dedeaux. Unsure as to whether Tom was worthy of a scholarship, he was sent to pitch for the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks in 1964. After a stellar season -- in which he pitched and won a game in the national tournament with a grand slam -- he was accepted for a USC scholarship. As a sophomore, Seaver posted a 10-2 record, and "in June 1965, he was drafted by the L.A. Dodgers. When Seaver asked for $70,000, however, the Dodgers passed." [3] In 1966, he signed a contract with the Atlanta Braves, who had drafted him number one. However, the contract was voided by Baseball Commissioner William Eckert because his college team had played two exhibition games (although Seaver hadn't played). Seaver intended, then, to finish the college season, but because he had signed a pro-contract, the NCAA ruled him ineligible. After Seaver's father complained to Eckert about the unfairness of the situation, and threatened with a lawsuit, Eckert ruled that other teams could match the Braves' offer.[4] The Mets were subsequently awarded his signing rights in a lottery drawing among the three teams (Philadelphia and Cleveland being the two others) that were willing to match the Braves' terms.

 

Rookie of the Year

 

Seaver spent one season with the Jacksonville Suns of the International League, then joined New York in 1967. He won 16 games for the last-place Mets, with 18 complete games, 170 strikeouts, and a 2.76 E.R.A., all Mets records to that point, and was named the National League Rookie of the Year. He was also named to the 1967 All-Star Game, and got the save by pitching a scoreless 15th inning. In 1968 he won 16 games again, and recorded over 200 strikeouts for the first of nine consecutive seasons; but the Mets moved up only one spot in the standings, to ninth.

 

The "Miracle Mets" season

 

In 1969, Seaver and the Mets completed a remarkable season, coming from the depths of the National League to win their first World Series championship. Seaver won a league-high 25 games and his first National League Cy Young Award.

 

On July 9, before a crowd of over 59,000 at New York's Shea Stadium, Seaver threw 8 1/3 perfect innings against the division-leading Chicago Cubs. Then, rookie backup outfielder Jimmy Qualls lined a clean single to left field, breaking up Seaver's perfect game. In the first-ever NLCS game, Seaver outlasted Atlanta's Phil Niekro for a sloppy 9-5 victory. Seaver was also the starter for the Mets' first World Series game, but lost a 4-1 decision to the Baltimore Orioles' Mike Cuellar. Seaver then pitched a complete-game, 10-inning win in Game Four to put the Mets on the brink of their first championship.

 

At year's end, Seaver was presented with both the Hickok Belt as the top professional athlete of the year, and Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award.

 

Continued excellence

 

On April 22, 1970, Seaver set a modern major league record by striking out the final 10 San Diego Padres batters of the game. In addition to his 10 consecutive strikeouts, Seaver finished the game with 19 strikeouts, tying Steve Carlton's major league record for a nine-inning game.[5] (The record was later eclipsed by 20-strikeout games by Kerry Wood, Randy Johnson, and twice by Roger Clemens.) Just four days earlier, Nolan Ryan had tied the former Mets record for K's in one game, which had been 15. In mid-August, his record stood at 17-6 and he seemed well on his way to a second consecutive 20-win season. Then the wheels fell off. Seaver agreed to pitch with three days rest over a span of ten days and lost all three decisions. He won only one more game down the stretch and finished 18-12.

 

Seaver had three more twenty-win seasons (20 in 1971, 21 in 1972, and 22 in 1975) and two more Cy Young Awards (1973 and 1975) with the Mets. He was the runner-up for the award in 1971. 1971 was arguably his best year, when he led the league in ERA (1.76) and strikeouts (289 in 286 innings) while going 20-10. However, the sportswriters voted Ferguson Jenkins of the Chicago Cubs the Cy Young Award, due to his league-leading 24 wins, 325 innings pitched, and exceptional control numbers. Seaver himself states 1971 was his best season.[citation needed]

 

Between 1970 and 1976, Seaver led the National League in strikeouts five of the seven seasons, finishing second in 1972 and third in 1974. Seaver also won three ERA titles as a Met. A famous quote about Seaver is attributed to Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson: "Blind men come to the park just to hear him pitch."

 

Bye-bye, Big Apple

 

By 1977, the free agency period had begun and contract negotiations between Mets ownership and Seaver were not going well. Seaver wanted to renegotiate his contract to bring his salary in line with what other top pitchers were making, but board chairman M. Donald Grant, who by this time had been given carte blanche by Met management to do what he wished, refused to budge. Longtime New York Daily News columnist Dick Young regularly wrote negative columns about Seaver's "greedy" demands. When Young wrote an unattributed story claiming that Seaver was being goaded by his wife to ask for more money because she was jealous of Nolan Ryan's wife, Seaver had had enough and demanded a trade away from New York.

 

In what New York's sports reporters dubbed "the Midnight Massacre", Mets General Manager M. Donald Grant sent Tom Seaver to the Cincinnati Reds on June 15, 1977 for Pat Zachry, Steve Henderson, Doug Flynn, and Dan Norman. He finished the 1977 season with 21 wins by going 14-3 with Cincinnati, including an emotional 5-1 win over the Mets in his return to Shea Stadium. Seaver struck out 11 in the return, and also hit a double. Seaver, who was immensely popular in New York, also received a lengthy ovation at the 1977 All-Star Game, which was held in New York's Yankee Stadium.

 

His departure from New York sparked a massive fan revolt. Attendance plummeted, and Shea Stadium earned the nickname "Grant's Tomb."

 

After having thrown five one-hitters for New York, including three no-hitters that were broken up in the 9th inning, Seaver finally recorded a 4-0 no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 16, 1978 at Riverfront Stadium. It was the only no-hitter of his professional career.

 

Seaver was 75-46 during his time in Cincinnati. He was a close runner-up for the 1981 Cy Young Award, a year in which he was 14-2, and was voted 3rd and 4th in two other seasons. He suffered through a dreadful 1982 campaign, finishing 5-13.

