Skywalker's Top 40 (21-25)

I must be in a productive mood. Two posts in two straight days? I am swimming in un-chartered waters with this. What you are reading is the product of mid-terms being last week, and not having too much to do this week. Either way, you get a brand new group of players to read about, and I get closer to completing this list. It’s a win-win situation. Speaking of wins, or the lack there of, I have officially given up on the Indians. I might go to a few games, and reluctantly cheer them on, but my passion for this years’ Tribe is gone. Go Browns.

NFL Films intern Evan Shaw pointed out correctly that Jeremy Miller was the first tennis player on my list, not Gustavo Kuerten. I was trying to say this: Guga is my first professional tennis player on the list. We all good now? Good eyes Evan. That’s why they pay you the big bucks.

My mother dropped in to say that professional wrestling is not a sport. That’s all I got about that. Happy belated Mother’s Day mom. You make a couple of appearances in this. Consider it my gift to you. You’re welcome. I do what I can.

Here we go, my second post in as many days. If only the Indians could do the same with wins. Let’s do it to it.

#25 – Omar Vizquel
My mother’s all-time favorite baseball player. I must have heard her say, “When the Indians get rid of Omar, I’m done watching them forever,” at least a dozen times. She stayed true for about a year, but she’s back now when the Indians got good (might want to check out her status due to recent events). Her constant praise of Omar finally rubbed on me, but with some help from a couple of Little League coaches as well.

Baseball was the sport I was the best at. I hate bragging, and try to avoid it all costs, but, I could play. In Little League I played pitcher and shortstop. I played on traveling teams every summer beginning when I was 10. Shortstop was where I shined. Often making pretty good stops, and turning double plays sporadically, every single coach called me “Omar” after one of my defensive plays. That’s not bull either. Except for one coach; who, after I made a nice play called out “Felix Fermin.” Just now I laughed. So, in short, Omar and I grew up together.


Omar has made so many spectacular plays at short that it’s impossible to pick out one. Diving to his right and making a long throw or bare-handing the ball on a run … he was the best I’ve ever seen. He is a ten time Gold Glove winner, including a record 9 consecutive times. He has tied the American League record for consecutive games without an error, with 95. How do you tie that record? Someone had to bring that up to Omar before the 96th game. Omar also has the highest career fielding percentage for a shortstop. Ozzie Smith was a shortstop. Omar has a better fielding percentage. Sorry “Wiz.”

Omar was a member of the Indians from 1994 to 2004. He played on the good Indian teams. The teams that made it to the 1995 and 1997 World Series, but came up just short. Omar made double plays with the likes of Carlos Baerga, Jeff Kent, Joey Cora, Alvaro Espinoza, Tony Fernandez, Brandon Phillips, Roberto Alomar, Bip Roberts, and Jose Vizcaino. How do you like that list? I kind of impressed myself with that one. The 2nd baseman that he played the best with was by far Alomar. They turned some ridiculous double plays. That Vizquel-Alomar duo won three gold gloves, making themselves just the eighth shortstop-2nd baseman combination to achieve that feat while playing on the same team.

My dad is lucky. If my mom ever meets Omar, she might just stay with him. I’m serious. She loves Omar. As for myself, well, I AM Omar.

#24 – Jaromir Jagr
Jagr’s presence on this list poses a conundrum for me. How did he get here? Where did he come from? Is he lost? Let me try to explain as best I can about Jagr and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

My favorite professional teams, in order are: Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians, Chicago Bulls, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Browns and Indians because of my dad, the Bulls because of Tony, and the Penguins because of …? I honestly have no re-collection of why I like the Penguins. Maybe when I was born God just said, “and thy shall like the Penguins.” That’s the best explanation I can come up with. If everyone can accept that, we can move on. Good. On we go.

I started following the Penguins in 1995. Jaromir Jagr was one of the best players in the league. In ‘95, Jagr put up 149 points. He still hasn’t bested that mark yet in his 16 year career. One of the reasons I liked Jagr was the fact he was so good in the NHL video games by EA Sports. He was faster, stronger, and just flat out better than everyone else in those games.

Similar to the NBA, the NHL season really doesn’t start until the playoffs. I have several memories from Jagr and Pittsburgh from the postseason. My best memory has got to be on May 4, 2000. Ring a bell? Well, the game started on the 4th and didn’t end until the 5th. I stayed up for the entire game, all 5 overtimes. That’s correct, 5 O.T’s. The Pittsburgh Penguins were playing the Philadelphia Flyers. It was Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. It was a crucial game. The Penguins were up in the series 2-1. Pittsburgh won the first two games at Philly, only to lose the 3rd game in overtime at home. They needed to win this one. Pittsburgh scored on their first shot of the game, and didn’t score any more. The Flyers scored at about 2:30 a.m., only about 7 hours after the start to win the game 2-1. The Penguins had nothing left in their tank, and would lose the series in 6 games. It would be Jagr’s last season with the Penguins. I haven’t followed him too well since. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think he plays for the New York Rangers now?

I still hope to see the Penguins win, and I promise to watch their games if they ever make the playoffs. Who knows, in a couple of years maybe Sidney Crosby will appear here?

#23 – Charles Woodson
I know you Ohio State fans are going to love seeing this guy here. FYI, there are ZERO players from O.S.U on this list. Sorry. Continuing with people who did make it, Woodson makes it here for a couple different reasons.

Charles is from Fremont, Ohio, just about 25 minutes away from Tiffin. He played for Fremont Ross High School, which played Tiffin Columbian. My dad took me to the game at Tiffin, and I got to watch this stud play. He was the quarterback, running back, and basically the entire team. He was just like Jagr in the video games; faster, stronger, and simply better than everyone else.

