From my lofty perch:
Call Russell the greatest defender of all time. The greatest "winner" in NBA history. The Greatest rebounder? But there is no way in hell a 15 pt/game , 56% free throw shooter should be labeled greatest player in the sport's history. Russell thrived in an era where bad shooting was status quo and rebounding was inflated….see Wilt for examples of inflation. My love for Bird prevents me from admitting Jordan is likely the greatest….but I will say this……the 60's Celtics were stacked, the 80's Lakers and Celtics were stacked….but Jordan's Bulls weren't….yet they still they dominated. That tells me everything.
I grew up worshipping Bobby Orr, worshipping the B's….and that era of hockey was the sport's hey day IMO. Great rivalries that broke out into wars and the B's represented Boston with guts and glory…And Orr was spectacular….a performer like no other in that era and I've never seen a defenseman take over games like #4. Standing behind the net with the puck, knowing his team needed him to take over the game…..Jordanesque. His rushes up the ice were epic…everyone of them. And unfortunately, gimpy knees shortened his era of dominance.
That being said…..Gretzky was the greatest. Very simply put, Gretzky was a machine. He didn't need to dig deep to achieve his moments of greatness….it was constant, efficient, lethal, and there was longevity. Nine MVPs, Five cups, endless scoring titles. Like Orr, the NHL had no answer to slow this guy down……and Gretzky delivered. Every night, the opposition's game plan was to slow Gretzky down and Gretzky countered with a decade of statistical and team domination that will likely never be matched. Gretzky by a landslide.
The Say Hey Kid verses Teddy Ballgame…….never saw them play live, met Ted a few years before his son froze his head. Can't say I've seen many of Williams highlights either but for some reason Mays has more public footage. I get why people labeled Mays as the greatest all around ball player back during his era……a public not used to witnessing the stunning athleticism of black ballplayers in the newly integrated MLB now sees a young man flying around the outfield and the base paths with power to boot. And I get the fascination and recognition of defensive artists because in that era, gloves and arms won games. My favorite Saux player of all time was Dewey Evans because his arm was a thunderbolt and his ability to gun runners at the plate was must see TV. Forget Rice's moon shots, Evans sniping foolish base runners were my greatest memories of baseball as a kid (and Johnny Bench).
And Mays with a .950 OPS (yes…I'm going there) is dam impressive along with his defensive aptitude.
So is "impressive" enough to be labeled the "greatest"?
At the plate, Williams would be categorized as more than impressive….more than great……Out of this World is most appropriate. 1.150 OPS (there I go again)…for his career. "Best hitter" in baseball history? It can be argued yes…of course the taint of the accessibility of the Green Monster always gets injected into any Teddy Ballgame conversation.
A better debate than who was better, Mays vs. Williams, might be….You are a GM back in their generation and a GM today, who would you choose to build a team around if you could only have one or the other. I know I'm taking the bigger bat despite my appreciation for superior defenders. "Strong up the middle" always sounds logical but it was the Yankee bats that earned them dozens of rings and the Ken Griffey Jr all-a-rounders won the purists' heart…but not much else. But of course, Williams earned no rings…so who the eff knows. The more players on the field, the more foolish any argument becomes…Who's the "greatest"…..???
Which gets us to football…..45 players for each team…..22 different positions…..and we can somehow determine who's the greatest? Silly!
So lets be silly….at QB. I will keep this brief. I take Montana (sorry Tom). My logic is sound (to me). Perfection (SB record) during an era of superior competition. The NFC in the Montana era was stacked with some of the NFL 's strongest teams and defenses ever (Giants, Dallas) and earning a trip to the SB having to run the gauntlet of the NFC playoffs………impressive. Those NFC playoffs were wars, year in year out and those teams were stacked….and Montana delivered. Sucks for Brady because perfection can never be regained and Montana owns that particular label….but as I said….silly.
It's unfortunate that any of these greats …Orr, Gretzky, Mays, Montana …even Jordan played well past their prime allowing some doubt into our minds regarding their dominance and greatness. Final memories of these guys are too often sad memories. Russell was different …he exited a champion and his legacy is the most intact …..maybe in the history of sports. Perpetual champion….NCAA, Olympics, and the NBA. I don't have him as the greatest basketball player….but he may be the greatest winner ever. Why the city of Boston hasn't elevated Russell to a similar Pantheon that only Ted Williams resides in is beyond comprehension. If Williams is worthy of a tunnel name, Russell deserves ???? The bridge next to the Garden seems appropriate…don't you think. Ortiz and Brady are in line as well….but this is Boston and certain criteria too often limits change….right Mr. Russell ( I digress)…it only took a half century to get him a statue. Williams got a tunnel after a half century
….so be patient Bill.
PS…I am curious how the city of Boston honors Brady and/or Belichick in years to come, if at all. A team that doesn't play in the city……a city that honored Avalanche defenseman Ray Bourque……very curious
