We move into the next group of 10 numbers, I got some real favorites in this group, let's get into it.
11 Denny Hamlin: He's my favorite driver in NASCAR, 41 career wins. Denny is a consistent driver who seems to always be in races at his tracks. Another thing about Denny is his power inside the sport. He had lead a driver's group that has helped shape rules in the sport, he also recruited for the iRacing that was on Fox during the Covid Break. Denny has come a long way in the sport, he has a few flaws but he's my guy and I got 3 Daytona 500 winning diecasts thanks to him.
12 Brandon Smith: He's heading into his Senior year and hopefully Brandon can see his potential. He's a very physical receiver with amazing hands and body control. Smith was forced into action early as a true freshman because there was nobody else with his physical attributes that could play outside. Since then he's grown so much as player, and become a smarter receiver. He had a little injury bug last year but he's been outstanding when on the field and has some of the best catches for Iowa in the last couple years.
13 Joe Kane: The Heisman hopeful with a little bit of a drinking problem. In The Program the Able Kane was trying to lead The Eastern State University Timberwolves to glory. Joe Kane was a junior, which made his Heisman run a little strange since back in the early 90's not many underclassmen made a run at the trophy. Instead though he got a little banged up and ended up in rehab for drinking. He did redeem himself and got the girl as well as his motorcycle back.
14 Desmond King: I talked about Dez in the college football reflections post, 4 year start, consensus All American and Thorpe Award winner in 2015. Desomond King is the best football player that Iowa had in the entire decade, he was truly special. I still wish he got to play some WR in 2016 when the WR corp was depleted. Instead he just played CB and eventually went to the Chargers where he's been named an All Pro. Dez is the man, truly a Hawkeye Legend.
15 Tommy Frazier: I know I picked a Nebraska guy, but in my defense when Tommy was playing for the Skers they weren't in the Big Ten and didn't play Michigan or Iowa. Tommy was awesome, probably the most athletic QB the Huskers of the 90's had. He was runner up to Eddie George for the Heisman in 1995. He had blood clot issues and other health issues which derailed his professional career before it even got started, but I remember watching him play and loving his talent.
16 Joe Montana: I always go back and forth with Joe Montana and Tom Brady. I had Montana #1 for years, but lately I've been thinking Brady. Joe Cool was so fun to watch, and even though I didn't watch a lot of his greatness, I saw enough. He was so calm in the pocket and delivered the ball in the right spot to free up Jerry Rice and John Taylor. I would like to see what Montana could do with today's rules where receivers have a little more freedom to move. He still has the best line ever right before that last minute drive about going to see John Candy in the other end zone.
17 Doug Williams: It was the first game I remember watching, the Super Bowl Doug Williams won for Washington in 1988. As I got older I took a lot of pride in my team being the one with black QB that won the Super Bowl. It was huge deal at the time and it's slowly lost it's importance, which is good, while he's been joined in the club by Russell Wilson. Williams was an ok QB and has been in the front office for the team since 2014.
18 Matt Cain: I've watched Matt Cain pitch live more than any pitcher in my life. It's a complete coincidence I've been to two of his starts, both in Milwaukee. He has 3 rings, a perfect game, and was the ace of the 2012 staff. Cain was the first big piece for the Giants rebuild that lead to the 3 in 5 years. He had to pitch on some bad teams that were only there to let Barry Bonds hit home runs. I'll always remember Cain as the guy who would lose 1-0 or 2-1, he would pitch brilliantly and get no run support.
19 1919 White Sox: I wasn't ever a huge expert of the 1919 White Sox, I didn't research their history or try to see what happened beyond what Field of Dreams or Eight Men Out talked about. Then last year I listened to a podcast called Infamous America, and they told the entire story of the Black Sox. I learned so much, and I listened to the podcast 3 times just to make sure I didn't miss anything. The story is so complex, fun, and interesting. The Eight Men Out story is full of falsehoods and doesn't tell an accurate story of what really happened. I suggest listening to the podcast and heading over to SABR and reading what their research team has found.
20 Barry Sanders: I don't think there is better football player in my life than Barry Sanders. He was electric to watch, so fun, so exciting. You didn't know if it was going to be a 2 yard loss or a 30 yard gain on any given play. Barry was the most explosive running back, he didn't have the line Emmit Smith did, but he made so many plays on his own. I love watching his highlight films, and often can remember watching a lot of those breakaway runs live. I'm not sure we've had anyone close to him since he retired, and man do I miss his style.
This was a fun group, little Quarterback heavy, but the low numbers will do that. Hoping to get the next 10 done before the weekend, enjoy.
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