 |
| Mount Rushmore, South Dakota |
From left to right on the mountain of faces, in no particular order of reason, in place of George Washington is Jackie Robinson. No Jackie wasn't the greatest baseball player that ever lived, but he was pretty damn good. Robinson was considered a 5 tool player. He finished with a career .311 B.A., he averaged 86 RBI and 23 SB per season. He was famous for stealing home base on many occasion. He was named rookie of the year in 1947 and won the league MVP in 1949. He's led the league in stolen bases, OB% and batting average. On top of that, Mr. Robinson is a World Series champion, played in 5 W.S., is a member of the Hall of Fame and most of all was given the incredible honor of having his number retired throughout Major League Baseball.
Nobody will ever be able to pick the #42 to wear on a Major League jersey. Every year baseball honors the great Jackie Robinson by having the entire league wear #42. Jackie Robinson became a professional baseball player, not for some publicity stunt, but because he deserved to play in the MLB and proved it with Hall of Fame numbers.
Nobody will ever be able to pick the #42 to wear on a Major League jersey. Every year baseball honors the great Jackie Robinson by having the entire league wear #42. Jackie Robinson became a professional baseball player, not for some publicity stunt, but because he deserved to play in the MLB and proved it with Hall of Fame numbers.
 |
| Jackie Robinson |
Robinson, along with the help of Branch Rickey broke the color barrier in professional baseball when Jackie signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. As you can imagine not every fan, friend or foe was on board with this. Robinson was ridiculed, mocked and even threatened during his baseball tenure. Even listening to and reading all the hate that came his way, Jackie Robinson was still great enough to play in the majors at a very high level. Imagine if he didn't have to deal with all the negative crap forced upon him. Jackie Robinson belongs on my Mount Rushmore for being a great athlete, a risk taker and model for several generations to come.
The next athlete to take the place of the President, this time being Thomas Jefferson, is none other than the self proclaimed "G.O.A.T." Muhammad Ali aka Cassius Clay. This man was nothing short of polarizing. His fighting style resembled his personality. Free, confident and opinionated.
Cassius Clay officially changed his name to Muhammad Ali after joining the Nation of Islam and becoming a Muslim. Ali did what he wanted, especially when it came to religion. Religion ultimately was the cause for Ali to not join the army and go to war. Even with honor, there are consequences and Ali wasn't allowed to fight for almost 4 years as his boxing license was stripped and his championship belt was taken. Those were prime years for the heavyweight champion. His record could have been second to none had he been allowed to fight during war time. He still holds the record for most times being name "Fighter of the Year." Ali's overall record was (56-5) with 37 knock outs.
In the ring, Ali was poetry in motion. As a matter of a fact he was a poet outside the ring as well. He would constantly rhyme a theme against his opponent like "The Thrilla in Manilla" as he taunted Joe Frazier by punching a fake toy gorilla mocking his opponent. Or "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." The headlines to his fights are unforgettable like "The Rumble in the Jungle." When being interviewed he turned into the the interviewer, usually with his partner in crime Howard Cosell.
Muhammad Ali was fun to be around. He was an entertainer. He taunted his competition and "played possum" allowing his opponents to wear themselves out while throwing meaningless punches. The man was an artist in the ring. But he will most be remembered for the influence he had on people and still has today. Everyone wants to meet Muhammad Ali. He's a sports icon...a living legend. He was honored by being named Sportsman of the Century in 1999. That's as good as it gets.
Everybody knew who Muhammad Ali was. As a matter of a fact a poll taken in 1993 had Ali tied with Babe Ruth as the most recognizable athlete. Ali was generous with his fame and fortune. There are many examples of his philanthropic nature, but my favorite is "The Muhammad Ali Center" which opened it's doors November of 2005 in his home town of Louisville Kentucky. Ali was a giver, a social activist and even an actor from time to time. But most of us love Ali for what he did in the ring.