 

Return to New York

 

After the 1982 season on December 16, 1982, Seaver was traded back to the Mets, for Charlie Puleo, Lloyd McClendon, and Jason Felice. On April 5, 1983, he tied Walter Johnson's major league record of 14 Opening Day starts, shutting out the Philadelphia Phillies 2-0. (He made two more such starts with the Chicago White Sox in 1985 and 1986 for a record total of 16 opening day assignments.)

 

300 wins

 

Seaver and the Mets were stunned on January 20, 1984 when he was claimed in a free-agent compensation draft by the Chicago White Sox. The team (especially GM Frank Cashen) had incorrectly assumed that no one would pursue a high-salaried, 39-year-old starting pitcher, and left him off the protected list. Faced with either reporting to the White Sox or retiring, Seaver chose the former.

 

Seaver pitched two and a half seasons in Chicago, crafting his last shutout on July 19, 1985 against the visiting Indians. In an anomaly, Seaver won two games on May 9, 1984. Seaver pitched the 25th and final inning of a game suspended the day before, picking up the win in relief, before starting and winning the day's regular-scheduled game. This unexpected win set up one of Seaver's most memorable moments.

 

On August 4, 1985, Seaver won his 300th victory at New York against the Yankees, throwing a complete game. (Coincidentally, it was Phil Rizzuto Day — Seaver would later become Rizzuto's broadcast partner for Yankee games. It was also the same day that Rod Carew, his 1967 American League Rookie of the Year counterpart, collected his 3000th hit.) Lindsey Nelson, a Mets radio and TV announcer during Seaver's salad days, called the final out for Yankees TV flagship WPIX.

 

After Seaver's 298th win, a reporter had pointed out to White Sox catcher Carlton Fisk that following his upcoming start in Boston, Seaver's next scheduled start would be in New York, and that the possibility existed that he might achieve the mark there. Fisk emphatically stated that Seaver would win in Boston, and then would win his 300th-- which is just what came to pass.

 

Seaver almost returned to the Mets down the stretch, as Frank Cashen was poised to make a trade, but manager Davey Johnson vetoed the idea. He ended his career with the Boston Red Sox in 1986, traded at mid-season for Steve Lyons. Seaver's 311th and last win came on August 18, 1986 against the Minnesota Twins. At the time of his retirement Seaver was third on the all-time strikeout list (3,640), trailing only Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton. His lifetime ERA of 2.86 was third among starting pitchers in the "live-ball" era, behind only Whitey Ford and Sandy Koufax. (Pedro Martínez has since recorded a lower ERA.)

 

A knee injury prevented him from appearing against the Mets in the World Series but Seaver received among the loudest ovations during player introductions prior to Game 1. The Red Sox released him following the 1986 season when the two sides could not come to terms on a new contract. Seaver briefly tried to make a comeback with the Mets in 1987 while their pitching staff was decimated by injuries, but retired after being shelled in an exhibition start against the Mets' Triple-A affiliate, the Tidewater Tides, saying, "I've used up all the competitive pitches in my arm!" The Mets retired his uniform number 41 in 1988. As of 2007, Seaver remains the only Met player to have his uniform number retired. Casey Stengel and Gil Hodges had their numbers retired as Met managers, and Jackie Robinson (never affiliated with the Mets) had his number retired by all teams. Their numbers-- 14 (Hodges), 37 (Stengel), 41 (Seaver), and 42 (Jackie Robinson) -- are posted in large numerals on the outfield fence at Shea Stadium.

 

Hall of Fame

 

Seaver was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 7, 1992. He received the highest-ever percentage of votes with 425 of 430 ballots (98.84%), surpassing Ty Cobb's 98.23%, and falling just five votes short of a unanimous selection. Seaver is the only player enshrined in the Hall of Fame with a Mets cap on his plaque.

 

Seaver was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1992, the Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2006.

 

In 1999, Seaver ranked 16th on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, the only player to have spent a majority of his career with the Mets to make the list. That year, he was also a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Baseball purists often compare him to Christy Mathewson for his combination of raw power, pinpoint control, intelligence, and, perhaps most of all, an intense scrutiny of his own performance, as well as that of his opponents. An excellent hitting pitcher, Seaver hit 12 home runs during his career.

 

Hank Aaron stated that Seaver was the toughest pitcher he ever faced. Ironically, Seaver approached Aaron before his first All-Star Game in 1967 and asked Aaron for his autograph. Seaver felt the need to introduce himself to Aaron, as he was certain "Hammerin' Hank" would not know who he was. Aaron replied to Seaver, "Kid, I know who you are, and before your career is over, I guarantee you everyone in this stadium will, too."

 

In an ESPN poll among his peers, Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal, Jim Palmer, Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton, Bert Blyleven, and Don Sutton all agreed Seaver was "the best" of their generation of pitchers.

 

On September 28, 2006, Seaver was chosen as the "Hometown Hero" for the Mets franchise by ESPN.

 

Broadcasting career

 

Since retirement, Seaver has sometimes been a television color commentator, working variously for the Mets, the New York Yankees, and with Vin Scully in 1989 for NBC. He is one of three sportscasters to be regular announcers for both the Mets and Yankees; the others are Fran Healy and Tim McCarver. He has also worked as a part-time scout, and as a spring training pitching coach.

 

Personal life

 

Seaver was married to the former Nancy Lynn McIntyre on June 9, 1966. They are parents of two daughters. Currently, he lives in Calistoga, California, where he tends to his vineyards. The first bottles of wine from the vineyards, a cabernet named Seaver, will be available sometime in 2008.