Michigan is not my favorite school by any means. However, when the Wolverines meet up with the Buckeyes, I tend to root for Michigan. I guess I side with Michigan because they are my mom’s favorite team. Hey, I’m just trying to be a good son. Back off.

I became a huge Charles Woodson fan when he returned a punt for a touchdown and intercepted a pass in the end-zone against Ohio State, leading the Wolverines to their 11th win of the 1997 season. Michigan then played Ryan Leaf and Washington State in the Rose Bowl. Woodson had another end-zone INT in the game, as Michigan won, 21-16. The Wolverines went 12-0 and shared the National Championship with the Cornhuskers of Nebraska.

Woodson won the Heisman Trophy that year. He was obviously not the favorite, as Peyton Manning was the leading candidate. Woodson became the first primarily defensive player to win the award. He went on to be drafted by the Raiders with the 4th pick in the 1998 draft. Oakland, which happens to be my 2nd favorite NFL team, was the best fit possible for Woodson as far as I was concerned. See, he couldn’t play for the Browns, because in 1998, there were no Browns. I hate you Modell. May you NOT rest in peace. Ever.

He really hasn’t turned into a great cornerback in the NFL. He did make it to the Pro Bowl for three straight years starting in 1999 though. He also was the 1998 Defensive Rookie of the Year. His best days will be remembered when he was wearing the maize and blue.

#22 – Jeff Gordon
Gordon and his crew of Rainbow Warriors make for the first and only spot NASCAR has on the list. He is the only reason I even sporadically watch a couple of laps on television. Any guesses of who I got the idea of liking Gordon from? How bout Mr. Kevin Hunt? Yea, you would be correct. Good guess.

Back in 1994, NASCAR really wasn’t a mainstream sport. Outside of the southeastern states, not too many people watched it. Hunt watched it. Hunt liked Gordon. Seemed like an o.k. choice to me, so I went with it. It also helped that Gordon went on to win the title in 1995 as well. Hey if you are going to root for someone, it can’t hurt that he is good.

My first memory from Gordon dates back to ’94, when he won the inaugural Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That was the first race at Indy for NASCAR I believe. The sport kind of jumped from that point on.

Winning night races in the Coca Cola 600 and taking the checkered flag in the Daytona 500 three times are several of Gordon’s impressive victories. All in all, Gordon has won 73 races, just 3 behind the late Dale Earnhardt. Gordon won titles again in 1997, 1998, and 2001. He would have won again in 2004, if not for that stupid Race for the Cup crap they have. Gordon’s four titles are the 3rd most of all-time, only behind “The King” Richard Petty, and Earnhardt. They both have 7 titles.

Could I have put Gordon in the #24 spot to be cute? Sure, but, I didn’t even think about it until just now. See, I got good ideas popping into my head all the time.

I also think Gordon reminds me of Tom Cruise. Any takers?

Gordon gets a lot of credit for bringing me into a completely new sport. I am not a full follower of racing at all, but the little I partake in should be credited to Gordon.

#21 – Brady Quinn
My 2nd Notre Dame quarterback shows up just outside of the top 20. Not too bad, considering I am basing this on just one year’s performance. Crazy to think of the potential Brady has in coming years.

This Dublin Coffman native had a pretty good 2005 season to say the least. He broke Notre Dame’s single season records of attempts, completions, yards, yards per game, and touchdown passes last year. He also is the career holder for the Irish in all those categories as well.

Quinn started nine games for the Irish as a freshman and played decently. I didn’t think too much of him, but I didn’t think too much of the Notre Dame team in general at that time. Sophomore year came and went, again, nothing special. Enter Charlie Weis (#38), and Brady is now a super-star in the making. He led the Irish to a 9-3 record in 2005, including a close call against USC. Notre Dame finished ninth in the AP rankings, their highest since 1993. Brady finished fourth in the Heisman voting, and looks to be the leading candidate for the prestigious award in 2006.

Weis has done wonders for Quinn. Not just his coaching, but the system he implemented as well. It brought the best out of Maurice Stovall, Anthony Fasano, and the rest of the Notre Dame offense. Weis allowed us to see that Quinn is a strong kid, with an accurate arm who can effectively lead a high profile offense. It begs to ask what Brady would look like if Tyrone Willingham was still the coach. I doubt he would hold half the records he owns now. See, things happen for a reason. And, if God had to pick one team to root for, it would be Notre Dame. Touchdown Jesus for Christ’s sake.

When you are a Notre Dame quarterback, I will always root for you, even if you go and play for the hated Steelers. I might hope you don’t have the best game against the Browns, but in every other game, I will root for you. It held for Mirer, and it will hold for Quinn wherever he will go.

Quick trivia question: Who was the last Notre Dame quarterback to win the Heisman? First person with the correct answer gets a shout-out in the next post.

Don’t get too used to these posts happening every day. I doubt this happens again, but you never know. If the Indians can win a game against the Royals, then anything is possible.

You know how these things end by now. “Read it, Roll it, Hole it.”

Skywalker's Top 40 (26-30)

10 down, 30 to go. We’re moving right along on my list of top sports figures of all-time. Before I jump into the next batch of five, I have a couple of items that needs to be addressed. First, thanks to Keith Cawley for the greatest comment thus far. Cawley has single-handedly jumped Turner up about 4 or 5 spots on my list. Everyone should check it out.

Speaking of comments, I found it necessary to moderate them. Meaning every comment will go through a “screening” process conducted by yours truly. The ones that everyone can read will pass, while those that cannot will be purely for my entertainment alone. Either way, keep ‘em coming. Appreciate it.

