Best by the Numbers

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

Who are the best players in the history of sports to wear certain numbers?

The first set are the numbers 1-5.

I'm editing this for the greatest player that didn't wear a number, my greatest player not to wear a number is Ty Cobb. Ty was never known for his power but was one of if not the best contact hitter in history. Cobb consistantly had around 200 hits a year topping out at 248 in his MVP year in 1911. Stats linked below.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cobbty01.shtml

Spoiler

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My best number 1 of all time is Ozzie Smith the greatest defensive shortstop of all time. 13x Gold Glover, 15x All-Star and has a World Series ring to go with the 3 times he's been there. Here is a link to see his stats.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/smithoz01.shtml

Spoiler

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The Wizard of Oz is my greatest player to ever wear the number 1.

My best number 2 is another Cardinal great, Red Schoendienst, Red played 2nd base for the Redbirds long before I was born but I have heard so many stories from my grandpa about baseball from back then and Schoendienst came up everytime. Red was a 10x All-Star, won two World Series, appearing in three, and has number 2 retired in Busch Stadium. Link to his stats.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/schoere01.shtml

The greatest number 3 of all time is Babe Ruth, bar none. No arguement needed. Stats are linked below.

Spoiler

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http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/ruthba01.shtml

The greatest number 4 of all time is Lou Gehrig, Lou is one of if not the most respected players ever to player the game of baseball. His retirement speech still brings a tear to my eye every single time. Gehrig finished in MVP voting 11 times out of a 17 year career, winning 2, and only finishing outside the top 5 3 times. Link to his stats below.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gehrilo01.shtml

Spoiler

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Number 5 is yet another Yankee, Joe DiMaggio won 9 out of 10 World Series, only losing to the Mighty Cardinals in 1942 Joe D was an All-Star every year he played in the bigs and finished in the MVP voting in all but 1 of those years, winning it 3 times. Link to stats below.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dimagjo01.shtml

Spoiler

[youtube]MRvyFvoDKiA[/youtube]

 

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

Ozzie Smith hit under .270 for his career with a .666 OPS. He was a wizard defensively, but his pathetic offensive numbers take him out of the running for me.

Oscar Robertson definitely has to take #1. He averaged something along the lines of 28 PPG, 10 APG, and 8 RPG in his prime (until age 32). Those numbers are outstanding. They didn't record steals until his final year, where he averaged 1.1 a game at age 35. He was a great scorer, passer, rebounder, and defender. He wasn't a one trick pony like your boy Ozzie.

You're also wrong on #2. That distinction does not belong to a man who had a .724 OPS, couldn't steal bases, rarely got extra base hits, had no power, never won a gold glove, and was worse in the postseason that during the regular season.

Derek Jeter is the greatest #2 of all-time. He is already a 10X all-star, 4X gold-glove winner and silver slugger, a 5X WS champion and 1X WS MVP. His career batting average is .050 points higher than Red's and he has a .845 OPS (great for a middle infielder). Derek is always a threat for 25 SB, can drive in runs (.311 with RISP in the last three years), averages 8 hits more in a season than Red's best season, and can knock 20 out of the park a year. The only thing Red does better is not strike out. Derek's postseason averages are higher in OPS and BA than his regular season numbers. This is no contest at all.

 

[The Brain]

Great thread. My choices will be baseball heavy too. I’ll be brief here because I pretty much agree with Blue Cardinal here.

I’ll agree with Ozzie Smith for #1. He’s a 15 time all star with 13 gold gloves. He is the Wizard.

I have to go with Jeter for #2. No disrespect to Red, but I think Jeter already has better numbers than Red and Jeter is still going. He’s been the face of the Yankees for 15 years. Red was on 15 hall of fame ballots and the highest percentage he got was 42%. He was eventually elected by the veteran’s committee, but I willing to bet Jeter will be a first ballot hall of famer.

Babe Ruth and Lou Gerhig are pretty obvious choices for #3 and #4. No explanation necessary.

