October 22, 2001: "Pardon the Interruption" Premieres

Tony Kornheiser (left) and Michael Wilbon

October 22, 2001, 25 years ago: ESPN premieres its show Pardon the Interruption. Just as I would later describe Around the Horn, which debuted on the network a year later, as "The McLaughlin Group for sports," PIT is to sports what Crossfire was to politics.

Tony Kornheiser, from Lynbrook, Long Island, New York, was 53 years old when the show began, although his advancing age would become a running gag. Michael Wilbon, from the South Side of Chicago, was about to turn 43, although, as the show went on and he became, in his own words, "an old man," he seemed to enjoy telling younger athletes and fans, "Get off my lawn!"

Both were sportswriters at The Washington Post, Kornheiser from 1979 to 2008, Wilbon from 1980 to 2010, both eventually becoming regular columnists before getting bought out. Kornheiser grew up as a fan of the New York Mets, Jets, Knicks and Rangers; Wilbon, of the Chicago Cubs (despite growing up in White Sox territory), Bears, Bulls and Blackhawks. But both retain affection for the D.C.-area teams, including the teams of the University of Maryland and Georgetown University, due to having covered them for the Post.

The show begins with "Headlines": They discuss three major sports stories of the day. Each segment has a clock, usually no more than 2 minutes. After a commercial break, they might do more Headlines. Or they might do a short in-depth interview with another ESPN expert on a particular sport, calling the segment "Five Good Minutes."

Or they might play a game. Sometimes it's "Toss-Up," where they choose between two preferences: Who's likelier to win a game, who's the better performer at a particular event, which coach is on a hotter "hot seat," etc. Sometimes, it's "What's the Word?" where they choose a word to describe an occurrence in sports. Sometimes, it's "Mail Time," where they read questions sent in by viewers, and answer them.

Long-since discarded games were:

* "Odds Makers," in which their former assistant, Tony Reali -- known as "Stat Boy," before (and, for a few more years, after) becoming host/moderator of Around the Horn -- would ask what were the odds of something happening.

* "Over/Under," in which Reali would give them a number of something, like how many games a team would win, and they had to guess over it or under it.

* "Role Play," where they would hold up a picture of an athlete or coach, and the other man would ask him a question, and he had to answer it in his perception of that person's character.

* "Good Cop, Bad Cop," in which one would be nice about an issue and the other would be mean.

* "Food Chain," where they would rank certain items, leading to Tony creating a catchphrase that has survived the segment: "That's it, that's the list!"

Then, another commercial break. Then, "Happy Time." First, they wish a sports figure a Happy Birthday, and talk about them for about 30 seconds. If it's an old guy, Tony will said, "History lesson, kids!" Then, "Happy Anniversary" -- or, sometimes, "Not-So-Happy Anniversary." Finally, "Happy Trails" to a coach getting fired, a player retiring, a streak ending, or a seemingly likely event failing to happen. If a sports figure has died, "Happy Trails" is replaced by "A Melancholy Trails" and a considerably more respectful discussion.

By this point, the clock will show under 2 minutes left to do the show. This is followed by "Errors and Omissions." Finally, the Big Finish: Tony will say, "We're running out of show! It's time for the big finish!" and Mike will say, "Let's do it!" Five brief segments, Tony introducing the 1st, 3rd and 5th, Mike the 2nd and 4th.

After Mike responds to the last, Tony says, "We're out of time. We'll try to do better the next time. I'm Tony Kornheiser!" And Mike says, "And I'm Mike Wilbon. Same time tomorrow, knuckleheads!" Unless it's a Friday, in which case, it's "Have a great weekend, knuckleheads!" Or, if they're pre-empted, "We're bumped by basketball/golf/tennis 'til (whatever the day is), knuckleheads!" Followed by Mike introducing the show at 6:00: "Here's SportsCenter!" Or, if it's Monday night, "Here's Monday Night Countdown!"

Frequent references are made to their colleges: Tony's Binghamton University in New York State, and Mike's Northwestern University north of Chicago. Mike refers to Tony's bias toward New York, or at least to the Northeast, referring to the main Interstate highway, I-95, as opposed to his own Midwest, or "Big Ten" or I-94 region.

Less frequent than usual are Wilbon's references to guys Tony likes as "Your boy!" Tony began to fire back when Wilbon waxed about Chicago-adjacent personalities, and called them "Your boy!"

They dress up for Halloween, and, on their last show before Thanksgiving Day, they do "The Turkeys of the Year." Tony says, "Wilbon, tell them the rules" (for deciding them). Mike says, "There ain't none." And then they show bloopers, and athletes, coaches and owners who made fools (or "turkeys") of themselves in various ways.

When the show was suggested to them, because they had such great chemistry together when talking about sports, both of them thought the show, airing weekdays at 5:30 PM Eastern Time on ESPN and repeated at least once a day on ESPN2, would last a few weeks at most. Nobody is more surprised than they are that, as of October 22, 2026, it is still on the air, and that they're still the ones doing it.

But they don't always do it in the D.C. studio where it is taped, usually broadcast live. Wilbon frequently does it from the arenas where he covers NBA games for the network. Sometimes, he's back home in Chicago, doing it from ESPN's studio there. Sometimes, he's at ESPN's studio in Phoenix, because he has a house in suburban Scottsdale, Arizona -- Phoenix being to Chicagoans what Florida is to New Yorkers: Where you go to retire. Except Wilbon has no intention of retiring.

Likewise, when COVID hit in March 2020, Tony started doing the show from his house in the Chevy Chase section of Northwest Washington (which borders the city of Chevy Chase, Maryland). Even after restrictions were lifted, the joke is that he does the show from his attic. It took about 2 years for him to once again do the show from his studio -- and on the day that he did it, Wilbon was on assignment, covering a Lakers-Warriors game in Los Angeles!

Occasionally, one or both will be out -- the joke is that Tony is tired, or that either one of them is indulging in their golf fetish -- and replaced by a substitute. For years, a regular sub was Dan LeBatard of the Miami Herald, and both Tony and Mike pretended that they hated him. Sometimes, it's Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, a.k.a. "Fill-In Frank." Sometimes, it's another ESPN correspondent, such as Pablo Torre (whom Tony jokes is "my son") or Mina Kimes.

In 2004, CBS tried to build a sitcom around Tony, titled Listen Up. It starred Jason Alexander of Seinfeld as Philadelphia-based sportswriter Tony Kleinman, who hosted a talk show titled Listen Up with Bernie Widmer, a former NFL player played by Malcolm-Jamal Warner of The Cosby Show. Like Home Improvement, it tried to balance the protagonist's work life with the TV show and his home life with his wife and kids in the suburbs. Unlike the show on which it was based, it didn't work, and was canceled after 1 season, 22 episodes.

Mike Ditka, 1939-2026

The NFL Network has a series titled A Football Life. In 2023, they did an episode on Mike Ditka. But if anybody has lived "a football life," he did. By his own admission, "My life has been a miracle since, because of this game."

Michael Keller Dyczko Jr. was born on October 18, 1939, the same exact day as Lee Harvey Oswald. Suffice it to say that Ditka was more admired. He was born in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. His father sort-of anglicized the family name to Ditka.