I think it needs to be said that this list of mine is my list. I could care less if you agree or disagree with who is on it, and where people fall on it. Rather, I am simply sharing with you a list of my favorite sports figures. It is provided so that you get a better idea of my sports background. I am not trying to convince you that YOU should like these guys. My arguing will be back in full effect when the list is done. I am aiming for June, wish me luck. 30-25 on the way. Giddy up.

#30 – Gustavo Kuerten
GU-GA!! It took me until my 3rd segment to finally get a tennis player on here. Don’t expect too many more until much later, but for now its GU-GA time. Casual tennis fans might not even know who this tennis star is, so I will do my best to fill you all in.

Where to start? Well, winning three French Opens isn’t a bad place to start at all. Gustavo Kuerten, nicknamed Guga (I guess its like John for Johnny, or Matt for Matthew), he won the 1997, 2000, and 2001 French Opens. Kuerten is in an exclusive list, joining the likes of Bjorn Borg (6), Ivan Lendl (3) and Mats Wilander (3) as members of the three or more French Open titles club. Not bad company.

First of all, at 6’3” and 175 lbs, his stature resembled mine; tall and slim. On top of that he has an unmistakable grunt that can be heard several hours away. That grunt serves as the basis for my grunting when I am in a big ping pong match with Kwame. If you don’t know if you have heard the Guga grunt yet, then you haven’t. You would know.

The 1997 title made me an instant fan. He was a complete underdog. He was ranked 66th in the world, and was the lowest ranked player to win a Grand Slam in over 20 years. On his way to the title he defeated 5th seed Thomas Muster, 3rd seed Yevgeny Kafelnikov, and 2-time champion Sergi Bruguera. Any of those names ring a bell? If they do, you and I need to be talking some tennis. What was special about that threesome is that they represented the last four French Open champions. Bruguera won it in ’93 and ’94; Muster in “95, and Kafelnikov in ’96. Not too bad.

Guga is a clay court specialist. He plays his best tennis on the dirt. He did have a successful year in ’99 when he made it to the quarterfinals in 3 of the 4 grand slams. In 2000 he became the number one ranked player in the world. He has fallen off since his 2001 title, but there is talk about a possible wild card in the 2006 French. Watch out Nadal, Guga might be there looking for title number four.

#29 – Sting
Okay, here is the surprise. I have a professional wrestler on the list. I doubt too many of you saw this one coming. I went through a phase, and well, you are about to read the results of that phase. The sad part was I had a girlfriend through it all. Maybe I should go back. Could it get any worse?

During my junior high days, professional wrestling was peaking. WWF and WCW were the two competing companies looking for viewers. Most of my friends were WWF fans, while myself, I was a Monday Night Nitro and Thursday Thunder fan. I even kept a book of all the matches, and my predictions of who was going to win. Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Diamond Dallas Page, and Scott Hall were all wrestling with WCW at this time. I don’t know why, I honestly don’t, but my favorite was Sting. Maybe it was the face paint, maybe it was the theme music, and maybe it was the “woooo” he would do. I really don’t know. But I liked him, he was my favorite, and I had some great memories rooting him on.

His signature moves were the Scorpion Death Lock, and the Scorpion Death Drop. Sting was also not afraid to bust out the Stinger Splash or the black baseball bat when need be. He was a 6 time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and a three time WCW Tag Team Champion. FYI he teamed up with Nash, Lex Luger, and The Giant for each respective title.

My recollection of Sting dates back to 1996. In the summer of ’96, he stood up against The Outsiders (Nash and Hall). At the ‘96 Bash at the Beach; Sting, Luger and Randy “Macho Man” Savage fought to a draw against Nash, Hall and Hogan. The latter three formed the NWO, and I was officially hooked. A fake imposter of Sting joined the NWO, and the real Sting got pissed and took an absence of leave from wrestling. I still watched though, waiting, hoping.

On August 23, 1997, Sting made his comeback to the WCW. I was at Hunt’s house, and we stayed up to watch Sting swing down from the rafters. “He’s back! He’s back!” Hunt and I were going nuts. It was awesome. Sting would join the NWO Wolfpac in 1998, and painted his face red. I still liked him. My favorite match was a title fight he won back in 1997’s StarrCade. Once again, I watched out at the bowling alley, when special guest referee Bret Hart helped Sting out against Hogan.

I stopped watching wrestling religiously back in 2000. Sting is still wrestling however, not for WWE, but for that other company. Don’t ask me for the name, I don’t know, and I am not going to look it up. It was a phase, and I am over it. But beware the Scorpion Death Lock.

#28 – William Green
The Cleveland Browns were gone for a long time during my childhood. From 1995 to 1999, there were no Browns. For me, that was between the ages of 10-14. Those are crucial years for developing favorite sports figures. I mean before ’95, I had Turner, but that was it. The Browns are by far my number one team; I needed someone to root for. William Green was that guy.

The Browns needed offense. Well, let me re-phrase that. The Browns needed players who could play. In the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns selected William Green, running back, out of Boston College. My immediate reaction was, good luck running behind that line. But, as always, I was optimistic.

He struggled early, but picked up the pace midway through the season. What made me a Willie Green fan was the last game of the 2002 season. The Browns were 8-7, playing the 9-5-1 Atlanta Falcons in Cleveland. The Brownies needed a win to have a shot at making the playoffs. Willie Green had a huge game. He ran for over 180 yards, including a memorable 64 yard touchdown run that involved a huge stiff arm. “Run Willie Run” was Jim Donovan’s call of that great TD. The Browns went on to win the game 24-16. Then, Chad Pennington played an outstanding game to beat the Packers, and somehow, by virtue of tie-breakers, gave the Browns a playoff birth.

They lost in the playoffs to the Steelers. I don’t want to talk about it.

