Pittsburgh's 10 Greatest Athletes

1979 World Champions. An extended Family.

This week, the Mets are visiting the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Pittsburgh's 10 Greatest Athletes

Honorable Mention to Pittsburgh Pirates in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but not otherwise in this Top 10: James "Pud" Galvin, Fred Clarke, Jake Beckley, Jack Chesbro, Vic Willis, Max Carey, Hazen "Kiki" Cuyler, Pie Traynor, Paul Waner, Lloyd Waner, Al Lopez, Arky Vaughan, Ralph Kiner, Bill Mazeroski and Bert Blyleven.

If Barry Bonds ever makes the Hall of Fame, he can be included on this list. At this point, your guess is as good as mine. But, as far as anybody knows, he wasn't using steroids while with the Pirates.

When The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Baseball Players in 1999, Bonds, then in the middle of his career but not known to be a steroid user, was ranked 34th. Waner was ranked 62nd, Kiner 90th.

Honorable Mention to players from the Negro Leagues' Homestead Grays in the Baseball Hall of Fame, whose statistics are woefully incomplete, and thus I can't put them in the Top 10. In chronological order: Smokey Joe Williams, Martin Dihigo, Jud Wilson, Oscar Charleston, Judy Johnson, Josh Gibson, Bill Foster, Willie Wells, James "Cool Papa" Bell, Walter "Buck" Leonard and Ray Brown.

Honorable Mention to players from the Negro Leagues' Pittsburgh Crawfords in the Baseball Hall of Fame: Charleston, Johnson, Gibson, Bell, and Leroy "Satchel" Paige. Not in the Hall of Fame, but should be, is Ted Radcliffe, known as Double Duty because he was a catcher and a pitcher.

Honorable Mention to Pittsburgh Steelers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but not otherwise in the Top 10. Actually, you could do a Top 10 of only Steelers, and still leave some important guys out. Here's the guys I'm leaving out: Bullet Bill Dudley, Ernie Stautner, Jack Butler, Bobby Layne, John Henry Johnson, Mel Blount, Jack Ham, Franco Harris, Mike Webster, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Rod Woddson, Dermontti Dawson and Jerome Bettis.

Think about this: When The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, Blount was ranked 36th, Ham 47th, Webster 75th, Harrisn 83rd and Woodson 87th. When the NFL Network named its 100 Greatest Players in 2010, Harris was left off the list, but Woodson ranked 41st, Blount 44th, Ham 60th and Webster 68th.

Not yet eligible for the Hall of Fame, but almost certain to get in: Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu. Also with a chance: L.C. Greenwood, Alan Faneca, James Harrison, and the still-active Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown.

Honorable Mention to Connie Hawkins, the Basketball Hall-of-Famer who led the Pittsburgh Pipers to the 1967-68 ABA Championship, the league's 1st title.

Honorable Mention to Pittsburgh Penguins in the Hockey Hall of Fame, but not otherwise in this Top 10: Paul Coffey, Joe Mullen, Mark Recchi, Ron Francis. With a good chance: The still-active Evgeni Malkin and Marc-Andre Fleury.

In 1998, when The Hockey News named its 100 Greatest Players, Coffey was ranked 28th. When the NHL named its 100th Anniversary 100 Greatest Players in 2017, Coffey and Francis were both named to it, although there were no rankings.

Now, the Top 10:

10. Ben Roethlisberger, quarterback, Pittsburgh Steelers, 2004-present. A 6-time Pro Bowl, he was the 2004 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and has won Super Bowls at ages 23 (making him the youngest Super Bowl-winning starting quarterback ever) and 26, and nearly another at 28. He is also the youngest quarterback to reach 50,000 career passing yards.

He has also gained a dark cloud over himself, almost certainly of his own doing. We may never know the full story, but if Kobe Bryant can get away with what he did, and still be considered a hero, maybe Big Ben can have people choose to forget as well.

I'm not saying that's a good thing.

9. Jaromír Jágr, right wing, Pittsburgh Penguins, 1990-2001. He'd rank a lot higher on this list if he'd stayed in Pittsburgh for his entire career, which, at age 46, he shows no signs of wanting to stop. With the Penguins, he scored 439 of his 766 career NHL goals, made 9 of his 13 All-Star Games, won the 1999 Hart Memorial Trophy as NHL Most Valuable Player, won all 5 of his Art Ross Trophies as leading scorer, and won both of his Stanley Cups, in 1991 and 1992. (He also reached the Finals with the 2013 Boston Bruins.)

When The Hockey News named its 100 Greatest Players in 1998, Jágr, only 26 years old, was ranked 37th. When the NHL named its 100th Anniversary 100 Greatest Players in 2017, he was named to it. The Penguins have not officially retired his Number 68, but have not given it back out since he left. Of course, if he doesn't retire, he'll never make the Hockey Hall of Fame.

8. Willie Stargell, 1st base, Pittsburgh Pirates, 1962-82. He helped the Buccos win 6 National League Eastern Division titles, and win the 1971 and 1979 World Series, in the latter becoming the "Pops" of "The Family." He shared Sports Illustrated's 1979 Sportsman of the Year award with another Pittsburgh icon who won a World Championship that year, Terry Bradshaw.

He hit 475 career home runs, including the longest home runs ever measured at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, both Jarry Park and the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, and the 1st 2 homers hit out of Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles -- but, strangely, did not hit the longest at either Forbes Field (Babe Ruth) or Three Rivers Stadium (Greg Luzinski, which is only fair since "Pops" hit the longest ever at the Vet).

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Pirates retired his Number 8, and made him one of the figures they honored with a statue outside PNC Park.