He grew up in Aliquippa, northwest of Pittsburgh, just down the Ohio River from Joe Namath's hometown of Beaver Falls, and a short drive from Pittsburgh International Airport. At Aliquippa High School, he played football, basketball and baseball under head coach Peter "Press" Maravich, who is now best known as the father and coach of "Pistol Pete" Maravich. (Pete was 8 years younger than Ditka, and never a teammate.)

Other notable graduates of Aliquippa High include Press himself; later NFL stars Sean Gilbert, Ty Law and Darrelle Revis; baseball pitcher Joe Beggs; and composer Henry Mancini. Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Tony Dorsett, star linebacker Paul Posluszny, and pitcher/dentist George "Doc" Medich all lived in Aliquippa, but later moved to nearby Hopewell and attended high school there. Future baseball player John "Tito" Francona (father of Terry) lived in Aliquippa, but moved to nearby New Brighton.

A star at the University of Pittsburgh, which retired his uniform Number 89, Mike Ditka practically invented the position of tight end with the Chicago Bears, winning the NFL Rookie of the Year award in 1961, and helping them win the 1963 NFL Championship. In 1967, he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles; in 1969, to the Dallas Cowboys. He helped them win Super Bowl VI, and caught a touchdown pass in the game.

Football players did not have mustaches in those days.

He retired after the 1972 season, with 427 receptions for 5,812 yards and 43 touchdowns. He was the 1st tight end elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was named to the NFL's 75th Anniversary Team in 1994, and its 100th Anniversary Team and the Bears' 100th Anniversary 100 Greatest Players in 2019. In 1999, even though he was, by then, an analyst for NBC, John Madden, then with Fox, named him to his "All-Madden All-Millennium Team."

When The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, Ditka was ranked 90th. When the NFL Network named its 100 Greatest Players in 2010, Ditka rose to 59th.

Although he was only 33 years old when he retired, Cowboy head coach Tom Landry immediately named him assistant head coach and special teams coordinator. He helped the Cowboys reach 3 more Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl XII in 1978.

In 1982, Ditka became the last head coach hired by George Halas, the founder of the Bears and a co-founder of the NFL. Halas died during the next season. He got them into the Playoffs 7 times, including winning Super Bowl XX over the New England Patriots on January 26, 1986. In other words, the Bears haven't won a World Championship without Ditka having some part in it in 80 years.

That 1985 Bears team, pushed by the Chicago media and the various TV commercials their players did, became one of the most iconic teams in NFL history, even before they could fully cement themselves as one of the greatest teams in NFL history.

Walter Payton, tackle Jim "Jimbo" Covert, defensive ends Richard Dent and Dan Hampton, defensive tackle Steve McMichael and linebacker Mike Singletary have been elected to the Hall of Fame; center Jay Hilgenberg and safety Gary Fencik probably should be; and 320-pound defensive tackle turned trick-play running back William "the Refrigerator" Perry became a folk hero.

But, like the New York Mets team that won the World Series 9 months later, that edition of "The Monsters of the Midway" became "a dynasty of one." After that Super Bowl, the growing rift between Ditka and his defensive coordinator, James "Buddy" Ryan, meant that they couldn't both stay. Ryan was offered the head coach's job with the Philadelphia Eagles. Ditka kept the Bears in the Playoffs in 4 of the next 5 years, but only reached 1 more NFC Championship Game, and was let go after missing the Playoffs in 1992.

Ditka was hired as an analyst for NBC's NFL studio show, NFL Live. He played off his tough-guy-with-a-sense-of-humor image, boosted by his often contentious press conferences as Bears coach. He said things like, "A man without fear belongs in an asylum. Or on special teams." And, "If God wanted man to play soccer, he wouldn't have given us arms."

Also playing off this image was a Saturday Night Live sketch: "Bob Swerski's Super Fans," which imagined a sports-talk show in Chicago. George Wendt, best known as Norm Peterson on the Boston-based Cheers, was a Chicago native, and played Bob, the show's host, his name a takeoff on Chicago Bulls broadcaster Chuck Swirsky. He had 3 sidekicks on the show: Robert Smigel, the sketch's creator, a New Yorker who moved to Chicago to start his comedy career, played Carl Wollarski; Mike Myers, a Toronto native, played Pat Arnold; and Chris Farley, ironically a Wisconsin native and a fan of the Bears' arch-rivals, the Green Bay Packers, played Todd O'Connor.

Left to right: Farley, Smigel, Myers and Wendt

The radio show was said to be broadcast live from the original Mike Ditka's Steakhouse (since closed, at the Tremont Hotel at 100 East Chestnut Street on the Near North Side). They all adopted Ditka's look: Slicked-back hair, aviator sunglasses, big bushy mustaches, and a Bears sweater. Wendt smoked a cigar like Ditka tended to do.

They would brag about the accomplishments of their favorite football and basketball teams, making ridiculous predictions (Todd always predicting shutouts, while Pat once said Ditka would "find a way" to hold an opponent to minus-7 points), exaggerating their accents with stretched-out vowels and S's: "Da Bearssss!" "Da Bullssss!" which would be accompanied by raising their beer mugs in a toast.

They never mentioned hockey's Blackhawks, and only once did I hear them mention either of the city's baseball teams: "Da Cubs!" Never the White Sox as "Da Sox!" They talked smack, they drank beer, they ate Polish sausages, and, in a running gag that now seems cringey, especially in light of Farley's death from a drug-induced heart attack, Farley's Todd would have a heart attack, but quickly recover. The sketch ran 11 times from 1991 to 1997, before Farley's death at the end of that year.

In 1997, Ditka left NBC to become the head coach of the New Orleans Saints. In 1999, he traded all their draft picks, and their 1st round pick for the next season, to the Washington Redskins for their 1st round pick, which was used on Heisman Trophy-winning running back Ricky Williams. It turned out to be a bad match, and Ditka had the worst season of his coaching career -- and, as it turned out, the last.

He joined CBS in 2000, and ESPN in 2002, remaining with them through the 2015 season. After a long estrangement, the Bears finally retired his Number 89 in 2013.

When the Bears won the Super Bowl in 1986, the space shuttle Challenger blew up 2 days later, and their scheduled White House reception with President Ronald Reagan was canceled. In 2011, 25 years later, President and Chicago resident Barack Obama invited the team to the White House to make it up to them.

Despite Ditka and several of the players being very conservative -- Ditka later openly supported Donald Trump, and was even approached to run against Obama for the U.S. Senate seat in Illinois in 2004, but thought a loss would hurt his restaurant chain, and chose not to -- he gave Obama the traditional gift, a team jersey with the President's name on the back. Sometimes, the number on the jersey is 1, sometimes it's the President's sequential number (in Obama's case, 44); this time, it was the year of the title, 85.

Ditka, Tom Flores, Tony Dungy and Doug Pederson are the only 4 men to win a Super Bowl as a player and as a head coach. Dikta and Flores are the only 2 to also win one as an assistant coach. Steve Owen, Ray Flaherty, Joe Stydahar and Buddy Parker also won NFL Championships in the pre-Super Bowl era as non-coaching players, and also won a title as non-playing head coaches. Halas, Elgie Tobin, Guy Chamberlin, Jimmy Conzelman and Curly Lambeau won early titles as player-coaches.