The very next year I bought my first ever Cleveland Brown jersey. #31 – William Green. He had a pretty decent start in 2003, rushing for 550+ yards in the first 7 games. He got injured for the rest of the season, and was never the same. Lee Suggs had A good game, and Green was no longer the starter. It happens. I still wear that jersey to every Browns game. I will continue to wear it as long as he is on the team. Might not be too much longer, but, it is what it is. “Run Willie Run.”

#27 – Adam Morrison
I enjoy rooting for underdogs. As you can tell with Guga previously, I tend to root for underdogs. Gonzaga is the ultimate underdog turned favorite. They will always be an underdog in my mind however. I will also continue to root for them as well.

I know what everyone is thinking. Why are these posts so long, and why does he have a cry baby on the list? First of all, I liked Morrison since he was a freshman. That is the truth. I told my dad during Morrison’s freshman year at Gonzaga that he was a really good player and I said “He reminds me of Larry Bird.” That was back in 2003. That is the truth. Believe it or not.

I liked Morrison first of all because he was a good player for the Zags, but more so due to an article I read in a 2003 Sports Illustrated. I read that Morrison had diabetes. I was amazed and instantly a fan. His style of play was unlike any other at the time. He didn’t run fast, but he hustled and he could shoot. He ran funny, but he scored a lot of points. Yea, he could shoot pretty well.

This past year Morrison really exploded. I was half glad and half upset. Glad to see a good kid finally get his, but upset because now everyone knew Morrison. Now everyone knew he has diabetes. Now everyone knew he plays like Larry Bird. It wasn’t just me now. It was like when you know a really good underground band, and then they explode and get all popular, and that special thing you had with them back in the day is long gone. I’ll soon get over it, especially if Morrison comes and plays with the Bulls. He might get in the top 10 if that happens. Hey, a kid can hope can’t he?

#26 – Barry Sanders
If this list was simply who I thought was the best. Mr. Sanders would be in the top 5, easily. Without a doubt the best running back I have ever seen, easily. Maybe the best of all-time, but Jim Brown might have something to say about that. Barry Sanders is the best thing the Detroit Lions have done in the last 20 years, easily.

This ten-time Pro Bowler, who won the 1988 Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma St. University, retired in 1999 as the 2nd leading rusher of all-time. He and Jim Brown are the only two running backs to average over 5 yards a carry. Did Barry retire too soon? For me, he sure did. He was still in his prime, and at the age of 31 he would have broken Payton’s record effortlessly. But, Barry had to do what Barry had to do.

My memories from Barry include simply just watching him run. How could you not be a fan? I am especially grateful that the NFL had the Detroit Lions play on Thanksgiving Day each year. This made it possible to get away from my relatives for a couple hours and watch Barry make defenses look silly.

Barry Sanders made the Detroit Lions a decent team by himself. Without him, the Lions would have been the equivalent of the Cincinnati Bengals. Sanders is one of the unique running backs who doesn’t need a line to block for him. Sanders also doesn’t need a quarterback to protect him either. The entire NFL knew that the Lions were going to give him the ball, and they still couldn’t stop him. Opposing defenses knew southpaw Scott Mitchell wasn’t going to throw on them for beans. Despite all that, Barry was Barry. I wish he played for the Browns. I wish he played for the Browns right now.

Until next time. “Read it, Roll it, Hole it.”

Skywalker's Top 40 (31-35)

Well, it’s a little late, but it’s here none the less. I got behind on my studies, so I had to pick up on those this past weekend. Ha. If you believe that, more power to you. I almost made my goal of three posts in a week, but fell just a bit short. So, we’re going to put that in the past, right with the Byner fumble (Ha, and if you believe that even more power to you), and continue on. This post has numbers 35-31 for your reading enjoyment. Enjoy.

#35 - Victor Martinez
VIC-TOR!! My first baseball player, and more importantly, my first Cleveland Indian to make the list. Of all the figures on the list, I think I know the least about Victor. I don’t know why I like him the most of any of the current Indians. I don’t know where he came from. I just don’t know.

I do know that I love saying the name “Victor.” Is that weird? Will people look at me funny now because they know this? Once again, I don’t know. Usually this is how little children pick a favorite athlete, they love the name. In this case, a 20 year old likes Victor Martinez because his first name is Victor and he loves going “VIC-TOR.” Behold the beauty of sports.

The Cleveland Indians were downright awful for a lengthy period of time. The last time the Tribe made it to the playoffs was back in 2001. That was a good five years ago. Juan Gonzalez was batting in the middle of the order then. Wonder what Juan is doing now? He is probably sitting at his computer wondering when his name will show up on this list. Keep reading Juan Gone, and keep dreaming. So, when Cleveland finally started to show signs of life, I had to pick a player, and his name was Victor.

Victor made it to the All-Star Game in 2004. He won the Silver Sluggers Award for catchers that year as well. Last season he struggled early to a .207 pace, but then decided after the all-star break to catch fire and finished with a .305 average. Oh yeah, by the way, he had the best average in baseball after the break. It was above .380. Not too shabby.

Victor is young, he will be playing baseball and hopefully with the Indians for a long time. He is one of the best hitting catchers in the big leagues without a doubt. The more he hits, the more I yell “VIC-TOR,” and the higher he will climb on this list in future years. Why? I don’t know.

#34 - Kirk Hinrich
If I would have made this list maybe two weeks ago, you would not have found this guy here. But, with a strong showing down the stretch, and one single play in the playoffs, Kirk Hinrich shows up here at #34. First of all, he plays for my favorite team in the NBA, which helps. He also wears number 12, which just happens to be my favorite number; it was just meant to be.