Ali's most famous fights were when he beat Sonny Liston to earn his first heavyweight championship. Then his 3 fight masterpiece between he and Joe Frazier where Ali took 2 out of 3, although losing the first one after being out of boxing for 4 years. Then of course when he regained his title once more from the hard hitting George Foreman and became the champion of the world once again. Obviously Muhammad Ali is in the Pro Boxing Hall of Fame and is the most visited shrine in the building.
Taking the place of Theodore Roosevelt on Mount Rushmore will be the immortal Michael Jordan. I mean really, how could he not be on this mountain top of marvel. Jordan is regarded by most as the greatest basketball player of all time and some say the greatest athlete that ever lived. He won 6 titles and could have won more if not for two early premature retirements. It took M.J. a few years to break the barrier that was the Detroit Pistons, but after that there was nothing or nobody that could stop Jordan from becoming the best.
He took down the great Magic Johnson, Clyde Drexler, Charles Barkley, Gary Payton/Shawn Kemp and Stockton/Malone to win 6 NBA championships in 6 attempts. In what should have been his final game, Michael Jordan hit the game winning shot, holding his pose for the world to see and cameras to shoot, capturing an icon in an iconic image. It was truly remarkable. Jordan was named MVP of all 6 NBA Finals and league MVP 5 times. He was also selected to 14 All Star games, named rookie of the year in 1984 and defensive player of the year in 1988. But he was named 1st All Defensive Team 9 times. He even led the league in steals 3 times!
Jordan was obviously a complete player. A monster on the court who demanded greatness from himself and everyone around him. He would taunt you and strike fear into your heart as he ate you alive from anywhere on the court. When Jordan got into his 30's he began to develop the fade away jump shot, an impossible move to defend and M.J. perfected it. He won a gold medal as the leader of the Dream Team in the 1992 Olympics. He's done it all.
I mean, the guy has his own freakin song that people still remember from 20 years ago. "Like Mike, I'd like to be like Mike" Okay so they're easy words to remember but the legend lives on. We associate Michael Jordan with not only basketball, but baseball and golf as well. Haha just kidding. His endorsements are off the charts. Hanes, Gatorade, Nike, Jumpman23 (his own brand) and more. The silhouette of his head may be more recognizable then the president he's bumping off the mountain.
It's no secret Michael Jordan isn't the community man or the philanthropist that everyone wants him to be. He's a regular guy with superior basketball powers. He took an entire generation of kids and created a cult. A good cult though. Everybody wanted to wear the number 23. The reason was Michael Jordan. Nobody wore that number like M.J. did. The man belonged in a basketball uniform and everyone that puts one on wants the number 23 on the back of it. That's why Michael Jordan belongs on the Mount Rushmore of Sports.
Now I'm not a fan of the game of golf. I personally don't think it's a sport but it is regarded as one. Therefore you cannot deny the fact that Tiger Woods shoves Abraham Lincoln over the mountain top and takes the final spot on the Mount Rushmore of Sports.
Before Tiger Woods the only time I ever picked up a golf club was to put it on a table for a garage sale, wondering how it even got there in the first place. Nobody in my family ever played golf. Golf was a game reserved for the rich. CEO's that take long lunch breaks and discuss business over a round of 18. Most of them were old, out of shape businessmen that don't like going to the gym or playing a game of hoops with the fellas and break a good sweat. Golf is a gentlemen's game.
Many of these statements are still true but there's a twist to it now. Since Eldric "Tiger" Woods hit the scene in 1996, he captivated the sports world. Sports Center began to show his highlights, and there were many of them. Then the following year he went on to win the Masters at a crushing pace, destroying the competition. Since then it was Tiger Woods Ya'll!
All of a sudden kids of all ages, sizes and races were picking up a golf club and started to learn the game. Everybody asked for a set of golf clubs for Christmas or their birthday. I was one of them. My friends joined the party and before we knew it we were booking tee times at 6:00 AM. While we all sucked it was still fun! We enjoyed the challenge of something new. We were all athletes and figured we'd pick up the game with ease. Not true and 15 years later I still have issues getting the ball on the green in two.