I agree with DiMaggio at #5, but I at least have to mention George Brett. He has a .305 career batting average and won three batting titles in three different decades. He’s just short of 1600 RBI and is 6th on the doubles list with 665. He hit nearly .400 in his MVP season of 1980 and went to 13 consecutive all star games. DiMaggio is the choice, but I couldn’t let this post go without an honorable mention for Brett. I’m guessing in another few years Pujols will the the top choice.

 

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

Ozzie Smith hit under .270 for his career with a .666 OPS. He was a wizard defensively, but his pathetic offensive numbers take him out of the running for me.

Oscar Robertson definitely has to take #1. He averaged something along the lines of 28 PPG, 10 APG, and 8 RPG in his prime (until age 32). Those numbers are outstanding. They didn't record steals until his final year, where he averaged 1.1 a game at age 35. He was a great scorer, passer, rebounder, and defender. He wasn't a one trick pony like your boy Ozzie.

You're also wrong on #2. That distinction does not belong to a man who had a .724 OPS, couldn't steal bases, rarely got extra base hits, had no power, never won a gold glove, and was worse in the postseason that during the regular season.

Derek Jeter is the greatest #2 of all-time. He is already a 10X all-star, 4X gold-glove winner and silver slugger, a 5X WS champion and 1X WS MVP. His career batting average is .050 points higher than Red's and he has a .845 OPS (great for a middle infielder). Derek is always a threat for 25 SB, can drive in runs (.311 with RISP in the last three years), averages 8 hits more in a season than Red's best season, and can knock 20 out of the park a year. The only thing Red does better is not strike out. Derek's postseason averages are higher in OPS and BA than his regular season numbers. This is no contest at all.

Oscar would be a great choice but didn't he only play 4 seasons wearing number one? I'm not positive and can't find a clear answer on wiki but I'm pretty sure he only wore it with the Bucks.

Ozzie isn't a one trick pony, he was great on defense and stealing bases averaging 37 stolen bases a year throughout his career.

I do agree with Jeter being the best number 2 but I figured I'll let him retire before crowning him, besides others would put him on their list so I'll let them do it.

Great thread. My choices will be baseball heavy too. I’ll be brief here because I pretty much agree with Blue Cardinal here.

I’ll agree with Ozzie Smith for #1. He’s a 15 time all star with 13 gold gloves. He is the Wizard.

I have to go with Jeter for #2. No disrespect to Red, but I think Jeter already has better numbers than Red and Jeter is still going. He’s been the face of the Yankees for 15 years. Red was on 15 hall of fame ballots and the highest percentage he got was 42%. He was eventually elected by the veteran’s committee, but I willing to bet Jeter will be a first ballot hall of famer.

Babe Ruth and Lou Gerhig are pretty obvious choices for #3 and #4. No explanation necessary.

I agree with DiMaggio at #5, but I at least have to mention George Brett. He has a .305 career batting average and won three batting titles in three different decades. He’s just short of 1600 RBI and is 6th on the doubles list with 665. He hit nearly .400 in his MVP season of 1980 and went to 13 consecutive all star games. DiMaggio is the choice, but I couldn’t let this post go without an honorable mention for Brett. I’m guessing in another few years Pujols will the the top choice.

I could have also put Johnny Bench as the greatest player to wear number 5, Pujols didn't get on my list for the same reason Jeter didn't, I'll let them retire before they get a crown. I'm not saying they both aren't great but they are active so I didn't want to put them on my list.

 

[Megatron]

Number 1 for me is Warren Moon. When you combine his NFL and CFL stats together, he has over 70,000 passing yards. Yeah, 70,000. Also over 400 TD's and is a member of the Hall of Fame for both the NFL and CFL. Ozzie just didn't have any great type of offense, and while his defense was great, I'm pretty sure everyone would agree with me that Moon's stats that I just posted are absolutely insane.

