One Team Hall of Famers

[IrishCanadian25]

I was listening to ESPN Radio this morning on my way to a Dunkin Donuts run (yes, I run on Dunkin) and tuned in to hear Erik Kasilias and Tim Kurkjian filling in on Mike & Mike. They mentioned that, with Brett Favre now in his third uniform in 3 years, that the era of the Hall of Fame athlete who stays with one team is waning and many be endangered.

So I wanted to look at the active potential HOF'ers in the 4 major US Sports who have spent their careers with only one team. And the question - will they remain that way?

Major League Baseball

Derek Jeter. He's a Hall of Fame shoe-in. 4 championships, one of the great Yankee captains of all time. He's going no where. 100% chance he's a career Yankee and a HOF'er.

Mariano Rivera. See - Jeter.

Albert Pujols. Gone are the days of the city of St. Louis being a proud sports town or a bustling economic center in the mid west. Pujols IS the pride of St. Louis now (no, it's not Orton) and I doubt he goes anywhere. 95% chance he is a one-team HOF'er.

Todd Helton. I think he's a hall of famer, and I don't see him leaving Colorado. 94% chance.

Chipper Jones. One of the 5 best 3rd basemen of all time, all with the Braves. A shoe in HOF'er.

National Football League

Tom Brady. If he retired now he'd be a first ballot HOF'er. One of the all time greats. I don't see him leaving New England unless Bellicheck does. 90% chance.

Peyton Manning. I think he likes being a Colt, but he's got Favre's fire where if the Colts think he's done and Manning still wants to play, he'd go somewhere he could play. Plus, without Dungy. 80% chance.

Ray Lewis. One of the best defensive players of all time and a career Raven. I don't see him leaving, nor do I see them getting rid of him. 95%.

National Hockey League

Nicklas Lidstrom. Detroit loves this guy, and he'll be good until he decided to hang up the skates. An all time great defensemen with a scoring and passing touch. A shoe in. 100%.

Martin Brodeur. The greatest goalie ever and a career Devil. I don't see the Devils parting ways with Marty, because it'd be PR suicide. Devil fans are rabid about their players. The only way I could see Marty going elsewhere is if he wanted to finish his career in Montreal. 95%.

Mike Modano. I think he's a hall of famer, as he's one of the 3 or 4 best US born hockey players of all time. He's spent his entire career with the Minnesota North Stars / Dallas Stars, which is the same franchise. He also appeared in The Mighty Ducks first film. Points for that. 78%, not because he may change teams, but because he may not be an HOF shoe in.

National Basketball Association

Tim Duncan. All I have, really. He's a career Spur and an easy Hall of Famer. He's not a glamour-seeking prima donna, and the free agency bug has never hit him. He's a humble guy just like his Spur mentor David Robinson. 100%.

Kobe Bryant. I am only 60% on him. He seems like the type of guy open minded enough to free agency with a team like New York, Miami, etc. If he was playing in a small market he'd absolutly jump ship, but the fact that he plays in LA - a basketball city - may mean he'll finish there as well.

 

[NSL]

A while back, maybe around the time Favre left to go to the Jets, Mike & Mike held the same conversation, talking about players that would never leave their team. Guys like Peyton Manning and Derek Jeter were the two shoe-ins they came up with, because the way sports are anymore, no one spends more than a few years with one team. And yes, I know Favre started as a Falcon, a fan called in to remind them mid-show.

Aside from the guys you mentioned, I can't think of many. I'll throw out some names that could fit in, but probably won't:

Ben Roethlisberger - He's already won two Super Bowls, and could end up with a HoF career. His problem could be staying on the team for the rest of his career. He has off the field issues seemingly ever year, so I can see a respected franchise like the Steelers cutting him loose after a while.

Marion Barber - If he keeps it up, he could go down as a great back, and maybe even a great player, no matter the position. I'm not a fan of his at all, since he plays for one of my team's rivals, but I won't deny he has ability. The only way he doesn't end up making it into this category, is if the team continues to crumble around him, which is all very likely.