Ditka was married to his first wife, Marge, from 1961 to 1973. They had 4 children together, each, like them, having a name starting with an M: Sons Mike III, Matt and Mark; and daughter Megan. In 1977, Mike married Diane Trantham. They eventually moved to Naples, Florida, for Mike's health, as he'd had heart attacks and strokes, and had gotten each hip replaced twice. But they missed Chicago, and returned to the city's Gold Coast.

At his number retirement, December 9, 2013

Mike Ditka died today, October 9, 2026, in Chicago, 9 days before what would have been his 87th birthday. His family asked for the announcement to be made by a Chicago sports-talk radio show host: Jarrett Payton, son of his favorite player, Walter Payton, who passed away in 1999. (I've already seen 2 AI-generated images of Payton walking Ditka into Heaven.)

In watching ESPN's coverage of his death, one phrase came to my mind: "Mike Ditka was one of a kind." And both ESPN football analyst Chris Berman and Cleveland Browns coach Todd Monken also said, on the air, that he was one of a kind. So, yeah, it seems obvious.

Also on ESPN, on Pardon the Interruption, Chicago native co-host and Bears fan Michael Wilbon pointed out the man's iconic status: "To those of us who cared about the Bears. Ditka was everything we believed in, everything Chicago believed in. Decades later, people don't go to NFL games dressed like Parcells, or Walsh, or Shula! They come dressed like Mike Ditka! Iron Mike! Da Coach! Our world is so much less interesting without him."

He's right. People go to Raiders games dressed like biker gang members or Darth Vader. People go to Washington games with pig masks, or at least rubber snouts, in remembrance of the 1980s "Hogs." But in Chicago, they still show up in shades and fake mustaches in tribute to "Da Coach."

Da Tribute

With his death, there are 4 surviving players from the 1963 NFL Champion Chicago Bears: Defensive back Richie Petitbon, defensive end Ed O'Bradovich, running back Ronnie Bull and offensive lineman Bob Wetoska.

All Right, You Primitive Screwheads...

In the words of the immortal Bruce Campbell, playing Ash Williams in the 1993 film Army of Darkness...

All right, you primitive screwheads, listen up!

An innocent man does whatever it takes to prove his innocence. He does not do whatever it takes to gain immunity from prosecution.

A President who has just faced an assassination attempt does not worry about his shoes, pump his fist, yell, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" or promote a ballroom project. A President who staged an assassination attempt does that.

When people tell you, "The Supreme Court is on the ballot," believe them.

Bernie Sanders was not robbed by the Democratic National Committee. Quite the opposite: Just by letting him into their Primaries, they bent over backwards to accommodate him. He wasn't robbed by the DNC. He was rejected by Democratic voters, who knew that he had been talking trash about their Party for half a century.

What Israel is doing is Gaza is bad, but it is not genocide. It is in response to an act of genocide.

What Russia is attempting in Ukraine is an attempt to not only conquer the country, but to wipe out its culture and impose its own. That is genocide.

The new Yankee Stadium is not a "little league park." The proof of this is that the Yankees can hit anywhere.

Derek Jeter was an excellent defensive shortstop. Your "defensive metrics" are meaningless.

Large amounts of money were never going to be enough to save the Mets.

"Wins Above Replacement" has no value. Actual winning has value.

No one has ever proven that Roger Clemens used steroids, and David Ortiz and Barry Bonds did each fail a steroid test.

The two biggest wastes of time that ESPN covers happen practically back-to-back: The Masters and the NFL Draft.

Aaron Rodgers may still be talented, but in the ways that matter, he is a bum.

The Liberty Mutual commercials -- both the ones at the Statue of Liberty and the LiMu Emu & Doug ads -- have run their course, and it's time to retire them.

Speaking of TV commercials: If it takes longer to mention the side effects of a drug than its benefits, and you need people to dance in your commercial, it's time to pull the drug. And the commercial. And do more testing on both.

That said, Zepbound has worked for me. I've lost 20 pounds. That said, I don't know if it, or any other drug, is right for you. Talk to your doctor.

Charles Barkley has lost over 100 pounds on a different GLP-1 drug, but just because a celebrity uses a product doesn't mean it's good. Shaquille O'Neal endorses Icy Hot, but it did nothing for me.

East Brunswick needs a Wegmans. I'll settle for New Brunswick, North Brunswick, Sayreville or Old Bridge. Manalapan, Woodbridge, Bridgewater and West Windsor are just too far.

It's "I couldn't care less," not "I could care less."

 
The past tense of "slay" is "slew," not "slayed."
 
Some of you literally don't know what "literally" means.
 
I'll relax when I'm ready. Telling me to relax makes me less relaxed.
 
And Dunkin tastes better than Starbucks. And it's cheaper, too.

As you were!

Lou Holtz, 1937-2026

Lou Holtz has died. I will be (by my standards) brief, because I didn't like him:

Louis Leo Holtz was born on January 6, 1937 in Follansbee, West Virginia, not far from Wheeling, or from Pittsburgh. He grew up in nearby East Liverpool, Ohio, and attended nearby Kent State University, where he played linebacker. He was an assistant coach at Iowa, William & Mary, Connecticut, South Carolina, and on Woody Hayes' staff when Ohio State won the National Championship in 1968.

His 1st head coaching job was at William & Mary, from 1969 to 1971. He went just 13-20 with them, but he did get them into the 1970 Tangerine Bowl. This game, which became the Citrus Bowl, was then for what would now be Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) teams, or (before that) Division I-AA. In 1972, he was named head coach at North Carolina State. He coached them for 4 seasons, winning the Atlantic Coast Conference title in 1973, and getting them into a bowl game every year, including winning the 1972 Peach Bowl and the 1973 Liberty Bowl.

In 1976, he got his 1st NFL job. It turned out to be his last. It was with the New York Jets, and Holtz tried to install the veer offense, a run-oriented offense. And the quarterback was Joe Namath. This was not the 1969 Namath with the cannon arm and the swagger, it was the 1976 Namath with 7 added years of pounding and two bad knees. He couldn't run it.

I think we should all be glad

this picture is not in color.

It was the 1970s, after all.

He wasn't the first college football coach to bomb out in the NFL, and he wouldn't be the last: The Jets went 3-10, with 2 of the wins being by 5 and 7 points. On December 9, with one game to go, and one step ahead of the law, Holtz quit, saying, "God did not put Lou Holtz on this earth to coach in the pros."

Frank Broyles retired as head coach at the University of Arkansas. Since he was still their athletic director, he chose his successor, and he chose Holtz. In that 1st season, 1977, he took them to 11-1 and victory over Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. Their only loss was 13-9 to Texas, costing them the Southwest Conference title. In 1979, they won the SWC title, but lost the Sugar Bowl to Alabama. They won the Hall of Fame Bowl in 1980, and the Bluebonnet Bowl in 1982.

In 1984, he left Arkansas to become head coach at Minnesota. In just 2 years, he got a program that had been doormats for a generation to victory in the 1985 Independence Bowl. It was the program's only bowl game win between the 1961 and 2002 seasons.

That got him hired by Notre Dame in 1986. In his 2nd season, he got them to the Cotton Bowl, but they lost. Like George Gipp, Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian and Dan Devine, Lou Holtz led Notre Dame to the National Championship in just his 3rd season, going 12-0, including their Number 1 vs. Number 2 "Catholics vs. Convicts" game against the University of Miami, the defending National Champions. They capped it by beating West Virginia in the 1989 Fiesta Bowl.