7. Sidney Crosby, center, Pittsburgh Penguins, 2005-present. Has it really already been 13 seasons? Yes. And he's not quite 31 years old, so we could be dealing with the twit for a long time to come.

He was the youngest player to have 100 points in a season, doing it before turning 19. He was the 1st rookie to have 100 points and 100 penalty minutes in a season, testifying to both his talent and his penchant for dirty play. He has made 7 All-Star Games, including becoming the youngest player ever voted to the starting lineup, 19.

He was the youngest winner of the Art Ross Trophy as leading scorer, again at 19 in 2007, and won it again in 2014. He's also a 2-time winner of the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as leading goalscorer, in 2010 and 2017. He's not quite the youngest winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy as NHL MVP, but he's won it in 2007 and 2014.

He's made 4 Stanley Cup Finals, losing in 2008, winning and becoming the youngest Cup-winning Captain in 2009, and winning both the Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoff MVP in 2016 and 2017. When the NHL named its 100th Anniversary 100 Greatest Players in 2017, he was named to it.

We'll never know what he would have achieved if he hadn't been Gary Bettman's golden boy, and the referees had been allowed to properly apply the rules. But he still might have been a future Hall-of-Famer. And it's highly unlikely that any Penguin will ever again wear Number 87, which isn't all that common a number in the NHL anyway.

6. Jack Lambert, linebacker, Pittsburgh Steelers, 1974-84. They called Joe Greene "Mean Joe," but Joe once said Jack was even meaner: "He's so mean, he don't even like himself." Anyone who saw the Sports Illustrated cover of him, with his artificial front teeth removed, would believe it.

No, kids, this is not Hulk Hogan. 

This is a real athlete.

But this isn't about how mean he was, it's about what he achieved for a Pittsburgh sports team. He was part of the Steelers' 1974 draft, often considered the greatest NFL Draft ever, as they selected 4 eventual members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Lambert, center Mike Webster, and receivers Lynn Swann and John Stallworth.

Lambert was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1974, made the 1st of his 9 straight Pro Bowls in 1975, and helped the Steelers win the Super Bowl both seasons. He was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1976 and 1983, and helped the Steelers win 2 more Super Bowls.

The Steelers named him to their 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, and have removed his Number 58 from circulation, although they have not officially retired it. In addition to the Hall, he was named to the NFL's 1970s and 1980s All-Decade Teams and the 75th Anniversary Team.

When The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, he was ranked 30th. When the NFL Network named its 100 Greatest Players in 2010, he was ranked 29th, actually gaining a place with 11 additional years of players boosting their own credentials. As the man himself would say, "That'll cool your ass off!"

He appears not to be related to the Jack Lambert who starred at forward for London soccer team Arsenal in the 1930s, winning 2 Football League titles.

5. Roberto Clemente, right field, Pittsburgh Pirates, 1955-72. This is how rich Pittsburgh's sports history is: A man known as "The Great One" -- a nickname he had after actor Jackie Gleason, but before hockey player Wayne Gretzky -- is only 5th on this list.

He was a 15-time All-Star, a 12-time Gold Glove, a 4-time NL batting champion, and the 1966 NL MVP. He played in 14 World Series games, and got a hit in every one of them, helping the Pirates win the 1960 World Series, and being named the MVP of the Pirates' win in the 1971 World Series, an event which raised him from Caribbean icon to American icon.

Although he played most of his home games at Forbes Field, whose dimensions were similar to the pre-renovation original Yankee Stadium, limiting him to 240 career home runs, his lifetime batting average was .317, his OPS+ 130, and he collected an even 3,000 hits.

We know how the story ends, on New Year's Eve 1972. It's worth noting that, in that season, at age 38, he batted .312, and had 10 home runs and 60 RBIs, despite missing most of July with an injury, and helped the Pirates reach their 3rd straight NLCS. He got hits in 21 of his last 31 games that season. He batted .341 the season before.

This was, at most, a first step toward age-related decline. He was selected for the All-Star Team in 1972, and it wasn't a gift to an aging player from a public unwilling to disappoint a proud man: He earned it. Hank Aaron and Willie Mays were both still legitimate All-Stars at age 40, and playing at 42. There's no reason to suspect that Clemente, barring the tragedy, wouldn't have matched them.

The Pirates retired his Number 21, erected a statue of him outside Three Rivers Stadium, moved it to PNC Park, and made the right field wall at that park 21 feet high in his honor. The 6th Street Bridge, connecting downtown Pittsburgh with the ballpark and the Steelers' Heinz Field, is named for him.

He was the 1st Caribbean-born player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and was the highest-ranking Hispanic player, Number 20, on The Sporting News' 1999 list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players. In 2003, George W. Bush posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

4. John "Honus" Wagner, shortstop, Pittsburgh Pirates, 1900-17. Pennsylvania has long been known for its large German -- or, as they would say, "Deutsch" -- community, which includes the Amish, a.k.a. the Pennsylvania Dutch. John Peter Wagner was a son of German immigrants, and was often called the German equivalent of John, "Hans." Somehow, this became "Honus." But despite being bowlegged, and looking less like a great athlete than perhaps any baseball player until Yogi Berra came along, he could run, and was known as "The Flying Dutchman."

It's now been over 100 years after his last game, and he is still regarded as the greatest shortstop who ever lived -- yes, Yankee Fans, ahead of Derek Jeter. With Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth and Willie Mays, he's usually in the discussion for the title of "Greatest Baseball Player Who Ever Lived."

