1.) Bill Russell: Center, Celtics (1956 –1969)
There is no other choice. Not in Boston. Not anywhere. Bill Russell is the most accomplished athlete in the history of North American team sports. The Celtics won 11 NBA Championships during his 13-year career (including 8 straight from 1959 to 1966), and he was the dominant player on every one of those teams. Although he accumulated enough individual awards to overwhelm several trophy cases, such recognition meant little to Russell. NBA Championships are not subjective. They are not won by a vote. So it is both fitting and ironic that the league chose to name their Finals MVP trophy the Bill Russell Award, given to the player who plays best when it matters most. The list of great NBA players is long, but no one on it comes close to matching Bill Russell’s legacy of winning. Russell at #1 sets the tone for this entire list; his place on it is not debatable.
2.) Tom Brady: Quarterback, Patriots (2000-present)
A year ago, Tom Brady probably would’ve placed third or fourth on this list. But after leading the Patriots to their fourth Super Bowl title, and in the process, continuing to play brilliantly at the most demanding position in all of sports, he finds himself solidly entrenched at #2. Brady’s sustained greatness over 15 NFL seasons is simply astounding. With Tom Brady at quarterback, the Patriots are 160-47 in the regular season and 21-8 in the playoffs, including 6 AFC Championships and those 4 Super Bowl titles. In that time, they’ve also won 12 division titles and secured 9 first-round playoff byes (something that’s not talked about enough when the topic of post-season success comes up – regular season dominance that allows your team to directly insert itself into hosting a Divisional Round playoff game). Gaudy statistics are nice, and Brady has plenty of those, but the main function of a quarterback is to lead his team to victory, and no one has done that more consistently, and over a longer period of time, than Tom Brady.
-A
word or two about recent allegations. Let’s get this out of the way first: I am
no more impartial on this subject than Roger Goodell. The difference is that
one of us has a say in how Tom Brady’s appeal of a 4-game suspension for being
less than forthcoming during an investigation run by an NFL-hired lawyer will
be handled. Now, there are those, those who have lost to the Patriots in big
games, those whose teams have won fewer Super Bowls than the Patriots, and
those who just hate to see other teams have prolonged success, who will insist
that what Brady is accused of is akin to using PEDs. Their opinions won’t
change and neither will mine. As for the team, the Patriots were punished
harshly in 2007 for being arrogant and downright foolish in getting caught
taping their opponent’s sidelines to the tune of $500k and a first-round draft
pick. They deserved it. No question. But a $1 million fine plus first and fourth-round
draft choices for more probably then not deflating footballs before a game they
eventually won 45-7, does not, in the words of the Globe’s Bob Ryan,
“stand up to any kind of intellectual scrutiny.” But at this point, it looks
like even another Super Bowl victory won’t change the minds of those who will
hate. I guess we’ll just have to get used to it. “It”, being, what it is.-
3) Bobby Orr: Defenseman, Bruins (1966-1976)
Like Russell and Brady, #3 on this list is in
the conversation for Greatest Ever in his sport. Bobby Orr is the most beloved
figure in the history of Boston sports, and there’s nothing he couldn’t do with
a hockey stick and a pair of skates. So well regarded is Orr that I’ve never
read or heard a negative word about him either locally or nationally. Never.
When healthy, Orr was the best hockey player anywhere, and with him, the Bruins
won 2 Stanley Cups and finished as runner-up once. The list of milestones Orr
was first to achieve, as both a defenseman, and a hockey player in general, are
too numerous to list. What stands out most, over 35 years after his retirement
from the NHL, is how Bobby Orr captivated an entire region, while
revolutionizing a position, and a sport, like no other athlete before or since.