They nearly did it again in 1989, losing only to revenge-minded Miami on Thanksgiving weekend. Their win in the Orange Bowl cost Colorado the National Championship, throwing it to Miami. Colorado avenged this loss in the next season's Orange Bowl, winning the National Championship.

Notre Dame won the Sugar Bowl in the 1991 season, and the Cotton Bowl in each of the next 2 seasons. But losses to Stanford in 1992 and Boston College in 1993 -- just 1 week after a Number 1 vs. Number 2 "Game of the Century" with Florida State -- cost them the National Championship both times.

His next 3 seasons were not as successful, and he retired after the 1996 season. The Minnesota Vikings offered him their head job, but he turned it down, and took a studio analyst job with CBS. In 1999, he took the job at South Carolina, going 0-11, before going 8-4 and 9-3, and winning back-to-back Outback bowls. He retired after going 8-4 in 2004, and went back to ESPN before retiring after the 2015 season.

His college coaching record was 249-132-7, including a 10-8-1 record in bowl games, for a winning percentage of .651. He won an ACC title, a SWC title, and the 1988 National Championship. He was beloved among college football fans, as both a coach and a broadcaster.

He was also a horrible person, supporting horrible people. In 1990, he supported the successful re-election campaign of race-baiting homophobic Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina. In 2016, he spoke at the Republican Convention, endorsed Donald Trump, and criticized Colin Kaepernick for his kneeling in opposition to police brutality.

In the 2020 campaign, he again spoke at the Republican Convention, again endorsed Trump, made multiple appearances on Sean Hannity's Fox News Channel show, supported Amy Coney Barrett's nomination for the Supreme Court, and said -- remember, he had been the head coach at the University of Notre Dame, a towering symbol of American Catholicism -- that Joe Biden was "a Catholic in name only." This statement was so foul that Notre Dame released a statement distancing itself from it.

Trump gave Holtz the Presidential Medal of Freedom, something he absolutely would not have done if Holtz had supported Democrats. Holtz was also elected to the Upper Ohio Valley Hall of Fame, the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, and the Indiana Sports Hall of Fame. Notre Dame does not have an intra-university Hall of Fame.

Lou Holtz died today, at age 89, in Orlando, Florida. He was predeceased by his wife, Beth Barcus, and was survived by 4 children, including 3 Notre Dame graduates.

One of those is Louis Leo Holtz Jr., a.k.a. Skip Holtz, who has been an assistant to Bobby Bowden at Florida State, offensive coordinator to his father at both Notre Dame and South Carolina, and head coach at Connecticut, East Carolina, South Florida and Louisiana Tech. For the last 4 seasons, he was the head coach of the UFL's Birmingham Stallions.

With the death of Lou Holtz, the earliest living former head coach of the Jets is now Bruce Coslet (1990-93); and the earliest living former Notre Dame head coach is Holtz's successor, Bob Davie (1997-2001).

I will close with a joke I heard while Holtz was still in South Bend. A man walks into a bar, and announces that he's the world's biggest Notre Dame fan. Nobody believes him. He tells the bar, "I've got a tattoo of Paul Hornung on one side of my ass, and Joe Montana on the other!" Both had been quarterbacks at Notre Dame. The bartender says, "Prove it!" So the guy drops his pants and moons the bartender. Talk about a "South Bend." The bartender says, "I don't see Hornung, and I don't see Montana, but that's definitely Lou Holtz in the middle!"

Stats Can Be Nice, What Matters Is Results

The Yankees picked a heck of a time to have 2 lousy games: Against the Red Sox, Saturday night on Fox, and Sunday night on ESPN. Embarrassed themselves on national TV.

The series started out all right, on Friday night on YES. Over the 1st 2 innings, the Yankees led, 7-0. Over the rest of the series, the Red Sox outscored the Yankees, 27-16.

That was unacceptable.

The Yankees scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning, including home runs by Jazz Chisholm and Anthony Volpe. They scored 2 in the 2nd -- but one came when, with the bases loaded, Volpe was hit on the elbow with a pitch by Walker Buehler.

This is one time where a Red Sox pitcher hit a Yankee with a pitch, and we can be pretty sure that it was unintentional. Or was it? The Sox were already losing, 6-0, and it's not like we were at Fenway Park, where a 6-0 lead is no big deal. Maybe... But the bigger problem was that Volpe played the rest of the series in pain, and couldn't hit well.

The Yankees scored another run in the 5th, after the Red Sox already had. That made the Yankee linescore 52001. That's a ZIP Code in Dubuque, Iowa.

An 8-1 lead should have been enough. But starting pitcher Will Warren fell apart in the 6th, allowing a triple, a sacrifice fly, and 3 walks, before Aaron Boone brought in Brent Headrick. (Another name that sounds like it belongs on a law firm.) It was 8-4.

A Paul Goldschmidt homer in the bottom of the inning made it 9-4, and that should have been enough. But Headrick ran into trouble in the 7th, and had to be bailed out by Fernando Cruz. Devin Williams closed it down in the 9th. Yankees 9, Red Sox 6, and Warren remained the winning pitcher.

*

Ryan Yarbrough started on Saturday night. Like Warren, he's filled an injury-forced hole in the Yankee rotation fairly well. Not this time: He allowed 8 runs in 4 innings. Austin Wells hit a home run, and the Yankees closed to within 8-7 in the 8th. But Ian Hamilton, who has been dreadful, allowed 2 runs in the 9th. Despite the Red Sox' closer now being former Yankee closer Aroldis Chapman, and there's a reason he's a former Yankee closer, they couldn't come back. Red Sox 10, Yankees 7.

*

The Sunday game looked good at first. Carlos Rodón got through the 1st 4 2/3rds innings with just 1 hit and 1 walk, and had a 2-0 lead on an Aaron Judge home run. But, Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you. With 2 out in the top of the 5th, he allowed a walk and a home run. 2-2.

DJ LeMahieu gave the Yankees back the lead with a homer in the bottom of the 5th, but Rodón collapsed to start the top of the 6th: Hit-by-pitch, walk, home run. Before the inning was over, Boone had used 3 pitchers, and it was 7-3 Boston. Jonathan Loáisiga allowed back-to-back homers to start the 8th, and it got worse from there.

The Yanks trailed 11-5 going into the bottom of the 9th. Judge hit a 2-run homer, and they got 2 men on with 2 out, but Chapman, showing none of the shakiness he so often showed in Pinstripes, finished them off. Red Sox 11, Yankees 7.

Over the last 5 innings, the Red Sox' linescore was 25022. That's a ZIP Code for Blair, West Virginia. Over the same 5 innings, the Yankees only scored 12002. That's a ZIP Code for Berlin, New York.

The Yankees lost this game despite 2 home runs from Aaron Judge. He now has 338 for his career. That's as many as Don Baylor, 3 more than Darryl Strawberry, 7 more than Hank Greenberg.

It's 1 fewer than Boog Powell, Dave Parker and Tino Martinez. It's 7 fewer than the still-active Bryce Harper, 10 fewer than the still-active Nolan Arenado, and 13 fewer than the still-active Manny Machado. It's 13 fewer than Dick Allen, 20 fewer than Yogi Berra, 21 fewer than Johnny Mize, 23 fewer than Joe DiMaggio, and 31 fewer than Ralph Kiner.

He's 33 years old.

