Sports

NFL

Wrong numbers? Readers react

By TOM JONES
Published January 25, 2005

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The first e-mail arrived at 7:42 a.m., just a couple of hours after the newspapers hit the doorsteps Jan.18. The next e-mail came three minutes later. Another came two minutes after that.

They kept coming. All day long. By day's end, readers had left dozens of e-mails and voice mails reacting to the Times' list of uniform numbers.

The object - listing uniform numbers from 00 to 99 and assigning the athlete we most identified with each number - seemed like a harmless idea to spark a fun little debate. Who knew it would cause such a reaction?

In the words of readers, some of our selections were "moronic," "insane" and "mind-boggling." Those were the nice ones, the ones we could print.

Apparently, we couldn't go more than a few numbers without a "boneheaded" pick.

As we said in our original story, the athletes chosen for each number didn't necessarily represent the best player, but the player who immediately came to mind. We admitted that Emmitt Smith (No.22) was a better player than Doug Flutie, but when we thought of 22, we thought of Flutie's Hail Mary pass against Miami when he was at Boston College.

Still, it didn't matter. Readers flooded us with the exploits of their favorite athletes and why those players should've been chosen.

The biggest complaints? As expected, No.3 (we picked Dale Earnhardt over Babe Ruth) and No.9 (we chose Mia Hamm over Ted Williams). We stick by those picks, but other readers had us second-guessing ourselves for not picking Oscar Robertson (1), Bart Starr (15) and a few others.

The reactions

I guess if you accomplished anything before 1970, you're just forgotten.

How could you pick Pete Rose as No.14? Rose was a bloated singles-hitting bully with bad habits, a bad attitude and a bad haircut. Ernie Banks is Mr. Cub. Banks hit 40 or more homers five times B.S. (Before Steroids) as a 180-pound shortstop, won two MVPs (1958-59), was loved by everyone and is in the Hall of Fame.

You also completely forgot Y.A. Tittle, the great QB for the N.Y. Giants who led them to the championship game three straight years (1961-63) and set records for TD passes in one season (36 in 1963) that stood for 21 years. He is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Mia Hamm over Ted Williams? Earnhardt over Babe Ruth? You have no respect for history.

Bob Martinez, Brooksville

Good column ... but may I suggest that 99 was worn by the man who brought professional basketball into what it is today, and that is George Mikan, who wore 99 throughout his career. Mikan left DePaul and went to the Chicago Gears, who played in an armory in Cicero - need I say more than it was a gambler's delight out there? The league was upgraded and moved into stadiums rather than the bandboxes it was in until Mikan joined the league. The Gears moved out of Cicero and into the International Amphitheater (home of the International Livestock Show). Mikan ended up in Minneapolis, where he was on the winning Lakers for many years. Mikan should be included on the 99 list without any reservations.

And may we discuss 77? Wasn't that Red Grange's number? Professional football was a joke until the Wheaton Iceman left Illinois and joined George Halas, who had just moved his team out of Decatur to Chicago. The pro football game was played on lots where they passed the hat to pay the players before Grange came on the scene. Grange should be added to your 77 list. What has Ray Bourque done in comparison to Grange?

Roy J. Funkhouser, Palm Harbor

Great column about numbers. Thank God you wrote it because many other local guys would have left out hockey altogether. Bobby Orr might not even have been mentioned and Warren Sapp might have gotten the nod over the "Great One." Nos.66 and 77 were easy either way. But 9? No way! There were way too many greats to wear that number to give it to Mia Hamm. If you asked 100 people about 9, you would not get five people to give Hamm's name. Who cares what she did for women's sports? There is no market for women's sports in the U.S.A. The WNBA is a bust and that is the only notable professional league. I ask you truthfully, would you ever really get excited over a non-Olympic women's sporting event? I give that one to Ted Williams.

Larry Sullivan

Dale Earnhardt over Babe Ruth? Are you kidding me?

Ruth helped define the golden age of sports. Jack Dempsey, Bill Tilden, Bobby Jones; that was a historic time. Ruth, in his prime, hit more home runs than some teams. He also managed to win almost 100 games as a pitcher before becoming a full-time outfielder. NASCAR has come to the forefront in only the past 10-15 years, and his is not what I would call a household name outside of racing fans. Everyone has heard of the Babe, and he died in 1948.