Hinrich played his college ball for the University of Kansas. He was a pretty good player, teaming up with Nick Collison to make it to the NCAA finals, only to lose to Syracuse. I’ve been following the Bulls for a long time, as you will find out later, and when the draft came up, I was hoping for T.J. Ford. The Bulls had the 7th pick in the 2003 draft, and T.J was available. Did the Bulls pick him? Nope, went with Hinrich. Awesome. What did Ford end up doing? Played in 50+ games, then got injured which forced him to miss the entire upcoming season. For once, I was proved wrong. Hinrich, on the other hand, is the real deal.

With Ben Gordon, Andres Nocioni, and Hinrich, the Bulls have returned to the playoffs for two consecutive years. Hinrich is the catalyst behind that effort. I want the ball in his hand, I want him directing traffic, and I want him shooting the last shot. A couple of weeks ago, I would have wanted Gordon, but with one play, it changed to Hinrich.

The Bulls recently lost to the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs. It wasn’t a big surprise. They weren’t supposed to win anyways. However, one play in Game Two made me a Hinrich fan. Dwayne Wade and Hinrich had been going at it all series. No argument here that Wade is the better athlete; that is not where I am going. Wade had just blocked one of Hinrich’s shots, and was dribbling it down the floor. Hinrich got in his face, made a clean steal, and went in for a lay-up. That simple play, the hustle and who he stole it from all made him a candidate for the list. Another plus, is that Hinrich is young (25) like Victor (27), and will be around for quite some time. Hopefully with the “#12 Bulls” on the front of his jersey.

#33 - Charles Barkley
“Sir Charles.” Barkley is a product of his broadcasting career outshining his playing career for me. Don’t get me wrong, Barkley could play. He was named one of the NBA’s 50 greatest players of all time. He is 13th in the history of the league for points scored. He was good. However, his mouth and his best friend put him on this list.

I don’t have too many memories of Sir Charles playing. He was a member of the greatest basketball team ever, aka the 1992 Dream Team. He made it to the NBA Finals in 1993, but lost to the Bulls. After retiring, he became a broadcast analyst for TNT. A few months later he published a book titled, “I May Be Wrong, but I Doubt It.” Who doesn’t like that title? If you are mad about it, it’s only because you wish you would have thought about it. That may be the best title for a book, ever. I might be wrong, but I doubt it.

I thought it would be fitting to include some quotes from Sir Charles, seeing how they got him on the list.
- At the dunk contest, as Josh Smith put a piece of tape down a ridiculous distance away from the hoop and the guys thought he was trying to jump from that point, Charles says: "That's impossible... that's like Dick Cheney trying to find another hunting partner."
- Reggie Miller: "Gonzaga. That's my dark horse."Charles: "They ain't that dark."
- "When you play for the Wizards, [Gilbert Arenas] is like Michael Jackson. He's playin with a lot of Tito Jacksons."
- After Kenny agrees with Charles about a statement during Andre Igoudala's dunk - Kenny: "I think that's the first time we agreed on anything"Charles: "We both think you're ugly"
- Kevin: "Iguodala was on fire!"Charles: "He wasn't on fire. He was just excited he got to shoot in a game."
- After Nate Richardson kept missing dunks at All Star Weekend: "He can't get depressed, he plays for the Knicks."
- Kenny Smith: "The Knicks beat Detroit the other day."Barkley: "Even a broken clock is right twice a day."

There are a ton more I could put on there, but that just gives you a glimpse of what Charles is all about. You can’t go wrong with “The Round Mound of Rebound” on the list.

#32 - Rick Mirer
I love Notre Dame. I didn’t have a choice. I rooted for all the teams my dad did. He didn’t watch the NBA, so I got a free pick there (which meant I went with Tony). Besides that, it was follow the leader with my dad. So expect a couple other Notre Dame athletes to appear on here. I start with quarterback Rick Mirer. Don’t laugh.

I’ll start with the bad, because that is what most of you are probably familiar with. He was the second pick overall in the 1993 draft. The Seattle Seahawks took him. Mirer never really panned out. He was traded four years later. Any guesses on how many teams he has played for in his 10 year career? I’ll give you a second. Okay, that’s long enough. The correct answer is 7. In order: Seattle, Chicago, Green Bay, New York Jets, San Francisco, Oakland, and finally Detroit. Mirer is the equivalent to the NBA’s Jimmy Jackson. In fact, that is probably a fairly accurate comparison. Both were excellent college athletes, who were good enough to last in the pros, but not good enough to shine.

Okay, now that I have that out of my system, I’ll continue to the good. Mirer was a four time letterman winner for the Irish. He backed up the great Tony Rice his freshman year, and then started as a sophomore in 1990. My most vivid memory from Mirer’s career, dates back to 1992, when as a senior, Mirer led the Irish to a come from behind win over Penn State. The score was 16-15, Penn State leading. With 20 seconds left, Mirer successfully fired a two point conversion pass giving the 8th ranked Irish a 17-16 win. I can still remember my dad getting pretty excited about that one. And once again, with one simple play, I was hooked. When I was 10, Mirer was probably number 3 on my list. Over the years he has dropped, but he did enough early to hold on to his #32 spot.

#31 - Steve Nash
He’s a two-time NBA MVP. He’s short. He isn’t fast. He’s white. He’s from Canada. He’s Steve Nash and he is good at basketball. Nash was recently named the 2006 NBA MVP for the 2nd straight year, joining only Magic Johnson as point guards to win that title in consecutive years. That’s not bad company to be with. Did you know that Steve Nash wasn’t born in Canada? Yep, he was born in South Africa, and has the tan to prove it.

My first memory of Steve Nash wasn’t a good one. At least it wasn’t a good one at the time. Back in 1993, Steve Nash was a freshman for Santa Clara. They were the 15th seed in the tournament. They were playing Arizona, a two seed. Santa Clara beat Arizona, the very first time a 15 seed had knocked off a 2. I had Arizona winning it all. Damn you Steve Nash. I forgive you. If my 8 year old self could see what I just did, forgiving Nash, he would come back and kick my ass. He’d have a good shot too. Anyways.

