As part of Boston’s Biggest Sports Legend tournament, we are comparing Boston’s best to the best from Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. Here is New York’s case, courtesy of MSG’s Tina Cervasio. For more about New York sports, visit MSG.com.
While Boston fans consider the loathed New York Yankees the Evil Empire, and there is absolutely some credence to that moniker, there is no denying the Empire State has birthed quite the empire of sports legends. The reason the following Elite Eight stand alone as their “own” empire goes beyond what they did for New York sports. It is how they’ve impacted their own individual sport for future generations.
Fuhgeddaboud the challenge of comparing the sport legends city to city. It’s a Ruthian task to sort out the New Yorkers alone. With all the icons New York has produced over the years, there still fails to be a representative from the Mets, football Giants (blasphemy) or the dynasty that was the New York Islanders, who won four straight Stanley Cups.
Let’s make a case now for who does make up the Empire State’s Elite Eight.
George Herman Ruth
Babe Ruth hit 714 home runs — in an era when men drank beer instead of Gatorade, smoked cigarettes in between at-bats and ate steaks bigger than their biceps. The slugger led the Yankees to seven American League pennants and four World Series titles. In 1927, he was the first to hit 60 home runs, setting a record for the 154-game season. After 22 seasons, he left the game with a .342 batting average. Some consider Babe Ruth the greatest baseball player, ever. In the Big Apple, nothing was bigger than the Babe.
Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson not only changed sports but changed America. While Robinson was breaking the color barrier, he also was breaking records. Faced with racism, jeering crowds and death threats, he still managed to steal home 19 times in his career. As a rookie with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Robinson put the prejudice aside and put his talent on display — hitting 12 home runs, leading the National League in stolen bases and being named Rookie of the Year, all while helping the Dodgers win the NL pennant. After winning several pennants, he finally led his Dodgers to a World Series title in 1955. But the numbers aren’t nearly as important as Robinson becoming a champion for African-American athletes, civil rights, and other social and political causes.
Joe DiMaggio
Some consider his 56-game hitting streak the greatest baseball feat of all time. Today, few players even flirt with 30 games. It begs us to ask, “Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?” An outstanding hitter, fielder and one of the best all-round players in the history of the game, “Joltin’ Joe” helped the Yankees to nine World Series titles between 1936 and 1951. He played center field with such ease, that in ’47 he tied the AL fielding record with only one error in 141 games. With three MVPs, a career batting average of .325, and 13 All-Star Game appearances, the Yankee Clipper left the game as the only player ever elected to the All-Star Game for every year he played.
Mickey Mantle
The “Mick” was supposed to be the next Joe D., Ruth and Gehrig all rolled into one, and he quite possibly was. Although Mantle lived up to New York’s moniker of “the city that never sleeps,” he was always in the lineup. Mickey became, quite possibly, the most beloved Yankee of all time. The roars that echoed through the “old” stadium were deafening. Opposing players would stop, and watch him pound balls at batting practice. He had it all. Pure power, boyish good looks and charm, and the love of the game.
Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter transcends baseball in the Big Apple and embodies everything that New York stands for, yet, the Yankees’ captain does it quietly and without brashness (two things many New Yorkers are not).
By 26 years old, Jeter owned four World Series rings, and he now owns five.
He’s the all-time Yankees leader in hits, passing Lou Gehrig in 2009. Named to the All-Star Game nine times, winning All-Star and World Series MVPs, Gold Gloves, Sportsman of the Year … the accolades go on and on for Jeter. But it’s the intangibles he brings to the diamond that are mystical. Respect? Jeter’s got it, from every angle. The entire Yankees lineup, including other MVPs, millionaires and superstars, still wait for the captain to step on the field first, before they run to their positions. In New York, Jeter leads the way.
Joe Namath
The name alone, “Broadway Joe,” tells the story. Bright lights, big city, iconic. Namath put the glamour in the quarterback position, becoming one of the most publicized athletes of his time. With that, he birthed a new era of professional football, transforming it into what we know as the NFL today. And when “Joe Willie” guaranteed a win over the Colts in Super Bowl III, he delivered with a stunning upset, as the Jets won 16-7. Namath was the game’s MVP and achieved legendary status. The Hall of Famer passed for 27,663 yards, 173 touchdowns and was the first to pass for more than 4,000 yards in one season. When the ball was in his hands, Namath was exciting, but he was also consistently proficient.
Mark Messier
Following in the footsteps of “Broadway Joe,” Messier guaranteed a win when the Rangers were down to the New Jersey Devils in the ’94 playoffs, and came through. In leading the Blueshirts to their first Stanley Cup in over 50 years, he became an icon. There are three distinct moments in Messier’s New York career: coming to New York in ‘91, helping the Rangers win the Cup in ’94 and his retirement ceremony in 2006. Each of those moments rank in the top 10 of the 50 greatest moments at Madison Square Garden, the World’s Most Famous Arena. A place where the Pope has visted and Elvis sold out to record crowds. That calls for legendary status.
Walt “Clyde” Frazier
Clyde brought style to winning, played the game right, was the consummate teammate, brought two NBA championships to a basketball-obsessed city, and … he’s my colleague on the New York Knicks’ broadcasts on MSG.
Named one of the 50 greatest NBA players, Frazier presided over the Knicks for 10 years, averaging 19.3 points per game as a point guard. He was named to seven NBA All-Star Games, four All-NBA First Teams and seven NBA All-Defensive First Teams. It’s all about winning in New York, and Clyde is revered for his performance in the seventh and deciding game of the 1970 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers … and he’ll remind the viewers every time he calls a Knicks-Lakers game.
It is a near-unattainable task to prove which sports market has produced the better sports legends. Generations, each individual sport, championships won, MVPs named, records set or broken, and fan subjectivity all factor into the equation.
New York, more specifically New York City, is considered the greatest city in the world. It is the largest city, the metropolis. With an estimated 8 million-plus residents, New York City is the top television market in the nation, with two football teams, two hockey teams, two baseball teams, and a basketball team that plays in the World’s Most Famous Arena. (We are not including New Jersey here). This is the world’s stage for sports.
The eight men above rose to the top of their sport, were pioneers and brought championships to this demanding market, all while forever carving their names into sports lore. Whether changing the way the country sees race or transforming leagues into mammoth entities, New York’s sports legends are the forefathers of sports. All others follow.
For more about New York sports, visit MSG.com.