For the season, he's batting .396 with 23 home runs and 55 RBIs. Today is June 10.

*

Stats can be nice. But what matters is results. The Yankees dropped 2 out of 3 at home to The Scum. They now lead the American League Eastern Division by 4 games each over the Tampa Bay Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays, 5 in the all-important loss column. The Sox are 9 back (11 in the loss column), and the Baltimore Orioles are 13 back.

Tonight, the Yankees start a roadtrip in Kansas City, with 3 against the Royals. Then, off to Boston with 3 more against the Auld Enemy. Hopefully, they won't embarrass themselves on national TV again.

One piece of good news: Giancarlo Stanton, currently on the Injured List, is set to begin a rehab assignment tonight. Hopefully, he'll be able to contribute in the 2nd half of the season.

Around the Horn: The Final Win Totals

Yesterday was the final episode of Around the Horn on ESPN, which began on November 4, 2002. Originally hosted by Max Kellerman, and then from February 2, 2004 onward by Tony Reali, it started out as sports' answer to The McLaughlin Group, and became something more insightful and more beloved.

The show ran for a little over 21 years, with over 5,000 episodes. Of those, 4,953 were hosted by Reali. As was pointed out, that was more shows than were hosted by Oprah Winfrey, Jerry Springer or David Letteerman -- and Reali is only 46 years old.

Here are the final win totals:

1. Woody Paige, 688 (Tony symbolically bumped him up to 700)

2. Tim Cowlishaw, 551

3. Bill Plaschke, 428

4. Kevin Blackistone, 386 (1st among nonwhite panelists)

5. J.A. Adande, 339

6. Jay Mariotti, 329

7. Jackie MacMullan, 259 (1st among women)

8. Israel Gutierrez, 228

9. Bob Ryan, 224

10. Frank Isola, 192

11. Bomani Jones, 160

12. Pablo S. Torre, 138.75

13. Michael Smith, 137

14. Clinton Yates, 135

15. Sarah Spain, 127

16. Mina Kimes, 89

17. Ramona Shelburne, 61

18. Courtney Cronin, 52

19. Harry Lyles Jr., 48

20. Jorge Sedano, 47.5

21. David Dennis Jr., 44

22. Emily Kaplan, 43

23. Kate Fagan, 42

24. Justin Tinsley, 41

25. Michael Holley, 34

26. Kevin Clark, 29

27. Jemele Hill, 23

28. Monica McNutt, 22

29. Elle Duncan, 19

30. Bill Barnwell, 19

31. Jim Armstrong, 18

32. Marcel Louis-Jacques, 17

33. Joon Lee, 10 out of 49

34. T.J. Simers, 10 out of 65

35. Gene Wojiechowski, 9

36. Jen Lada, 7

37. Charlie Pierce, 5 out of 13

38. Josh Elliott, 5 out of 23

39. Jon "Stugotz" Weiner, 4 out of 16

40. LZ Granderson, 4 out of 19

41. David Jacoby, 3 out of 5

42. Domonique Foxworth, 3 out of 8

43. Lindsey Thiry, 3 out of 11

44. Kimberley A. Martin, 2 out of 4

45. Adam Schefter, 2 out of 5

46. Tony Reali, 2 out of 7 before he was host

47. Martenzie Johnson, 2 out of 12

48. Christine Williamson, 1 out of 1

49. Malika Andrews, 1 out of 1

50. Bruce Arthur, 1 out of 1

51. Lil Wayne, 1 out of 1

52. Mark Cuban, 1 out of 1

53. Dianna Russini, 1 out of 4

54. Richard Justice, 1 out of 5

55. Bob Glauber, lost his only appearance

56. Andy Katz, lost his only appearance

57. Mark Kiszla, 0-for-2

58. Jean Jacques Taylor, 0-for-4

59. Ron Borges, 0-for-4

60. Dan Shanoff, 0-for-5

61. John Powers, 0-for-5

Most appearances: Paige, 2,965, to Cowlishaw's 2,114, Plaschke's 1,758 and Blackistone's 1,608. MacMullan's 891 was the most by a woman.

Best winning percentage, with at least 50 appearances: Kevin Clark, 31.5 percent, to Michael Smith's 30.3. Elle Duncan led women with 30.2.

Most points per show was won by a woman: Emily Kaplan, 23.7, to Jackie Mac's 23.0.

All of the current panelists, and several former panelists, were brought back to do one last "Face Time" on the final show, or, at least, during the final week. With a cloud still over him, Mariotti was not one of them. 

Where Yanks & Mets Stand After Splitting With Each Other

It's July 28, 2023. We are 112 games into a 162-game regular season. Just short of 70 percent. Where do the New York baseball teams stand?

This season, the Mets and an injury-plagued Yankees split 4 games. The Mets are 48-54, 17 games out of 1st place in the National League Eastern Division, and 7 games out of the last NL Playoff berth. The Yankees are 54-48, 8 games out of 1st place in the American League East, and 2 1/2 games out of the last AL Playoff berth.

Steve Cohen is the richest team owner in baseball, Met fans said. He's gonna spend us to a World Series win, they said. We're gonna be better than the Yankees, they said. We're taking over New York, they said.

Today, they traded reliever David Robertson, a former Yankee, to the Miami Marlins, for 2 minor-leaguers in Rookie League. The team with a $380 million payroll are sellers.

Who's next? Their elderly aces, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, have contracts bigger than their ages, and can't be moved. Of their top 7 hitters, 6 have what amount to no-trade clauses, and the 7th is Pete Alonso, the face of their team right now. They can't move any of those guys.

Are the Yankees a disappointment? Yes. Are they a failure? Yes. But, divided by preseason talk, the Mets are everything Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times said they were on today's ESPN (well, ESPN2) broadcast of Around the Horn: "Perhaps the biggest disappointment in baseball history. No team has ever spent more money than them, and they're the 5th-worst team in the National League. They're an embarrassment."

Tonight, Aaron Judge returns to the lineup for the 1st time since his toe injury in Los Angeles on June 3. They were 19-23 without him -- but only 35-25 with him. He can make a difference, all by himself -- but enough of one?

The next 10 games will likely tell the story for the rest of the season: 3 games away to the new 1st place team in the AL East, the Baltimore Orioles; 3 games home to the former 1st place team, the team that dominated the 1st half, the Tampa Bay Rays; and 4 games home to the cheating Houston Astros.

Are you looking forward to this? Should I be? I can't answer the 1st question for you. I have my answer for the 2nd question.

December 23, 1982: Chaminade Upsets Virginia

December 23, 1982, 40 years ago: The biggest upset in the history of college basketball occurs.

In the 1981-82 season, the University of Virginia went 30-4, and finished the regular season ranked Number 3 in the country, led by 7-foot-4 center Ralph Sampson and future NBA coach Rick Carlisle. But they only split their regular-season games against the University of North Carolina, and lost by 1 point in overtime to the University of Maryland on the last day of the season, so they had to share the Atlantic Coast Conference title. They lost to Carolina in the ACC Tournament Championship Game. And they only got to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, losing to the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Nevertheless, Sampson would return, and they entered the 1982-83 season ranked Number 1. They played in a tournament in Tokyo, Japan, where they beat the University of Houston, led by Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler; and the University of Utah. Before making the trip, they had hoped to schedule a game against the University of Hawaii for their return trip, but couldn't. Another Hawaii school stepped in. And so, the Virginia Cavaliers went into that game 8-0, and still Number 1.

