This is such a fun exercise and the higher the numbers go the harder it will be. Not many players have numbers above 50, there will be a few easy ones but not as many options as what the first 40 have. I'm pumped for tonight's group let's get it.
31 Reggie Miller: I never liked Reggie Miller the basketball player, but I love Reggie Miller the shit talker. When Reggie went toe to toe with Spike Lee, that was quality entertainment. The Reggie Miller part of the Jordon Documentary was outstanding, I could listen to Reggie tell stories for hours. He had an ugly shot and a worse hair cut, but he was a great shooter. He may been ahead of his time, with the volume, of 3's shot today he could've been even more cerebral.
32 Anthony Thomas: The A-Train is my favorite Running Back from my years as a Michigan fan. The dude was unbelievable, he was so big and so fast. As a younger player he would catch passes out of the backfield and as he got older he got better between the tackles. He was an enigma at his size to be able to be that fast, he eventually got drafted by the Bears and won Rookie of the Year in 2001 but that was the height of his career.
33 Scottie Pippen: Scottie is my favorite basketball player ever. I loved watching him play. His length made him a great defender, his arms seemed to stretch forever. He was listed at Small Forward but in the triangle he brought the ball up, so he was actually a Point Forward. He was the perfect 2nd man for MJ, he could distribute, he could score, he could get to the basket, and he didn't need to dominate the ball to be difference maker. The Jordan documentary shit on Pippen a lot, he had a few brain cramps and I thought they focused a little to much on those, but that doesn't matter, nobody can be perfect like MJ so I don't hold those moments against Pippen.
34 Bo Jackson: Is he the single greatest athlete of our time? He could be, he played 2 professional sports at All Star levels. He broke Tecmo Bowl and he broke baseball bats. I think if Bo had focused only on baseball he would've been a Hall of Fame player, he could've been Barry Bonds with an arm. He had the speed and the power, plus he could throw it on a line from the warning track to home. His body failed him before he could really hit his peak, but everyone will still remember his greatness.
35 Justin Verlander: I've written a lot about Verlander since firing this back up. JV is probably my favorite pitcher from the last decade, (who didn't pitch for the Giants). I watched him work in Kansas City and I'll always remember that night, not for his pitching but for his pregame routine. Watching him prepare was the highlight of the game for me. He's also got the super model wife and he seems to be one of the voices int he game who carries some weight. JV is heading to the Hall of Fame and I'll be happy he got there while also happy he gave up those 2 homers to Panda in the 2012 World Series.
36 Sean Taylor: I'm cheating on this one, Sean Taylor was actually #21 when he passed away, but when Washington drafted him he wore 36 his first season. I wanted to talk about Clemente so I save Sean T. for this here. He was on his way to Canton. The dude was a damn missile for the ball, he could find anyone and ruin their day. He was maturing as a player when he was murdered and I only saw good things for his future. We are born a year apart, both on April 1st, me 1982 and him in 1983. After Darrell Green, Sean T. is my favorite player in franchise history.
37 The 1937 Baseball Hall of Fame Class: The inaugural class in 1936 had all the guys you would expect, the 2nd class in 1937 though had some big names. The players elected by the writers were Nap Lajoie, Tris Speaker, and Cy Young. There was also a Centennial Commision that was put in place to get a few of the men who showed outstanding service to the game, those men were Connie Mack, John McGraw, Morgan Bulkeley, Ban Johnson, and George Wright. The players you've heard of, mostly. The others though you might not have. Mack and McGraw had the most wins in each league, Mack is still has the most managers wins in MLB history, 3,731 and he was still managing at the time of his induction. McGraw is 2nd on the list, and most wins in NL history with 2,763, almost a thousand behind Mack. Morgan Bulkeley was the first president of the National League and Ban Johnson was the first president of the American League, Ban Johnson was the defacto commissioner before there was an official commissioner, and he personally paid to transport gamblers to the trial of the 1919 White Sox to make Charlie Comisky look bad. George Wright was the first owner of a professional team. I've never been to the Hall, but with my recent dive into the 1919 White Sox I want to go now more than ever.
38 Brian Wilson: Fear the Beard, it was the rally cry in 2010. Wilson was the closer for the first World Series title, and his performances were stressful, the Giants announcers labeled it torture. He had to put at least a couple guys on base before wiggling off the hook. I did get to watch Wilson live in 2009, he was throwing 100 MPH heaters past the Brewers hitters, and he tried to blow that save as well. Wilson is a character and his antics were almost as legendary as his beard and his pitching. He flamed out like most closers, but he was awesome for those couple years.
39 Ted Williams debuts: I don't get to talk about Ted Williams very much, but in 1939 one of the best hitters ever debuted for the Boston Red Sox. All he did was lead the league in RBIs and finish 4th in MVP voting as a 20 year old. He hadn't faced big league pitching yet and he still hit .327, that's incredible, if a 20 year old hit like now he would be set for life. Williams lost his prime years to the war and lost even more years to the Korean War. He was a special player, a bit of a thorny personality but a great great player.
40 Madison Bumgarner: There is nobody else to put here, Bum is the damn man. He carried the Giants to the title in 2014. He tried to do it again in 2016, but there wasn't enough around him. He is statistically the best postseason pitcher in history. He has 2 amazing performances in the Wild Card game, 2014 and 2016. He World Series debut in 2010 he pitched a gem in Game 4 setting up the Giants to close the series in 5 games. 2014 we all know the World Series stories he had. He is the ultimate big game pitcher, and yes he doesn't have the hardware of Kershaw or Verlander, but he has the rings that they don't and he had a huge part in all 3. He'll be always be a legend for the Giants.
This as always was a fun one, got to do a little research on guys and found some neat things. Come back again for 41-50 as we keep this train rolling without many sports to talk about.
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