He helped his hometown Pirates win Pennants in 1901, 1902, 1903 and 1909, losing the 1st World Series to Cy Young's Boston Americans (Red Sox) in 1903, but winning the Series over Cobb's Detroit Tigers in 1909. He won more NL batting titles than anyone, 8 (a record since tied by Tony Gwynn); and led the NL in RBIs and stolen bases 5 times each.

His lifetime batting average was .329, his OPS+ 151, his career RBIs 1,732 (a record at the time), and he collected 3,430 hits. Remember the fuss made when Pete Rose broke Cobb's career record for hits? Well, somebody had to have the record before Cobb, and it was Wagner.

He was a great defensive player, too, appearing in 1,887 games at shortstop, 374 in the outfield, 248 at 1st base, 210 at 3rd base, 57 at 2nd base, and even twice on the mound, pitching 8 1/3rd innings, all scoreless. When poet and baseball fan Ogden Nash made out his "Lineup for Yesterday" in 1949, he wrote, "W is for Wagner, the bowlegged beauty. Short was closed to all traffic with Honus on duty."

He later coached with the Pirates, wearing Number 33 in this role, and it was retired for him. They also dedicated a statue of him outside Forbes Field, moving it to Three Rivers Stadium and now to PNC Park.

With Cobb, Ruth, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson, he was 1 of the 1st 5 players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. In 1999, 82 years after his last game and 44 years after his death, The Sporting News placed him 13th on its 100 Greatest Baseball Players list, and fans voted him onto the MLB All-Century Team.

3. Terry Bradshaw, quarterback, Pittsburgh Steelers, 1970-83. If you only know him as the jocular, intellectually-challenged redneck on Fox NFL Sunday, you should know what he did as a player: The "dummy" put up a very smart legacy. He was named to 3 Pro Bowls, and was NFL MVP in 1978. He shared Sports Illustrated's 1979 Sportsman of the Year award with another Pittsburgh icon who won a World Championship that year, Willie Stargell.

He got the Pittsburgh Steelers into 4 Super Bowls, won them all, and was named MVP in 2 of them. The Steelers have never given his Number 12 back out. He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, The Sporting News' 100 Greatest Football Players (44th), and the NFL Network's 100 Greatest Players (50th).

2. Mario Lemieux, center, Pittsburgh Penguins, 1984-2006. He's not the only player whose fans have said he "saved the franchise," but he has done it twice -- and the 2nd time, it was close to being literally true. Except for George Halas of the Chicago Bears, no one in the history of North American major league sports has had as much impact on a team as both a player and an owner.

This isn't about the 3 Stanley Cups in 4 trips to the Finals as an owner, however: It's only about his playing. 690 goals. The 1985 Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year. 10 All-Star Games, including 3 MVP awards. 3 Hart Trophies as NHL MVP. 6 Art Ross Trophies as leading scorer. The 1991 and 1992 Stanley Cups, both times winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoff MVP.

The 1993 Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance, for his comeback from what could have been a fatal illness. The 2000 Lester Patrick Trophy, for contributions to hockey in America. Election to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

When The Hockey News named its 100 Greatest Players in 1998, he was ranked 4th -- and he hadn't yet come out of retirement. When the NHL named its 100th Anniversary 100 Greatest Players in 2017, he was named to it. The Penguins not only retired his Number 66, but had the address of the Civic Arena (since demolished) changed to 66 Mario Lemieux Place.

But when you think of Pittsburgh sports, you think of football. When you think of Pittsburgh football, you think of the Steelers. When you think of the Steelers, even Terry Bradshaw admits you think of defense. And when you think of Pittsburgh Steeler defensive players, one name stands out:

1. Joe Greene, defensive tackle, Pittsburgh Steelers, 1969-81. His name is actually Charles Edward Greene. I can't find a reference as to why he was called Joe. But his college team, North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) had a team that was called the Mean Green (actual name, the Eagles), and the nickname drifted over to him: "Mean Joe Greene."

He was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1969, and NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1972 and 1974. It's been said that the 1st sign the Steeler players had that something special was beginning was in a 1971 game with the Chicago Bears, when Joe got into a kick-return tussle with the man then considered the meanest player in the game, Bears linebacker Dick Butkus. "This is gonna be the greatest fight in the history of the National Football League!" yelled Steeler center Ray Mansfield. But Butkus just walked away, not interested in getting a piece of the big Texan. (He was dealing with a nasty knee injury, so that was probably it.)

He made 10 Pro Bowls, and was the leader of the Steel Curtain defensive line also including L.C. Greenwood, Dwight "Mad Dog" White and Ernie "Fats" Holmes that paved the way for the Steelers to win Super Bowls IX, X, XIII and XIV. (He is now the last survivor of that front four.) He later coached on the staffs of the Steelers, the Miami Dolphins and the Arizona Cardinals, and worked in the Steeler front office. Outside of the Rooney family, he is 1 of 4 people to get rings for all 6 Steeler Super Bowl wins.

He was named to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, and to the NFL's 1970s All-Decade and 75th Anniversary Teams. North Texas has retired his Number 75. So have the Steelers, which is a big deal, as they've only officially retired 1 other number, the 70 of another defensive tackle, 1950s star Ernie Stautner. When The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, he came in 14th. When the NFL Network named its 100 Greatest Players in 2010, he actually went up a notch, to 13th.

Like Los Angeles Rams quarterback Vince Ferragamo in this photo from Super Bowl XIV, I'm not in a position to argue with him about it. Nor am I going to tell him I prefer Pepsi to Coke. You want a Coke, Joe? Really, you can have it.