Take a mulligan and change your thoughts on the No.3.

Mike Doonan

I was outraged that Ted Williams was not included. Obviously, Tom Jones is not as knowledgeable as the average baseball fan. If he were to conduct a survey, I can guarantee that the average fan would know Williams' No.9 over all the other sports numbers. I knew Williams well and he would have laughed it off, but his fans would not. Can you imagine what the reaction would be if No.5 or No.24 were omitted?

Yes, Jones is very stupid to omit Williams! The only way he can make amends is to devote a full page listing Williams' accomplishments - on and off the field. Not only was he arguably the greatest hitter, but also served his country admirably in two wars as a fighter pilot.

Chris Cashavelly, St. Pete Beach

Leave it to you guys to get these wrong.

No.1 - Ozzie Smith over Oscar Robertson?

Smith, admittedly a great defensive shortstop, hit a career .262 with 28 home runs. The Big O once averaged triple doubles for a season and is one of the greatest players of all time. Not even close.

No.15 - Thurman Munson over Bart Starr!?

Munson was a career .292 hitter with 113 homers and is not even in the Hall of Fame. Starr won five, count them, five NFL titles and was the MVP of Super Bowls I and II. One of the best quarterbacks in league history.

No.45 - Archie Griffin over Bob Gibson?

Griffin beat out who to win his Heismans? An NFL bust. Gibson was one of the most dominant pitchers of all time. Two-time Cy Young winner and league MVP as a pitcher. Hall of Famer. Get serious!

No.33 - Larry Bird over Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?

Abdul-Jabbar won nine NCAA/NBA titles, Bird won three. Abdul-Jabbar was MVP six times, Bird three. Abdul-Jabbar is the all-time leading scorer in NBA history. Now on what basis did you pick Bird?

And finally ... No.3!!!???

Only in a backwater, red-neck, trailer-trash sports page would anyone pick a stock car driver over Babe Ruth! Babe Ruth guys!!! The Babe! The great Bambino! The No.1 sports icon of all time!

Todd Hemphill, Trinity

I thought your story was great and it stirred up some personal emotion when it came to the No.22.

You see, when I think of No.22, growing up in Toronto, I think of the Toronto Argonauts. When Doug Flutie played in Toronto he could not wear No.22 because it had been worn for 12 years by one of the great athletes in Canada, and the Argos retired his number when he retired in 1966.

In 1980, he moved to Florida and eventually ended up in the Tampa Bay area with his wife and children. Unfortunately he succumbed to lung cancer in 2003, leaving behind many happy football fans and a proud family.

I am sure many of your Canadian readers will remember the name Dick Shatto; I know I always will remember No.22, because he was my dad.

Randy Shatto, St. Petersburg

I suppose you have to take into account your readership and throw a bone out there to the NASCAR fans but, I mean, c'mon. Babe Ruth is the best-known sports personality of all time. Not just in his sport, not just in his time, and not just in this country, even.

Jerry Payne

Congratulations on a great article and one that is sure to draw many responses from sports fans everywhere. For example, I must beg to differ with your selection for 44. Hank Aaron is a great choice but no greater than Jerry West. Add in the fact that West's number selection was part of a tradition and you have to go with Zeke from Cabin Creek. West succeeded Hot Rod Hundley as the premier player at West Virginia University. Hundley's number was 33, so West naturally selected 44.

By the way, West was followed at WVU by the third in-state All-American in a row, Rod Thorn, who wore 44.

Robert G. Walker

Yes, it is hard to look over Emmitt Smith! He is still going after a long career. How many Super Bowls does Flutie have? How many records does he hold? Smith is No.22 and you should be ashamed for not putting him first.

On a side note, Kobe Bryant's No.8 is a good one, too. He is no ironman but he deserves to be mentioned.

Jack Jonas

You did a good job with a tough subject but 9! Do I understand this correctly? Mia Hamm over Ted Williams because the measure of success is her commercials for Gatorade and Nike? Over Ted Williams! Do your really stand by that one?

