I enjoyed making the basketball list more so than any of the others. I think it's because I've actually seen the majority of the great players play. As a result, I can tell for myself who the best players were stats aside. Obviously, I'll have to rely on numbers and second-hand information for players like Wilt Chamberlain etc. The list was designed to rate the top 50 players in NBA history. There is no question that the NBA had far superior talent than the ABA. It was close to the difference between the NFL and USFL. That doesn't mean an ABA player could not be rated. In fact, there are quite a few players on this list that played in the ABA. What I tried to do was decide if a player's career statistics were bloated enough from having played in the ABA that they really weren't as good as the numbers might indicate. However, if a player dominated in the ABA and then dominated in the NBA for just as long, I gave that player the benefit of the doubt.
1) Michael Jordan
2) Shaquille O'Neal
3) Wilt Chamberlain
4) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
5) Bill Russell
6) Magic Johnson
7) Larry Bird
8) Tim Duncan
9) Oscar Robertson
10) Karl Malone
11) Elgin Baylor
12) Hakeem Olajuwon
13) Kobe Bryant
14) Julius Erving
15) Moses Malone
16) David Robinson
17) Bob Pettit
18) Kevin Garnett
19) Charles Barkley
20) George Mikan
21) Jerry West
22) Bob Cousy
23) Dolph Schayes
24) Rick Barry
25) George Gervin
26) Dirk Nowitzki
27) John Havlicek
28) John Stockton
29) LeBron James
30) Dwyane Wade
31) Walt Frazier
32) Neil Johnston
33) Isiah Thomas
34) Allen Iverson
35) Elvin Hayes
36) Clyde Drexler
37) Bill Sharman
38) Scottie Pippen
39) Gary Payton
40) Patrick Ewing
41) Jerry Lucas
42) Tiny Archibald
43) Paul Arizin
44) Steve Nash
45) Willis Reed
46) Hal Greer
47) Bob McAdoo
48) Nate Thurmond
49) Dominique Wilkins
50) Pete Maravich
Instead of listing the next ten or twenty players on the list which would essentially create a Top 60 or 70 list, I would like to identify the players that I had the hardest time keeping off. These are in no particular order; Wes Unseld, Kevin McHale, Jason Kidd, Dave Cowens, Billy Cunningham, Artis Gilmore, Connie Hawkins, Mel Daniels, Dan Issel, George McGinnis, Spencer Haywood, Earl Monroe, Robert Parish, Dave Bing, Dave Debusschere, Bill Walton, James Worthy and Bob Lanier. At one time or another, each player appeared in the top 50 before I reached my final decision.
I think Elton Brand has a great chance of breaking into the Top 50 if he stays healthy. Few have been as consistent as he has been to start a career. The same could have been said for Chris Webber who almost certainly would have made the list had his career not been rocked by a brutal injury.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
NHL Top 50 List
Of the four major sports in North America, hockey is by far the odd sport out in terms of fan knowledge of history. Some of the greatest players in NHL history are virtually unknown to even the cities in which they played in. Ranking the top 50 players in NHL history proved to be difficult for a number of reasons. First, it’s almost impossible to know how many players from the great Montreal Canadiens should be among the top 50. There are a slew of players from that franchise carrying around five or more Stanley Cup rings. To say how many were actually among the 50 best and how many were just good players on great teams is almost impossible. Another difficult aspect was comparing players from different eras. Hockey has changed significantly over time. I took it upon myself to read up on 150 of the greatest hockey players of all-time. Based on the information I was able to gather, I was able to narrow it down to the top 50. Rating players 40-50 was as frustrating as any other endeavor I have taken on with respect to the top 50 lists. I did my best to ignore public perception and reputation to include only the most deserving.
1) Wayne Gretzky
2) Bobby Orr
3) Gordie Howe
4) Patrick Roy
5) Mario Lemieux
6) Jean Beliveau
7) Doug Harvey
8) Terry Sawchuk
9) Bobby Hull
10) Guy Lafleur
11) Dominik Hasek
12) Maurice Richard
13) Phil Esposito
14) Eddie Shore
15) Jacques Plante
16) Mark Messier
17) Mike Bossy
18) Jaromir Jagr
19) Ray Bourque
20) Martin Brodeur
21) Stan Mikita
22) Howie Morenz
23) Newsy Lalonde
24) Steve Yzerman
25) Denis Potvin
26) Larry Robinson
27) Bobby Clarke
28) Ken Dryden
29)Henri Richard
30) Milt Schmidt
31) Nicklas Lidstrom
32) Ted Lindsay
33) Brett Hull
34) Joe Malone
35) Red Kelly
36) Bryan Trottier
37) Paul Coffey
38) Joe Sakic
39) Chris Chelios
40) Glenn Hall
41) Bill Durnan
42) Marcel Dionne
43) Sergei Fedorov
44) Brendan Shanahan
45) Al Macinnis
46) Frank Mahovlich
47) Jari Kurri
48) Ed Belfour
49) Scott Stevens
50) Gilbert Perrault
Instead of listing the next ten or twenty players on the list which would essentially create a Top 60 or 70 list, I would like to identify the players that I had the hardest time keeping off. These are in no particular order; Dit Clapper, Dickie Moore, Tiny Thompson, Tony Esposito, Luc Robitaille, Dino Ciccarelli, Mike Gartner, Ron Francis, Charlie Conacher, Max Bentley, Grant Fuhr, Sid Abel, Mats Sundin, Mike Modano, George Hainsworth, Syl Apps, Bernie Geoffrion, Pierre Pilote, Peter Stastny, and Jeremy Roenick.