Devils Disgrace in Da Bronx

Disgraceful. Da Devils were a Disgrace in Da Bronx.

I was so pumped for this game: The home of my favorite team in all of sports, hosting my 2nd-favorite team. And we were going to beat the team I hate the most!

In the immortal words of Jim Steinman (as sung by Bonnie Tyler), "Once upon a time, there was light in my life. Now, there's only love in the dark."

Rangers 7, Devils 3 at Yankee Stadium II. The Devils had a 3-1 lead with 3 minutes remaining in the 1st period, on 2 goals by Patrik Elias and 1 by Travis Zajac, and then they completely melted down.

Here's some of what I wrote on Facebook, while watching the game on television:

Still early but I like what I'm seeing. Devils taking the game to 'em, not taking any of their crap, converting 2 good chances.

End of the 1st period. Devils 3, Rangers 2. Acceptable for the moment, but we need more goals, and we need to give Marty more defensive support.

Ma, if you're watching this game, TURN IT OFF! You're jinxing us! (My mother infamously causes teams to lose. In her junior year at Belleville High School, she went to all their home games, and they lost them all. In her senior year, she went to no games, and they went 6-2-1.)

(In the 3rd period) My name is Michael Pacholek. I was in an accident, and I woke up in Giants Stadium on November 19, 1978.

If you're a Giants fan, you'll recognize the date. If you're a Devils fan, you'll understand completely. (This was a reference to the opening of the TV show Life On Mars, set in 1973, and to the football play known as "The Miracle at the Meadowlands."

(After the game) I'll have an Uncle Mike's Musings about the Devils Disgrace in Da Bronx later. But now, I'm sick of thinking about it. I'm going to see if I can recover my appetite. But the way this day is going, I'm not counting on whatever I eat tasting good.

(A little later) I wouldn't mind Ranger fans' monumental stupidity if it didn't come with overweening obnoxiousness. The problem is, a lot of them are also Yankee Fans, making them a lot smarter from April through October. But the Rangers have earned little of the arrogance that the Yankees have, and yet they take their summer team's arrogance and apply it to their winter team.

One title in 74 years... Even the hopeless Mets are on a better pace than that!

It would have been bad enough if the Devils had given a good effort and that lot across the Hudson had simply outplayed us. I would have hated it, but I would have understood it. That's sports, you know: Sometimes you don't lose, sometimes the other team just plain beats you.

That was not the case this time.

This was an unacceptable performance.

This was the biggest embarrassment at Yankee Stadium since Kevin Brown and Javier Vazquez made it so easy for the Red Sox to put their cheating to good use on October 20, 2004.

The Devils embarrassed all of us today, from Hoboken to Hackettstown, from High Point to Atlantic City, from Trenton to the Tunnels, from Route 94 to I-195, from Route 29 to the Palisades Parkway.

It was bad enough that it was against The Scum, that lot across the river. But for the last 43 minutes (at which point 3-1 Devils became 3-2 Devils), there was no effort at all.

Don't blame Martin Brodeur: He got no help from his defense. Blame such stiffs as "captain" Bryce Salvador, Eric Gelinas, Peter Harrold, Anton Volchenkov and Marek Zidlicky.

"That wasn't on Marty," Elias said. "We gave up way too many odd-man rushes."

Jaromir Jagr: "It wasn't his fault. We gave him 3 on 2s, 2 on 1s. Of course, I feel bad for him, but it wasn’t his fault."

Gelinas: "We were letting some odd-man rushes and making some bad decisions, me especially on one of the goals, and we can't make those mistakes. It wasn't a nice feeling seeing him leave the game. I felt bad for him."

Fair play to Gelinas, who, despite being a rookie, took more responsibility than Captain Salvador, who offered this weak effort: "You don’t want to him to have one of these games in an environment like this." Sure sounds like Salvador was blaming Marty.

A lot of "Devils fans" on Twitter did blame Marty, and demanded that he be pulled after 2 periods for Cory Schneider. Well, he was, and it didn't work.

You can also blame head coach Peter DeBoer, for messing with the forward lines, again. The Jazz Line -- Jaromir Jagr, Travis Zajac and Dainius Zubrus -- works well together. None of the others that DeBore has tried has. He doesn't know what the hell he's doing.

Can't blame the refs: They didn't change the outcome, although Derek Stepan holding Zajac's stick and then getting a bullshit penalty shot (on Schneider in the 3rd period) didn't help.

Can't blame the weather: Both teams played in the same conditions.

Can't blame the delay, of an hour and 10 minutes because of the glare of the sun: Both teams had to deal with that, too.

This was a team wobbling, and then going through the motions, not even coming close to giving enough of a damn. This game was lost, a lot more than it was won. The Rangers only had to expend a minimal amount of effort, because the Devils expended none. I can't credit them for the win because a college team could have beaten us today.

The Rangers still suck, which is a reflection on personality rather than performance. Today, we flat-out stunk.

If you're a Giants fan, you'll recognize the date: For the Devils, this was November 19, 1978. This was John McVay losing the plot, and Joe Pisarcik handing off the ball to Larry Csonka instead of just taking a knee and running out the clock, leading to a fumble that got returned for a touchdown by future Jets coach Herman Edwards, leading to a stunning game-winning touchdown by the Philadelphia Eagles, the Giants' biggest rivals (and I don't want to hear that the Dallas Cowboys are).

After that game, which Eagles fans call the Miracle at the Meadowlands (and Giant fans call nastier names), offensive coordinator Bob Gibson (no relation to the Baseball Hall-of-Famer of the same name) was fired the next day, and has never worked in football again; head coach McVay was fired after the season, and although he has worked in an NFL front office since, he has never coached at any level again; and Andy Robustelli, Hall of Fame defensive end and by that point the G-Men's director of operations, was also fired.

