OT - It's offseason, but just wondering what people think. Best Boston Athlete

Who is the greatest Boston athlete.

Tom Brady
Bill Russell
Lary Bird
Ted Williams (i'm not counting Babe Ruth)
Bobby Orr

Russell. All the guy did was win, everywhere he went.

Hmmm Boston is pretty lucky w have one of the three best players in their sport in all 4 majors.

Russell - I guess Jordan is the best but Russell is 2

Brady - I call hum one but at the least he is 2 to Montana

Orr - 2 to Gretzkey

Williams - the greatest hitter that ever lived

I went with Brady in the poll as I am biased toward football.

I think Ortiz should be on this list, even if he doesn't get votes he should still be mentioned. He's got 3 rings, Boston loves him, and he has a famous quote…

"THIS IS OUR F#CKING CITY"

Couldn't vote for just one, apologies to Larry and David.

Tom is the only one who can realistically be called the best ever.

Russell won but I wouldn't say he was the best. Not to mention Brady has won in the modern era, something much harder for anyone else on that list besides Ortiz.

That was a tougher call than I anticipated. I went with Brady. I hope he gets another championship.

Bobby Orr. It may not even be close.

JPsPats said:

I think Ortiz should be on this list, even if he doesn't get votes he should still be mentioned. He's got 3 rings, Boston loves him, and he has a famous quote…

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Whether he's an overall athlete is debatable -- he's skilled at swinging a bat. He doesn't belong anywhere near this list.

Brady is the best overall -- skill, physical tools, smarts, leadership, consistency and drive. Russell is close.

primetime said:

Bobby Orr. It may not even be close.

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Did you not vote? Because Orr still has zero votes.

I am going with Bobby Orr. He changed the way hockey was played. He changed the way defenseman played the game.

primetime said:

Bobby Orr. It may not even be close.

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Growing up......it was all about Orr...at least for me.
For those with foggy memories, check out Orr's stats....
Bobby Orr NHL Statistics | Hockey-Reference.com
.....ridiculous.....Few times in one's life do we get to watch an athlete be so far superior than his peers.....Orr was....Gretzky was....

But to answer the poll question.....Bill Russell is the greatest Boston athlete...
Bill Russell NBA & ABA Stats | Basketball-Reference.com
11 Championships
5 time MVP
Top 3 in minutes every year
Sick rebound average
One of 5 players on the floor....therefore greatest impact on a team......and this translated to championships

Bill Russell
Won consistent world championships
Changed how the game was played
No other candidate did all this

Patsrock said:

Orr.... He changed the way defenseman played the game.

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I read this line a lot....and there was an era where teams valued a scoring defensemen.....but that era is long gone. The league is so structured with a defense first mentality......Plus....defenders today are giants incapable of weaving thru 3 layers of D.
Those 70's teams were a pleasure. Take a walk back in the past and check out the size of the goalie pads....tiny. No wonder Espo thrived in front of the net.
Sunday night hockey on channel 38......I lived for Sunday nights

I never watched Russell or Williams play but their numbers speak for themselves. Larry was incredible, he could do everything on a basketball court and was one of the best passers i have seen. His impact on basketball was probably more so than Russell's, but that might be because it was the beginning of the era of sports on tv. Orr was ridiculous, he helped create this city into a hockey city and that carried over. The 80s and early 90s saw us as more of a basketball/hockey city than baseball/football like it is now.

Saying all that i voted for Brady.

I say Antoine Walker.....

I'm a Patriots/football guy. And Brady is my fave, but I had to go with Bobby Orr. Those Bruins teams captivated this city like no other, and just look at the boom of New Englanders that went to the NHL in the 1980's early 90's. ..

I know there always the discussion of what sports town Boston is. Old timers will tell you it was and always will be a baseball town, while the new guys (myself included)will tell you is a football town, but I think Boston in its core is a hockey town.

borg said:

I read this line a lot....and there was an era where teams valued a scoring defensemen.....but that era is long gone. The league is so structured with a defense first mentality......Plus....defenders today are giants incapable of weaving thru 3 layers of D.
Those 70's teams were a pleasure. Take a walk back in the past and check out the size of the goalie pads....tiny. No wonder Espo thrived in front of the net.
Sunday night hockey on channel 38......I lived for Sunday nights

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I just think Bobby Orr is one of the few players from 50/60/70's that could thrive in today's sports without changing his style or physical body. He was 6'0 and 200lbs. The best d-man over the last 15 years Nicklas Lidstrom was 6'1 190 playing weight.

While Bill Russell is great and greatest winner of all time. Did he really change they way basketball was played?

Did Brady change the way the QB position was played?
Did Bird change the way basketball was played?

Bill Russell will always be underrated because offense was not his biggest asset. He was an absolutely dominant defender and the best rebounder in the league (a key aspect of the Celtics devastating fast beak offense). Russell had unparalleled shot blocking skills and also directed his blocks to players on the break (in contrast to today's players who like to smash the ball out of bounds so the crowd will ooh and ah).

The Celtic dynasty started the day he got there and ended the day he left. 11 NBA championships in 13 years (he was out with an injury when the Celtics lost to the St Louis Hawks in the finals in 1958). Two NCAA championships. One Olympic gold medal.

Bill Russell - the greatest champion in the history of sports.

SalemPats said:

Who is the greatest Boston athlete.



Tom Brady

Bill Russell

Lary Bird

Ted Williams (i'm not counting Babe Ruth)

Bobby Orr

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I have to go with Brady. The reason is that I'm 35 so outside of Bird when I was in fifth grade I did not see any of the others play.