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[Ned Flanders]

In an era where the stars are hyped beyond rationality and teams are overlooked in favor of those with big numbers, mouths, paychecks and profiles, I think it's only appropriate that us true sports fans celebrate the athletes we love who are not constantly in the spotlight. My impromptu list..


Rod Beck- This guy was a fucking character, and a hell of a closer in his prime. But his real appeal lied in his unapologetic, for-the-ages mullet, and his priceless reactions when he DID blow a save. This guy was taylor made for TV.

Avery Johnson- The moment he opens his mouth, you have to smile, or chuckle, or likely both. AJ talks like a pot of bourbon-laced gumbo (made for great interviews) and has more teeth than permissable by law, but the guy also had his own little style on the court and managed to make a pretty good little career for himself. AJ loved to bloop reverse layups high off the glass, and his consistent mid-range jumper won the Spurs their first world title. How this man does not have some sort of broadcasting job is beyond me. The world needs more Avery..


Those are my two off the top of the head..your picks?

 

[Boogie]

Mwahaha, it's the perfect opportunity to unleash a bucketload of pictures of my favourite MMA fighters.

 

[Fifty]

They're MMA superstars

 

[Boogie]

They're MMA superstars

But virtually unknown to most of mainstream North America

 

[Cloudy]

I wish they'd take the leash off him in Memphis though :\

 

[MrPing1000]

I can't believe he's 31, he's been injured most of last season and may well miss all of this one as well He may never play again. Still at his best he was the greatest substitute of all time His finishing is some of the best I've ever seen, any angle any foot he'll score it.

 

[Biff Hardbody]

Since Boogie has thrown in the MMA people, I'd like to bring in some classic boxers who the average fight fan has no idea of.

Sam Langford

Arguably the greatest boxer ever, p4p. Without a doubt the greatest fighter never to hold a belt. Langford is the only fighter I can think of who started as a lightweight and worked his way up to heavyweight, dominating the entire time!!!! He was so good, that even the great Jack Johnson (a man many fighting experts rank as the #1 heavy of all time) ducked him! This is a man who spent his entire life fighting, could box any style, fought when he was basically blind (and still won)...he's the stuff of legend, yet no one knows his name.

Ezzard Charles

Who? Only the greatest light heavyweight ever. And, he never won a title as LH (although he did win heavy). He dominated the man most consider greatest LH ever, Archie Moore. Twice. He beat Joey Maxim, Jimmy Bevins, Joe Louis, and Joe Walcott to name a few. Past his prime he also nearly defeated the engine that was Marciano. At 200 lbs, its hard to imagine another fighter that can beat Ezzard Charles. Dempsey, Tunney...he'll give those guys a war.

 

[retardboy]

Michael Redd

 

[Xellos]

and

 

[Ned Flanders]

Randy Couture is the fucking man. And Xellos, how can you list 2 Spurs and then list D-Fish, the man who cost them a shot at another title?

 

[Brian Fellows]

I'm a big Juan Pierre fan.

 

[Xellos]

Randy Couture is the fucking man. And Xellos, how can you list 2 Spurs and then list D-Fish, the man who cost them a shot at another title?

I'm a huge Spurs fan but I respect Fisher. He is a good role-player and hits some big shots. He never was part of the whole Soap Opera that was Laker basketball for the past few years. He seems like a good guy.

As for the 0.4 second shot, it was an incredible shot and he deserves props for hitting it (even though it can be argued that 0.4 second was not enough time to do what he did to get the shot off in the first place ).

I hope he has a good run in Golden State, although it is kind of sad that Speedy Claxton will once again be sent to the bench. When he's healthy Speedy is very good point guard. I wish he was still in San Antonio, although the Spurs seem to have found a good backup in Beno Udrih.

 

[Eminem]

 

[DCX]

- Eric Metcalf - one of the best returners in the history of the game yet got no where near the recognition that a new comer like Dante Hall has gotten.

- Wanye Chrebet - nuff said

- Mitch Richmond- a superstar amongst peers, a under rated player seen by the world, " Rock " was as steady as one, a fearsome scorer, deadly shooter and under rated defender he was feared especially by Jordan himself.

- John Starks- fearsome player, fearless defender...when he was on he was on...although the opposite was also true but not matter he gave his all tip off to buzzer and was the Knicks soul to Oakley's heart.