I am a basketball fan at heart. More so than football, baseball, and tennis. I am a basketball fan first. That is why basketball represents over a quarter of this list. I like good basketball players. Steve Nash is a very good player. For some strange reason, I have always rooted for teams that Nash has played for. The main reason is because they typically run a lot, and score a lot of points. Nash is the source for all of that offense. He played for Dallas for 6 years, and now is back with Phoenix. He makes basketball fun to watch, and that is why he is here.

Okay, that does it for this edition. Kind of long, but you all are accustomed to that by now, or at least I would think so. There might not have been any surprises in this post, but I GUARANTEE a BIG surprise in the next one. Should be out there maybe even tomorrow if I feel productive.

Before I leave, I need to give a shout-out to seeing Joe this past weekend. Not long enough, but … Opening Day buddy, let’s make it happen. If you haven’t read Barnes blog, check it out at mattbarnes.blogspot.com. It’s not too bad. Also, Cool Runnings lost, but we have one more game to enjoy. It’s been a great season, even better than basketball. Lastly, but certainly not least, let’s do it to it Josh. He’s playing in the Sectional tennis tournament tomorrow. He can make a district bid possible. All he has to do is, “Read it, Roll it, Hole it.”

Skywalker's Top 40 (36-40)

I’m pretty proud of this list. I always wanted to put together a list like this. My top 3 or 4 were set in stone, but I was curious as to how the remainder of this list would look like. Not gonna lie, it was kind of fun. I recommend doing this to anyone who enjoys sports.

Here are my criteria for making it on the list:
1) Must have been playing during my lifetime. Straight forward. To be eligible, all you had to do was play when I was alive.
2) I must have seen you play. Dr. J was still playing in 1985, but, I never watched him. Sorry Julius. You would have made the list otherwise. Tough luck. Should have thought about that before you called it quits in 1986. I bet you are regretting it now.
3) Like over skill. This is probably the most important point of them all. If I liked you and rooted for you then you were eligible for the list. John Elway was a great quarterback (I really wouldn’t mind you getting run over by a train), but since you did what you did to the Browns, you were not even a thought of for this list. Not happening. Whereas lesser athletes, as you are about to find out, made my list because I rooted for them. So in essence, this is my favorite sports figures during my lifetime. The ones I wanted to see win. The ones I enjoyed watching the most.

I ranked my top 40, because that is exactly the number of people I wrote down. I will release the list to everyone five spots at a time. This is my attempt to keep the suspense growing. For those of you that really know me, you know who will be one and two, but I’m sure I will surprise each and everyone of you with some of these names. So lets get to it. Starting with #40.

#40 – Jeremy Miller
I am almost positive that each and every one of you does not know who this guy is. Okay, maybe one or two of you do, but that is being generous. Seems like I have some explaining to do.

Jeremy is currently a junior at Xavier University, but that is not where the story starts. Rather, it begins my sophomore year on a road trip to Sandusky St. Mary’s for a tennis match. This was my first of three years playing number one singles for good old Tiffin Calvert. It was probably our fourth or fifth match of the year. I had wiped through all of our previous matches and was feeling good going into Sandusky. I had heard that Jeremy was a really good player, but I felt I had a chance to shock the world. Well, once we started playing, that thought disappeared in like 30 seconds. This kid killed me. Really knocked me down a notch or two. It was probably the quickest double bagel in the history of tennis. 6-0, 6-0, done deal.

If that was the whole story then it wouldn’t have been that good. That year Jeremy went all the way. He won the Division II singles title. My dad took me to the tournament where I got to watch Jeremy play all of his matches, including the final where he beat the typical stuck-up from Cincinnati Indian Hill. It was a cool experience. I was lucky enough to play Jeremy three more times, with the last score being 6-3, 6-2.

Jeremy finished his high school career with a 130-2 record in singles. Not too bad. His first loss came at the state tournament final, his sophomore year. He also lost in his bid to repeat as champion in the 2nd round his senior year. I am not sure what happened to him in that match.

He is the number one player at Xavier for the third consecutive year. What put him on this list, other than all of what was mentioned previously was a little comment he made to a Calvert alum at UX. He lived across from this TC alum and when he found out what high school she was from, asked if she knew who I was. He then went on to say I was a pretty good tennis player. Hey, for a kid who never made it to the state tourney, this was as good as it got. It made me like Jeremy even more, and also grants him #40 on the list.

#39 – Bo Jackson
This was a late edition to the list. It was a classic case of me forgetting someone and then having to update the list accordingly. Some of you might laugh at who I had in this spot before I remembered Bo. Here is a hint: he has a lot of hair, and speed ice skates. You can figure it out from there. Anyways, focus is on Bo now.

“Bo Knows Bo” was probably the very first major book I read that I didn’t have to for school. It was a great book. Well, any book I read at that point in my life (4th grade) would have been an upgrade. It’s going up against “Farmer’s Boy,” I mean come on.

Bo very well could be the best athlete on this entire list. The first athlete to be named an All-Star in both football and baseball, it would be hard to argue against him. Just listen to this list of accomplishments, its amazing: Heisman Trophy winner in 1985, first pick of the NFL draft in 1986, All-Star MVP in 1989, and ran for 221 yards on Monday Night in 1987. This guy was Mr. Sports for about five years. Unfortunately, in 1991, against the Bungles (in the playoffs, go figure, Cincy?), he had a serious hip injury. He would never play football again, and his baseball career would never be the same.