#2 is probably Jeter, without much hard thinking involved.
#3 is Ruth and #4 is Gehrig, respectively.

#5 will be Pujols when it is all said and done, barring an injury, for now, though, I will give it to Dimaggio.

 

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

Up next is 6-10, again most of my picks will be baseball heavy because of personal preference.

Number 6 goes to Stan "The Man" Musial. I could have easily went with Bill Russell seeing as he is an 11-time NBA champion, but my hometown hero gets my vote instead. Stan was one of the greatest players of all time and the greatest in Cardinals History, a history that is second only to the New York Yankees in terms of Championships, 3 of which Stan was a part of. Stan was a 3 time MVP while finishing in the top ten of MVP voting ten times. Musial was also a 20 time All-Star in a 22 year career. Stats linked below.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/musiast01.shtml

My pick fo the best player to wear the number 7 was another toss up between baseball and another sport, but I went with Mickey Mantle over John Elway.

Mickey Mantle was a 7 time World Champion, to go along with his 3 MVPs and one Gold Glove. Mantle was of the greatest and most beloved Yankees in history, many regard him as the best switch hitter to ever play the game. Mantle had a knack for coming up big when it counted, holding the record for most walk-off homeruns and World Series homeruns. The man was great in the clutch. Stats linked below.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mantlmi01.shtml

Number 8 belongs to the "Iron Man" Cal Ripken Jr.

Ripken was great from his first season to his last, from winning the Rookie of the Year award to being an All-Star every year he played. Cal won the MVP twice and winning the World Series once. However one of the biggest feats Ripken accomplished in his career was the 2,632 consecutive games streak, to be able to play that may games in a row without a day off or injury was more than amazing, it was great. Link to Ripken's stats below.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/ripkeca01.shtml

Number 9 was worn by a man named Ted Williams, that man was the greatest to ever put on that number. Ted Williams won the Triple Crown twice and hit over .400 three seperate times in his career, a career that was shortened due to WWII. Teddy Ballgame has been called the greatest hitter of all time and it is a hard thing to argue. Ted Williams gets my vote for the greatest number 9. Stats below.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/willite01.shtml

Number 10 is the toughest one for me yet and is also the first on my list that is not a baseball player, my number 10 is Pele. I'm not going to claim I know alot about Pele other than he is regarded as one of, if not the greatest to ever play the game of soccer or football for the rest of the world.

 

[The Brain]

I'm not going to argue with you too much on this one Blue. I think 6, 7, & 9 are obvious choices. One could certainly argue Yaz for 8, but since Cal Ripken Jr. is my favorite player of all time and I have a Cal shrine in my house I'm not arguing against Cal.

I will mention someone else for 10. Nothing wrong with your choice, but I'm probably going to at least mention a baseball player for every number. For 10 it's a toss up between Andre Dawson and Chipper Jones. I'm going to let my home town bias break the tie and go with Dawson. Hawk for number 8 while with my Cubs, but he was 10 in Montreal and had his number retired by the Expos. He had 438 home runs. For you younger readers out there, trust me that number was much more impressive in Dawson's day than it is now. He also had nearly 1600 RBI, nearly 2800 hits, and over 300 stolen bases. He was 1977 rookie of the year and 1987 NL MVP for a last place team. Factor in the 8 gold gloves and his cannon for an arm and it's a shame it took him this long to get in the hall of fame.

 

[The People's Peep]

I really can't think of a great #1. Or better yet, a #1 who is nearly as great as 2,3,4, and 5. So i will skip it.

#2 is Derek Jeter. When he's finished, he will go down as one of the greatest SS in history. He's gonna have over 3,000 hits and that basically automatically makes you great.

#3 is Babe Ruth. Not much to say here.

#4 is a toss up. everyone is saying Lou Gehrig, so I am going with Bobby Orr. Greatest defenseman to ever play the game and no one has ever played it like he did. Not to mention the most famous goal in hockey

#5 is Joe D. 56 game hit streak plus another 16 games after that. Has the overall stats to back it up too. Would have had better numbers if it wasnt for the war.