 

Career statistics

Win-Loss record 311-205

Strikeouts 3,640

Earned run average 2.86

 

Teams

 

* New York Mets (1967-1977, 1983)

* Cincinnati Reds (1977-1982)

* Chicago White Sox (1984-1986)

* Boston Red Sox (1986)

 

Career highlights and awards

 

* 12x All-Star selection (1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1981)

* 3x NL Cy Young Award winner (1969, 1973, 1975)

* 1967 NL Rookie of the Year

* 2x NL TSN Pitcher of the Year (1969, 1975)

* Pitched no-hitter in 1978

* New York Mets #41 retired

 

Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame

Elected 1992

Vote 98.8% (first ballot)

[knightni]

18. Luis Aparicio

 

(9 of 18 lists - 59 points - highest ranking #7 Chwrock2)

 

Luis Ernesto Aparicio Montiel (born April 29, 1934) is a former shortstop in professional baseball and a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. His career spanned three decades, from 1956 through 1973. Aparicio played for the Chicago White Sox (1956–62, 1968–70), Baltimore Orioles (1963–67) and Boston Red Sox (1971–73). He batted and threw right-handed.

 

Playing career

 

Born in Maracaibo, Zulia State, Venezuela, Aparicio came from a baseball family. His father, Luis Sr., was a notable shortstop in Venezuela and owned a Winter League team with Aparicio's uncle, Ernesto.

 

Aparicio was heavily scouted by the Cleveland Indians, but Chicago White Sox GM Frank Lane, on the recommendation of fellow Venezuelan shortstop Chico Carrasquel, signed Aparicio for $5,000 down and $5,000 in first year salary. He played well in the minors and then led the American League in stolen bases in his debut year of 1956, winning both the Rookie of the Year and The Sporting News Rookie of the Year awards.

 

Over the next decade, Aparicio set the standard for the spray-hitting, slick-fielding, speedy shortstop. He led the AL in stolen bases in nine consecutive seasons (1956–64) and won the Gold Glove Award nine times (1958–62, 1964, 1966, 1970). He was also a ten-time All-Star (1958–64, 1970–72) and a key player on the 1959 "Go-Go" White Sox that won the American League pennant that year. The White Sox were generally successful during his tenure, but when he showed up overweight and had an off year in 1962, the White Sox dealt him to the Baltimore Orioles the following season.

 

Aparicio regained his form in Baltimore and was ninth in the MVP balloting in 1966 when he helped the Orioles reach the World Series, which they won. He returned to the White Sox for the 1968 season after being traded for Don Buford and had his best overall offensive season in 1970, hitting .312 and scoring 86 runs. He put in three more seasons with the Boston Red Sox before retiring for good.

 

Aparicio batted a more than respectable .262 for his career but he also shares the distinction of tying the longest Major League hitless streak for non-pitchers in the last 50 years by going 0 for 44 with the Boston Red Sox in 1971. He batted a career low .232 that year. But even in his last year as an active player in 1973 he rebounded to hit .271 while still playing regularly at age 39. He had 13 consecutive seasons with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title and an on-base percentage less than .325, a MLB record. (His career OBP was slightly better than the shortstops' one during those years; .311 vs .309) A more impressive streak was his 16 straight seasons with more than 500 plate appearances, tied for fifth best in MLB history.

 

Baseball records

 

At his retirement, Aparicio was the all-time leader for most games played, assists and double plays by a shortstop and the all-time leader for putouts and total chances by an AL baseball shortstop. Through the 2005 season, Aparicio holds the Major League record of 2583 games played in the position. Amazingly, he never played any position other than shortstop.

 

Baseball honors

 

Luis Aparicio was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984, the first native of South America so honored. In 1981, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included him in their book The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time. In 1999, The Sporting News did not include him on their list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, but Major League Baseball did list him as one of their 100 nominees for their All-Century Team.

 

He was given the honor of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at Game One of the 2005 World Series, the first World Series game to be played in Chicago by the Chicago White Sox since the 1959 World Series, when Aparicio had been the starting shortstop for the Sox.

 

Landmarks bearing his family name

 

There is a stadium in Maracaibo, Venezuela bearing his father's name. The full name of the stadium is Estadio Luis Aparicio El Grande (Stadium Luis Aparicio the Great) in honor to Luis Aparicio Ortega. Also, the sports complex where the stadium is located is named Polideportivo Luis Aparicio Montiel

 

There are also several streets and avenues bearing his name throughout Venezuela

 

In 2006 Aparicio had a life-sized bronze statue of himself unveiled at U.S. Cellular Field.

 

Career statistics

 

Batting average .262

Hits 2,677

Stolen bases 506

 

Teams

 

* Chicago White Sox (1956–1962, 1968–1970)

* Baltimore Orioles (1963–1967)

* Boston Red Sox (1971–1973)

 

Career highlights and awards

 

* 10x All-Star selection (1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1970, 1971, 1972)

* World Series champion (1966)

* American League pennant (1959)

* 9x Gold Glove Award winner (1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1970)

* 1956 AL Rookie of the Year

* Chicago White Sox #11 retired

 

Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame

Elected 1984

Vote 84.62%

 

[shipps]

My grandfather would say this list was a joke when he seen that Aparicio was ranked here.He speaks very highly of him more than any of the other sox greats.

[knightni]

17. Greg Maddux

 

(6 of 18 lists - 75 points - highest ranking #5 balta1701, Felix)

 

Gregory Alan Maddux (born April 14, 1966) is a pitcher for the San Diego Padres. He was the first pitcher in Major League history to win the Cy Young Award for four consecutive years (1992-1995), during which he had a 75-29 record with a 1.98 ERA while allowing less than one runner per inning. Maddux is the only pitcher in MLB history to win 15 games in 17 consecutive seasons.[1] In addition, he has been awarded a record seventeen Gold Gloves. A superb control pitcher, Maddux won more games during the 1990s than any other pitcher.

Early life

 

Greg Maddux was born in San Angelo, Texas, but spent much of his childhood in Madrid, Spain, where the United States Air Force had stationed his father.[2] His father exposed him to baseball at a rather young age, and kindled his passion for the sport. Upon his return to Las Vegas, Nevada, Maddux and his brother Mike trained under the supervision of Rusty Medar, a former scout from the majors.[2] Medar preached the value of movement and location above velocity, and advised throwing softer when in a jam instead of harder; Maddux would later say, "I believed it. I don't know why. I just did." Though Medar died before Maddux graduated from Valley High School in Las Vegas, he instilled a firm foundation that would anchor Maddux’s future career.[3] Maddux currently lives in the same community.

