Wow, this was a close one. Feasibly, any one of the following athletes could have received this one: Randy Johnson, Dick Butkus, Ichiro Suzuki, or Trevor Hoffman. In the end, the Big Unit gets the nod due to his impressive numbers and lengthy career. Randy has worn the number 51 for 17 of his 19 major league seasons. He has worn the number 41 for his last two seasons with the New York Yankees because his teammate Bernie Williams had the number 51 before he got there. (Bernie could have been considered for best athlete to wear this number also.) Here is Randy's long list of credentials:
- 10-time All-Star
- 3rd on the all-time strikeout list with 4,544 career strikeouts
- 4-time NL Cy Young Winner (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002)
- 1-time AL Cy Young Winner (1995)
- C0-World Series MVP in 2001
- 4-time League Leader in ERA (1995, 1999, 2001, 2002)
- 5 consecutive 300 strikeout seasons (1996-2002,) and MLB record
- Perfect game thrown on May 18, 2004
- .656 career winning percentage
- 37 career shutouts
- 280 career wins
- 1 bird hit by pitch
Did you know......Randy was originally drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 1982 but did not sign, according to baseball-reference.com?
dick butkus anyone?
ReplyDeleteyea, what about dick butkus?
ReplyDeletehe was the best linebacker
(and still is). what makes someone think he doesn't deserve it?
Dick Butkus definitely over Randy. Randy did show some good numbers, but I think we can all agree that a better pitcher has come around. As for a linebacker, I'm not so sure we can say the same.
ReplyDeleteDick Butkus for sure - but he didn't play for the Yankees...
ReplyDeleteDamn homer.
Please redo this page. The Big Unit is not on the Yankees anymore. He is now (again) on the Dbacks.
ReplyDelete-Faithful RED SOX FAN and supporter of the Diamond Backs
Butkus any day over unit. When he killed that bird he freaked out and felt bad. Butkus would have ate it and kept playing.
ReplyDeleteEating the bird and continue playing? It's sort of like Ronnie Lott cutting off his finger to get back in the game.
ReplyDeletedude... i must emphatically disagree with you here and put Dick Butkus here... he never played for a winning team, but he was the meanest linebacker to play football... quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers alike had nightmares about dick butkus laying them out, he was meaner than Lambert if that says anything about the ruthlessness he played the game with
ReplyDeleteRandy Johnson?! I'm Packer fan and it's Dick Butkus hands down.
ReplyDeleteNY Yankees centerfield Bernie Williams is #3 after The Unit and Dick... Yikes!
ReplyDeleteHow is this not Dick Butkus???
ReplyDeleteIchiro accomplished things that no one has ever done. Especially when you take his first seven years away playing in Japan. RJ and DB were terrific, without question. I had the good fortune to watch these 3 guys up close (Seattleite from Chicago), and Ichiro was just flat uncanny to watch. A once in a century kind of "athletic freak."
ReplyDeletecome on the most feared man in football
ReplyDeletea 250 pound lb best @ his position of all time
here is a test would you want to have DICK bear hug & try to rip your head off or face a heater @ 100 scary both situations