Here are a few players who just missed the cut: Derrick Brooks, Adrian Dantley, Clyde Drexler, Kevin Greene, Rickey Henderson, Barry Larkin, Mike Mussina, Robert Parish
So without further ado, the list:
20. Tim Hudson – It is hard to believe that a pitcher that is currently 2nd among active pitchers in winning percentage and has won at least 17 games per season 5 different times has only made the all-star team 3 times. Hudson is the ultimate competitor who would be higher on this list if his post-season record was a little better.19. Mitch Richmond – Richmond’s bad luck was that he was one of the best players in the league while playing for generally bad teams, and then in his last season, he rode the bench for a Lakers championship. Take that last year away, Richmond averaged around 23 points per game for a 12-year stretch and shot nearly 40% from 3-point range. He even averaged around 23 points in post-season play. Michael Jordan once called him the best shooting guard in the league.
18. Tony Gonzalez – That Tony Gonzalez is the best tight end in NFL history is undisputable. That Tony Gonzalez is one of the best receivers of all time is absolute. In his 14 year career, he is 10th all time in TDs, 15th all time in receiving yards and 6th all time in catches. He has fumbled only six times in his career and just once in the last 10 seasons.
17. Hakeem Olajuwon – Who are the greatest centers of all time? The usual answers are Wilt, Russell, Kareem and then… either Shaq or Olajuwon? It should be almost indisputable that Olajuwon belongs in the top 5. Yet every time you hear talk of the NBAs all-time greats, we forget that “the Dream” led the Rockets to back-to-back titles, averaged 22 points and 11 rebounds for his entire 18-year career and when the spotlight was on in the playoffs, he raised his game to 26 points and 11 rebounds. I guess he settles for the title of greatest foreign player in NBA history.
16. Dennis Johnson – His career numbers aren’t that great. He was top 50 all-time in games played, assists and steals. Yet it was his durability and tough defense that paved the way for DJ’s Hall of Fame career. Johnson played on 3 NBA championship teams and was the teams’ defensive stopper. A seven-time all-defensive 1st team member, it would have been great to see him guard Jordan during his prime years. RIP
15. Champ Bailey – He also doesn’t have the numbers to suggest he is among the all-time greats, but after watching him cover a receiver it is clear that the other teams won’t be throwing his way anymore. Only Ed Reed and Darren Sharper have more INTs among active players. Even though he is a ten-time Pro Bowler, his name seems to go unmentioned.
14. Cris Carter – Chris Berman says, “All he does is catch touchdowns.” This is true, he is 4th all time. But Carter is also 8th all-time in receiving yards and 3rd all-time in catches. Add 9 Pro Bowls, 144 straight games started and a class act, do you think the Eagles regret releasing him after his 3rd season?
13. Steve Yzerman – The token hockey player, Yzerman is 8th or better all-time in the three major categories of goals, assists and total points. He was also the captain of three Stanley Cup Championship teams.
T-10. David Cone, Jack Morris, Dave Stewart – Each of these three pitchers had similar careers, and wherever they went, they won. They were gamers and at many times of their career, a dominant ace. Stewart went 4-0 during the 1989 post-season, winning LCS and World Series MVPs. Morris had a career World Series ERA under three and pitched one of the greatest games in history, a 10-inning shutout in game 7 of the 1991 World Series. Cone went undefeated in four different World Series with a 2.12 ERA. Combined these guys have 11 rings.
9. Fred McGriff – He has one of the best nicknames in history. The “Crime Dog” hit 493 homeruns in a time when that number actually meant something. He hit 30 homeruns per season in 8 straight seasons, 11 times overall. He also hit 10 HRs and batted .303 in 50 career post-season games, helping the Atlanta Braves to their only championship.
8. Robert Horry – In other sports, you have specialists elected to their respected Halls of Fame. In baseball, relief pitchers get in. In football, kickers and punters are in. So why not Robert Horry? Credit that argument to Colin Cowherd. Throw out his per game numbers, here’s all you need to know: 4th all-time in post-season 3-point field goals made, as many big, clutch shots as Jordan and Bird (maybe more), and seven rings. Enough said.
7. Dennis Rodman – Forget that he had dozens of hair colors. Forget all of his technical fouls, fines and suspensions. Forget that he married himself. Dennis Rodman is hands down the best defensive NBA player ever at his position. Seven straight years he led the NBA in rebounds per game. Seven times he was 1st team all-defense. Don’t forget the five rings.
6. Craig Biggio – 3000 hits is great. It pretty much ensures a Hall of Fame berth. Also, only Lou Gehrig scored more career runs as an infielder than Biggio. But when you add that to the fact that Biggio played three different demanding positions, was an all-star as both a catcher and 2nd baseman, and won 4 gold gloves, it is remarkable. Then, the icing on the cake is that spanning a 20-year career, only once did Biggio fail to play at least 134 games (throwing out the strike season).
5. Tim Brown – Talk about a guy who did so much with so little, Brown is 6th or better all-time in the 3 major receiving categories. The quarterbacks who threw to him? Steve Beuerlein, Jay Schroeder, Donald Hollas, Jeff George, Vince Evans and Jeff Hostetler. It wasn’t until Rich Gannon arrived that Tim Brown finally had a good quarterback. But Gannon is no Joe Montana or Steve Young, just ask Jerry Rice. Never has an NFL player done so much with so little.
4. Warren Moon –Warren Moon not getting to a Super Bowl was absolutely not his fault. He played on teams with subpar defenses, to put it nicely. Warren Moon is the quarterback who does not get the recognition he deserves. He’s 6th all-time in touchdown passes and 5th all-time in both passes completed and yards. This doesn’t even take into account the numbers he put up in the Canadian Football League. A nine-time Pro Bowler, Moon was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.
3. James Worthy – How many players in their sport can be named top 50 in NBA history, be inducted into the Hall of Fame, earn a Finals MVP and still be the team’s 3rd option? That’s what Big Game James gave to the Lakers in helping them to three NBA championships. It is also what makes Worthy so great and why he is ranked so high on the list. Could he have scored more and put up numbers on other teams as their go-to guy? Sure, but he just did the job he needed to do to win. He did not need the glory. He came to play every night and was one of the greatest teammates in any sport.
2. Curtis Martin – Name the top 3 running backs in rushing yards. That’s easy, right? Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton and Barry Sanders. Fourth is Curtis “my favorite” Martin, the most underrated football player of our generation. Only once in 11 seasons did Martin fail to rush for 1000 yards in a season. When you count RBs who played at least 10 seasons, Martin’s 83.9 rushing yards per game is 5th all-time. These stats are often overlooked, but the one thing that may always stick with him is the nickname given to him by his head coach Bill Parcells, who dubbed him “boy wonder.”
1. Roberto Alomar – He hit over .300 in nine seasons. He stole 30 bases or more in eight seasons. He drove in 90 runs in four seasons and also hit 20 plus HRs in four different seasons. Did I mention he did this from both sides of the plate? However, that’s only the half of it. Roberto Alomar won 10 Gold Gloves and was the best defensive 2nd baseman maybe of all time. In 12 World Series games, Alomar posted an on-base percentage of .407 and hit .347 while helping the Blue Jays to back-to-back World Series championships. He was the total package and that makes Roberto Alomar the most underrated player of our generation.
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