 

Mike Maddux was drafted in 1982. When scouts came to observe the older Maddux brother, their father Dave told them, "You will be back later for the little one." Despite having a successful high school career, Maddux did not receive many athletic scholarship offers to play collegiate baseball.[4] This prompted Maddux to declare eligibility for 1984 amateur MLB Draft after graduation. Some teams were underwhelmed by Maddux's skinny build, but Cubs scout Doug Mapson saw past the unimpressive physique. Mapson wrote a glowing review that read in part, "I really believe this boy would be the number one player in the country if only he looked a bit more physical."

 

Professional career

 

Chicago Cubs (1986-1992)

 

Maddux was drafted in the second round of the 1984 amateur draft by the Chicago Cubs, and made his Major League debut in September 1986; at the time, he was the youngest player in the majors. Oddly, his first appearance in a major league game was as a pinch runner in the 17th inning against the Houston Astros. Maddux then pitched in the 18th inning, allowing a home run to Billy Hatcher and taking the loss. His first start, five days later, was a complete game win. In his fifth and final start of 1986, Maddux defeated his older brother, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Mike Maddux, marking the first time rookie brothers had ever pitched against each other. Mike Maddux was well used to his younger brother's competitive spirit, saying of their youth, "If Greg couldn't win, he didn't want to play, plain and simple."[5]

 

In 1987, his first full season in the majors, Greg Maddux struggled to a disappointing 6-14 record and 5.61 ERA. But he flourished in 1988, finishing 18-8 with a 3.18 ERA. This began a streak of 17 straight seasons in which Maddux recorded 15 or more wins, the longest such streak in history. Cy Young ranks second with 15 straight 15-win seasons. A highlight of his 1988 season came on May 11, when he threw a three-hit, 10-inning shutout against the Padres.

 

Maddux established himself as the Cubs' ace in 1989, winning 19 games, including a September game at Montreal's Olympic Stadium that clinched the Cubs' second-ever National League Eastern Division championship. Manager Don Zimmer tabbed him to start Game One of the National League Championship Series against the San Francisco Giants. It was a rough postseason debut for Maddux. He allowed eight runs and was relieved after surrendering Will Clark's grand slam home run with 2 outs in the fourth. Maddux believed that just before the grand slam, Clark was able to read Maddux's lips during a conference at the mound between Maddux and Zimmer.[citation needed] Since that incident, Maddux has always covered his mouth with his glove during conversations on the mound. Maddux took a no-decision in Game Four.

 

After consecutive 15-win seasons in 1990 and 1991, Maddux won 20 games in 1992, tied for the NL lead, and was voted his first National League Cy Young Award. Free agency was pending for Maddux, but contract talks with the Cubs became contentious and eventually ceased. Both Chicago general manager Larry Himes and Maddux's agent, Scott Boras, accused the other of failing to negotiate in good faith. The Cubs eventually decided to pursue other free agents, including Jose Guzman, Dan Plesac and Candy Maldonado. After seven seasons in Chicago, Maddux signed a $28 million deal with the Atlanta Braves.

 

Atlanta Braves (1993-2003)

 

He made his Braves' debut as their opening day starter against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, beating his former teammates 1-0. It was a good start to another strong Maddux season. He led the NL in ERA for the first time while posting a 20-10 record. Maddux won his second straight Cy Young Award, and the Braves took their rotation of Maddux, 22-game winner Tom Glavine, 18-game winner Steve Avery, and 15-game winner John Smoltz to the postseason. Maddux won against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game Two of the NLCS, but with Atlanta trailing 3 games to 2, took the loss in the decisive Game Six.

 

During the strike-shortened 1994 season, Maddux posted an ERA of 1.56, the second lowest since Bob Gibson's historic 1.12 in 1968. (The lowest ERA since the mound was lowered five inches in 1969 is Dwight Gooden's 1.53, for the 1985 New York Mets). It pleased Maddux that his 1994 batting average, .222, was higher than his ERA (at least colloquially, if not mathematically).[citation needed] Maddux also led the National League in wins, with 16, and innings pitched, with 202, in his third Cy Young-winning year. Maddux also finished 5th in National League Most Valuable Player voting in (1994).

 

In the following season, 1995, Maddux was 19-2 and posted the third-lowest ERA since Gibson's: 1.63. Maddux became the first pitcher to post back-to-back ERAs under 1.80 since Walter Johnson in 1918 (1.27) and 1919 (1.49); Johnson is the only other pitcher in history to do so. Maddux's 1.63 ERA came in a year when the overall league ERA was 4.23. Since the introduction of the live-ball era in 1920, there have only been five pitchers to have full-season ERAs under 1.65: Gibson and Luis Tiant in the anomalous 1968 season, Gooden in 1985, and Greg Maddux, twice. Maddux's 19 wins led the National League, for the third time in four seasons.

 

On May 28, 1995, he beat the Astros, losing a no-hitter on an eighth-inning home run to Jeff Bagwell. In June and July, Maddux threw 51 consecutive innings without issuing a walk. Maddux pitched effectively in all three of the Braves' postseason series, winning a game in each. His Game One victory in the 1995 World Series was vintage Maddux: 9 innings, 2 hits, no walks. Maddux took the loss in Game Five, but the Atlanta Braves won their first World Series championship. Following the 1995 season, Maddux won his fourth straight Cy Young Award, and his second consecutive unanimous award. He also finished 3rd in National League Most Valuable Player voting in (1995). The Atlanta Braves also made good on a preseason promise to their pitching rotation, installing a putting green in the locker room at Turner Field following the World Series victory.

 

From 1996-1998, Maddux finished fifth, second, and fourth in the Cy Young voting. In August 1997, Maddux signed a $57.5-million, five-year contract extension that made him the highest-paid player in baseball. In February 2003, he avoided arbitration by signing a one-year $14.75-million deal. Maddux's production remained consistent: a 19-4 record in 1997, 18-9 in 1998, 19-9 in both 1999 and 2000, 17-11 in 2001, 16-6 in 2002, and 16-11 in 2003, his last season as a Brave. From 1993 to 1998, Maddux led the National League in ERA four times, and was second the other two seasons; his career ERA of 3.07 is third among active starters, behind only Pedro Martínez and Roy Oswalt.