Ray Perkins was named head coach, with Bill Parcells as one of his assistants. George Young became general manager. When Perkins was offered the job at the University of Alabama, Parcells succeeded him. And the rest is history: Except for the Ray Handley interregnum, the Giants have usually been at least good, on occasion excellent, and nobody has ever again been taken seriously while laughing at them.

Speaking of things worth laughing at, unless you're a Jets fan. If you are one, you'll get this reference: Peter DeBoer is Rich Kotite on ice.

DeBoer should not have left The Stadium with a job. GM Lou Lamoriello should've given him a MetroCard, and told him to get back to Jersey on his own. Granted, he still would've had to pay $5.00 to get from New York's Penn Station to Newark's, but at least El Baldo (whom I've also called El Cheapo) would have paid for his $2.50 back to 33rd & 7th, which is more than he deserves.

Oh, wait, New York's Penn Station is under Madison Square Garden, home of the Rangers, and would be crawling with Ranger fans.

Yeah, well, DeBoer deserves to face their reactions, too. After all, it's not like Ranger fans have a history of being violent assholes, do they?

Uh... Yeah, there was some extracurricular activity in Yankee Stadium II today.

But you know what?

The Stadium was about 75 percent Devils fans.

The Scummers say we can't fill the Prudential: Today, we filled Yankee Stadium.

Devils fans can be proud. Devils players cannot.

We're still 3-1 against The Scum this season, and still in the hunt for a Playoff spot. But without significant changes being made, there would be little point in making it.

I would rather start all over with DeBoer and certain players going out, and miss the Playoffs, because then I would have hope that things will be better next season. As things stand now, the Devils don't deserve to make the Playoffs.

Some changes need to be made, starting at the top. DeBoer out.

*

Days until Arsenal play again: 2, Tuesday night (2:45 PM our time), away to South Coast club Southampton. Arsenal are top of the League, with 16 League matches to go. I am taking nothing for granted, but, this time, it sure looks like they're playing for more than just 4th place and qualification next season's UEFA Champions League. This past Friday night, Arsenal beat Coventry City, 4-0, to advance to the 5th Round of the FA Cup -- meaning that, on February 8 and 15, back-to-back Saturdays (unless the Cup match is moved, most likely to the next day if at all), Arsenal will be playing Liverpool, first in the League, then in the Cup.

Days until the Devils play again: 2, Tuesday night, 8:00 Eastern Time, away to the St. Louis Blues. We beat them 7-1 at the Prudential this past Tuesday. I don't think we're going to score 7 on them again.

Days until the U.S. national soccer team plays again: 6, this coming Saturday, at 5:00 PM (2:00 Pacific Time), a "friendly" (exhibition game) vs. the Republic of Korea (a.k.a. South Korea), at the StubHub Center (formerly the Home Depot Center) in Carson, California, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA. We will also be traveling to the Ukraine for a friendly on March 5, and I suspect that there will be another tuneup match or two between the end of the European club season in May and the start of the World Cup in June.

Days until Super Bowl XLVIII at the Meadowlands: 7, a week from tonight, kickoff at around 6:25 PM.

Days until the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia: 12, on Friday, February 7.  Under 2 weeks.

Days until the Devils next play a local rival: 34, on Saturday afternoon, March 1, away to the New York Islanders. We play away to the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night, March 11; home to the Rangers on Saturday night, March 22; away to the Islanders a week after that; and home to the Islanders on Friday night, April 11.

Days until the Red Bulls play again: 41, on Saturday, March 8, 7:30 PM, away to the Vancouver Whitecaps. Just 6 weeks.

Days until the next North London Derby between Arsenal and Tottenham: 48, a Premier League match, on Saturday, March 15, at White Hart Lane. Just 7 weeks. This follows (then) non-spending Arsenal humiliating Tottenham's £110 million of new spending in a 1-0 win in a Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium on September 1, and our half-injury-replacement side beating them 2-0 to knock them out of the FA Cup at the Emirates on January 3. And they thought they were better, that there was a "power shift in North London," and that we were "in a downward spiral." Now, they've fired another manager, while Arsene Wenger has Arsenal top of the League and still in the FA Cup and the Champions League. The Spuds never learn, do they?

Days until the Yankees play again: 67, on Tuesday, April 1, at 7:10 PM, away to the Houston Astros.  Under 10 weeks.

Days until the Yankees' home opener: 73, on Monday, April 7, at 1:00 PM (well, 1:07 or so), vs. the Baltimore Orioles.

Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series begins: 76, on Thursday, April 10, at 7:00 PM (well, 7:07 or so), at Yankee Stadium II.

Days until the Red Bulls next play a "derby": 78, on Saturday, April 12, 2:30 PM, vs. D.C. United, at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington.

Days until the 2014 World Cup in Brazil: 138, on Thursday, June 12. Under 5 months.

Days until Rutgers plays football again: 216, on Saturday, August 30, away to Washington State, at whatever the Seattle Seahawks' stadium is going to end up being called next fall. A little over 7 months. Why we're playing "Wazzu" in the University of Washington's territory, I don't know. Maybe WSU, in the eastern part of the State in Pullman, wants to boost their recruiting in the Western part. Either way, it will be Rutgers' first game since losing the 2013 Pinstripe Bowl to Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium II, finishing the season at 6-7.

Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: Unknown, as the schedule has yet to be released. Most likely, it will be on the 2nd Friday night in September. If so, that will be September 12, therefore 230 days. Under 8 months.