Barrying injury, Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, and Evgeni Malkin will probably be on this list some day.
1) Wayne Gretzky
2) Bobby Orr
3) Gordie Howe
4) Patrick Roy
5) Mario Lemieux
6) Jean Beliveau
7) Doug Harvey
8) Terry Sawchuk
9) Bobby Hull
10) Guy Lafleur
11) Dominik Hasek
12) Maurice Richard
13) Phil Esposito
14) Eddie Shore
15) Jacques Plante
16) Mark Messier
17) Mike Bossy
18) Jaromir Jagr
19) Ray Bourque
20) Martin Brodeur
21) Stan Mikita
22) Howie Morenz
23) Newsy Lalonde
24) Steve Yzerman
25) Denis Potvin
26) Larry Robinson
27) Bobby Clarke
28) Ken Dryden
29)Henri Richard
30) Milt Schmidt
31) Nicklas Lidstrom
32) Ted Lindsay
33) Brett Hull
34) Joe Malone
35) Red Kelly
36) Bryan Trottier
37) Paul Coffey
38) Joe Sakic
39) Chris Chelios
40) Glenn Hall
41) Bill Durnan
42) Marcel Dionne
43) Sergei Fedorov
44) Brendan Shanahan
45) Al Macinnis
46) Frank Mahovlich
47) Jari Kurri
48) Ed Belfour
49) Scott Stevens
50) Gilbert Perrault
Instead of listing the next ten or twenty players on the list which would essentially create a Top 60 or 70 list, I would like to identify the players that I had the hardest time keeping off. These are in no particular order; Dit Clapper, Dickie Moore, Tiny Thompson, Tony Esposito, Luc Robitaille, Dino Ciccarelli, Mike Gartner, Ron Francis, Charlie Conacher, Max Bentley, Grant Fuhr, Sid Abel, Mats Sundin, Mike Modano, George Hainsworth, Syl Apps, Bernie Geoffrion, Pierre Pilote, Peter Stastny, and Jeremy Roenick.
Barrying injury, Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, and Evgeni Malkin will probably be on this list some day.
MLB Top 50 List
My interest in sports goes back a long way. I remember being 10 years old putting together lists of the best players from each sport. Back then, it never crossed my mind to catalog those lists. In the summer after my sophomore year in college, I decided I wanted to put together a list of the best players in MLB history organized by first, second, and third team. I wrote out by hand every statistic of every player that I took into consideration. The process was long and pointless as most of my endeavors are. I came up with my teams and felt pretty good about the whole thing. In fact, I still have those lists. My current knowledge of baseball history is probably double what it was during my sophomore year. I have a better understanding of how to interpret stats compared to the league average which is a crucial factor to consider when comparing players.
As a result, I once again embarked on a quest to put together a list of the best players in MLB history. Per usual, this list is based purely on subjectivity but I would like to mention a few things on how I came to my conclusions. First, I did the best I could to compare statistics to league averages and not simply on the raw stats. Second, my criterion was simply a combination of brilliance over time. This is not a list of the single best four-year stretch of all-time. If it were, the results would differ greatly. My goal was to identify the top 50 careers based on a variety of factors. Third, not only did I not penalize a player for missing time due to service in the armed forces, I rewarded the player for the time missed. For instance, Ted Williams missed five years in his prime serving in two wars. Each time he returned to the sport, he dominated. I made educated guesses on missed seasons to get an idea of what that player would have accomplished had he not missed that time.