 

On July 22, 1997, Maddux threw a complete game with just 76 pitches. Maddux allowed just 20 bases on balls in 1997, including six intentional walks. In 1998, Maddux carried a 1.65 ERA through late August, but a late-season slump caused his ERA to rise to 2.22 (still the lowest ERA in the NL). Only a spectacular year by Pedro Martínez prevented Maddux from winning what would have been his fifth Cy Young Award in six seasons. Maddux threw a complete game 2-1 win against Houston to open the NLDS. The NLCS was an assortment of extremes: Maddux posted a 1.38 ERA and had more strikeouts than baserunners, but suffered an 0-2 record. Five unearned runs cost him his first start, and he lost a bitter 2-1 decision in Game Five.

 

Maddux struck out 200+ batters for the only time in his career in 1998. He outdueled the Cubs' Kerry Wood to clinch the NLDS, but the Braves were eliminated in the next round. The Braves returned to the World Series in 1999. Maddux was the Game One starter, and took a 1-0 lead into the eighth inning before a Yankee rally cost him the game.

 

In June 2000, Maddux made his 387th putout to break Jack Morris' career record. In September 2000, he had a streak of 39 1/3 scoreless innings. He pitched poorly in his one playoff start of 2000. In May 2001, Maddux became the first Braves pitcher since 1916 to throw two 1-0 shutouts in the same month. In July and August of that year, Maddux pitched 72 1/3 consecutive innings without giving up a walk. In 2002, he won his 13th straight Gold Glove Award, an NL record; Maddux tied Jim Kaat's career record of 16 Gold Gloves after the 2006 season.

 

Maddux was the jewel in the much-vaunted Braves triad of Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz, who pitched together for over a decade, as the core of one of the best pitching staffs in the history of the game. The three were the lynchpin of a team that won the National League East division every year that Maddux was on the team (1994 had no division champions). The three pitchers were frequently augmented by other strong starters such as Steve Avery, Kevin Millwood, Denny Neagle and Russ Ortiz. However, Atlanta never won another championship. In 29 postseason games with Atlanta, Maddux had a 2.81 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP, but just an 11-13 record.

 

Back With The Cubs (2004-2006)

 

Maddux returned to the Cubs as a free agent prior to the 2004 season. On August 7, 2004, Maddux defeated the San Francisco Giants, 8-4, to garner his 300th career victory. In April 2005, he beat Roger Clemens for his 306th win in the first National League matchup between 300-game winners in 113 years. On July 26, 2005, Maddux struck out Omar Vizquel to become the thirteenth member of the 3000 strikeout club and only the ninth pitcher with both 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts. Maddux became one of the four pitchers to reach 3,000 strikeouts while having allowed fewer than 1,000 walks. The other three pitchers who have accomplished this feat are Ferguson Jenkins, Curt Schilling, and Pedro Martínez.

 

Maddux's 13-15 record in 2005 was his first losing record since 1987, and snapped a string of seventeen consecutive seasons with 15 or more wins. (Cy Young had surpassed the 15-win total for 15 straight years; both Young and Maddux have reached 13+ wins for 19 consecutive seasons.)

 

Maddux's second stint with the Chicago Cubs lasted until mid-2006, when he was traded for the first time in his career, to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

 

Coincidentally, on September 28, 2007, Maddux would help the Cubs one last time, by beating the Brewers and therefore eliminating them from their playoff race against the Cubs.

 

Los Angeles Dodgers (2006)

 

Maddux was acquired by the Dodgers, then in the thick of a playoff race. In his first Dodger start, Maddux threw six no-hit innings, before a rain delay interrupted his L.A. debut. In his next start, it took just 68 pitches for Maddux to throw eight shutout innings. On August 30, 2006, he got his 330th career win, passing Steve Carlton to take sole possession of 10th on the all-time list. On September 30, 2006, Maddux pitched seven innings in San Francisco, allowing two runs and three hits in a 4-2 victory over the Giants, clinching a postseason spot for the Dodgers and notching another 15-win season. It was Maddux's 18th season among his league's Top 10 for wins, breaking a record he'd shared with Cy Young and Warren Spahn, who did it 17 times apiece.

 

San Diego Padres (2007-present)

 

On December 5, 2006 Maddux agreed to a one year, $10 million deal with the San Diego Padres with a player option for the 2008, an option that Maddux has now exercised (at a reported $10 million). [6] Maddux earned his 338th victory in the game that Trevor Hoffman earned his milestone 500th save. He recorded his 340th win on June 27, 2007, becoming the tenth pitcher to do so. On August 24, 2007, he won his 343rd game to take sole possession of ninth place on the all time win list. He achieved another milestone with the same win, becoming the only pitcher in the Major Leagues to have 20 consecutive seasons with at least 10 wins and placing him second on the list for most 10-win seasons, tied with Don Sutton and behind Nolan Ryan, who has 21. Also in 2007, Maddux reached 13 wins for the 20th consecutive season, passing Cy Young for that major league record. He finished the season with a career total 347 wins. Further, through the 2007 season's end, Maddux is the winningest major league pitcher during the 2000's decade, with 126 victories between 2000 and 2007. Randy Johnson and Tim Hudson have two fewer, at 124. Maddux won a record 17th Gold Glove award in 2007. On May 10, 2008, Maddux became the ninth pitcher in history to win 350 or more games in his career.

 

Talents and accomplishments

 

The right-handed Maddux is known for his pinpoint accuracy, and his ability to psyche out hitters. The speed of his pitches was never a strong suit, and has decreased with time, but Maddux's location has been peerless. Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs said of Maddux, "It seems like he's inside your mind with you. When he knows you're not going to swing, he throws a straight one. He sees into the future. It's like he has a crystal ball hidden inside his glove."