Andre Johnson - He will be a Hall of Famer. No doubting that. The problem with him is, can the Texans afford him?

David Wright - He's already one of my favorites ever, and will be a shoe-in for Cooperstown if he stays healthy. I don't think he'll ever leave the Mets, since they can obviously afford him, and will always be a contender as long as the team stays healthy around him.

Zach Parise - Yes, IC, I said it. He's one of the most under-rated in the game today, and if he keeps playing at this level, he'll get recognized one day. It could be after he retires, but being a top 5 goal scorer in this era of hockey, and playing for a consistent top team like the Devils, should be enough to make him fit here.

 

[FromTheSouth]

This is the second generation of athletes in free agency.

There were so few in the first generation. Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio come to mind. I would throw Chipper in this mix as well.

On the Andre Johnson question, I think that the Texans have a pretty unlimited budget for keeping him. I think this is the year that Johnson and Schaub make their case in the playoffs. I think the talent level in Houston will keep Andre Johnson around. Every year they add talent. We got screwed for having five years of Tony Boselli on the books and no offensive line. Now, the line is improving...blah blah blah.

Brandon Roy will never leave Portland. I just can't see him leaving for anywhere else. He came into the league on a team built for him in a city who supports him, in a market where he can go under the radar.

I see Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard staying in Philly together for a long time. Baseball is the toughest of these sports to stick around in because there will always be a team willing to overpay, hoping that a guy can capture a bit of his magic over the course of a 162 game season.

Football seems the biggest likelihood for one team hall of famers. Free agency seems to be a last resort in football, whereas players in the NBA and MLB can't wait to jump ship.

 

[NSL]

On the Andre Johnson question, I think that the Texans have a pretty unlimited budget for keeping him. I think this is the year that Johnson and Schaub make their case in the playoffs. I think the talent level in Houston will keep Andre Johnson around. Every year they add talent. We got screwed for having five years of Tony Boselli on the books and no offensive line. Now, the line is improving...blah blah blah.

I picked the Texans for the playoffs last year, and was let down when they missed out. It'll be tough in the division they're in, and the AFC has roughly 10 teams that can all be serious contenders to a Wild Card spot.

Back on topic though. Andre Johnson is an incredible player, and hasn't really shown any signs of being a me-first kind of guy. Being a team player always helps you to stick with one team, so he definitely has that going for him. As far as money, I really don't know how much the Texans have, so I assumed that he'd be a high-priced FA one year, and they'd be outbid by a team like New England, New York (N), or Dallas.

 

[NSL]

With the full intention of pissing off an admin, here's another guy I think can do it, provided he remains healthy.

Henrik Lundqvist. King Henrik. You pick the name, and he'll still beat you. He's among the best goaltenders in the game right now, and is constantly improving. There is literally nothing he can't do in the net, and he'll eventually lead the team to Lord Stanley's Cup. If he is able to remain healthy, and ave a long career, he'll make it to the Hall Of Fame. I also think he'd be OK staying with the Rangers, since they have the money to throw around, and have always kept a great goaltender from leaving.

 

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

Ichiro Suzuki​

I absolutely cannot believe that he hasn't been mentioned. If you want to get technical, he played professional ball in Japan, but has and will only play for the Seattle Mariners in the MLB. Ichiro is a sure-fire, first-ballot hall-of-fame baseball player. He's had one of the most remarkable careers in the history of the game, and if he were playing in a market that received more recognition, everyone would know him as one of the greatest in the game and of all-time. Ichiro has been an all-star and gold-glove winner every year of his career. He's an MVP, batting champion, silver slugger, rookie of the year, stolen base champion, and holds numerous records. He's the all-time hit king for a single season (in Japan as well); he is both first and second in that category. Ichiro is 11 hits from 2000 in America, and coupled with his Japanese career, he has 3267 hits already. He is a lifetime .333 hitter. If I were to design the perfect outfielder, I would design Ichiro Suzuki. There is no flaw in his game.