Manny Stiles' Hall of Famous

With help/inspiration from yesterday's Best Ever Best Ever...

The rules are simple: You had to be better than VERY, VERY, VERY good. You have to be All-Time Great Good... if I missed you, my bad! (I might make a few additions as long as the argument is REAL compelling) Otherwise, wait until next year...

So the unveiling of the inaugural class of 2006, The 100 inductees are... (all listed in alphabetical order by sport)

Manny Stiles' Hall of Famous

Baseball

Barry Bonds
Ty Cobb
Lou Gehrig
Josh Gibson
Walter Johnson
Mike “King” Kelly
Christy Mathewson
Willie Mays
Satchel Paige
Jackie Robinson
Pete Rose
Babe Ruth
Ted Williams
Cy Young

Basketball

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Larry Bird
Wilt Chamberlain
Julius Erving
Magic Johnson
Michael Jordan
Nancy Lieberman
George Mikan
Oscar Robertson
Bill Russell
Jerry West

Football

Jim Brown
John Elway
Brett Favre
Dan Marino
Joe Montana
Walter Payton
Jerry Rice
Barry Sanders
Emmitt Smith
Johnny Unitas
Reggie White

Hockey

Hector (Toe) Blake
Ray Bourque
Wayne Gretzky
Gordie Howe
Bobby Hull
Mario Lemieux
Bobby Orr
Jacques Plante
Maurice Richard
Art Ross

Olympics (winter & summer)

Bruce Baumgartner
Matt Biondi
Bonnie Blair
Sergei Bubka
Nadia Comaneci
Florence Griffith-Joyner
Eric Heiden
Bela Karolyi
Jean-Claude Killy
Olga Korbut
Carl Lewis
Jesse Owens
Steve Prefontaine
Mary Lou Retton
Mark Spitz

Boxing

Muhammed Ali
Jack Dempsey
George Foreman
Jack Johnson
Joe Louis
Rocky Marciano

Auto racing

Mario Andretti
Dale Earnhart
Bill France Sr.
Richard Petty
Cale Yarborough

Golf

Ben Crenshaw
Walter Hagen
Ben Hogan
Byron Nelson
Jack Nicklaus
Arnold Palmer
Sam Snead
Tiger Woods

Tennis

Arthur Ashe
Jimmy Connors
Chris Evert
Althea Gibson
Steffi Graf
Billie Jean King
Martina Navratilova
Rod Laver
Pete Sampras
Monica Seles

Other

Lance Armstrong – Cycling
Jerry Bailey - Horseracing
Bill Dance - Fishing
Joe Davis - Snooker
Mildred "Babe" Didriksen - Golf, Tennis, Olympics, Other
Tony Hawk – Skate or Die
Miguel Indurain - Cycling
Gary Kasperov - Chess
Takeru Kobiyashi - Competitive eating
Pele - Feetball
Willie Shoemaker - Horseracing
Jim Thorpe - Baseball, Football, Olympics

Date

Tue 09/12/06, 9:57 am EST

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I am a cpcpMajor Leaguer

1201 days ago

Score 1

Skate or Die.... oh what a great game....

You should do an * for those that are still active

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

1201 days ago

Score 1

OK, put an imaginary * next to Barry Bonds, Tiger Woods, Bill Dance, Tony Hawk and Kobiyashi... (I think we all agree Brett Favre is already retired).

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

1201 days ago

Score 0

I guess Kasperov is still active too, but he says he's retired from human competition.

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Bobbyjim45Draft Pick

1201 days ago

Score 3

no josh gibson?!?

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

1201 days ago

Score 0

Yeah, I should look at my own fan boxes! Gibson is 100b! Sadaharu Oh, and the other Japanese dude that was Oh's "Gehrig" as well! They go in on the next 100.

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JCantRootWaterboy

1201 days ago

Score 1

Good job Manny. I think football is probably the hardest sport to pick a top 10 from because the positions are so different and specialized and not just because of the descrepancy between offense and defense. It's difficult to not fall into a trap of taking all quarterbacks and Reggie White is a good choice on defense, but no Lawrence Taylor? Maybe it's the Giant fan in me or the coke addict talking, but I think he's 1 or 2 on defense and coul be top 11 NFL.

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

1200 days ago

Score 0

I guess he goes in the next 100 next year with Earl Campbell, Ronnie Lott, Marion Motley, Night Train Lane, Dick Butkus, Anthony Munoz, Deion Sanders and Deacon Jones

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

1200 days ago

Score 0

I thought hockey was the toughest to pick (Leaving Mikita, Dionne, Coffey, LaFleur and Massier off wasn't easy)

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ShrubberyVarsity Captain

1200 days ago

Score 0

Where's Lawrence Taylor, Dick Butkus, and Ronnie Lott. Dude, you're slippin.

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TartanVarsity Captain

1200 days ago

Score 1

Emmitt Smith as one of the top 11 football players ever? C'mon. One defender, one reciever. Sounds like Manny might be on the Heisman committee.

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Anonymous Fanatic #1

1200 days ago

Score 0

that is what I was refering too; should Mike Ditka or Tony Gonzalez make the first list for being the best tight end ever? Should Anthony Munoz be there for being the best o-lineman? Kicking is a huge part of football and field goals have won and lost Super Bowls - where's Gary Anderson? (a little sarcasm at the end there)

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JCantRootWaterboy

1200 days ago

Score 1

whoops, thought I was still signed in. Anyway I found your decision to lump tennis together and not separate the men and women interesting too.

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

1200 days ago

Score 0

I also 'lumped' Other, basketball and the Olympics too. Would have been golf too, but I think Annika Sorenstam and Laura Davies get in with the next 100.

In fact my all over #1 is Babe Didriksen. She did stuff NO ONE ELSE could ever do.

Emmitt = He IS the all time rusher no matter WHAT you say. Fairly responsible for three rings, and the Best Tight End ever is Sterling Sharpe's less talented brother, Horseface (next 100).

Clearly I'm NOT on the Hiesman committee or there'd be a "College" category and O J Simpson would also be in (maybe next 100?)

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TartanVarsity Captain

1200 days ago

Score 1

I was referring to overwhelming presence of quarterbacks and running backs, Heisman voting-esque. I guess my opinion with Emmitt is if this is indeed how very good you really were, or is this a most-prolific type hall of fame, which the two are indeed different. And why no Roger Federer in tennis?

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

1200 days ago

Score 0

Federer was thisclose... he's still just getting started! If he quit/died today is he on the list? maybe... And maybes don't get you in on my first ballot

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