 

Maddux was also noted for the late movement on his pitches, which, combined with his superb command, made him one of the most effective groundball pitchers in history. While his strikeout totals were average, hitters were often unable to make solid contact with his pitches. Due to his longevity and skill, Maddux ranked eleventh all time in career strikeouts with 3,273 at the end of the 2007 season, and was third among active pitchers.

 

Maddux's primary pitches have always been variations of the standard fastball and circle changeup, though he has gradually added other, more complex pitches to his repertoire, such as the split-fingered fastball and the screwball. His cut fastball has been in his repertoire since about 1995, though he still achieved great success and three Cy Young Awards before he learned it.

 

Maddux has been credited by many of his teammates with a preternatural ability to outhink his opponents, and anticipate results. Braves catcher Eddie Perez tells the story of Maddux intentionally allowing a home run to the Astros' Jeff Bagwell, in anticipation of facing Bagwell in the playoffs months later. Maddux felt Bagwell would instinctively be looking for the same pitch again, which Maddux would then refuse to throw.[7] On another occasion while sitting on the bench, Maddux once told his teammates, "Watch this, we might need to call an ambulance for the first base coach." The batter, Los Angeles' Jose Hernandez drove the next pitch into the chest of the Dodgers' first base coach. Maddux had noticed that Hernandez, who'd been pitched inside by Braves pitching during the series, had shifted his batting stance slightly.[5]

 

Early in the 2000 season, Maddux was asked by sportswriter Bob Nightengale what had been the most memorable at-bat of his pitching career. Maddux said it was striking out Dave Martinez to end a regular season game. Nightengale was surprised Maddux hadn't picked a postseason game, or a more famous player. Maddux explained:

 

"I remember that one because he got a hit off me in the same situation (full count, bases loaded, two out in the 9th inning) seven years earlier. I told myself if I ever got in the same situation again, I'll pitch him differently. It took me seven years, but I got him."[5]

 

Publicly, however, Maddux is dismissive of his reputation, saying, "People think I'm smart? You know what makes you smart? Locate your fastball down and away. That's what makes you smart. You talk to Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, or Tom Seaver. They'll all tell you the same thing. It's not your arm that makes you a great pitcher. It's that thing between both of your ears we call a brain." To this day Maddux maintains Koufax, Gibson, and Seaver are the three best pitchers of the "live ball" era of baseball. [8]. Informed by "The Sporting News" he had been voted best pitcher of the 1990s, in typical Maddux humility he replied, "It [the award] could have gone to Glavine or Smoltz just as easily and each would have deserved it. They're both great pitchers."

 

Maddux has never walked more than 82 batters in any season of his career, averaging fewer than 2 walks per game. In 1997, Maddux allowed 20 walks in 232+ innings, or 0.77 per 9 innings. In 2001, he set a National League record by going 72 1/3 innings without giving up a walk.

 

In addition to his pitching skills, Maddux is an excellent fielding pitcher. He has won 17 Gold Gloves, the all time record for any position. Of his 17 total awards, Maddux won 10 with the Braves, five with the Cubs, one with the Dodgers and one with the Padres. Maddux has also been a reliable hitting pitcher, with a career .172 Batting Average including four seasons batting .200 or better.

 

Maddux pitched in 12 Division Series contests, 15 League Championship games and five World Series games.[1] He has a 3.34 ERA in 194 postseason innings, including an outstanding 2.09 ERA in 38.7 World Series innings.[1] He was chosen for the National League All-Star team eight times.[1]

 

Maddux has won 20 games only twice, in 1992 and 1993.[1] However, he has won 19 games five times (including the 1995 season which was reduced to 144 games from the stike of 1994), 18 games twice, and 16 in the strike shortened 1994 season (which was reduced to 115 games).[1] He won four ERA titles (in 1993-1995 and 1998), and led the NL in shutouts five times.[1] He holds the major league record for seasons leading his league in games started (7).[9] He also holds the record for most seasons finishing in the top 10 in the league in wins (18).[10]

 

In 1999, Maddux ranked 39th on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, the highest-ranking pitcher then active. He was also nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. However, when TSN updated their list in 2005, Maddux had fallen to number 51.

 

Maddux was born on April 14, 1966, the same day as future Braves teammates David Justice and Steve Avery. The date was also the same day fellow 300-game winner Don Sutton made his Major League debut.

 

Greg has 2 children; a daughter, Amanda "Paige", and a son, "Satchel" Chase Maddux.

 

Selected MLB statistics

(through May 11, 2008)

 

Win-Loss 350-217

Earned Run Average 3.12

Strikeouts 3,299

 

Teams

 

* Chicago Cubs (1986-1992, 2004-2006)

* Atlanta Braves (1993-2003)

* Los Angeles Dodgers (2006)

* San Diego Padres (2007-present)

[knightni]

16. Mike Ditka

 

(9 of 18 lists - 79 points - highest ranking #6 MadLithuanian)

 

Michael Keller Ditka, Jr. (born October 18, 1939, in Carnegie, Pennsylvania) also known as Iron Mike Ditka or Da Coach, is a former American football NFL player, television commentator, and coach. Ditka coached the Chicago Bears for 11 years and New Orleans Saints for 3 years. Ditka and Tom Flores are the only two people to win Super Bowls as a player, an assistant coach and a head coach. Ditka was the only individual to participate in the last two Chicago Bears' championships, as a player in 1963 and as head coach in 1985.

 

Early life and college

 

Mike's childhood name was Mike Dyczko. His father was one of three brothers of a Ukrainian [1] family in the coal mining and steel manufacturing area in Western Pennsylvania. The name Dyzcko was too much of a tongue-twister in Carnegie, PA., where Mike was born on October 18, 1939, so the family name was changed to Ditka. [2] in the Pittsburgh area town of Carnegie, Pennsylvania and grew up in nearby Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. In elementary school, he was enrolled at St. Titus School, located on Franklin Avenue and Sycamore Street in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania.