DCX

 

[AniHawk]

Garret Anderson, Darren Erstad, Tim Salmon, Jim Edmonds (left the team at the wrong time).

 

[Jill Sandwich]

Argh them MMA pix instantly turned this thread SUPERGAY

 

[AniHawk]

Argh them MMA pix instantly turned this thread SUPERGAY

:lol

 

[DJ_Tet]

- Eric Metcalf - one of the best returners in the history of the game yet got no where near the recognition that a new comer like Dante Hall has gotten.

- Wanye Chrebet - nuff said

- Mitch Richmond- a superstar amongst peers, a under rated player seen by the world, " Rock " was as steady as one, a fearsome scorer, deadly shooter and under rated defender he was feared especially by Jordan himself.

- John Starks- fearsome player, fearless defender...when he was on he was on...although the opposite was also true but not matter he gave his all tip off to buzzer and was the Knicks soul to Oakley's heart.

DCX

GREAT answers. I wasn't a personal fan of John Starks, but he fits the bill for sure. As a Hornet fan at that time, I was stunned that a team could find two guys out of the CBA (Starks and Anthony Mason) who could make the All-Star team. The Knicks found two of the first guys from the minors to REALLY contribute.

Mitch Richmond was one of my favorites over the years. I loved Run TMC (Golden State with Tim Hardaway, Mitch, and Chris Mullen). After that, Mitch was stuck on some bullshit teams. Man, he could have helped the Olympic team this year


One player that was one of my favorites was Kurt Rambis. He was an original Charlotte Hornet, but you might remember him as the White Guy on the LA Lakers. He had two buzzer beaters for the Hornets in our inaugural year. One was a putback against Chicago and Michael Jordan just two days before Christmas. I'll never forget it, it was a nationally televised game on TBS between the Hornets and Bulls. Back and forth all night, and Rambis got an offensive rebound right at the end and put it back for the win. The first time Michael Jordan played a professional team/game in North Carolina, he lost. The second game winner was much the same, off a game winner. Only this time it was a road game at Utah.

For a team that only won 20 games out of 82, to have two buzzer beaters is pretty special. Kurt Rambis was the fucking man.


Other non-allstars include Greg Kragen of the Panthers and Kenny Gattison of the Hornets.

Yeah they weren't All-Stars, but they hold a place in my heart.

 

[Ned Flanders]

*appluads DCX*

Wow, some great choices there.


EDIT: Looks like I got beat to the DCX ass-kissing party.

Anyway, to expound, I worshipped Metcalf in his day..in fact I still may have a poster in storage somewhere from my youth. It felt really good just to hear his name, considering I haven't heard it mentioned since the 90's.

Chrebet is also a good choice because he's one of those guys where you can just say, "he's a football player". In an era where glorified sprinters are wideouts, powerforwards play tight end, and sumo wrestlers line up at DT, Chrebet is a football player. And he'd probably be playing football if he was 6'8', or if he was 300+ lbs, or if he only had one arm.

Richmond is like the ultimate non-superstar, superstar. He put up ungodly scoring numbers, had a fantastic all around game, and made multiple All-Star teams in relative obscurity. It seems like it would be hard to do all those things and get as little shine as Mitch did. I was divided about his championship though..I mean he was one of those guys you loved to see get a ring (kind of like Kevin Willis/Steve Smith with the '03 Spurs), but hated to see a former superstar have to ride the pine in order to do so.

 

[Boogie]

Argh them MMA pix instantly turned this thread SUPERGAY

OH NO YOU DIDN'T. Cro cop's going to get very angry with you.

 

[DCX]

I tried to pattern my game after Richmond especially being the same size and height..well at the time when i played He was a marvel...if i had to compare him to a legend it would be Oscar Robertson..."Rock" didn't have the vision but their games were very similar.

Metcalf was feared, i mean they would kick away from him, go for it on 4th and 3+ to command that type of respect is un-heard off as a kickoff/punt returner.

