Best of the bay

Who do you think is the best athlete living in Tampa Bay or playing for a bay area team?

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By GARY SHELTON

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 30, 2000

Imagine them in one room. A crowded room.

Imagine all the athletes of Tampa Bay together. Fast ones and strong ones. Rich ones and poor ones. Big, small. Male, female. Loud, quiet. Imagine the ones who grew up here and the ones who grew up half a world away. Imagine them gathering at a banquet table.

Now, imagine this:

Who sits at the head of the table?

This is Tampa Bay. We have grown from a small area that played only one professional sport (and not very well) to a community full of millionaires chasing one shape of ball or another. So many teams. So many players. So many jerseys to buy.

But who is the best?

The discussion is hereby open. Of all the athletes who perform here, who is No. 1?

Is Derrick Brooks better than Warren Sapp?

Can Greg Vaughn hit a ball harder than Martina Hingis?

And who's the best Vinny in town? Castilla or Lecavalier?

This is the best thing about sports. Discussions such as this one, when you can compare apples and oranges and kiwis and the occasional pineapple. Lists from which you can debate a hockey forward vs. a third baseman, a swimmer vs. a boxer, a safety vs. a tennis player. (If you don't like the argument, take solace in this: It wasn't that long ago the debate would have been whether Lee Roy Selmon was better on first down or third down).

The rankings Derrick Brooks Warren Sapp Martina Hingis Keyshawn Johnson Greg Vaughn John Lynch Roberto Hernandez Brooke Bennett Mike Alstott Warrick Dunn Vinny Castilla Vinny Lecavalier Donnie Abraham Winky Wright Jeff Christy Gerald Williams Randall McDaniel Jose Canseco Brad Culpepper Fred McGriff Raul Diaz Arce Petr Svoboda Chidi Ahanotu John Flaherty Ed Baird

Ah, you say. Such a debate depends on your parameters. What is your definition of the "best" athlete? Okay, for the sake of discussion, a few ground rules: 1.) This isn't about yesterday, and it isn't about tomorrow. Individuals are to be judged by their current level of performance in their chosen sport. That means production, every week. 2.) It isn't about who makes the most money or wins the most awards. 3.) Athletes have to perform here. They can't live here and play on a team elsewhere, such as Derek Jeter or Brad Radke. 4.) No pro wrestlers, who perform rather than compete.

So, is Mike Alstott better than Warrick Dunn?

Can Keyshawn Johnson go deep as well as Jose Canseco?

And when Roberto Hernandez gets himself in deep water, can he swim out as fast as Brooke Bennett?

Answer your questions quickly, because the canvas keeps changing.

Once, you could have argued for Pete Sampras, before he moved. Or Carlos Valderrama, before he got old. Or Daren Puppa, before he got hurt (again). Or, if they played here in their glory, Canseco or Doc Gooden or Fred McGriff. In a few years, the debate might be Lecavalier vs. Josh Hamilton vs. Shaun King. Or Jeff Lacy vs. Matt White vs. Pavel Kubina.

So who's No. 1 now? Let's start slowly, with one man's opinion of the top 10.

10. Warrick Dunn: Dunn didn't have his best season in 1999, but he remains an exciting open-field runner. I put him just ahead of the Vinnys, Lecavalier (12) and Castilla (11). (Note: Testaverde plays for the Jets, so he doesn't qualify.) And with a new offense, and a better line, Dunn could move up quickly (how else?) this season.

9. Mike Alstott: Give Thunder a slight edge over Lightning. No, he isn't a fullback, and most of us will have to be convinced he's an H-back. But he has rare strength and work ethic. He also has a cereal.

8. Brooke Bennett: Bennett, a gold-medal winning swimmer, has a chance to win another medal in the Olympics this fall. If it's gold, you could argue she belongs higher. It isn't easy to climb the gold-medal platform in consecutive Olympics.

7. Roberto Hernandez: Yes, he drives you crazy. But Hernandez remains the best thing about a bad pitching staff. And if the Rays are decent, he'll have 40 saves.

6. John Lynch: Have you noticed opposing receivers run through the middle of the Bucs secondary on their tiptoes? It bears mention he also was a pitcher in the Marlins organization.

5. Greg Vaughn: It hasn't taken Tampa Bay long to love the way he plays the game. A lot of passion, a lot of pop. And he's one of those rare players who seems to play better after the seventh inning, when ordinary players struggle to breathe.

4. Keyshawn Johnson: Granted, he hasn't stepped onto a field in Tampa Bay yet. But he's tough and he's hungry and, best of all, he's here. In the years to come, you will add one more word to describe Keyshawn. You will call him a "bargain."

3. Martina Hingis: The world's second-ranked player (and former No. 1) lives in Saddlebrook. Maybe if the WTA would hold a local tournament, you could see how good she is.

2. Warren Sapp: He's the emotional leader of the Bucs defense, and his improved play last season is one reason the team was better and he won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Only every-week consistency keeps him from being on top of the heap.

1. Derrick Brooks: Yes, Brooks. He never seems to have a bad play, let alone a bad game. Who else covers more territory and makes more plays? If production is how you rank an athlete, then no one around here does his job any better. It isn't hard to imagine Brooks, in other circumstances, lumbering toward the plate with a bat in his hands, or clearing a hurdle, or muscling his way to the basket. And can you imagine him in a hockey brawl? The guy's an athlete. The guy's a producer. Right here, right now, the guy's the best.

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