Bill Maloney, Largo

I was getting ready to enjoy scrolling through your article and was enjoying it until I made my way down to the No.9. I am aware of the significant contributions Mia Hamm has made to sports, particularly to women's sports. The idea of not naming Ted Williams as the recipient of that number is mind-boggling. I could go on for pages about the exploits of the greatest hitter of all time, and even more about possibly one of the greatest Americans to have ever lived, but that would waste both of our valuable time. I just wanted to voice my immense displeasure with your selection.

James Wood

You had some difficult decisions when you took on this challenge. Even though I disagreed with some, I agreed with many, many more!! So I broke my feedback to you (as well as to the Times) into the following three categories:

Tough calls that I agree with:

No.17 John Havlicek - might have been one of the most clutch players in the history of any sport!!

No.82 Ray Berry - his hands were as good as any receiver who ever played the game!! (Passed this on to you in case you get a lot of flak on these choices!)

Tough calls, but I disagree with them:

No.20 Barry Sanders - was also the best at his position during his time, and running back in what is now the most popular sport in the United States is more important than third base in baseball!!

No.32 Magic Johnson - led his college team to a championship, led his pro team to several championships, playing the most difficult position in basketball and led his team to one championship playing an entirely different position. Jim Brown (although one of my all-time favorites) never played quarterback!

No.54 Randy White - was the best tackle in football for many years!!

No.95 Bubba Smith - was the best defensive player in college, went to the pros, was one of the best defensive ends in the pros during his time and would have been one of the best all time except for a freak injury; also was more well-known than Bucky Dent!!

Not so tough calls, which I disagree with:

No.1 Oscar Robertson - during his time, he was the best player in college basketball, and likewise when he reached the pro level; led his team to a championship; Ozzie Smith was not the best baseball player at his time!

No.3 Babe Ruth - one of the most identified people in any sport for all ages, and played the most popular sport in the United States during his era; very questionable whether people will be discussing Dale Earnhardt 50 years from now!

Mike Miler

This is an interesting and fun idea. I'm sure you received many comments, and I'm pleased to add mine to tell you where you are wrong.

No.1 - Basketball was quite different when Oscar Robertson played. He never attempted a dunk because he found it unnecessary. Today, every player plays above the rim. Nevertheless, Robertson was perhaps the most complete player ever. As much as I admire Ozzie Smith, there is no way he could be picked over Robertson.

No.9 - Ted Williams was an awesome player. And, he served not one but two tours of duty as a combat U.S. Marine pilot. Nobody outranks him at this number.

No.12 - As a former New Yorker and former Jets fan, there is no way that Joe Namath outranks Terry Bradshaw. Forget about the media hype and stick to career achievements and Namath's boastful prediction pales alongside Bradshaw's career. If you go back and really look at Super Bowl III, the real MVP should have been Matt Snell.

No.15 - Bart Starr's career eclipses Thurman Munson's.

No.22 - I'm a Doug Flutie fan, but Emmitt Smith's career achievement far surpasses Flutie's Hail Mary pass.

No.33 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar over Larry Bird, although they should share the award.

No.36 - Robin Roberts played a serious game, as much as we love Meadowlark Lemon.

No.37 - Just leave the number blank, rather than give it to a blowhard like Casey Stengel.

No.45 - Bob Gibson is one of just a handful of dominant pitchers; his career was greater than Archie Griffin's two-year Heisman achievement.

No.52 - Mike Webster's Hall of Fame career trumps Ray Lewis' career, so far.

No.70 - As an old Giants fan (as well as Jets fan), and having met Sam Huff, Huff is an old hero of mine. But he should at least share the award with one of the greatest defensive players ever, Ernie Stautner.

No.74 - Bob Lilly over Merlin Olsen.

No.75 - Mean Joe Greene over Deacon Jones, but I admit it is close.

No.79 - Bob St. Clair over Harvey Martin.

No.89 - Mike Ditka may be the best at this number, but John Mackey redefined the tight end position and is clearly the best ever.

No.90 - George Webster over Neil Smith.

No.95 - Bubba Smith over Richard Dent.

You still did a great job. I'd like to hear the comments from your readers. Perhaps you will do a column on it.

Robert A. Monroe

[Last modified January 25, 2005, 05:16:05]