I view “kicker” as “placekicker” – a separate position and skill set from “punter”, so I would have considered Guy for a punter list, if I were to make one. He’s the only pure punter in the HoF, and I think he was “the” punter in the NFL throughout his career.
New York athletes
Mickey Mantle
Jackie Robinson
Willis Reed
Tom Seaver
These aren’t necessary the best athletes, but the ones most celebrated.
How about a reverse Mount Rushmore, maybe showing the backsides for the infamous entries:
Controversial
Barry Bonds (steroids)
Jerry Rice (stick-um)
Ray Lewis (murder)
Ty Cobb (in general)
Overrated busts
Ryan Leaf
Sam Bowie
Hideki Irabu
Tony Mandarich
Had it all, lost it all (but their own fault)
Dwight Gooden
Darryl Strawberry
Mike Tyson
Len Bias
Infamy (known for blunders)
Joe Pisarcik
Leon Lett
Bill Buckner
Scott Norwood
Okay, Norwood might be unfair to call a blunder. Let’s put in Roy Riegels and/or Jim Marshall
Pro, I’m guessing? I played around with ProFootball Reference, and well, things got weird.
I sorted for all RB over 6500 rushing yards. Then I started sorting by yds/attempt. Did you know that Jamaal Charles has over 7200 rushing yards, with a higher yds/attempt than Jim Brown? Me neither.
I did this to try and build a case for either Faulk or LdT. Little did I know that AP has, already, 11,725 rushing yards, while doing it at a 4.86 yd/carry clip. In a pass-happy time. Curtis Martin has over 14,000 rushing yds, albeit at just over a 4 yd/carry pace.
I don’t know what to think about pro football and the greatest of the greats anymore. Gun to head, mine’d be Brown, Emmitt, Sanders, Payton. But I really want to stick LdT in there somewhere.
Football really could use some equivalent to ERA+ or OPS+ to help us better compare eras. I’m lost.
Why Djokovic over Sampras? Sampras has more Slams and more years as ATP #1.
Just curious.
Let’s do cycling. Merckx (duh), but then who’s next? Bernard Hinault ends up on a lot of these list’s #2s.
We’ll give Fausto Coppi the Ted Williams/Bob Feller Memorial, “If Only World War 2 Hadn’t Showed Up” Award.
Hard to decide between Sean Kelly and Jacques Anquetil. Do you give more credit to the first guy to win the TdF five times, or do you give it to the guy who owned classics races in the 80s? Hard for me to say; I’m hardly an expert.
Or do you give it to Indurain? I’m alright with putting Kelly up there, but it’s hardly a done deal. Maybe a great velodrome guy should be there instead?
I think it’s very hard to compare players across eras – on the surface, the numbers are the numbers (yards, average per carry, TDs), but the game has changed dramatically since Jim Brown’s time. The HOF voters certainly have gotten flummoxed on how to evaluate offensive players now (and if you think RBs are difficult, try WRs!)
At least for my part in this exercise, I tried to consider which players were the most iconic / important contributors at their position in their own era. I’m going to give some thought to WR and TE tomorrow, but I’m not yet sure that I’ll come up with sets of four that I find truly satisfactory.
I think you mean Ken Dryden. And no way, Mario has it hands down. The only reason his numbers aren’t higher is because his health was so poor.
Not Richard’s fault. That said, I could take either.
NFL Killers:
OJ Simpson allegedly*
Aaron Hernandez
Ray Carruth
Lawrence Phillips
Biggest Fanbase Betrayals
Baltimore Colts >>>>>Indianapolis
Cleveland Browns >>>>>Baltimore
Brooklyn Dodgers >>>>>Los Angeles
Seattle SuperSonics>>>>>Oklahoma City
Buffoonish Sports Team Owners
Al Davis
Bill Veeck
Marge Schott
Donald Sterling
Sampras didn’t win all the majors and his opposition was much weaker and his game was less attractive to me.
Agree with Novelty Bobble on the tennis - for me it’s mainly to do with the opposition, I am a huge fan of Sampras and used to love watching him play but Djokovic’s achievements are all the greater for being up against 2 of the other top 4, plus Murray, plus a host of ‘second-tier’ opposition who in any other era would be racking up the majors themselves (e.g. Wawrinka, Nishikori, Raonic - and that’s just the current crop).
On cycling, I think track and road need to be separated. I don’t know a lot about it, but if you’re going to combine them then surely Wiggins has to be in the conversation for winning multiple Olympic golds in the velodrome and winning the TdF?
Bolding Mine.
“neigh”-saying.
I’ll see myself out.
Celebrated Non-Champions Mt. Rushmore
Ernie Banks
Dan Marino
Charles Barkley
Bernie Sanders 
I’m wont to include Karl Malone or Steve Nash, but neither belongs in the company of the other three. And I don’t know hockey.
Broadcasters Mt. Rushmore
Vin Scully
Chick Hearn
Keith Jackson
Al Michaels
Note: Michaels was once Hearn’s sidekick for the Lakers, but Hearn reportedly wanted him out.
Late add: Oof, no room for How-wuhd Co-sell.
Hmm. Curt Gowdy… Jim McKay… Ernie Harwell… Red Barber…
That might have to be a crowded mountain.
I’d put in Fran Tarkenton or Jim Kelly.
Yeah, that’s why I would argue for it, but would be totally surprised if he ended up there. His F2 drive at the 'ring in 67, qualifying 3rd overall and running with the F1 cars until the car’s suspension broke proves there weren’t many faster than he was. However, he ended up working more in sports car racing.
I’d still say that anyone who’s willing to endanger their competitors over who wins the championship doesn’t deserve to be on the F1 Rushmore. Plus, the sport probably wouldn’t be the same without Stewart. I don’t know if you can say the same for the substitutes you provided. I can see arguing Brabham over Lauda. But on their worst days Schumacher, Senna and Prost were the most dangerous idiots on the track.
SPRINTERS
Usain Bolt
Michael Johnson
Carl Lewis
Jesse Owens
AMERICAN SWIMMERS
Duke Kahanamoku
Michael Phelps
Mark Spitz
Johnny Weissmuller
I made that “American Swimmers” because I really wanted to put Ian Thorpe in the top 4
Baseball Managers
Sparky Anderson
Joe McCarthy
John McGraw
Earl Weaver
Peter Stastny or Marcel Dionne might be good hockey nominees