The Hall of Fame of Uniform Numbers

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

And you misspelled both of them.

So it goes.

[barrysloate]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

So it goes.

I hold you to a very high standard Peter.

[bobbvc]

Ted Williams at #9. This is a vintage Baseball forum after all.

[bobbvc]

And for that matter, Jim Bouton at #56.

[Peter_Spaeth]

After Ted Williams, Bouton is definitely the next guy that came to mind.

[the 'stache]

Frank spoke with me this morning, and brought up Joe DiMaggio's home run per strikeout rate, which I had completely overlooked while putting together the information to support my assertion that DiMaggio was in fact the greatest offensive center fielder in the modern baseball era. While Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak is, in my opinion, the single greatest individual accomplishment in the history of American sports, his career home run to strikeout ratio is one of the most overlooked career accomplishments, certainly in baseball. DiMaggio's career numbers suffer from three full seasons lost to military service. But while he did play, he was a superstar, an elite hitter on par with Gehrig and Babe Ruth before him. And while Ruth and Gehrig both had an outstanding home run per strikeout rate, nobody in the game's history has combined power discipline at the plate quite as well as DiMaggio.

There have been 91 hitters in Major League history to amass 350 or more home runs during their playing careers. I had Baseball Reference generate a list of those players, which I imported into Excel. I then sorted the players to show who had the best Home run per strikeout rate in Major League History among power hitters. Joltin' Joe was at the very top of the list. He hit 361 home runs while only striking out 369 times. I feel very safe in saying that I don't ever see this mark by DiMaggio ever being bested.

[icollectDCsports]

Haven't read every page of the thread, but I'd nominate Sammy Baugh for #33 if he hasn't been listed already.

[Paul S]

If only Nellie Fox had power

[Peter_Spaeth]

A hitting streak is part luck, and essentially meaningless. I would rank other single season accomplishments ahead of it. Williams' .406 the same year. Brett's .390. Maris' 61. Henderson's however many steals it was. And that's just baseball. Overall, I would rank Beamon's long jump first -- never has a record been broken by that much -- it was literally a quantum leap.

[Peter_Spaeth]

95 Richard Dent
and 90 the great Julius Peppers

[TUM301]

867-5309 !!

[Tabe]

19 is definitely Steve Yzerman.

5 goes to Nick Lidstrom. Brooks and Joe D were awesome, no question, but Lidstrom was better.

[djrhanover]

8 - Cal Ripken, Jr.
19 - John Unitas
21 - Roberto Clemente
5 - Brooks Robinson
24 - Willie Mays
87 - Sidney Crosby

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by Tabe

19 is definitely Steve Yzerman.

5 goes to Nick Lidstrom. Brooks and Joe D were awesome, no question, but Lidstrom was better.

Lidstrom was a spectacular defenceman, maybe the best ever-and it pains me to say that as a Milwaukeean who is supposed to hate all Detroit sports teams. But DiMaggio is one of the ten greatest hitters in the game's history. And as great as Lidstrom was, in my humble opinion, nothing he ever did surpassed DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak.

And even if you put Lidstrom's career accomplishments and rings up against DiMaggio's career accomplishments and rings, and by some stroke of luck they tied, Joe has the tiebreaker.


"Hi, I am Marilyn, and I will be Joltin' Joe's tiebreaker."

[markf31]

#90 Neil Smith
#93 Doug Gilmour
#94 Charles Haley
#95 Richard Dent
#96 Tomas Holmstrom
#97 Cornelius Bennett

[Butch7999]

new moninees for
1 - Jacques Plante (NHL) - six nominees already for 1, so explanation/argument now required:
... Hockey HOF, multiple Cup champion, career stats among very best of all time (miles better than Sawchuk, e.g.), innovator at position
2 - Tim Horton (NHL) -- could also enter with 7 or 24, but too many nominees there, so 2, his late-career number
10 - Pele (soccer) -- explanation needed again -- seriously? No other nominations for greatest footballer of all time?
34 - Thurman Thomas (NFL)
39 - Dominik Hasek (NHL) -- what Orr was to defencemen and Gretzky was to forwards, Hasek was to goalies
-- by any stat, light years beyond any other goalie of past 60 years
67 - Kent Hull (NFL)
78 - Bruce Smith (NFL)
79 - Ron McDole (AFL/NFL) -- should be for 72, his best years, but no other nominees at 79, his late-career number
89 - Steve Tasker (NFL)

redundant votes for
3 - the Babe (MLB)
4 - Orr (NHL)
8 - Yogi (MLB)
24 - Mays (MLB)
45 - Gibson (MLB)
66 - Lemieux (NHL)
68 - Jagr (NHL)
77 - Esposito (NHL) -- should be for 7, but too many nominees there, so 77, his late-career number
83 - Andre Reed (NFL)
99 - Gretzky (NHL)

[clydepepper]

MLB

3-Killebrew, B.Terry
4-Kiner
5-Greenberg, Bagwell
6-Oliva
7-Biggio
9-Minoso
11-Aparicio
23-Sandberg
27-Catfish Hunter
32-Steve Carlton
34-Puckett

NFL

10-Tarkenton
12-Jim Kelly
66-Ray Nitschke

NBA

7-Maravich
12-Stockton
21-D.Wilkins
22-Baylor
24-Moses Malone
32-Dr. J & McHale
34-Olajuwon & Barkley
44-Jerry West

[ZachS]

#1 - Tim Howard (USMNT)

[clydepepper]

33- Luis Tiant (Cle)
23- Luis Tiant (Bos & NYY)

16- Bo Jackson (KCR)
34 Bo Jackson (OAK)

[frankbmd]

There has been a rules modification made in the original post. Going forward no more than three players for each number will be posted. Editing of the list is based on votes when possible. The players listed are subject to change if a case is made for replacing one currently on the list. The goal is to identify the best player for each number. If you can make a case for adding Harmon Killebrew over Babe Ruth, please do so. If you cannot, Killebrew will not be added to the list. Similarly it was never my intent to identify the best 50 players to wear #7. If your nominee is not in the discussion with Mantle for some reason, he will not be listed.
Ultimately there will be only one listed at each number.
An update has been posted and many fine nominations have been eliminated from the list, at least for now.

[Peter_Spaeth]

60 Otto Graham

[Peter_Spaeth]

73 John Hannah how did I forget that one.

[Tabe]

Man, even when honored, Sergei gets dissed. It's Fedorov, not Federov

And I his nomination for 91.

[drmondobueno]

3 Harmon Killebrew. Power nonstop
7. The Mick, nuff said
8. Yogi Berra. How many rings, ten?
9. Roger Maris. Deserves mention if for no other reason he did what Ruth did not, by one...
16. Marcel Dionne, as smooth and consistent a hockey player. Too bad he played on lousy teams. Really lousy teams. Ask this question. Brett hull, a one dimensional scoring machine versus a center, Dionne who made his wingers look like HOFers. Until Gretzky came along, Dionne pounded the assists like no one else in hockey. If no one else agrees with me, fine. Dionne was number two in league scoring at his retirement, behind some guy named Howe. Nuff said. You are wrong, Dionne is RIGHT.
21. Clemente, bar none
32. Steve Carlton. Lefty.
74. Merlin Olson
75. Deacon Jones
85. Jack Youngblood.
99. The Great One, Wayne Gretzky
-- Ty Cobb. Gotta be on this list