Tiger had no such issue. Even at the age of 5, Woods could have and would have beaten me and all my friends. The man of many ethnicity's was born to play golf and born to spread the wealth of the game. Woods has broken all sorts of records including being ranked #1 for the most consecutive weeks and total weeks. He's been atop the money list 9 times and won the PGA Player of the Year Award 10 times. Geez!
Tiger Woods is the youngest player to achieve the Grand Slam of Golf. He has the most PGA tour wins of any golfer and is currently 2nd behind Jack Nicklaus with 14 Major Championships and 2nd behind Sam Snead for total PGA wins. He has a great chance of being #1 in both of those categories before he retires.
There's no doubt he ranks and belongs on my Mount Rushmore of Sports because of his statistics alone. Let's not forget that Woods has a long career left if he chooses to and is able to stay healthy. But he also belongs on the mountain top because he brought golf back from the dead and created millions of new fans. Golf is forever in debt to Tiger Woods and so is every golf course, pro shop and Nike for that matter. The man is an icon in the sports world.
Cassius Clay officially changed his name to Muhammad Ali after joining the Nation of Islam and becoming a Muslim. Ali did what he wanted, especially when it came to religion. Religion ultimately was the cause for Ali to not join the army and go to war. Even with honor, there are consequences and Ali wasn't allowed to fight for almost 4 years as his boxing license was stripped and his championship belt was taken. Those were prime years for the heavyweight champion. His record could have been second to none had he been allowed to fight during war time. He still holds the record for most times being name "Fighter of the Year." Ali's overall record was (56-5) with 37 knock outs.
 |
| Muhammad Ali |
Muhammad Ali was fun to be around. He was an entertainer. He taunted his competition and "played possum" allowing his opponents to wear themselves out while throwing meaningless punches. The man was an artist in the ring. But he will most be remembered for the influence he had on people and still has today. Everyone wants to meet Muhammad Ali. He's a sports icon...a living legend. He was honored by being named Sportsman of the Century in 1999. That's as good as it gets.
Everybody knew who Muhammad Ali was. As a matter of a fact a poll taken in 1993 had Ali tied with Babe Ruth as the most recognizable athlete. Ali was generous with his fame and fortune. There are many examples of his philanthropic nature, but my favorite is "The Muhammad Ali Center" which opened it's doors November of 2005 in his home town of Louisville Kentucky. Ali was a giver, a social activist and even an actor from time to time. But most of us love Ali for what he did in the ring.
Ali's most famous fights were when he beat Sonny Liston to earn his first heavyweight championship. Then his 3 fight masterpiece between he and Joe Frazier where Ali took 2 out of 3, although losing the first one after being out of boxing for 4 years. Then of course when he regained his title once more from the hard hitting George Foreman and became the champion of the world once again. Obviously Muhammad Ali is in the Pro Boxing Hall of Fame and is the most visited shrine in the building.
Taking the place of Theodore Roosevelt on Mount Rushmore will be the immortal Michael Jordan. I mean really, how could he not be on this mountain top of marvel. Jordan is regarded by most as the greatest basketball player of all time and some say the greatest athlete that ever lived. He won 6 titles and could have won more if not for two early premature retirements. It took M.J. a few years to break the barrier that was the Detroit Pistons, but after that there was nothing or nobody that could stop Jordan from becoming the best.
 |
| Michael Jordan |
Jordan was obviously a complete player. A monster on the court who demanded greatness from himself and everyone around him. He would taunt you and strike fear into your heart as he ate you alive from anywhere on the court. When Jordan got into his 30's he began to develop the fade away jump shot, an impossible move to defend and M.J. perfected it. He won a gold medal as the leader of the Dream Team in the 1992 Olympics. He's done it all.