1) Babe Ruth
2) Ted Williams
3) Ty Cobb
4) Willie Mays
5) Barry Bonds *
6) Roger Clemens
7) Walter Johnson
8) Lou Gehrig
9) Lefty Grove
10) Stan Musial
11) Joe DiMaggio
12) Christy Mathewson
13) Rogers Hornsby
14) Cy Young
15) Jimmie Foxx
16) Mickey Mantle
17) Tris Speaker
18) Randy Johnson
19) Honus Wagner
20) Pete Alexander
21) Albert Pujols
22) Hank Aaron
23) Mel Ott
24) Hank Greenberg
25) Greg Maddux
26) Warren Spahn
27) Tom Seaver
28) Frank Robinson
29) Bob Feller
30) Joe Jackson
31) Pedro Martinez
32) Ed Walsh
33) Mordecai Brown
34) Manny Ramirez
35) Nap Lajoie
36) Mike Schmidt
37) Jim Palmer
38) Alex Rodriguez
39) Vladimir Guerrero
40) Ken Griffey Jr.
41) Eddie Collins
42) Carl Yastrzemski
43) Yogi Berra
44) Johnny Bench
45) Eddie Plank
46) Steve Carlton
47) Bob Gibson
48) Frank Thomas
49) Joe Morgan
50) Mariano Rivera
Instead of listing the next ten or twenty players on the list which would essentially create a Top 60 or 70 list, I would like to identify the players that I had the hardest time keeping off. There were about 50 players that received serious consideration that didn't end up making the list. These are in no particular order; Eddie Mathews, Jackie Robinson, Al Simmons, Nolan Ryan, Charlie Gehringer, Ernie Banks, Derek Jeter, Sandy Koufax, Whitey Ford, Addie Joss, Mark McGwire* and Nolan Ryan.
One player that I considered early that didn't make the list is someone who I think will be in the top 50 of all-time by the time he retires. That person is Andruw Jones. His power/defense combination puts him on pace to be one of the best all-around players to every play the game.
As a result, I once again embarked on a quest to put together a list of the best players in MLB history. Per usual, this list is based purely on subjectivity but I would like to mention a few things on how I came to my conclusions. First, I did the best I could to compare statistics to league averages and not simply on the raw stats. Second, my criterion was simply a combination of brilliance over time. This is not a list of the single best four-year stretch of all-time. If it were, the results would differ greatly. My goal was to identify the top 50 careers based on a variety of factors. Third, not only did I not penalize a player for missing time due to service in the armed forces, I rewarded the player for the time missed. For instance, Ted Williams missed five years in his prime serving in two wars. Each time he returned to the sport, he dominated. I made educated guesses on missed seasons to get an idea of what that player would have accomplished had he not missed that time.
1) Babe Ruth
2) Ted Williams
3) Ty Cobb
4) Willie Mays
5) Barry Bonds *
6) Roger Clemens
7) Walter Johnson
8) Lou Gehrig
9) Lefty Grove
10) Stan Musial
11) Joe DiMaggio
12) Christy Mathewson
13) Rogers Hornsby
14) Cy Young
15) Jimmie Foxx
16) Mickey Mantle
17) Tris Speaker
18) Randy Johnson
19) Honus Wagner
20) Pete Alexander
21) Albert Pujols
22) Hank Aaron
23) Mel Ott
24) Hank Greenberg
25) Greg Maddux
26) Warren Spahn
27) Tom Seaver
28) Frank Robinson
29) Bob Feller
30) Joe Jackson
31) Pedro Martinez
32) Ed Walsh
33) Mordecai Brown
34) Manny Ramirez
35) Nap Lajoie
36) Mike Schmidt
37) Jim Palmer
38) Alex Rodriguez
39) Vladimir Guerrero
40) Ken Griffey Jr.
41) Eddie Collins
42) Carl Yastrzemski
43) Yogi Berra
44) Johnny Bench
45) Eddie Plank
46) Steve Carlton
47) Bob Gibson
48) Frank Thomas
49) Joe Morgan
50) Mariano Rivera
Instead of listing the next ten or twenty players on the list which would essentially create a Top 60 or 70 list, I would like to identify the players that I had the hardest time keeping off. There were about 50 players that received serious consideration that didn't end up making the list. These are in no particular order; Eddie Mathews, Jackie Robinson, Al Simmons, Nolan Ryan, Charlie Gehringer, Ernie Banks, Derek Jeter, Sandy Koufax, Whitey Ford, Addie Joss, Mark McGwire* and Nolan Ryan.
One player that I considered early that didn't make the list is someone who I think will be in the top 50 of all-time by the time he retires. That person is Andruw Jones. His power/defense combination puts him on pace to be one of the best all-around players to every play the game.