#6 is Stan Musial. He's "The Man". Thats all that need to be said.

#7 is a tough choice between Mantle and Elway, but I think i have to go with the Mick. One of the greatest pure power hitters of all time. Its too bad injuries hurt his career.

#8 goes to Cal. there are some other good choices here, but Cal edges them by a little.

#9 could easily go to Ted Williams, but I'm gonna spread the love and go with Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe. First player with 1000 points, he played forever, and 23 time all star.

For #10, i really like Blue's choice. Pele is probably the most famous name in the most famous sport in the world.

 

[Stormtrooper]

Finally, someone posts things I can disagree with. I agree with Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Ted Williams, and Pele, but my 2 gripes are with numbers 6 and 8.

#6
As much as I respect Stan The Man Musial, there is no way in hell he is the best #6. That number 6 is...

Bill Russell
Bill Russell played for the Boston Celtics for 13 years. During his 13 years, he won ELEVEN NBA championships. ELEVEN! All but 2 years in his career, he was holding up that stupid looking trophy with a ball on top of it. He won 5 League MVP awards, and was named to the NBA 25th, 35th, and 50th Anniversary All Time teams. Also, the NBA Finals MVP award has been renamed in his honor.

#8
Cal Ripken Jr. is an amazing ballplayer, and he is just as good a person. However, the one thing he is known for is playing every day. He was a great player, but the man I'm going to claim as the best #8 of all time was even better.

Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra
Yogi Berra, like the aforementioned Bill Russell, won Championships, and won the often. During his 18 seasons (plus 4 games), Yogi played in 14 World Series (a Major League record) and won 10 of them (another record). Not only did he play in them, but he was a huge part of all but 2 of them (his last 2 postseason appearances were at he end of his career when he was a platoon player). Yogi was a 15 time All Star, and finished in the top 5 of the MVP voting for 7 consecutive seasons (1950-1956), winning 3 of them, including back to back MVP awards in 1954 and 1955.

 

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

Time for 11-15.

Number 11 belongs to Mark Messier, they guy Captained 2 seprate franchises to the Stanley Cup, has his jersey retired in both arenas, and ranks 2nd all-time in regular season points with 1,887. Stats are below as usual.

http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/m/messima01.html

Number 12 is a tough one, a really tough one. A more than just a couple of great quarterbacks have worn number 12. Brady, Bradshaw, Kelly, Namath, Stabler, and Stabauch. So since I can't pick one of them I'll go with another sport, to another great number 12, John Stockton. This man played 19 years for the Utah Jazz leading the league in assists in 9 of those years. John wasn't just an assist machine but also a defensive threat to steal the ball at any given moment averaging 2.2 steals per game in his career. Stockton also helped lead the Jazz to the NBA Finals against Michael Jordan and the mighty Chicago Bulls. Stockton was the man and is my choice for number 12. Stats below.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/stockjo01.html

13 is another tough call for me being that 13 is Marino's number, but I already snubbed Bill Russell so my 13 goes to Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain. Not much of an arguement has to be put up for Wilt, the man scored 100 points in an NBA game, and it wasn't just a fluke the man averaged 30.1 ppg to go along with 22.9 rpg. Chamberlain is an all-time legend, and is arguably the greatest basketball player of all-time. You know the drill.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/chambwi01.html

14 is Pete Rose's number. I don't care if the man gambled when he was a manager betting on his own team, he is the greatest player to ever wear the number 14. MLB record for hits with 4,256, most games played with 3,562, and at-bats with 14,053. Stats are somewhere on this page.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rosepe01.shtml

I'll give 15 to a quarterback since the last two could have been QBs but I decided to go elsewhere with my picks. 15 goes to Bart Starr, the man won the first two Lombardi Trophys and was named MVP of those games. Link.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/StarBa00.htm

 

[The Brain]

I said I was going to at least try to mention a baseball player for every number because that is the sport I know best. Not this time. I hate to be boring, but I agree with everyone on this list except possibly 11. I say possibly because I don't know hockey very well and I accept that Messier could be the best choice.