I don’t have too many memories about Bo. With me being only 6 when he got injured, it would be tough to. But I do remember seeing him play with the White Sox in 1993, so he is eligible. “Bo Knows Bo” helped him tremendously in getting on here, but I don’t mind having him on my list at all. How could you? Bo can do it all, and he knows it.

#38 – Charlie Weis
This list is ever changing. A couple years ago, you might have found a certain Tyrone Willingham in this spot, but not now. This spot also represents the great Lou Holtz. I didn’t throw Lou in here, but he is remembered always.

Coach Weis is just one of two coaches on this list. The second will come much later. Any guesses?? Weis re-established Notre Dame Football last season. He instantly made Brady Quinn a Heisman candidate and possible future number one pick. Even when Coach Willingham went on his early run, the team never played this way. They would grind out games, and rely on their defense. With Weis, the offense is much more productive, and players want to play for him. Recruits will come, and Notre Dame will be in good hands for a long, long time.

I especially enjoyed the story of Coach Weis visiting the sick child in the hospital. The kid was a huge Notre Dame fan, and Weis allowed him to call the very first play of scrimmage in their upcoming game. The kid said “Pass Right.” On Notre Dame’s first offensive play, with the ball on their own one yard line, Brady Quinn rolled out to his right, and passed it to Anthony Fasano. A great story and a great coach.

#37 – Riddick Bowe
Maybe another surprise with the selection of Bowe? I bet so. Bowe was simply the product of being at the right place at the right time. That is how he got here.

Riddick Bowe was a great boxer; some of you are just un-educated to how good he was in his prime. In 1992, Bowe defeated Evander Holyfield in 10 rounds to win the heavyweight title. Bowe went on to defend his title a couple more times before facing off against Holyfield again in November of ’93. This fight, I was lucky enough to witness first hand on television.

My dad knew I liked to watch heavyweight boxing. Mostly because of what you will find out much later in this list. He took me to the bowling alley (my home away from home for much of my childhood) and we watched the fight on the big screen. Holyfield won the fight, but it was much disputed. I was only 8 at the time, so I didn’t understand all of the rules, but I knew it was not a popular decision when all the guys around me started cussing a storm and throwing stuff around. It was great. From that point on, Bowe became my 2nd favorite fighter.

I got to watch Bowe come back and beat Holyfield again two years later. Evander was suffering from Hepatitis, so that helped Riddick, but he took advantage of his situation, by knocking him out. Bowe might be better remembered from his two title fights against Andrew Golota. Golota, in both matches was DQ’d due to low blows, which the bowling alley guys thought were hilarious. I remember this following scenario by heart. Their first match was in July of ‘96, the second in December of the same year. A couple weeks before their rematch, Dad and his friends got a pool going on what round Golota would get warned for low blows. Not too sure who won, but just the fact that they had the pool, gave me hope that I would end up that way when I was their age. Good news everyone, I’m well on my way.

#36 – Eric Turner
Today, I gave a sneak preview of my list to some buddies, and none of them had ever heard of this guy. I couldn’t believe it. A couple of them were even Cleveland fans. Again, I couldn’t believe it. Allow me the privilege of filling you on this great Cleveland Brown talent.

If I asked you who was the last first round pick by the Cleveland Browns to make it to the Pro Bowl who would you say?? Tim Couch, Courtney Brown, Jeff Faine, William Green (more on him later), Kellen Winslow?? I should stop, I’m hurting myself just thinking of all these first round talents. The answer my friends is Eric Turner. He was the second pick overall of the 1991 draft, and made it to the Pro Bowl in 1994.

Turner, a cornerback, was tied for the lead in INT’s back in ’94, when he brought down nine of them. What made me like Turner, besides the fact he was the best player for the Browns, was that my cousin Tony liked him. Tony was the older brother I never had, and I imitated everything he did. Tony is the source for my number one on this list, as well as some others. Tony had a poster of Turner on his wall, and that was all that took.

Here is a little flashback for some of you. Sports Illustrated for Kids was starting to come out around this time (’93-’95), and I was a subscriber. For their Halloween issue, they had NFL stars dressing up in scary costumes. Turner was in their, wearing what I’m not sure, but I remember the issue to this day. Other stars they featured were Troy Aikman, Reggie White, and Emmitt Smith. Go Browns.

Well that wraps it up for this post. Sunday we will have our next five up there, and on and on it goes. Hope you are enjoying reading it as much as I am writing it. Honestly, this is a great idea for all you sports fans to do. Until next time, “read it, roll it, hole it.”

Shock The World

The deal was two posts a week. It's week two, and I'm already not keeping up. Well, life happens. We're going to bounce back strong and maybe try for three this week. I know what most of you are thinking right now. "OK Luke, sure. He's just talking again. He won't do this." For all of you haters who share in this line of thinking, I don't blame you. If you know me, then this would seem like another case of me saying something I won't do. I'll try to prove you wrong, but I doubt it.

Reaction from the fruitcake post was modest at best. My constant begging for comments worked, but not to the extent I had originally anticipated. I had thought a dozen comments wouldn't be too hard. Well, you guys got me half way there. Not bad, but just like my posts, it needs some work. Funny story about the comments, apparently an OU "lady" star posted a comment, which got my mom all riled up. I guess she clicked on her link, because, as my mom put it, "It was clickable." Wow, just shedding some light into my family. Oh, I have to give a shout-out to Joe for including me in his links section of his blog. I would return the favor, but I don't know how. I am also not sure on the pictures as well. Maybe next time. On we go.

Congrats to Steve Nash for "reportedly" winning the NBA MVP award. He deserved it, and you know he does. That might not have worked out well for the Suns, as Kobe and the Lakers are on their way to upsetting Phoenix in the 1st round. I've never seen Kobe play like this before. Not shooting as much has worked wonders for the rest of the Lakers. Hell, even the Laker girls don't mind rooting for Kobe now. I'm also glad in my decision to hold off on my predictions for the NBA playoffs. Let's just say I would have had the Suns winning a couple rounds, oh well, life happens. I'll get to my predictions in a second.