Days until Rutgers makes its Big Ten Conference debut: 231 days, on Saturday, September 13, time to be determined, against old enemy Penn State.

Days until the next East Brunswick vs. Old Bridge Thanksgiving game: 306, on Thursday morning, November 27, 10:00 AM. Just 10 months.

Days until the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 954, on Friday, August 5, 2016. Under 3 years.

Top 10 False Saviors in New York Sports

Wow, that Johan Santana has really made a difference for the Mets, hasn't he?

I saw a picture of him wearing a leather jacket that looks like it was ripped off of "Life On Mars."

"My name is Sam Tyler. I was in an accident, and I woke up in 1973. The Mets are winning the Pennant, which makes me feel like I'm on a different planet."

Met fans were so sure that Santana was going to make the difference between the September 2007 disaster and the World Series. In 2 seasons, the Mets have had another September collapse leading to a regular-season finale humiliation, and a train wreck of a season with all kinds of injuries, including bone chips that have now ended the season of The Great Johan Santana.

Then there's Francisco Rodriguez, a.k.a. Frankie, a.k.a. K-Rod. The author of the blog "The Musings and Prophecies of Metstradamus" -- good title and usually well-written, though being a Met fan is clearly a sign of, to put it politely, compromised faculties -- has written:

I'm starting to get the feeling that Frankie Rodriguez is the Jamie Lee Curtis of the group ... the last one standing after Michael Myers has killed everyone else, while Billy Wagner is the guy who you thought died in the first half hour of the film, only to be that guy who finally drives a stake into the psychopath's heart when he's just about to kill Frankie, then tear both of his hamstrings.

He's referring to Michael Myers, the lead of the Halloween horror films -- not the comedian who starred in the Wayne's World segments of Saturday Night Live and the Austin Powers films. Nor the "submarine" lefthander who helped the Red Sox win a title * and then didn't help the Yankees much.

Shows what you know, Metstradamus: Jamie Lee Curtis is someone I wouldn't mind seeing in any clothes, or none at all -- and she's 50! By contrast, Francisco Rodriguez doesn't look good no matter what he wears!

You'd have to be a psycho to put up with the Mets -- and speaking of Psycho, it starred Jamie Lee's mother, the late great Janet Leigh, and she was something, too. Check her out in full blazing color in Scaramouche: Let's just say that French Revolution-era gowns were made for women like her. (Jamie Lee's father, and Janet's ex-husband, was actor Tony Curtis.)

The Mets, of course, have Susan Sarandon, who still looks great at 63... but the way we know she's a great actress is that anyone who watches the Mets as long as she has, and still "believes in the Church of Baseball" has got to be lying!

However, neither Johan Santana nor Francisco Rodriguez makes the following list. Nor do David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran or Alex Rodriguez -- for the simple reason that they are still active, and their stories are not yet complete, therefore they have not yet fully failed.

But there are always "false saviors" in sports, and the New York Tri-State Area has had a few of them. And the effect can be devastating.

If you doubt this, imagine if the Vancouver Canucks had won Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, and Mark Messier eventually left the Rangers without winning a Stanley Cup. Instead of being the most beloved Ranger of all time, he would be the most hated.

There are no Giants, Islanders or Devils on this list. The Giants have never really had a guy who was given big hype when he arrived and failed to deliver. The Devils have been similarly lucky in this particular regard. And the Islanders haven't really tried to open the vault to get a big star capable of turning the franchise around, regardless of success or failure.

UPDATE: By 2013, Ilya Kovalchuk became the 1st such player for the Devils; and Santana, Wright and Reyes all made themselves fully eligible for this list.

Top 10 False Saviors in New York Sports

10. Bobby Bonds. George Steinbrenner actually traded Bobby Murcer, already one of the most popular Yankees ever, to get him from the San Francisco Giants. Now, in late 1974, being traded even-up for Bobby Bonds was not an insult.

Far from it: He was a great combination of power and speed, hitting 331 career home runs and stealing 461 bases. One season, he missed becoming the 1st player ever to have 40 homers and 40 steals in a single season by just 1 one homer. And when you consider he played the 1st half of his career in windswept Candlestick Park, and was continually injured for much of the 2nd half of his career, you're looking at a player who could have made the Hall of Fame if things had broken right for him.

But his 1975 season was a bit of a disappointment. He didn't really fit in with New York, the pressure on him to be "the next Yankee superstar" was immense, and his lefty swing, while ideal for the short right-field porch at Yankee Stadium, was less effective in the symmetrical, windy Shea Stadium the Yanks had to use for 1 more season while The Stadium was being renovated.

On December 11, 1975, the Yanks sent Bonds to the California Angels for outfielder Mickey Rivers and pitcher Ed Figueroa -- and, on the same day, also sent pitcher Doc Medich to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitcher Dock Ellis and a rookie second baseman named Willie Randolph. It may have been the greatest day of trading in Yankee history. Bonds would go on to excel while healthy, but be hurt so much that he became one of the most-traded players ever.

Today, the late Bobby Bonds is best remembered as the father of Barry Bonds. Which is a shame, and not because of anything Barry has done, good or bad: Bobby was a really good player who didn't get an even break. Which is why I put him at Number 10: He doesn't really deserve it. But the hype that went along with him means he has to be on this list.

9. Marvin Webster. Known as "the Human Eraser" for his ability to block shots ("erasing" points from the board), he helped get the Denver Nuggets to the 1976 ABA Finals and the Seattle SuperSonics to the 1978 NBA Finals. Then the Knicks got him. On the cover of their October 16, 1978 issue, Sports Illustrated asked a big question.