The Hawaii school in question was Chaminade University of Honolulu. It was (and remains) a Catholic school, run by the Society of Mary, founded by Father William Joseph Chaminade, a priest who barely survived persecution during the French Revolution. The school competed in the NAIA, roughly equivalent to NCAA Division IV. Their teams are known as the Silverswords, not for actual swords, but for a plant that thrives in Hawaii's tropical climate.

This was only their 8th season of varsity basketball. They had previously played Virginia 3 times, including the season before, losing all 3 games by wide margins. Despite now having the home-court advantage, there was no reason to expect them to give the Cavs much of a challenge.

The game was played at the Honolulu International Center, which opened in 1964, and is best known as the location of Elvis Presley's Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite concert of January 14, 1973. The building still stands, named the Neal S. Blaisdell Center for the Mayor who got it built, and a statue of Elvis stands outside.

But on this night, reflecting the fact that hosts Chaminade seemed to be terribly overmatched, only 3,383 of the arena's 8,800 seats were filled. Tipoff was 7:40 PM Hawaii time -- 1:40 AM Eastern Time. The game was not broadcast on ESPN.

And the only non-Hawaii, non-Virginia sportswriter covering the game was Michael Wilbon of The Washington Post. He was in Honolulu to cover the Aloha Bowl on Christmas Day, since one of the Post's local teams, the University of Maryland, was in it. (Maryland lost, 21-20 to the University of Washington.) Fans of ESPN's Pardon the Interruption, which Wilbon co-hosts with fellow former Post columnist Tony Kornheiser, know that he will watch any basketball game, anywhere, anytime. Aas an ACC team and a rival of Maryland, he had some knowledge of the Virginia team. He probably decided, "What the heck." His instinct served him well.

On defense, Chaminade double-teamed Sampson, sometimes triple-teaming him. On offense, they tried to fast-break their way to jump shots. They jumped out to leads of 6-2, 15-10 and 19-12. Virginia caught up, but were unlucky, as it seemed like their shots just would not go in. At the half, it was tied, 43-43.

Virginia jumped out to a lead in the 2nd half, but Chaminade scored 7 straight points to tie it, 56-56. Right after this, Sampson made a turnaround jump shot to put Virginia back on top. But this was followed by Mark Rodrigues sending an alley-oop pass to Tim Dunham (not Tim Duncan), who dunked over Sampson. Chaminade's Richard Haenisch said, "After that play, I think we all got the feeling we could actually win."

With just under 6 minutes to go, Chaminade took a 64-62 lead. With 35 seconds to go, Chaminade led 74-72. Virginia missed 3 shots, and a foul sent Chaminade to the free throw line. Sampson only scored 12 points, although he added 17 rebounds. It wasn't enough: Chaminade won, 77-72. An NAIA team had beaten the Number 1 team in the country.

The game ended after 3:00 AM on the East Coast. At ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut, Chris Berman and Tom Mees were anchoring SportsCenter, and the machine on their desk that showed scores showed "VIRGINIA 72 CHAMINADE 77." Berman, not having footage to show, said, "We can't tell you what happened, but the Number 1 team in college basketball has lost to... " He paused, and said, "We don't even know who they are."

Now, everybody knew who Chaminade were. That was almost not the case: Their board of trustees was considering changing the school's name to the University of Honolulu. They couldn't change it now. (There was precedent: After shocking the basketball world by winning the 1966 NCAA Tournament, Texas Western University changed its name to the University of Texas at El Paso a year later.)

Virginia finished the regular season 29-5, again sharing the regular-season ACC title with North Carolina, losing the ACC Tournament Final to North Carolina State, and losing to N.C. State again in the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight, as Jim Valvano's Wolfpack won the National Championship.

Chaminade finished the season 34-5, ranked Number 1 in NAIA, and got to the Semifinals of the NAIA Tournament. They were no fluke: They beat Louisville in 1983 (a year in which Louisville made the NCAA Final Four) and 1984. Also in 1984, they beat Southern Methodist University, then ranked Number 3.

In honor of their legendary upset of Virginia, the Maui Invitational was created in 1984, in which Chaminade compete with 7 major college teams. They now compete in NCAA Division II.

November 4, 2002: "Around the Horn" Premieres On ESPN

November 4, 2002: Around the Horn premieres on ESPN, sort of a McLaughlin Group for sports. Max Kellerman hosts until January 30, 2004. Tony Reali has been the host and moderator since February 2, 2004.

Reali introduces topics, then lets each panelist have about a minute on them, giving points if he likes what they say, taking off points for not liking something. If a panelist had made a prediction that came out right, they get bonus points; if a prediction bombed, they get points taken off. Reali will also hit the MUTE button, an automatic 1-point deduction, for a panelist getting out of control, or just to "direct traffic" if everybody is talking at once.

Current regular panelists include:

* Woody Paige of the Colorado Springs Gazette, formerly the Denver Post.

* Bob Ryan, ESPN NBA analyst, formerly of The Boston Globe.

* Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times.

* J.A. Adande, of ESPN and formerly of the Times

* Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News.

* Kevin Blackistone of The Washington Post, formerly of The Dallas Morning News.

* Israel Gutierrez and

* Bomani Jones, co-hosts of ESPN show Highly Questionable, both formerly of The Miami Herald.

* Pablo S. Torre, co-host with Jones of ESPN's High Noon.

* Frank Isola of The Athletic, formerly of the New York Daily News.

* Elle Duncan, co-anchor of ESPN's 6:00 PM SportsCenter broadcast.

* Mina Kimes, panelist on ESPN's NFL Live.

* Sarah Spain, co-host of ESPN Radio's Spain and Fitz.

* Jorge Sedano, ESPN NBA analyst.

* Emily Kaplan, ESPN's lead NHL reporter, formerly of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

* Joon Lee, ESPN baseball analyst, formerly of the Boston Herald.

* Monica McNutt, ESPN college basketball analyst.

* Ramona Shelbourne, co-host of ESPN Radio's TMI with Beadle & Shelburne.

* Harry Lyles Jr., ESPN college football analyst.

* David Jacoby, co-host of ESPN Radio's Jalen & Jacoby.

* Malika Andrews, host of ESPN's NBA Jump.

* ESPN NFL analysts Courtney Cronin, Dianna Russini and Kimberley A. Martin.

* And writers for ESPN's The Undefeated: Clinton Yates, Justin Tinsley, David Dennis Jr., and former NFL player Domonique Foxworth.

Notable former panelists include Jackie MacMullan, Charlie Pierce, Michael Holley and Michael Smith, all formerly of The Boston Globe; T.J. Simers, formerly of the Los Angeles Times; Richard Justice, formerly of the Houston Chronicle; Jemele Hill, formerly of the Detroit Free Press; Kate Fagan, formerly of ESPN and the Philadelphia Inquirer; Jon Weiner, a.k.a. "Stugotz," who hosts an ESPN Radio show with Dan Le Batard; and, most controversially, Jay Mariotti of Fanhouse.com, formerly of the Chicago Sun-Times, on nearly every episode until 2011, when he was fired following a domestic violence scandal.

The show does annual specials for April Fool's Day, where Reali switches with a panelist, who usually gives him a taste of his own medicine with the MUTE button; and Halloween, where the panelists, and sometimes even Reali, not only wear costumes, but answer questions in character.