Our OUIM men's softball team, Cool Runnings shocked the world yesterday. Before I tell you that story, I'll tell you this one. We won our very first game of the year, 7-5. However, we found out one of our players was "ineligible" for the game. Meaning, we lost, and our playoff aspirations were slim. We bounced back and won our next game 5-2. With our record standing at an even 1-1, we went up against the best team in our league yesterday, by far. The "Knights" won their first game 210-3, and their second by about the same score. We honestly thought we might have a chance if our entire team showed up. Well, that didn't happen. Nope. Instead, with one minute until forfeit time, we had two players show up, to field a team .... of 8. This means when we reach the bottom of the order, we automatically get two outs. Not good. We had no second baseman, and two outs pegged on us about every other inning. How did we do? We shocked the world. Winning the game 9-3, behind great pitching, solid defense, and timely hitting, we prevailed in what was by far the best moment of my young IM life. With a full team on our way next week, the sky is the limit. We most certainly "felt the rhythm and the rhyme" last week. Moving on.

I think the Dallas Mavericks are going to win it all. I really do. Dirk Nowitzki (you should have seen my first attempt to write his name without looking it up) is playing better basketball than he ever has before. And you don't really think owner Mark Cuban was never going to win a NBA title do you? One of the best owners in sports is going to get his this year. Once again, write it down. I'm not going to go into who they are going to play in the championship and what not, cause that is boring. Instead, I am going to focus on how the NBA can fix what is wrong with their playoffs.

The knock is that the NBA playoffs take too long and that series drag on and on. Both are true. The NBA and commissioner David Stern don't need to look back too far to find their answers. Why is the first round of the playoffs a best of 7 series?? Can anyone answer that question without using the phrase "TV revenue?" You can't. That's the only reason they made it longer. What they have done is make people turn off their television when they see these games on. Here is my list of what the NBA can do to make the playoffs better.
1) First Round Series a Best of 5
Think of how entertaining the next couple of days would be for the NBA. You would have three series going to a final and decisive game. It is much easier to find teams tied at 2-2, then it is 3-3. You would probably watch the Bulls play the Heat in Game 5, if you knew the entire series was on the line. The shorter series means that more upsets can take place. I am certainly not a huge NBA fan by any means, but I can still remember where I was when the 8th seeded Denver Nuggets and Dikembe Mutombo pulled off the impossible by beating the top seed Seattle Supersonics. That is what the NBA needs, more moments like that.
2) A Shortened Format for off days
The playoffs were so much better back in the early 90's. Not just because players like Michael Jordan were there, but because the NBA had a good system in place for off days. Take a seven game series: First 2 days, you play the first two games at the top seeds home court. Day 3 is a travel day. Day 4 and 5, you play games three and four at the lower seeds court. Day 6, travel. Day 7, play game five. Day 8, travel. Day 9, game six. Day 10, travel. Day 11, the last game. With this schedule, the first round of the playoffs would take at most, one week. The Bulls and Heat have played four games, in 8 days. It'll be nine when they don't play tonight. Too long. Take my advice, it'll be much better. America has A.D.D, and my format works for them.
3) Seed the 8 teams in each conference based on record
This year the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs had the best two records in the Western Conference. They also play in the same division. Meaning, the winner of the division (Spurs) gets the top seed, with the second place team (Mavs) getting the fourth. They will more than likely end up playing each other in the second round. The best two teams in the Western Conference, playing each other in the second round. The NBA can't have that. By awarding the division winner a top 3 seed, it throws everything off. If the Mavs and Spurs meet up in the playoffs, it should be in the Conference Finals. They have the best two records in the West!! I can't be the only one who sees this.

Enough of the NBA, this post will be my last of simply rambling. For my next couple of issues I will show you my Top 35-40 sports figures of all time. It'll be a series of posts, with each one containing 5 figures. Here are the rules for this list. Which I will go over again at the beginning of my next post, just something to look forward to. First, all figures must have either played sports during my lifetime, or coach them. I must have seen these figures either live or on TV at one point. The list is not who I think are the top 35 figures, but rather, a list of who I liked the most and rooted for. It'll be a good list, with good times to be had by all who read it. That begins on Wednesday.

Anyone else as excited as I am for Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America?? This made for TV movie has big shoes to fill for me. I have experienced both Vampire Bats and Category 7: The End of The World. I can't wait. I am literally giddy.

CBS conducted a poll the other day asking which sporting event of the past week was the most surprising. One of the choices was Rafael Nadal beating Roger Federer. It happened at the finals of Monte Carlo. For you sports fans who decide not to follow men's tennis, you are missing out, believe me. Monte Carlo is played on clay. Nadal is the defending men's French Open Champion. Federer has never won the French. Nadal is ranked number two in the world. Nadal has won over 40+ matches on clay in a row. Where is the surprise? Am I missing something? Is CBS this ignorant of tennis? The surprise would have been Federer winning, as hard as that is to believe. Whatever, go Andre.

Congrats to the WNBA for making it 10 years. Awesome. Rumor is you can go to their website, which you can find through the “Oxygen’s” channel website I believe, and vote for the all-decade team. Here is who I would vote for: Vince Carter, Adam Morrison, Dick Vermeil, Larry Brown, and Pat Summit. That team would win some games. They would also get sponsored by Kleenex, in a heartbeat. Don’t lie, you would watch that team go up against the New York Liberty (only WNBA team I know). Especially if it was up against a 1st round NBA game.

Allright, that's enough from me this afternoon. Go Bulls, and "Read it, roll it, hole it."