That the answer turned out to be "No, not by a long shot" is hardly his fault. But that cover made quite an impression. Maybe he got hit by The Dreaded SI Cover Jinx. Sadly, both Marvin and his son, Marvin Jr., who briefly played at Temple, died of heart problems.

8. Phil Esposito. "The Trade" meant bringing one of the greatest scorers and team leaders in hockey history to the Rangers, but it also meant sending 2 other Hall-of-Famers, Jean Ratelle and Brad Park, to the Boston Bruins, at the time still considered the Rangers' arch-rivals -- although the Islanders had just embarrassed the Rangers in the 1975 Playoffs, and the Bruins haven't really been a Ranger rival since.

Espo certainly had quite a bit left, and his talent and presence helped to make the Rangers marketable again, which was particularly important after the disasters (plural) of calendar year 1975, including the rise of the Islanders which eventually led to 4 straight Stanley Cups.

As the Rangers' Sasson ad campaign proved,

being marketable and knowing how to market yourself

are 2 very different skills.

Espo led the Rangers to the 1979 Cup Finals, beating the Isles in the Semis, before losing the Finals to the Montreal Canadiens. This was a very big deal, as the Rangers had been to just 2 Finals in the preceding 29 years.

Ultimately, though, Espo couldn't get the Rangers over the hump, either as a player, a head coach or a general manager. He was an honorable failure in New York, but the fact remains that he failed. And that Sasson jeans commercial... All he did for the Bruins, all he did to make the Rangers relevant again, saving Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series... Sorry, Phil, but that commercial will live forever.

7. Ed O'Bannon. He led UCLA to the 1995 National Championship, their only title without John Wooden as coach. The Nets drafted him, needing something big after collapsing from a team that had been pretty good in '92, '93 and '94 but was now ridden with dissension and injuries. How much of a risk could it be?

Let's just say that, of all the Nets' blown draft picks, this was the biggest bust when you consider performance divided by hype. Even the late Yinka Dare, a.k.a. the Three-Minute Egg, wasn't as bad from that perspective.

6. Rickey Henderson. The Yankees picked him up for the 1985 season, and he shattered team stolen base records, hit a few big home runs, and solidified his reputation as the greatest leadoff hitter of all time. Unfortunately, he also failed to hit in several key situations, his "snatch catch" was bad enough when it worked and didn't work often enough to notice, and was, quite possibly, the biggest egomaniac in the history of sports.

The Yankees got rid of him in 1989, and when you rattle off the names of the Hall-of-Famers who played for the Yankees, it's easy to forget that Rickey was one of them. In fact, I recommend forgetting it. Essentially, Rickey did nothing for the Yankees, and, despite some impressive stats, the Rickey-in-Pinstripes experience was a total waste. If he'd cared more about the Yankees than about Rickey, 2 games out in '85, 5 1/2 out in '86, 9 out in '87, and 3 1/2 out in '88, might've been a very different story.

5. Jaromir Jagr. If I were making this list for Washington, D.C. -- or even the Baltimore-Washington corridor combined -- "Dude Looks Like a Lady" might top the list. I think the reason he stayed so thin is that the only thing he ate as a Ranger was the Dolan family's money. He may have set a Ranger team record with 54 goals in 2006, but his Cup seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins seemed like a lifetime ago.

He's scored 646 goals in his NHL career -- and, at 37, it might not be over yet -- but is there any other player in the 500 Goals Club, let alone with as many or more than Jagr, who is more lightly regarded?

UPDATE: Through the 2016-17 season, Jagr has 765 goals in NHL regular-season play, more than any player except Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe. But he has now played for 8 different teams, including the Rangers and the Devils (meaning he's now flopped for 2 local teams, which is rare), and since 1992 has reached the Stanley Cup Finals once, with the 2013 Boston Bruins. That 19-year gap between Finals appearances may be a record.

4. Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens. I lump these 2 together -- I really wish I could lump them together -- because of the hype they brought to my team, and the results thereof.

When Johnson pitched for Seattle in the 1995 Division Series, he made the difference for the Mariners, every bit as much as Ken Griffey, Edgar Martinez or Tino Martinez. When he pitched for Arizona in the 2001 World Series, he saved the Diamondbacks' skins and beat the Yankees. Getting him seemed like a great idea, the old idea of, "Even if he does nothing for us, he won't be doing anything to us."

But the Big Unit was a big flop here. He put together the 2 most useless 17-win seasons any Yankee pitcher has ever had. He was moody at best, nasty at worst, and his injuries and his collapses in Game 3 of the Division Series of both 2005 and 2006 were unacceptable.

That he has gone on to pitch elsewhere, and well, and join the 300 Wins Clubs, and surpass Clemens to be 2nd on the all-time strikeout list makes it even sicker.

As for Clemens, it seems like an odd thing to say, calling him a "false savior" after what he did for the Yankees from 1999 to 2003. Ah, but I think you've guessed what I'm really talking about here. This list is not just about failure, it's about performance divided by hype. Remember the hype when he returned to the Yankees in 2007? Making the announcement at the 7th-inning stretch? Suzyn Waldman reacting to it as if it was the Summer of '64 and she'd just been kissed by a Beatle?

And the results? Well, let's just say that Tom Glavine wasn't the only 300-game winner to end his New York days on an incredibly sour note that season. As Yogi Berra might say, the good news is that Roger's meltdown happened in the Playoffs... but the bad news is that Roger's meltdown happened in the Playoffs. And he's never pitched in the major leagues again. Nor should he.