There is however a number 11 from baseball that should be considered. Paul Waner. He has over 3000 hits and a lifetime batting average of .333. He hit over .300 in his first 12 years and over .320 in 11 of them. Again, I'm not saying Messier isn't deserving, but Waner is my baseball represenitive.

I completely agree with 12, 13, and 15. Ultimatley I agree with 14 too, but I would be doing my home town team a disservice if I didn't at least mention Ernie Banks. He had over 500 home runs, over 1600 RBI, and back to back MVPs for a losing team. And of course he is Mr. Cub. I won't be a homer though. Rose is the right choice. The Reds need to retire that number and Rose should be in the hall of fame. Let the punishment fit the crime. It's been over 20 years. I think Rose has paid his price and served his time.

 

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

Since I have a little extra time on my hands tonite i'll go ahead and do 16-20.

The number 16 will probably get me the most grief out of all my choices so far, I'm going Brett Hull over Joe Montana here. He is probably the greatest Blues player of all-time and probably gooing to be the only one on the list. Joe Montana wasn't just great he was all-time great and he should probably get the nod here but I gotta show the Blues some love, since my user name is Blue Cardinal 87, what else did you think the Blue stood for? Stats are where they are always at.

http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/h/hullbr01.html

17 isn't really a deep number so forgive me for again going to my hometown for this pick, I'm going with Dizzy Dean over John Havlcek. I can't justify putting a career 6th man over an MVP. Dizzy Dean was part of St. Louis' "Gashouse Gang" of the 1930's with his younger brother Daffy Dean, winning the World Series and MVP in 1934. Below.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/deandi01.shtml

18 is going to Peyton Manning and he will most likely be my only choice that is an active player. Peyton is a 4-time MVP and a Superbowl Champion. Peyton also has had some of the most eye-popping stats ever put up by a quarterback not to mention that he hasn't missed a start since his debut as a rookie in 1998, you can see them if you click the link I posted below.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MannPe00.htm

As much as it pains me to do this the greatest number 19 is a Red Wing, Steve Yzerman to be exact. Yzerman was the Captain of the Wings and played his entire career for them. Steve has his name on Lord Stanley 3 times and is 6th on the all-time scoring list.

http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/y/yzermst01.html

20 is Barry Sanders. Is there anymore that I have to say? In his short career Sanders showed a 5'8" 203lbs. guy could dominate the NFL, although he never won a Superbowl he is still one of the greatest rushers of all-time.


http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SandBa00.htm

 

[The Brain]

Blue, I finally disagree with you for the majority. There is only one we agree on here. To your credit you know much more about sports other than baseball than I do. I’m not saying your choices are wrong, but I can at least come up with reasonable arguments for the ones I know more about. My trying for baseball players for every number is out the window. It’s not as easy as I assumed it would be, although I will get three out of five in this one.

Joe Montana is my choice for 16. He was THE guy when I was a kid. He’s a four time Super Bowl champion with 3 MVPs. I didn’t watch too much football as a kid, but I remember the 49ers dominance. Honorable mention to Sam “Mayday” Malone. Just kidding. I happen to be watching an old Cheers rerun now where Sam’s jersey is being auctioned off and it happens to be #16.

I think I’m going current for 17. Todd Helton. He has a .327 career batting average and hit over .300 his first ten years. In my opinion he should have been the MVP in 2000 and Rookie of the Year in 1998. He’s past his prime now, but I feel he was underappreciated from 1998-2004.

No argument for 18. Peyton Manning it is.

19 has to be Tony Gwynn. He is an eight time batting champion with a career .338 batting average and over 3000 hits. He hit over .300 for 19 consecutive seasons. He is a 15 time all star with five gold gloves.