 

A three sport star at Aliquippa High School, he was recruited by Notre Dame, Penn State, and Pitt. The Aliquippa High team doctor, Dr. John L. Miller had taken him to Pitt games and encouraged him to attend Pitt. Ditka played for the University of Pittsburgh from 1958-1960, where he also became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. He started all 3 seasons and is widely considered one of the best tight ends in college football history. In addition to playing tight end, he also served as the team's punter. He led the team in receiving in all three of his seasons with them and was a first team selection on the College Football All-America Team in his senior year. In 1986, he was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.

 

Ditka would also become the first of many athletes from Aliquippa or adjacent Hopewell Township, Pennsylvania (which uses an Aliquippa mailing address) to have success in the NFL. Other notable Aliquippa/Hopewell natives that followed Ditka into the NFL include Tony Dorsett, Sean Gilbert, and Ty Law. Current New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, Buffalo Bills linebacker Paul Posluszny, and free agent cornerback Josh Lay also hail from the area.

 

He has 4 children with his first wife Marge: Mike, Mark, Megan, and Matt. He divorced Marge in 1973 and married his second wife Diana in 1977.

 

NFL career

 

Player

 

The Bears drafted Ditka in the 1961 NFL Draft. His presence was immediately felt. In his first season, Ditka had 56 receptions, introducing a new dimension to a tight end position that had previously been dedicated to blocking. His success earned him Rookie of the Year honors. He continued to play for the Bears for the next five years, earning a Pro Bowl trip each season. He played on the 1963 NFL championship team. Many of the players from that team, including Ditka, were drafted by assistant coach George Allen, a future Hall of Famer, who was then in charge of the Bears drafts. Ditka was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1967, where he spent two seasons, before being shipped off to the Dallas Cowboys in 1969. He spent four seasons with the Cowboys, highlighted by a touchdown reception in the Cowboys' 24-3 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI.

 

In 1988[3], his fearsome blocking and 427 career receptions for 5,812 yards and 43 touchdowns earned him the honor of being the first tight-end ever inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Ditka also scored 2 touchdowns on offensive fumble recoveries, tying 7 other players for the most in NFL history. In 1999, he was ranked number 90 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.

 

Coach

 

Retiring after the 1972 season, Ditka was immediately hired as an assistant coach by Cowboys' head coach Tom Landry. Ditka spent nine seasons as an assistant coach with the Cowboys. During his tenure, the Cowboys made the playoffs eight times, won six division titles and three NFC Championships, including the one preceding their Super Bowl victory in 1977.

 

Chicago Bears

 

In 1982, Chicago Bears founder George Halas personally sought out Ditka to take over the head coaching reins, and reverse what had been a mostly dreary performance by the team in the years since Halas retired as head coach. Reversing the Bears' pitiful record of only two winning seasons in the previous nineteen, Ditka led the Bears to six NFC Central titles and three trips to the NFC Championship. Ditka's coaching career hit its pinnacle on January 26, 1986 with a 46-10 trouncing of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Football commentators widely regard the 1985 Bears defense as one of the best ever, which was masterminded by defensive coordinator, Buddy Ryan, with little oversight from Ditka. In an unusual gesture, following the Bears Super Bowl victory, Ryan, as well as Ditka, was carried off the field by team members. He said that his greatest regret about that Super Bowl was not calling a running play for Walter Payton to score a touchdown. In addition, the 1985 Chicago Bears are one of the few teams who consistently challenge the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins for the unofficial title of the "Greatest NFL Team of All-Time." [4][5] The NFL Network "America's Game" rated the 1985 Bears as the second best super bowl champion ever.

 

Buddy Ryan left in 1986 to become the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. When asked if he was happy Ryan was gone, Ditka replied he was not happy but "elated." In 1986, 1987 and 1988, the Bears won the Central Division title and finished each year with either the best or second best record in the NFC. However, all three teams lost in the playoffs at home. Ditka suffered a heart attack during the 1988 season and was expected to miss much of the season, but was on the sidelines as an "advisor" the next week and back in full charge the week after.

 

The Bears started 4-0 in 1989, but a series of last second losses eventually led to a complete meltdown at the end of the season as the Bears finished 6-10. The Bears rallied to win a weak Central Division in 1990 and make the playoffs as a wildcard in 1991, but were eliminated convincingly in the early rounds. After dropping to 5-11 in the 1992 season, the Bears fired Ditka.

 

He was awarded NFL Coach of the Year honors in 1985 and 1988 by the Associated Press, The Sporting News, and Pro Football Weekly.

 

Ditka was noted for making headlines regardless of what happened on the field. In 1983, he broke his wrist after punching a locker in an angry halftime tirade. In 1985, he was arrested and convicted of DWI after returning from a game with San Francisco[6]. In the midst of a very successful 1988 season, Ditka suffered a heart attack, but bounced back quickly. On another occasion in 1987, he threw an enormous piece of chewing gum at a San Francisco 49ers fan who had heckled and thrown a drink at him during a Monday night match-up[7]. In 2007, a popular YouTube video showed 9 minutes worth of "highlights" from Ditka's various press conferences during the late 1980s as he jousted with reporters and (on occasions) passing fans; included were rants in which he shouted to one heckler "See that, that's your IQ buddy - ZERO!" and one instance when a reporter noted that Ditka seemed upset. A visibly furious Ditka responded without making eye contact, "I've never been upset in my life".

 

New Orleans Saints

 

In 1997, he returned to coach the New Orleans Saints, which he refers to as the "three worst years" of his life. Ditka was roundly criticized for the trading of all of the team's 1999 draft picks (plus their first round draft pick in 2000) to the Washington Redskins in order to move up in the draft and select Texas RB Ricky Williams. The trade was further mocked because of a magazine cover in which Ditka posed with Williams, who was wearing a wedding dress. Over a total of 14 seasons as a head coach, Ditka amassed a regular season record of 121-95-0 and a postseason record of 6-6.

