By The Numbers 91-100 Edition

    It's the last structured post. I got a few more numbers I'm going to do in one more post but they won't be in order. Another week of sports has happened, I've watched lots of hockey this week, it's been my hey nothings on, let's watch hockey. Been a while since I gave hockey this much time and man is it a fun game to watch. It's a team game but individuals can make so many great plays and the goalies, man are the goalies good. It's fun to watch. On to the numbers.

91 Dennis Rodman: The last 3 Bulls championships don't happen without Rodman. He was the ultimate super star who didn't have to be a super star. He did the the dirty work, he played the mind games, he worked his ass off and made the difference without dropping 20 points a game. His star shined even brighter off the court, with his super model girlfriends, colored hair, marrying himself, and unusual antics. There will never be another Dennis Rodman.

92 Reggie White: I will forever say Reggie White was the tide that turned the Green Bay Packers. They were nothing from the 60's to the early 90's. Even with Brett Favre taking over they weren't a serious threat, then Reggie showed up and suddenly the defense had a pulse. Aside from his own stellar play Reggie got other guys who wanted to play with him to join him in Green Bay, Santana Dotson came from Tampa and Sean Jones from Houston. Reggie was so special to watch, he was a huge man but wasn't cut. He played with power and speed. His "Hump" pass rush move was just amazing, and he didn't come from the blind side, instead he just beat every Right Tackle in NFL for over a decade. 

93 1993 Daytona 500: Dale Jarrett won the 1993 Daytona 500, and that when is special for many reasons. First of all Jarrett's dad Ned was calling the race on CBS, and Ken Squier the greatest announcer in racing history new how the big moment was and let Ned call his son in, instead of doing it himself. 2nd it was the first win for Joe Gibbs Racing, a hell of a start for a team with only 1 season under their belt. Obviously now JGR is power team in NASCAR, but then they were just thought of as the football coaches team. Lastly it was another 500 that Dale Earnhardt finished 2nd, he got so close so many times before finally getting one in 1998. 

94 AJ Epenesa: Iowa doesn't get 5 star athletes out of high school. AJE was a 5 star, AJE came to Iowa, AJE didn't start till his Junior Year.. He was special to watch and I'm excited to see what he can do in the NFL this year. AJ may have been a 5 star but he worked like a 2 star and played like he had something to prove every week. I never blamed the coaches for not letting him start but he did play a lot and he'll be better off for not playing so much early.

95 1995 Atlanta Braves: I"m not doing this to give credit to the Braves. Instead this is about how the greatest pitching staff of the modern era only has 1 ring. Three Hall of Fame pitchers on one staff and 1 ring, just terrible. I know World Series rings are hard to win but if you go into a series with 3 hall of famers they should be worth at least 4 wins in a 7 game series. So congratulations Braves you got your 1 ring and 4 guys in the hall of fame, while the Giants who won 3 in 5 years will maybe get 2 in the Hall when it's all said and done, and that annoys the hell out of me. Be better Atlanta.

96 Charlie Conway: I"m going to be honest, I have lots of problems with the Mighty Ducks. #1 Gordon Bombay is shitty coach and a bad person. #2 Charlie was ok, but Adam Banks was the best hockey player in his age group and should've gotten more camera time. Conway was alright and what he lacked in talent he made up for in leadership, which as a kid he needed because his coach sucked. As I've grown older I've grown nostalgic for many movies from my youth, but The Mighty Ducks I've only grown more mad at. 

97 Cornelius Bennett: I have no idea good of a player Cornelius Bennett was in real life, but in Super Tecmo Bowl he played outside linebacker and I could rush the passer like none other with him. I was every great pass rusher rolled into one with Bennett, I was better than LT. There was a good 5 year run where I played 3 games a day of Tecmo and Bennett was my best player on defense in the entire game. I want to play now.

98 Brian Orakpo: I was a big fan of Orakpo when he played in DC. He had a knack for getting to the QB, I often called him OSackpo since he got to the QB so often. He eventually moved on to Tennessee and I think he just retired. I liked him with Washington.

99 Rick Vaughn: Wild Thing was so good in the first Major League. His story arch made sense and his confrontation with Clew Haywood is so memorable, from him coming in and Dorn talking to him, to Lou saying forget the curve ball Ricky give him the heater. Major League is such a damn good movie and Wild Thing was a huge part of it.