As of the 20th Anniversary episode, November 4, 2022, Paige is the all-time leader in appearances, with 2,858, and in wins, with 650. Kimes holds the record for highest winning percentage, with a minimum of 200 appearances: 31.2 percent.

Woody on today's show.

Other win totals: Cowlishaw 514, Plaschke 409, Blackistone 357, Mariotti 329 (until his firing, he and Paige were neck-and-neck for the all-time lead for a few years), Adande 325, MacMullan 258, Ryan 211, Guiterrez 191, Jones 159, Isola 159, Smith 136, Spain 119, Torre 112, Yates 108, Kimes 67, Shelburne 50, Fagan 41, Sedano 29, Kaplan 26, Hill 22, Tinsley 19, Duncan 16, McNutt 12, Dennis 11, Lee 10, Lyles 10, Simers 10 (including the 1st episode), Cronin 6, Stugotz 4, Foxworth 3, Jacoby 3, Russini 1 and Andrews 1.

Who Are ESPN's Top 100 Baseball Players, and How Right Did They Get It?

This week, ESPN released a list of the Top 100 Major League Baseball Players of All Time. Trying to narrow down the over 22,000 men who have appeared in at least one MLB game over the last 150 seasons is not easy. The last serious attempt to try was in 1999 -- the end of the 20th Century seemed like an appropriate time -- by The Sporting News, the "newspaper" that once billed itself as "The Bible of Baseball."

Before I present you with ESPN's Top 100, let me show the 4 major "baseball milestones," and which members of these "clubs" did not make the Top 100:

* 3,000 Hits: Paul Waner, Lou Brock, Eddie Murray, Craig Biggio, Rafael Palmeiro.

* 500 Home Runs: Murray, Palmeiro, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Gary Sheffield.

* 300 Wins: Old Hoss Radbourn, Pud Galvin, John Clarkson, Tim Keefe, Mickey Welch, Kid Nichols, Eddie Plank, Early Wynn, Gaylord Perry, Don Sutton, Tom Glavine.

* 3,000 Strikeouts: Perry, Sutton, Glavine, Ferguson Jenkins, Bert Blyleven, Curt Schilling, CC Sabathia.

Okay, right away, we have problems. Not with keeping Palmeiro, McGwire and Sosa out, because they cheated. We seem to think Sheffield did, too. But nobody thinks Murray did. You can argue that Waner was once one of the Top 50, but that he no longer makes the Top 100; and that Biggio, as good as he was, never did.

But how can you keep out Murray, an apparently clean guy with both 3,000 hits and 500 home runs? And how the hell can you keep out Brock, who had 3,000 hits and is 2nd all-time in stolen bases with 938?

Same deal with the pitching milestones? Not exactly: 3,000 strikeouts is a big deal, but not as big a deal as the other 3, which probably hurts Schilling, who won 216 games, fewer than any "3KK" pitcher (I just made that term up) except Scherzer, who's still active and only 26 wins behind him; and Smoltz, who spent spent 4 seasons as a reliever and also has 155 saves.

You can make a case that Sutton doesn't even make an all-time Dodger rotation, even if you limit it to only the Los Angeles years: Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Clayton Kershaw, and if you go to 5 guys, you can argue that both Fernando Valenzuela and Orel Hershiser were better, in terms of talent if not of career numbers. And Perry will always have the spectre of the spitter.

And while Radbourn, Galvin, Clarkson, Keefe, Welch and Nichols were all great pitchers by standards of their own time, that time had a distance from the pitcher's mound to home plate of 50 feet. In 1893, it became 60 feet, 6 inches, and has remained so ever since.

Radbourn had already retired after the 1891 season, Galvin and Welch after 1892, Keefe saw the writing on the wall and packed it in after 1893, and Clarkson did so after 1894. Nichols started in 1890, the same year as Cy Young, and, like Young, pitched about equally well before and after 1893, so he could, legitimately, be considered for this list.

The following players made the TSN100 in 1999, but not the ESPN100 in 2022: Early Wynn 100, Dennis Eckersley 98, Gaylord Perry 97, Rollie Fingers 96, Chuck Klein 92, Mark McGwire 91, Ralph Kiner 90, Goose Goslin 89, Frankie Frisch 88, Kirby Puckett 86, Dizzy Dean 85, Sam Crawford 84, Ed Walsh 82.

Also: Joe Medwick 79, Eddie Murray 77, Willie Keeler 75, Robin Roberts 74, Lefty Gomez 73, Pie Traynor 70, Eddie Plank 68, Cool Papa Bell 66, Mickey Cochrane 65, Paul Waner 62, Bill Terry 59, Lou Brock 58, Bill Dickey 57, Harry Heilmann 54, Buck Leonard 47, Carl Hubbell 44, Al Simmons 43, George Sisler 33.

So, without further ado, here are the ESPN100, with, where applicable, their TSN100 rankings. Those active, or not yet having reached the majors by 1999, would be unlikely to make the TSN100. Those who did not make that list are hereby abbreviated as DNML. Players who made one of the major milestones are so noted. And players who made the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, also chosen in 1999, are so noted. (McGwire was named to the ACT, but not to the ESPN100.) And players caught, or at least credibly accused, as users of performance-enhancing drugs are given asterisks:

100. Barry Larkin, active in 1999

99. Phil Niekro, 300 wins, 3,000 hits, DNML

98. Jim Thome, 600 home runs, active

97. Adrian Beltre, 3,000 hits, active

96. Charlie Gehringer, 46

95. Duke Snider, 83

94. Bryce Harper, not yet active

93. John Smoltz, 3,000 strikeouts, active

92. Roy Halladay, active

91. Ryne Sandberg, DNML

90. Ivan Rodriguez, active *

89. Shoeless Joe Jackson, 35

88. Willie Stargell, 81

87. Carlton Fisk, DNML

86. Roberto Alomar, active

85. Jim Palmer, 64

84. Paul Molitor, 3,000 hits, 99

83. Roy Campanella, 50

82. Eddie Collins, 3,000 hits, 24

81. Mike Piazza, active *

80. Robin Yount, 3,000 hits, DNML

79. Hank Greenberg, 37

78. Chipper Jones, active

77. Vladimir Guerrero, active

76. Cap Anson, 3,000 hits, DNML

75. Rod Carew, 3,000 hits, 61

74. Juan Marichal, 71

73. Willie McCovey, 500 home runs, 56

72. Justin Verlander, 3,000 strikeouts, not yet active

71. Al Kaline, 3,000 hits, 76

70. Harmon Killebrew, 500 home runs, 69

69. Ozzie Smith, 87

68. Manny Ramirez, 500 home runs, active *

67. Brooks Robinson, ACT, 80

66. Cal Ripken, ACT, 3,000 hits, 78

65. Max Scherzer, 3,000 strikeouts, not yet active

64. Eddie Mathews, 500 home runs, 63

63. David Ortiz, 500 home runs, not yet active *

62. Mel Ott, 500 home runs, 42

61. Carl Yastrzemski, 3,000 hits, 72

60. Whitey Ford, 52

59. Miguel Cabrera, 3,000 hits, 500 home runs, not yet active

58. Steve Carlton, 300 wins, 4,000 strikeouts, 30

57. Grover Cleveland Alexander, 300 wins, 12

56. Dave Winfield, 3,000 hits, 94

55. Reggie Jackson, 500 home runs, 48

54. Lefty Grove, ACT, 300 wins, 23

53. Oscar Charleston, 67

52. Clayton Kershaw, 3,000 strikeouts, not yet active

51. Ernie Banks, ACT, 500 home runs, 38

50. Bob Feller, 36

49. Frank Thomas, 500 home runs, active

48. Nap Lajoie, 3,000 hits, 29

47. Warren Spahn, ACT, 300 wins, 21

46. Ichiro Suzuki, 3,000 hits, not yet active

45. Wade Boggs, 3,000 hits, active, 95

44. Tony Gwynn, 3,000 hits, active, 49

43. George Brett, 3,000 hits, 55

42. Nolan Ryan, ACT, 300 wins, 5,000 strikeouts, 41

41. Satchel Paige, 19

40. Jimmie Foxx, 500 home runs, 15

39. Yogi Berra, ACT, 40

38. Jackie Robinson, ACT, 4

37. Joe Morgan, 60

36. Tris Speaker, 3,000 hits, 27

35. Josh Gibson, 18

34. Pete Rose, ACT, 4,000 hits, 25

33. Bob Gibson, ACT, 3,000 strikeouts, 31

32. Sandy Koufax, ACT, 26

31. Mariano Rivera, active

30. Albert Pujols, 600 home runs, 3,000 hits, not yet active

29. Johnny Bench, ACT, 16

28. Derek Jeter, 3,000 hits, active

27. Roberto Clemente, 3,000 hits, 20

26. Alex Rodriguez, 3,000 hits, 600 home runs, active *

25. Christy Mathewson, ACT, 300 wins, 7

24. Randy Johnson, 3000 wins, 4,000 strikeouts, active

23. Rickey Henderson, 3,000 hits, active, 51

22. Tom Seaver, 300 wins, 3,000 strikeouts, 32

21. Cy Young, ACT, 500 wins, 14

20. Rogers Hornsby, ACT, 9

19. Frank Robinson, 500 home runs, 22

18. Mike Schmidt, ACT, 500 home runs, 28

17. Roger Clemens, ACT, 300 wins, 4,000 strikeouts, active, 53

16. Joe DiMaggio, ACT, 11

15. Mike Trout, not yet active

14. Greg Maddux, 300 wins, 3,000 strikeouts, active, 39

13. Ken Griffey Jr., ACT, 600 home runs, active, 93

12. Honus Wagner, ACT, 3,000 hits, 13

11. Pedro Martinez, 3,000 strikeouts, active

10. Stan Musial, ACT, 3,000 hits, 10

9. Walter Johnson, ACT, 400 wins, 3,000 strikeouts, 4

8. Barry Bonds, 700 home runs, active, 34 *

7. Mickey Mantle, ACT, 500 home runs, 17

6. Lou Gehrig, ACT, 6

5. Ted Williams, ACT, 500 home runs, 8

4. Ty Cobb, ACT, 4,000 hits, 3

3. Hank Aaron, ACT, 3,000 hits, 700 home runs, 5

2. Willie Mays, ACT, 3,000 hits, 600 home runs, 2

1. Babe Ruth, ACT, 700 home runs, 1

Biggest jumps from 1999 to 2022: Griffey 80, Winfield 38, Clemens 36, Henderson 28, Bonds 26, Maddux 25, Morgan 23. Certainly, Griffey got shortchanged in 1999.

Biggest drops from 1999 to 2022: Collins 58, Shoeless Joe 54, Gehringer 50, Alexander 45, Greenberg 42, Campanella 33, Grove 31. That is a considerable amount of disrespect.

Rankings by position:

1st Base: Gehrig 6, Pujols 30, Foxx 40, Thomas 49, Killebrew 70, McCovey 73, Carew 75, Anson 76, Greenberg 79, Stargell 88, Thome 98. Aside from the fact that Anson, the earliest player on this 100, played entirely in the 19th Century, with significant rule differences, I don't object here.

2nd base: Hornsby 20, Morgan 37, Jackie Robinson 38, Lajoie 48, Collins 82, Alomar 86, Sandberg 91, Gehringer 96. I wouldn't put Alomar in the Top 100, but no other objection.

Shortstop: Wagner 12, Jeter 28, Banks 51, Ripken 78, Smith 69, Yount 80, Larkin 100. I wouldn't put Larkin in the Top 100. Top 125, maybe, but not Top 100. Other than that, no problem here.

3rd Base: Schmidt 18, Alex Rodriguez 26, Brett 43, Boggs 45, Cabrera 59, Mathews 63, Brooks Robinson 67, Jones 78, Molitor 84, Beltre 97. Big problems here. A-Rod should have been ineligible, regardless of whether you think belongs here, or at shortstop. Chipper shouldn't have been anywhere near this list. And there's no way Brett or Mathews should have been ahead of Brooks.

Left Field: Williams 5, Bonds 8, Musial 10, Henderson 23, Rose 34, Yastrzemski 61, Ramirez 68, Joe Jackson 89. Barry and Manny are ineligible. And there's no way Ted,  not a very good fielder, and by his own admission a poor runner, should have been that high.

Center Field: Mays 2, Cobb 4, Mantle 7, Griffey 13, Trout 15, DiMaggio 16, Speaker 36, Charleston 53, Snider 95. I have no problem with Mantle being ahead of DiMaggio. Mantle vs. Mays is the eternal New York baseball debate. But what kind of drugs does it take to put Trout at Number 15, ahead of the Yankee Clipper? He's had a great first half of his career. So did George Foster, Fred Lynn and Dave Parker, and they didn't even end up in the Hall of Fame. (UPDATE: Parker has since been elected.)

Right Field: Ruth 1, Aaron 3, Frank Robinson 19, Clemente 27, Gwynn 44, Suzuki 46, Reggie Jackson 55, Winfield 56, Ott 62, Kaline 71, Guerrero 77, Harper 94. It's way too soon to put Harper in the Top 100. Other than that, no problem.

Designated Hitter: Ortiz 63. He should be ineligible.

Catcher: Bench 29, Josh Gibson 35, Berra 39, Piazza 81, Campanella 83, Fisk 87, Ivan Rodriguez 90. I-Rod is ineligible. Putting Gibson at 35, when we just don't know, is wrong. Putting Bench ahead of Berra is very wrong. And putting Piazza on the list at all is a massive joke, even if you don't think he used steroids. The man was a born DH.

Pitcher: Walter Johnson 9, Martinez 11, Maddux 14, Clemens 17, Young 21, Seaver 22, Randy Johnson 24, Mathewson 25, Rivera 31, Koufax 32, Bob Gibson 33, Paige 41, Ryan 42, Spahn 47, Feller 50, Kershaw 52, Grove 54, Alexander 57, Carlton 58, Ford 60, Scherzer 65, Verlander 72, Marichal 74, Palmer 85, Halladay 92, Smoltz 93, Niekro 99.

If you're not going to put Fergie Jenkins or Bert Blyleven on here, then you shouldn't put Scherzer, Verlander or Halladay on here. Kershaw belongs, but not that high. Grove, Alexander and Carlton are way too low. And Pedro at 11? As they say in English soccer, Give your head a wobble.

Maybe, over the weekend, I'll give a real Top 100.