If I never saw either the Big Unit or the Rocket again, I could live with it.

3. Pedro Martinez. If you believe Met fans, signing the Fenway Punk was the message that was sent to the rest of baseball that the Mets were serious about trying to win again, so come on and sign with the Mets!

It didn't work out, largely because Pedro kept getting hurt. And now, the Punk is doing a good job with the Philadelphia Phillies, who have become the Mets' rivals in ways the Atlanta Braves could never truly be.

Isn't that just like a player, to be great both before and after being a Met, but not during? Then again, the 1993 Mets should have taught you that: Eddie Murray, Bobby Bonilla, Vince Coleman, Jeff Kent, Tony Fernandez, Jeromy Burnitz. I almost made them a collective entry on this list.

2. Brett Favre. The Jets have been unlucky in many areas, but they'd never really had a false savior until Brett Favre came along. Brett Favre got them to 8-3 in 2008, and it looked like they might win the AFC East and play a January game or two "at home" at the Meadowlands. Final record, 9-7, and Brett Favre was largely responsible.

Brett Favre got hurt. Brett Favre was totally useless. Brett Favre threw a season away. Make no mistake, Brett Favre should have retired after the previous season when he had the chance.

Brett Favre is no longer the Jets' problem. And getting Brett Favre might not turn out to be such a disaster: After all, if Mark Sanchez turns out to be a great pro quarterback, then it would be a direct result of the spectacularly failed Brett Favre experiment: It would make Brett Favre the Jets' Ken Phelps, and Sanchez the Jets' Paul O'Neill.

Who's the biggest false savior in New York sports history? It's not Brett Favre, he whose name always seems to be used in full. No, there can be only one.

1. Patrick Ewing. When NBA Commissioner David Stern rigged the 1st-ever NBA Draft Lottery in 1985 to ensure that New York got the 1st pick -- excuse me, when Mr. Stern announced that the Knicks had won the 1st pick -- everyone knew the Knicks were going to take the most celebrated college basketball player of the first half of the 1980s, Patrick Ewing.

Ewing was the 7-foot center who had taken Georgetown University of Washington, D.C. to 3 National Championship Games -- but, in some unfortunate foreshadowing, had won only 1, losing the other 2 by 2 points each.

The question that Knick fans, desperate for a winner after a season that made the 2009 Mets look like the picture of health by comparison (in particular the spectacular knee injury to the great hope that had been Bernard King, as well as the difficulties of the aforementioned Marvin Webster), were asking at the time was not, "Will Patrick Ewing lead the Knicks to an NBA Title?" It was "How many NBA Titles will Patrick Ewing lead the Knicks to?"

Looking at this cover now, there are 2 questions:

1. "How could they have been so gullible?" And

2. "Wait, you mean, back then, shorts were actually short?"

At that moment, Michael Jordan, whose jumper had provided the winning margin over Ewing's Hoyas in the 1982 title game, had completed a not-especially-interesting rookie year for the Chicago Bulls. And Hakeem Olajuwon, who had lost 3 Final Four appearances with the University of Houston, including being the one team the Hoyas could beat in the Final, in 1984, had just finished his rookie year with the Houston Rockets. Isiah Thomas, who ended up as no friend of Knick fans, had finished his 3rd year with the Detroit Pistons, and was impressive, but the team results just weren't there.

No one yet knew that the player for a big-market team that would lift the NBA to new heights was going to be Jordan of Chicago -- although Earvin "Magic" Johnson of Los Angeles was already that guy, but Stern didn't grasp that. He thought it was going to be Ewing, and that it had to be in New York.

If I had told you at that moment that Jordan, Olajuwon and Thomas would, between them, play on 10 NBA Championship teams, and that Ewing would play on exactly none of them, you'd ask me what I was smoking. But I would have been right.

And it's not just that the Knicks as a team, and that Ewing as an individual, frequently choked. It's that Ewing tended to make predictions about the Knicks winning it all. It worked for Joe Namath and the Jets in January 1969. It worked for Mark Messier and the Rangers in May 1994. It never worked for Ewing and the Knickleheads. And, perhaps most damning of all, the Knicks reached their 2nd NBA Finals appearance of the Ewing era (in 1999, following 1994) with Ewing injured and unable to contribute.

You can say that the Knicks kept running into Jordan and the Bulls. That's a fair argument. But before those Bulls, nearly every great team had a center capable of dominating a game. The Bulls of 1991, '92 and '93 had at center... Bill Cartwright. The same Bill Cartwright who Ewing replaced as Knick center, because Cartwright wasn't good enough. The Knicks thought they could get rid of Cartwright once they brought in their big Hoss, but it was the Bulls who ended up with the bonanza.

The Bulls of '96, '97 and '98 had at center... Luc Longley. Like Cartwright, the big Australian was a good center, a solid team player and a decent man. But was anyone really intimidated by Cartwright or Longley? Yeah, apparently, one guy was: Patrick Ewing. The 1990s Bulls proved you could win an NBA Title without having a dominating center, even if your opponents did have a hyped-up center.

There are many reasons that the New York Knickerbockers have fallen short every season since 1973. (The Curse of Sam Tyler, maybe?) But for nearly half of that time, they put their eggs in the basket with the Number 33 on it. The hype was immeasurable. The results were miniscule. Patrick Ewing is the biggest, falsest false savior in New York sports history.

That doesn't make him a bad person -- I leave it to the dancers at Scores who knew how much he tipped to decide that -- but it does make him, as far as his professional basketball career is concerned, a failure. An expensive one, and not just in terms of the Dolan family's money.