Barry Sanders is a good choice for 20, but there were some other great players to wear 20. Blue, I respect you for not going the homer route and picking Lou Brock. Clearly not the best, but he is a great 20. An easy case can be made for Mike Schmidt, but I’ll let Theo handle that. I’ll say Frank Robinson. He has nearly 600 home runs, nearly 3000 hits, and close to a .300 batting average with over 1800 RBI. He is one of baseball’s all time greats.

Great choices. I’m looking forward to the next set.

 

[The People's Peep]

I'm actually gonna disagree with both of your 19's and go with the second consecutive colts quarterback, Johnny Unitas. He was a four time MVP, went to 10 pro bowls, and held many records before Manning and Favre broke them. The guy is widely known as one of the top 5 quarterbacks in history and I think he was better than Gwynn and Stevie Y were in their respective sports.

 

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

O boy it's time for some legendary players, Gods of the Game if you will, time for 21-25. The men that wore these numbers are pure greatness.

Well 21 is a very, very, very deep number, but at the top is a baseball legend Roberto Clemente. Clemente is a legend in baseball not only for what he did on the field but what he did off of it. He was the first Latin American to win an MVP in '66, World Series MVP, and to win a World Series as a starter.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/clemero01.shtml

22 is Emmitt Smith the all time leader in rushing should say enough, add 3 Superbowl rings and you have the greatest player to wear the number.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SmitEm00.htm

23 is.... LeBro..... Yeah right, it's Jordan and everyone knows it.

MJ needs no arguement, Jordan basically won the MVP of everything and won 6 rings with the Bulls. Jordan is arguably the greatest basketball player of all time.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jordami01.html

24 is Willie Mays. Objections? I think not.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mayswi01.shtml

25 is the toughest one of the bunch, it's a toss up between Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire for me. I'll give Bonds the edge though since he is the all time leader in homeruns and single season homeruns.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bondsba01.shtml

 

[The Brain]

I had a feeling this was going to happen. I don't have a single disagreement. I knew full well who four of the five would be. 22 was the only doubt. I couldn't think of a 22 from baseball, but when you reminded me of Emmitt he was clearly the choice. I was hoping one day Mark Prior could be the greatest 22

 

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

26-30

26 is going to be Rod Woodson for me. Woodson was one of the best cornerbacks to ever play the game, that's good enough for me. He holds the record for interception returns for touchdowns and interception return yards with 12 and 1,483 respectivly. Just look at that stache.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WoodRo01.htm

27 is going to a guy I don't know as much about him as I should but he had an impressive career and he was a pitcher so I like him. 27 is Juan Marichal, and after looking for my picture of him the high leg kick jogged my memory. Juan played for the Giants in the 60's and lead the league in innings pitched in '68 with 325.2. Marichal was a 10x All-Star and a Hall of Famer.


http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/maricju01.shtml

28 is going back home with the Marshall Plan on the Greatest Show on Turf, Marshall Faulk. Faulk had 19,154 combined yards from scrimmage, and is the All-Time leader in receiving yards for a running back with 6,875. Marshall was really the biggest piece in the puzzle for the Rams back in their heyday in the late 90's early 00's. That superbowl was so great to see, I miss Marshall. Faulk is the Greatest Player to wear number 28.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/F/FaulMa00.htm


29 is a really tough one and Brain should be happy that it's all baseball players that I'm thinking here. I can't decide if I should go Satchel Paige, John Smoltz, or Rod Carew with this one. So the tie breaker is going to go to Smoltz since I got a good look at him last year.