I mean, the guy has his own freakin song that people still remember from 20 years ago. "Like Mike, I'd like to be like Mike" Okay so they're easy words to remember but the legend lives on. We associate Michael Jordan with not only basketball, but baseball and golf as well. Haha just kidding. His endorsements are off the charts. Hanes, Gatorade, Nike, Jumpman23 (his own brand) and more. The silhouette of his head may be more recognizable then the president he's bumping off the mountain.
It's no secret Michael Jordan isn't the community man or the philanthropist that everyone wants him to be. He's a regular guy with superior basketball powers. He took an entire generation of kids and created a cult. A good cult though. Everybody wanted to wear the number 23. The reason was Michael Jordan. Nobody wore that number like M.J. did. The man belonged in a basketball uniform and everyone that puts one on wants the number 23 on the back of it. That's why Michael Jordan belongs on the Mount Rushmore of Sports.
Now I'm not a fan of the game of golf. I personally don't think it's a sport but it is regarded as one. Therefore you cannot deny the fact that Tiger Woods shoves Abraham Lincoln over the mountain top and takes the final spot on the Mount Rushmore of Sports.
 |
| Tiger Woods |
Many of these statements are still true but there's a twist to it now. Since Eldric "Tiger" Woods hit the scene in 1996, he captivated the sports world. Sports Center began to show his highlights, and there were many of them. Then the following year he went on to win the Masters at a crushing pace, destroying the competition. Since then it was Tiger Woods Ya'll!
All of a sudden kids of all ages, sizes and races were picking up a golf club and started to learn the game. Everybody asked for a set of golf clubs for Christmas or their birthday. I was one of them. My friends joined the party and before we knew it we were booking tee times at 6:00 AM. While we all sucked it was still fun! We enjoyed the challenge of something new. We were all athletes and figured we'd pick up the game with ease. Not true and 15 years later I still have issues getting the ball on the green in two.
Tiger had no such issue. Even at the age of 5, Woods could have and would have beaten me and all my friends. The man of many ethnicity's was born to play golf and born to spread the wealth of the game. Woods has broken all sorts of records including being ranked #1 for the most consecutive weeks and total weeks. He's been atop the money list 9 times and won the PGA Player of the Year Award 10 times. Geez!
Tiger Woods is the youngest player to achieve the Grand Slam of Golf. He has the most PGA tour wins of any golfer and is currently 2nd behind Jack Nicklaus with 14 Major Championships and 2nd behind Sam Snead for total PGA wins. He has a great chance of being #1 in both of those categories before he retires.
There's no doubt he ranks and belongs on my Mount Rushmore of Sports because of his statistics alone. Let's not forget that Woods has a long career left if he chooses to and is able to stay healthy. But he also belongs on the mountain top because he brought golf back from the dead and created millions of new fans. Golf is forever in debt to Tiger Woods and so is every golf course, pro shop and Nike for that matter. The man is an icon in the sports world.
Wow boss, you totally went for the gusto. You took human landmarks, hahaha. Can't argue with any of your choices b/c they all were influential to the future of the sports they represented - and to sports in general.
ReplyDeleteThis is great. However, I don't know if we can separate it by sport but by the most popular and influential athletes ever: so Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali would definitely be there. Football is too hard because there is so much history and debate.....if I could, I would buy all the NFL exhibits in the world and just be around history every single day. But if football had to be picked, I am thinking either Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana, Walter Payton, Jerry Rice, or Peyton Manning. Woods has destroyed his legacy. Robinson should be up there as well. So you nailed 3 of 4, I think.
ReplyDeleteThnx as always boys for chiming in. Gee you will be part of this on the show Thursday. So get that mountain top built my man. Chinwe I would love it if you finally decided to make your debut.
ReplyDeleteI do understand about your point on Tiger but infidelity isn't the worst crime ever. No I don't condone it and am not down playing the harm he caused but he is a true icon. As for football my first thought was Unitas, the Rice then Jim Brown but it was to tough to pick. I also wanted Babe Ruth in there but I had to make cuts somehow,
Jordan should've been first. Lol
ReplyDelete