NFL Top 50 List
Comparing the all-time greats in basketball, baseball and hockey is a much easier task than comparing players in the NFL. There are at least 22 different unique positions in the NBA. It is nearly impossible to compare the best wide receiver of all-time to the best guard of all-time. Offensive skill positions are usually the top choices on any all-time list. That does make some sense since the most athletic players usually play on offensive growing up. But, when we're talking about the very best of the best, there is no reason to rank the best 10 running backs all ahead of the best guard. I tried to give each position a fair shake. I didn't give the benefit of the doubt to any specific position. I just rated the best careers as I see them.
1) Jerry Rice
2) Jim Brown
3) Lawrence Taylor
4) Joe Montana
5) Johnny Unitas
6) Deacon Jones
7) Don Hutson
8) Bob Lilly
9) Dick Butkus
10) Otto Graham
11) Barry Sanders
12) Anthony Munoz
13) Joe Greene
14)Marion Motley
15) Sammy Baugh
16) Ray Lewis
17) Reggie White
18) Walter Payton
19) Gino Marchetti
20) Dick "Night Train" Lane
21) Jack Lambert
22) Dan Marino
23) John Elway
24) Ronnie Lott
25) John Hannah
26) Alan Page
27) Deion Sanders
28) Emmitt Smith
29) Roger Staubach
30) Forrest Gregg
31) Bronco Nagurski
32) Ray Nitschke
33) Marshall Faulk
34) Earl Campbell
35) Brett Favre
36) Tom Brady
37) Marvin Harrison
38) Larry Allen
39) Mel Blount
40) Willie Lanier
41) LaDanian Tomlinson
42) Lance Alworth
43) Bruce Smith
44)Jim Parker
45) Peyton Manning
46) Merlin Olsen
47) Herb Adderley
48) Mike Singletary
49) Terrell Owens
50) Joe Schmidt
Instead of listing the next ten or twenty players on the list which would essentially create a Top 60 or 70 list, I would like to identify the players that I had the hardest time keeping off. These are in no particular order; Gale Sayers, O.J. Simpson, Shaun Alexander, Chuck Bednarik, Jim Thorpe, Randy Moss, Red Grange, John Mackey, Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw, Sid Luckman, Mel Hein, Roosevelt Brown, Ernie Nevers, Steve Van Buren, Mike Haynes, Ted Hendricks, Rod Woodson, Jack Ham, Michael Strahan, Larry Wilson and Ken Houston.
One player that I considered early that didn't makethe top 50 is someone who I think will be in the top 50 of all-time by the time he retires. That person is Brian Urlacher. He has a chance to go down as one of the most versatile/athletic linebackers in NFL history. Shaun Alexander also has a great chance. In fact, I had him in my top 50 all the way up to the last minute.
1) Jerry Rice
2) Jim Brown
3) Lawrence Taylor
4) Joe Montana
5) Johnny Unitas
6) Deacon Jones
7) Don Hutson
8) Bob Lilly
9) Dick Butkus
10) Otto Graham
11) Barry Sanders
12) Anthony Munoz
13) Joe Greene
14)Marion Motley
15) Sammy Baugh
16) Ray Lewis
17) Reggie White
18) Walter Payton
19) Gino Marchetti
20) Dick "Night Train" Lane
21) Jack Lambert
22) Dan Marino
23) John Elway
24) Ronnie Lott
25) John Hannah
26) Alan Page
27) Deion Sanders
28) Emmitt Smith
29) Roger Staubach
30) Forrest Gregg
31) Bronco Nagurski
32) Ray Nitschke
33) Marshall Faulk
34) Earl Campbell
35) Brett Favre
36) Tom Brady
37) Marvin Harrison
38) Larry Allen
39) Mel Blount
40) Willie Lanier
41) LaDanian Tomlinson
42) Lance Alworth
43) Bruce Smith
44)Jim Parker
45) Peyton Manning
46) Merlin Olsen
47) Herb Adderley
48) Mike Singletary
49) Terrell Owens
50) Joe Schmidt
Instead of listing the next ten or twenty players on the list which would essentially create a Top 60 or 70 list, I would like to identify the players that I had the hardest time keeping off. These are in no particular order; Gale Sayers, O.J. Simpson, Shaun Alexander, Chuck Bednarik, Jim Thorpe, Randy Moss, Red Grange, John Mackey, Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw, Sid Luckman, Mel Hein, Roosevelt Brown, Ernie Nevers, Steve Van Buren, Mike Haynes, Ted Hendricks, Rod Woodson, Jack Ham, Michael Strahan, Larry Wilson and Ken Houston.
One player that I considered early that didn't makethe top 50 is someone who I think will be in the top 50 of all-time by the time he retires. That person is Brian Urlacher. He has a chance to go down as one of the most versatile/athletic linebackers in NFL history. Shaun Alexander also has a great chance. In fact, I had him in my top 50 all the way up to the last minute.
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