John Smoltz is the ultimate team player and that alone makes you good in my book, add a Cy Young, a World Series ring, and every division title for what seemed like 100 straight years and you have John Smoltz. Smoltz is the only pitcher in history with 150 saves and 200 wins, the real question with Smoltz is will the sports writers put him in on not, looking at him as the jack of all trades type guy.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/smoltjo01.shtml

30 could maybe go to Nolan Ryan, but I'm giving it to the greatest goalie to ever player the game of hockey, Martin Broduer. I'd could try to write a nice little post about why he is the greatest but it wouldn't do him justice, so take my word for it, he is the best.

http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/b/brodema01.html

 

[Joe's Gonna Kill You]

Like your picks i agree with all of the them except #29 maybe its cause i am a mets fan but I think it has to go Satchel Paige he was one of the best pitchers from the Negro Leagues.

 

[The Brain]

Warning: possible home town bias. My choice for 26 is Sweet Swingin’ Billy Williams. He played in the shadow of Ernie Banks, but hit over 400 home runs and had nearly 1500 RBI. He also went about ten years without missing a single game.

No problem with 27, but Vladimir Guerrero may take that spot when he calls it quits.

I thought I might challenge 28 when I saw you picked Faulk, but I honestly can’t think of a better 28.

I love me some Smoltz, but for 29 I have to go with Rod Carew. Carew was my first favorite player as a kid. Don’t go thinking I’m that old. His last year was the first year I remember watching baseball. I just remember being amazed by the stats on the back of his baseball card. He has a lifetime batting average of .328. He has over 3000 hits and seven batting titles. He hit over .300 every year from 1969-1982 and played in 18 consecutive all star games. His number 29 is retired by two teams.

I don’t know much about hockey so I will take your word for Broduer. If Nolan Ryan wore 30 for his whole career I might challenge it, but he didn’t even have it for half of his career.

 

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

Now for 31-35.

31 was a no brainer for me, even though I did consider Reggie Miller I couldn't put him ahead of my choice, Greg Maddox.

All you really have to do is click the link to see why. But anyway, 4 Cy Youngs, about 30,000 Gold Gloves, and won a World Series with the Braves during their amazing strech of consecutive division titles.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/maddugr01.shtml

32is another one of those numbers that has greatness written all over it and boy is this a tough call. Just a quick list of guys I could go with are Magic Johnson, Shaq, Jim Brown, Marcus Allen, Steve Carlton, Franco Harris, Sancy Koufax, Karl Malone, and OJ Simpson. That is quite a list to pick the best out of. So after some real thought I decided to go with Magic Johnson.

Magic was the guy that made Showtime run and the guy that revolutionized what a point guard was and could be in the NBA. 5 Rings, 3 MVPs finishing in the top 3 of MVP voting 9 times, and averaged nearly a triple double throughout his entire career. 1992 All Star game anyone? Linked up the stats below.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/johnsma02.html

33 has the same problem(if you can call it that) with deep talent that 32 had. You've got Bird, Kareem, Sammy Baugh, Patrick Roy, Patrick Ewing, and Scottie Pippen. So I went with the all time points leader in the NBA with 6 rings, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Here are his stats.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/abdulka01.html

34 has the same story as the previous two numbers. So again after some tough deliberation I picked Sweetness, Walter Payton.

Payton is reguarded by many as the greatest running back in history and retired as the all time leading rusher, although he was surpassed. Not much I can really say about Sweetness that hasn't already been said. Stats below.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/P/PaytWa00.htm

35 has a few baseball guys that can be considered worthy, I went with a personal favorite of mine the Big Hurt, Frank Thomas.

Thomas is 1 of 4 players to have at least a .300 batting average, 500 home runs, 1,500 RBI, 1,000 runs and 1,500 walks in a career, joining the likes of Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, and Mel Ott. Thomas won 2 MVPs in the early 90's and sort of won a World Series ring in 2005.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/thomafr04.shtml

 

[The Brain]

Damn there's some talent in this group. I think I'll agree with all your choices here Blue. The one I come closest to disagreeing on is 33. How can you not pick Larry Bird? On the other hand how can you not pick Kareem? There really is no wrong answer between the two. The honorable mentions for these numbers is legendary. I do have a few honorable mentions that weren't mentioned already.