4.) Larry Bird: Forward, Celtics (1979-1992)
This was not planned, but having Larry Bird
rated just below Bobby Orr—and believe me, it was close—is fitting if you know
your Boston Sports History. During his speech on the night of his statue
dedication, Bird revealed the reason he could always be seen gazing toward the
rafters of the old Boston Garden during the national anthem. Turns out he was
focusing on Orr’s retired #4 banner as a source of inspiration. “I want people in Boston to think of me
when I retire the same way they do Bobby Orr,” he said. Unlike most NBA
superstars, Larry Bird could dominate a game without scoring a single point. He
could pass like a guard and rebound like a center, and his uncanny ability to
anticipate based on the flow of the game helped make up for his average speed
and leaping ability. Bird was basketball’s best example that dunks and lots of
fancy dribbling are not essential to winning. The Celtics made 5 trips to the
Finals and won 3 championships during the Bird Era. By the time he retired,
we’d come to think of him simply as Larry Legend, and his #33 now hangs in the
TD Garden rafters, right up there with Orr’s #4.
5.) Ted Williams: Outfielder, Red Sox (1939-1942, 1946-1960)
David
Ortiz: Designated Hitter, Red Sox (2003-present)
I know, ties suck, especially when they’re used to
manipulate a top-ten list by stretching it to eleven. That will not be the case
here. I just can’t choose between the guy whom many believe to be the greatest
hitter who ever lived, and the guy who’s had more big moments than any baseball
player during my lifetime.
-A word or two about what-ifs and speculation.
This list has nothing to do with what might have been, and that includes time
missed in service to our country, nor does it take into account people’s
unsubstantiated guesses over who did, or did not, take steroids. Those debates
are for others to decide. Here, it’s about what actually took place on the
diamond, rink, court, or field.-
So what we have at #5 is a deadlock between
possibly the greatest leftfielder of all-time, a man who hit .344 for his
career, and the unquestioned greatest designated hitter of all-time (like it or
not, DH is a position, just as punter, place-kicker and closer are positions –
and don’t forget, Ortiz played first base in 3 World Series and never once
embarrassed himself). Based on his legendary aura and historic offensive
production, there are those who would place Williams higher, if not #1, but on
this list, championships count for a lot, and Williams did not win a ring.
Ortiz, on the other hand, has been a central figure on 3 World Series champions
for a franchise that had not won any for the better part of a century. All
things considered, I’m comfortable placing the two of them side by side in the
middle of this list.
7.) John Havlicek: Forward/Guard, Celtics
(1962-1978)
You’d think with all the emphasis on championships
that a guy with 8 rings would rank higher. But there is one small technicality
that keeps John Havlicek from cracking the top 5: you could argue that Hondo
was never the best player on a championship team (the first 6 were won with
Bill Russell and I’d rank Havlicek and Dave Cowens as 1A and 1B on the ’74 and
’76 squads). Having said that, ask me next week and John Havlicek might be as
high as #4. He was that great. Havlicek may be the most underrated and
underappreciated legendary athlete in the history of team sports. In addition
to all of those titles, at the time of his retirement following the 1977-78
season, he ranked third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list after averaging 16.1
points and playing all 82 games. And although his name always appears on the
list of greatest NBA players, you somehow get the feeling that, just before
publication, a proofreader had to shout, “Hey wait a minute, we forgot John
Havlicek!...” But not in Boston. Havlicek is right there alongside Bobby Orr,
Milt Schmidt and Johnny Pesky in the Esteemed Gentlemen Luxury Box of Boston
Sports. It is because of his unassuming modesty that we sometimes need to be
reminded of what a ferocious competitor he was and all that he accomplished.
A quick story: Back in the late-80s, a friend of
mine was refereeing a game in Charlestown in which Havlicek’s son, Chris, then
playing at the University of Virginia, was competing. After the game, Havlicek
went out of his way to seek out my friend and tell him how impressed he was by
his officiating. My friend was excited and even a little awed. But no one was
surprised.