100 Joe Posnanski Baseball 100: Lists of 100 are awesome, 100 greatest anything will create debate. Joe wrote about the 100 best baseball players ever and listed them off every day for 100 days, it was the best 100 days ever until Covid hit. I enjoyed it so much I did my own version on the blog. It's an incredible read and if it's ever a book I would suggest you read it. 

Another one in the books, this has been great fun, and I probably gave it a little too much thought but it worked out for the good. Hope you enjoyed the lists and come back next week for a grab bag of numbers.

By The Numbers 81-90 Edition

     The Big Ten postponed the season yesterday, I'm not surprised. I don't want to get into it because it's depressing enough already, deep diving it is useless. Until everyone can agree on the best solution for this pandemic we're stuck with these situations. On with the numbers, lots of star power tonight as we navigate the me guys. 

81 Calvin Johnson: I've talked about my love of Megatron multiple times on this site. He's probably my favorite player from the last decade that had nothing to do with any of my favorite teams. He went to work, did his job, put up numbers, and did so quietly. I'm not the biggest act like you've been there before guy, I like personalities, but when guys decide to not be a showboat it is refreshing. Tron put up great numbers in his short career, I feel like he belongs in Canton. His day will come and I'll be excited for him if he can get in there.

82 Charlie Tweeder: I think Tweeder had a future in the league, especially in the Patriots offense, he had that Edelman build. Problem is Tweeder was going to end up in jail. He talked about drugging girls, he kidnapped some girls and threw their clothes out the window, while stealing a cop car. He put his wanger on the glass over at the Allano Club while the girls were practicing their Christmas performance. But damn it he could run routes, catch anything and break free. In the oopity oop Mox wanted to single him up on the one side, but he still lined up in the slot with the other 3 receivers. Varsity Blues is still my favorite football movie.

83 Ricky Sanders: There once was a group of receivers in Washington, they were called "The Posse" it consisted of Art Monk, Gary Clark, and Ricky Sanders. They were an awesome trio, and though only Monk made the Hall of Fame, all of them have a special place in team history. Ricky helped win 2 rings. Washington's offense was a run first scheme with the Hogs and good running backs, but the three receivers helped them stretch the field and keep teams honest.

84 Sterling Sharpe: I only got to watch Sterling Sharpe a couple of years before he ended his career prematurely due to foot injuries. He was the first receiver to record back to back 100 reception seasons. For that I will always remember him. I'm not a Packer fan but I watched them a lot since my family is all Packer backers. He wowed me as a 9 year old with how he played and how he didn't seem to drop anything. Those early 90's teams set up the Packers for the late 90's success and I think Sterling helped Brett Favre get the confidence he needed early on in his career. 

85 Chad Johnson: I have a crush on the Bengals. I don't "root" for them but when they are good I enjoy watching them. Not sure if it's the helmets or the color scheme, but I enjoy good Bengals teams. When they had Carson Palmer, TJ Houshamazillah, and Chad 8-5 I paid attention. Johnson was what a receiver is supposed to be, loudmouth, brash, and super talented. He was a top 5 receiver for a few years and though he didn't have the most success outside of Cinncy he was still fun to watch.

 86 Brian Murphy: Murphy was the deaf Tight End for the Washington Sentinals. Him and Shane Falco had a bond that developed very fast and nobody could predict. The last game was on the line and Falco asked who wanted the ball, Murphy signed me, and Falco said let's hook up. Of course Murphy catches the pass and they beat the team full of regular players. The Replacements is a fun football movie and a great way to pass some time if  you find it on. 

 87 Rob Gonkowski: I love Gronk, everything about Gronk is awesome. We need more Gronk.

 88 Greg Olsen: Olsen was a great tight end, loved him at Miami, loved him on the Bears, loved him Carolina. Was always a good sneaky fantasy guy to take if you missed the top tier tight ends. Anyone else who's worn 88 sucks.

 89 Mike Ditka: Ditka, Polish Sausage, Ditka, Polish Sausage. Ditka was a bad ass in a time of bad asses. He played tight end in the NFL and then coached the Bears to their only Super Bowl. Ditka is a damn legend and deserves all the recognition. Ditka 333 Detroit -43.