31 - Fergie Jenkins
33 - Eddie Murray
34 - Kirby Puckett

 

[Joe's Gonna Kill You]

I agree with every 1 except for the #35 I think it should either go to Phil Niekro who is most known for throwing the Knuckleball his career stats are http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/niekrph01.shtml. It also could go to the greatest leadoff hitter of all time Ricky Henderson here are his career stats http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/henderi01.shtml

 

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

The next set of numbers won't be as star studded as the last but not many can compare to 31-35, but I digress, time for 36-40.


36 is going to Robin Roberts.

Roberts had a career 3.41 era, 6 20 win seasons, and won 286 games for the Phillies. not a guy I know a whole lot about but seems to have been a solid pitcher, he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1976.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/roberro01.shtml

37 is Doak Walker.

Not a very deep number but at the top is the cream of the colege football crop. Not many people can say they have awards named after them, Doak is one of the few that stake that claim. Walker played nearly every position and played them well. I do appoligize because I don't have a link to his stats.


38 is going to that damn bloody sock wearing Curt Shilling.

As much as it pains me to say this Curt Shilling is one of the best post season pitchers ever. He won 2 World Series ring with 2 different teams(both knocking the Cardinals out of the playoffs) Yea thats it.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/schilcu01.shtml


39 doesn't hurt as bad as that last one, 39 is going to one of the best catchers of all time Roy Campanella.

Campanella also known as "Campy" won 3 MVPs and a World Series with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1955 against the New York Yankees. In every World Series he played in he played against the Yanks only winning in 55.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/camparo01.shtml

40 is going to another great Chicago running back Gale Sayers.

Sayers had quite a short career but in the little time he did play boy did he have an impact. One of those "what if" type players since his career was cut short by injuries.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SayeGa00.htm

 

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

It's been a bit since I added the last set of numbers and suprisingly no one has mentioned anything, but here we go, on to 41-45.

The number 41 goes to a great pitcher Tom Seaver.

Tom Seaver was a Mets great and didn't do to shabby as a Red either. Seaver won the 1967 Rookie of the Year, three Cy Young awards, won 311 games, and had 3,272 strikeouts in his career. Seaver was one of the main pieces to get the Mets over the top in 1969.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/seaveto01.shtml

42 can't be anyone besides Jackie Robinson. All due respect to Ronnie Lott, Mariano Rivera, Bruce Sutter, and James Worthy, but this is Robinson's number.

Can't say much about Jackie that hasn't already been said 1,000,000x before by smarter people, so I won't even try.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/robinja02.shtml

43 is a bit of an odd choice for me, since my choice didn't actually wear his number, of course I'm talking about Richard Petty.

That picture look familiar? Of course if you have seen Disney's Cars it does. "The King" wasn't just a nickname, it was the truth. Richard Petty is the greatest stock car driver in history, 7 time Cup champion says enough.

http://racing-reference.info/driver?id=pettyri01

44 is STACKED! The logo Jerry West wore it, Mr. October, "Pistol" Pete, George Gervin, and Willie McCovey all wore number 44 along with most power hitters, but none wore this number better than Hank Aaron.

One of baseball's all time greatest players ever. He get's my vote.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/aaronha01.shtml

45 is a toss up between two of the greatest pitchers of all time. This was actually very hard for me even though I went with my hometown guy, I had the hardest time with this number out of all of them so far. The deciding factor wasn't the hometown factor but the one season in 1968 that changed pitching forever.

Again I can't say much that hasn't been said by better people. An MVP, 2 Cy Young awards, 2 World Series Championships, and that great season in 1968.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gibsobo01.shtml

 

[Born To Fly]

Great thread. I'm sorry I don't have much more to add, but I can't argue with many of these.

Look back through it, if Pujols continues his streak of amazing hitting, he'll be remembered as one of the best No. 5's in history. Jackie Robinson must be No. 42. The entire MLB wears his number once a year.