8.) Bob Cousy: Guard, Celtics (1950-1963)
The starting point guard on the all-time Celtics
team was also one of the NBA’s first superstars. Bob Cousy played on 6 Celtics
championship teams, and black and white footage of him dribbling through
opponents and zipping acrobatic passes to teammates still mesmerizes. Cousy
could kill a clock the way Bobby Orr sometimes killed penalties, by playing a
one-man game of keep away as members of the opposition desperately flailed
about, one step behind. Cousy was a revolutionary athlete, helping to
popularize basketball by speeding up a rather predictable game ruled by set
shooters and low post giants. While Bill Russell was the unquestioned pillar of
the Celtics dynasty of the 1960s, Bob Cousy was its first building block.
9.) Eddie Shore: Defenseman, Bruins (1926-1940)
Of all the athletes on this list, I am furthest
removed from Eddie Shore in terms of having seen him play, or even knowing anyone
who saw him play. What I do know is this: Like Cousy in the NBA, Shore was one
of the NHL’s earliest superstars. He was a fierce competitor, combining elite
skill and toughness in leading the Bruins to their first 2 Stanley Cups. I’ve
tried to avoid listing statistics and individual awards as much as possible,
but it should be noted that Shore won the Hart Trophy as league MVP 4 times,
that’s more than anyone not named Howe or Gretzky. When people from Boston and
beyond refer to “That Old Time Hockey,” they’re talking about an era when most
every player could skate, check, pass, stick handle, score and, yes, fight, and
the name that most often comes to mind is Eddie Shore.
10.) Kevin McHale: Forward, Celtics (1980-1993)
As alluded to earlier, this is a true Top Ten
list. I will not follow up with a string of toughest omissions or honorable
mentions (there is no honor in simply being mentioned), such stretching of the
list only serves as a weak ploy to ease the list-maker’s conscience. And
because of all of that, #10 was by far the toughest pick. I believe—with my
entire Boston Sports Loving Soul—that the first nine on this list are beyond
question (the order could be shuffled some, but I never hesitated with any of
them). Here, though, I agonized, and with some input from a dear friend, chose
Kevin McHale to close the list.
McHale is a top-five all-time low post player,
both offensively and defensively. He was ridiculously efficient, shooting 55%
from the field, and 80% from the free-throw line for his career. Despite his
penchant for humor and goofiness, McHale was one of the toughest Celtics ever.
His famous open-court near-guillotining of Kurt Rambis in the ’84 Finals
provided a much needed momentum swing, propelling the Celtics to Championship
#2 of the decade. He even played through the ’87 Finals on a broken foot.
McHale was never the #1 option on those 1980s Celtics teams, it was, after all,
the Bird Era. But Bird probably doesn’t win those championships without McHale
(or Parish, or DJ, or Tiny, or Cedric Maxwell, or Walton, and so on). These are
team games, and no one on this list did it alone. Kevin McHale was a unique
talent, presenting match-up problems for every opponent he faced. He belongs on
this list.
So, that’s it. Yes, I could go on. But that’s ten. Rules are
rules, and everybody knows we here in New England neither bend, nor break
them...
The Top Ten By The Numbers
Athletes by team: Celtics-5 Bruins-2 Red Sox-2 Patriots-1
Championship Teams Represented: 27 (of 35) Celtics-16 (17) Bruins-4 (6) Patriots-4 (4) Red Sox-3 (8)
Total Championship Rings: 42 (Russell-11 Havlicek-8 Cousy-6 Brady-4 Bird-3 McHale-3 Ortiz-3 Orr-2 Shore-2)
Hall Of Famers: 8 (NBA-Russell, Cousy, Havlicek, Bird, McHale. NHL-Shore, Orr. MLB-Williams. Brady is a shoe-in. Ortiz...we'll see)
Retired Uniform Numbers: 8 (Celtics-Russel 6, Cousy 14, Havlicek 17, Bird 33, McHale 32. Bruins-Orr 4, Shore 2. Red Sox-Williams 9. After they retire, Brady's 12 and Ortiz's 34 will never be worn again.
Sets Of Teammates: 4 Cousy-Russell, Cousy-Russell-Havlicek, Russell-Havlicek, Bird-McHale
Sets Of Teammates: 4 Cousy-Russell, Cousy-Russell-Havlicek, Russell-Havlicek, Bird-McHale