 

Broadcaster

 

After his dismissal from the Bears in 1992, Ditka took a broadcasting job with NBC, working as an analyst on NFL Live and as a color commentator for many other NBC broadcasts. From the 2000 to the 2001 season he was a studio analyst on The NFL Today on CBS Sports. He is currently a commentator on ESPN's NFL Live and CBS Radio-Westwood One's Monday Night Football pregame show. On his radio show, Coach Ditka is called "America's Coach" by well known sidekick Jim Gray. Beginning in 2006 Ditka appeared on a Seattle radio program; "Groz with Gas" on 950 KJR-AM Seattle, on Thursday afternoons with Dave Grosby and Mike Gastineau. Ditka regularly appears on Chicago radio station ESPN 1000 (WMVP-AM), often broadcasting on Thursday mornings from one of his eponymous restaurants along with ESPN 1000 mid-morning hosts Mark Silverman and Tom Waddle, a former Bears player under Ditka.

 

Ditka served as color commentator for ESPN's September 10, 2007 broadcast of Monday Night Football, alongside Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic.[1] The "three Mikes" make up ESPN's second MNF broadcasting team; the first team consists of Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Tony Kornheiser.

 

Notable about Ditka as a color-commentator is that while he is immortalized and beloved in Chicago, he hasn't forgotten his Pittsburgh-area roots, often picking the Steelers to win (even though Ditka has no ties to the organization in any form), even if the Steelers are heavy underdogs in their matchups.

 

Other ventures

 

In 1991, Ditka cooperated with Accolade to produce the computer game Mike Ditka's Ultimate Football.

 

In 1995, Ditka starred as a Football coach in a Full Motion Video Game called "Quarterback Attack", released for the Sega Saturn, PC and 3DO.

 

Ditka has also done guest spots and cameos on shows from L.A. Law to Saturday Night Live, and Third Rock from the Sun. In 2005, Mike Ditka portrayed himself in the comedy Kicking & Screaming.

 

Ditka is also one of the owners of the Chicago Rush, an Arena Football Team. After the Rush's victory at ArenaBowl XX, Ditka could be seen celebrating on the field.

 

In January 2007, Ditka used the Super Bowl return of the Chicago Bears as a platform to promote efforts by many early NFL players trying to raise money to former NFL players in need of money and medical assistance. Angry at the wealthy NFL ignoring the players that helped to create the league, Ditka and other former players have since been attempting to raise money, in the words of Hall of Famer Joe DeLamielleure, "for guys who made this league and built it on their backs, their knees, their legs and now they're all broken down and they can't even get a decent pension."[8]

 

Ditka was a sponsor of Consort hair spray for men.

 

Ditka is a FOTS (Friend of the Show) on Team 1380's The Morning After in St. Louis.

 

Politics

 

In July 2004, Ditka, a self-described "ultra-ultra-ultra conservative", [2] was reportedly considering running against Democrat Barack Obama for an open seat in the U.S. Senate for Illinois in the 2004 Senate election. The seat was being vacated by Peter Fitzgerald, a Republican, and Republican nominee Jack Ryan withdrew from the race amid controversy at the end of June, leaving the Republicans in a bind. Local and national political leaders, from Illinois Republican Party Chair Judy Baar Topinka to Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Sen. George Allen, whose father by the same name was an assistant coach with the Bears in the 1960s when Ditka played, met with Ditka in an effort to persuade him to fill the spot on the ticket.

 

On July 14, however, Ditka announced he would not seek the nomination, citing personal and business considerations (his wife was against the run and he operates a chain of restaurants)[9]. Barack Obama went on to defeat former ambassador Alan Keyes in the November 2004 election.

 

Career Information

 

Year(s): 1961–1972

NFL Draft: 1961 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5

College: Pittsburgh

Professional Teams

 

As Player

 

* Chicago Bears (1961-1966)

* Philadelphia Eagles (1967-1968)

* Dallas Cowboys (1969-1972)

 

As Head Coach

 

* Chicago Bears (1982-1992)

* New Orleans Saints (1997-1999)

 

Career Stats

 

Receptions 427

Receiving Yards 5,812

Touchdowns 43

 

 

Career Highlights and Awards

 

* Pro Bowl (x5) (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965)

* NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team

* Won Super Bowl XX in 1985 as Head Coach

* Won Super Bowl XII in 1977 as an Assistant Coach

* Won Super Bowl VI in 1971 as Player

* Won NFL Championship in 1963 as Player

* 1988 AP NFL Coach of Year

* 1985 AP NFL Coach of Year

* 1985 Sporting News NFL Coach of Year

* 1988 Pro Football Weekly NFL Coach of Year

* 1988 UPI NFL Coach of Year

* 1985 UPI NFL Coach of Year

* 1961 UPI NFL-NFC Rookie of Year

* 121-95-0 Record as Head Coach

 

Pro Football Hall of Fame

College Football Hall of Fame

[Felix]

That's a real shame about Maddux being #17 here. He's the best pitcher of our generation, definitely should be higher.

[knightni]

Not enough Cubs fans made lists.

[whitesoxfan99]

That's a real shame about Maddux being #17 here. He's the best pitcher of our generation, definitely should be higher.

 

I completely forgot about him because I associate him with the Braves even though I included other guys who did most of their best work elsewhere. If I would have thought harder about my list I definitely would have included him and he would have been high on my list.

[knightni]

I recommend his link for anyone who enjoys a bit of humor.

 

http://www.mdfoodsllc.com/

[Texsox]

Again, these are some great athletes with ties to Chicago. Just some I passed over in favor of "lifers".

[BigEdWalsh]

Likewise. For my list, I took into account what they did when they played in Chicago and for long. The one and only exception, Dick Allen who of course was only here a few years. But, he revitalized a dying franchise.

[YASNY]

Wow, I missed some that I shouldn't have.

[Texsox]

Likewise. For my list, I took into account what they did when they played in Chicago and for long. The one and only exception, Dick Allen who of course was only here a few years. But, he revitalized a dying franchise.

 

Wow, I thought about him as well, and for the same reasons, but in the end I do not think he was on my list. I was also thinkng about including "The Southside Hitmen" as a single entry, just like at the track.