I haven't loved a player as much as a hated him as much as i did Starks. Being a die hard Knicks fan i didn't just bleed blue and orange i also bleed John Starks. Never backed down from anyone in the league especially his airness. Great shooter, but a better slasher and it drove me nuts when he didn't set up his shooting. listed at 6'5" but closer to 6'3" on a good day he played like he was 6'7". I miss him...today's Knicks lack the passion...no Starks, no Oakley, no Mason...*sigh* we have better talent but i bet the Knicks of old would punk the shit out of today's Knicks and beat them in a 7 game series...

DCX

 

[Shinobi]

Gotta be Ron Fellows for me. Born right here in Toronto, and still living just outside the city. Arguably Canada's most successful race car driver, and one of the premier sports car drivers in the world. In Trans Am racing (the oldest sports car racing series on the continent), he ranks fifth in career victories with 19, and led the most laps for three straight seasons. He drove two races in Ferrari's legendary 333SP sports prototype, qualifying on pole and winning at his home race at Mosport. In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series he has two wins and three poles in 14 starts, and in 1997 became the first Canadian to win a NASCAR race since 1974. He has three wins and two poles in five career NASCAR Busch Series starts, becoming the first non-American to ever win a Busch race in 1998.

In the same year he became the primary development driver for the new Corvette C5-R endurance racing program for the then brand new American Le Mans series. He finished 31 seconds behind the winning car at the Daytona 24 hours in 2000, in the closest margin of victory in the history of the event. The following year he won the event, becoming the first Canadian to do so. He then finished first in the GTS class at the king of endurance races, the 24 hours of Le Mans. In 2002 he won the GTS category at Sebring for the first time, as well as repeating as the GTS Le Mans winner. Ron went onto claim the GTS class championship with eight wins in eleven races. Since then he's won

Heading into this season Ron Fellows has 16 career American Le Mans series GTS class wins, including two wins at the 12 hours of Sebring, and one in Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. He also has two class victories at the 24 hours of Le Mans.

Fellows has also enjoyed success driving the road course races in the NASCAR Nextel Cup series the last couple years for Dale Earnhardt Inc, where he's helped to prepare the cars, the team and the drivers for such events. He finished 7th at the Infineon Raceway in 2003, and earlier this year had one of the best NASCAR drives in recent memory when he started 43rd at the back of the grid at Watkins Glen, only to finish in second place a mere 1.5 seconds behind Tony Stewart (he also went from 42nd to second behind Jeff Gordon at the same track in 1998).

More to the point I've had the chance to meet him a few times...twice at the Toronto auto show, and earlier this year at the Molson Indy where he drove in the Trans Am race (the pics with the red, white and blue Vette are from that race...I was actually in the same spot where the first pic was taken earlier in the day!). He's a guy that's very approachable, very down to earth, and has a great sense of humour. I'm not one that believes an athlete has to go the extra mile for fans...but I do believe it helps him or her become a lot more likable.

 

[etiolate]

God damn it Shinobi. A RACE CAR DRIVER!!@

- Mitch Richmond- a superstar amongst peers, a under rated player seen by the world, " Rock " was as steady as one, a fearsome scorer, deadly shooter and under rated defender he was feared especially by Jordan himself.

You rock.

Myself,

Tom Rathman - Always will be the ideal fullback in my mind. He could pound your face in and then catch a pass in the flat and run you up the sidelines.

John Taylor - The guy on the other side of Jerry Rice. Caught the winning TD against Cincinatti and the game against the Rams(I believe) where he caught two short passes and then run 60+ yards through the entire secondary is one of my favorite football moments.

Jon Barry - I was going to put Bojax here, but I think Barry more fits my playing style. The guy was part of turn arounds In Sacramento, Detroit and Denver. A good chemistry guy and team player with shooting and passing skills. Most of all though, solid heart and energy.

Terry Steinbach - Steiny just plain rocks.

 

[Miguel]

Off the top of my head, 1 for each of the major 3 sports

Rex Chapman - SG/SF - Suns
Rich Harden - Pitcher - Athletics
Eric Brown - Safety - Texans

 

[etiolate]

It may be Rich Harden on the roster card, but he will always be Dick Harden in my heart.

 

[Shinobi]

God damn it Shinobi. A RACE CAR DRIVER!!@

AND WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT BITCH??? Unless you're one of the idiots who believes race car drivers aren't athletes.

 

[Alex Anderson]

BUCHBERGER

and

A-Braves rookie Charles Thomas