90 Neil Smith: Neil Smith invented the breathe right strip. After breaking his nose he started putting tape over his nose and decorating it. While the Chiefs teams in the early 90's that had Smith, Derrick Thomas, Joe Montana, and Marcus Allen I took a liking to Neil. He was a dominate inside player on the defensive line and had fun kicking everyone's ass. The fact he brought the breathe right strip only helps enhance his legacy. Great player should probably get a little more recognition. 

 That's all the numbers for this one, getting to the end  of the top 100. I'll try to get the next group done soon. In the meantime stay safe and enjoy what taste of sports you can get. 

By The Numbers 71-80 Edition

   Here we are, sports are back and yet I can't get into them. The fear of them being taking them away at any moment does. n't allow me to enjoy them. Today the Big Ten announced their football schedule and that got me going a little bit, but for the most part I'm pretty impartial to sports right now. Sadly the biggest sporting event in my recent life was cancelled, as the sports world was going to be focused on Dyersville for one night, but it won't be happening. I did take in lots of baseball last week but it was of local talent. Well let's get back to the topic at hand, these numbers are going to harder than even the last group.

71 Trent Williams: I talked about Williams in the draft revisited posts, Washington took him instead of Russell Okung. Williams was stalwart for the offensive line for all his years. He made a bunch of pro bowls and for the most part has worked out very well for a top 5 draft pick.

72 Carlton Fisk: Pudge wore 72 when he signed with the White Sox, he was 27 in Boston, then flipped his number in Chicago. The White Sox have since retired 72 in his honor. I remember watching Fisk in his twilight years, I thought the White Sox of the early 90's were destined for great things, and Fisk was the old veteran on a team of youngsters. He has one of the top 5 most famous home runs in baseball history.

73 Marshall Yanda: He's the best offensive guard in the last decade in the NFL, Yanda was an 8 time Pro Bowl player, first team all pro twice and second team all pro 5 times. He was named to the 2010s All Decade team. After leaving Iowa after the 2006 season he played 13 years all for the Ravens, won a Super Bowl and gained the respect of his teammates and the league. A great guy and great player.

74 Tristan Wirfs: The offensive line parade continues. Wirfs is an absolute beast on the field and one of the nicest guys off the field. He had a great relationship with Iowa band and they often celebrated with each other after wins. He was a 3 year starter on the offensive line for the Hawkeyes, even as a true freshman. He made a mistake at least once a game in his freshman year but he grew so much in his 3 years, especially in the weight room. He's now the strongest player in program history, and you know he did ir the right way when he played.

75 Brandon Scherff: It doesn't happen often, but when your favorite NFL team drafts a player from your favorite college team, you know it's meant to be. Scherff got taken by Washington in the top 5 after playing at Iowa for 4 years. He's been a great NFL interior lineman, he has battled some injuries but when he's healthy he's a force.

76 Shawn Bradley 77 Gheorghe Muresan: I put these two together for one reason and one reason only. Who doesn't love having guys with their heights as their jersey numbers. Bradley at 7'6" and Muresan at 7'7" were two behemoth men in the NBA in the days I actually watched the NBA. Two giants in a sport dominated by giants, they never really made it to super stardom, but they were both know and did get to be in movies. Bradley was in Space Jam with Michael Jordan and Muresan was in My Giant with Billy Crystal. Absolute Legends.

78 Martin Truex Jr.: In 2017 Truex won the most improbable Cup Championship since Alan Kulwicki won in 1992. A single car team took on the giants of the sport and beat them, as Furniture Row Racing won the championship with Cole Pearn on the box and Truex in the drivers seat. Even being a Joe Gibbs Racing fan, I was ecstatic when Truex won his championship. It was a great moment for Nascar that was sadly gone as soon as it happened, because FRR closed their doors within a year of winning the title.

79 Jim Lachey: My final offensive lineman on the list is the best lineman from Washington in the 90's. At the tail end of the hogs, Lachey was the last man standing. He wasn't the most well known guy, but he was the anchor on the super bowl team in 1991.

80 Jerry Rice: He's the best football player ever. You can't watch highlights of Rice without being wowed. He had great hands, great speed, and was a great route runner. Jerry would outwork you and then outplay you. I probably didn't give Rice enough credit when he was in the league and time has given me perspective. Much like Michael Jordan I missed the early years when the athleticism really shined, and I saw the more polished player who outsmarted you as well as outphysicalling you.

Now that we're thought the 70's we can get into the fun of the 80's and some play makers in the next edition. As always let me know who you like for some of these, this one was a little strange, but lineman are cool.