And the lists just keep a-comin'. I'm not sure what the catalyst for this list was, but nonetheless, it's here. I'm a guy who loves sports, and quite often, my favourite players play for my teams and are rarely the stars. It's too easy to like the stars. Why like Brett Favre when you can like Mike Chmura? (Grew up a Packers fan, even still have a Chewy Starting Lineup figure.) Some of my faves though are Hall of Fame players or big time names in their sports, but hey, shit happens.
Alright, enough prologue, let's get into it. Honourable mentions: Bimbo Coles, Dan Majerle during time with Miami Heat; Carlos Valderrama; Mike Stanton and Logan Morrison (my favourite Marlins currently, and quickly becoming favourite players; Salvador Cabañas (Miss you, Chava).
10-tie) Marco Etcheverry and Jaime Moreno; DC United. Etcheverry was the talisman for the early years of DCU, controlling the midfield and winning three MLS Cups, a CONCACAF Champions Cup, an MLS MVP, and was named to MLS All-Time XI. El Diablo played 190 games for the club and scored only 34 goals, but his services led to many more. Etcheverry's fellow countryman, Jaime Moreno, played in over 300 games between two stints with DCU winning four MLS Cups, two US Open Cups, a CONCACAF Champions Cup, and was named to MLS Best XI five times. Moreno was also the first in MLS history to score 100 goals and have 100 assists in his career. He retired having scored the most goals in MLS history. If you want to know why DCU are big on tradition, why Barra Brava have a strong presence, and why we expect more out of the club, look no farther than these two Bolivians.
8. Olaf Kolzig; Washington Capitals. I've always loved hockey, but it wasn't until I moved to DC and would go to games a lot and really pay attention to how the game is played. I had favourite players prior to Olie the Goalie, but he was the first one I'd go to see live and would scream his name from the nosebleeds. Fourteen years in the District, a Stanley Cup finals appearance, a Vezina trophy in 2000, two-time all-star, and owning most of the career and single season Caps goaltending records makes Olie still a favourite to me, and many DC hockey fans. Plus, the guy has done tons of work in the DC community and works hard raising awareness for autism and autism research. He's truly a class act.
7. Tie Domi; Toronto Maple Leafs. This guy will always be my favourite enforcer and the only hockey player I loved who never played for my team. He threw a cheap shot at Ulf Samuelsson, he squirted water at a heckling fan and then proceeded to scare the shit out of him when the fan fell into the penalty box (classic video highlight), and knocked Scott Niedermayer unconscious. He beat Tiger Williams' record of penalty minutes in a season, played 1000 games, and still managed to score 100 goals. Go back and watch the playoff series in the early 00s between the Leafs and Isles, and you'll see vintage Domi. And any game between the Flyers and Leafs, you knew Domi was guaranteed a fight. God, I love this guy.
6. Dan Marino; Miami Dolphins. Long before I ever moved to South Florida, I watched a lot of Phins games. Can't explain nor understand why either. However, Danny was always my favourite NFL quarterback. He's a Pittsburgh native, as I am, too bad he went to Pitt and not WVU though; he has Italian heritage, as does my family; all that stuff helped. But way before the rules changed and allowed Brees and Rodgers to throw and throw and throw and throw, Marino was doing it at a time where you could crush the quarterback and manhandle the receivers. The all-time leader in passing yards in a season, Marino saw a bunch of records fall to Brett Favre, but now, even the single season passing yards record looks threatened this year. The most endearing thing about Danny was that he never won a Super Bowl. That really makes me like him and defend him even more. Forget Wilt Chamberlain, Marino is the best #13 ever.
5. Dale Earnhardt. I was never a fan of the Intimidator, but I ate up the mystique and legend surrounding him. The worst thing you could ever see in your rear view mirror on the final lap was that black #3. You knew Dale was gonna tap you and pass you. That aggressive attitude is how he won seven Winston Cup titles and 76 races. Some of my favourite memories of Dale include when he rattled Terry Labonte's cage at Bristol '95, the long line of crew members who congratulated him on his first and only Daytona 500 win in 1998, his win over Bobby Labonte in 2000 at Atlanta by thousandths of a second, and the No Bull win at Talladega where he gained some 15 or so positions in the last five laps. I can still remember where I was when I found out that Dale died at Daytona. It's still video I hate to see as I'm guaranteed to cry to this day 10 years later. Since his death, I became a fan of the man who would take over his car at RCR. Jeff Gordon is probably the best driver ever, King Petty is still right there, and Jimmie Johnson will probably get there one day, but for me, Dale is my favourite driver.
4. Cuauhtemoc Blanco; Club America and Mexico national football team. My personal favourite footballer ever, only if we can exclude his time at Chicago Fire. Over 300 appearances for America, 121 caps for El Tri, and a ton of goals scored, Blanco is the man. You know you're doing something right when people either love you or hate you, and this is definitely true for Temo. His crowning moment to me will be the 10th star he won at America, helping defeat Tecos. His celebration is still the best in the game, genuflecting on bended knee and striking the pose of the Archer. And who can forget the Cuauhtemiña?! Easiest trick ever, but it's still pretty fucking cool. Two Gold Cups, a Confederations Cup, a Champions Cup, four Primera Division MVPs, Blanco is like Mexican footballing Jesus. And he hates Chivas.
3. Cal Ripken, Jr; Baltimore Orioles. I grew up in Baltimore, I watched every Orioles game, the man is god. I don't have to justify this one. It's Cal fuckin' Ripken.
2. Mario Lemieux; Pittsburgh Penguins. Much like Cal Ripken, this needs to explanation. Born in Pittsburgh, and started with Pens hockey, so Le Magnifique is still the best ever to lace up. Fuck Gretzky. If Lemieux didn't have so many injuries from being such a power forward, their numbers would be much closer. But we saw Gretzky as a coach, Lemieux as owner trumps so much Gretzky has done and could ever do if you ask me. 66 > 99.
1. Dennis Rodman; San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, LA Lakers, Dallas Mavericks. You can tell by my list, I'm no NBA fan. I watched it often as a child, but it's never been a favourite sport of mine. Somehow, the Worm is still tops of all athletes when it comes to me. I read all of his books, I watched his reality show on MTV, I still have his Oprah interview on VHS. I have four Rodman jerseys in my closet right now. I didn't know him as a Piston, but since his days with the Spurs, I took note and followed him everywhere. When I would play on the blacktop, my friends would always pick me first or second because they knew I'd fight for rebounds, didn't care about scoring much, and would throw an elbow if I had to. I modeled my whole style after Rodman. People go on and on about Jordan and Pippen, but go watch the last three-peat of the Bulls and see how much dirty work Rodman did. Go back to the Pistons titles and see what a young Dennis Rodman was doing. There will never be a better inch-for-inch, pound-for-pound rebounder in the NBA now or ever than Dennis Rodman. It was so hard rooting for him and the Bulls too being a Heat fan back then, but I did it for my dog. And to back up all of his work on the court, he had such a personality to capture attention. Plus, the man shagged a lot of top-notch pussy too. His stories of generosity to homeless people and those in need loom large, but are often overlooked. Other kids wanted to be Jordan or Magic, I always wanted to be the Worm. No coincidence since his retirement, NBA has meant very little to me.
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