Harold Baines' new statue got me thinking. What former Chicago athlete who has yet to receive a statue deserves one the most?
So far MJ, Ernie Banks, Harry Carey, and a few others have been immortalized outside of Chicago stadiums. So who's next?
The most obvious choice would seem to be a Bears player. Walter Payton is one of the best running backs in NFL history and is more than deserving of the honor. What about Mike Ditka, Dick Butkus or Gale Sayers?
The United Center boasts a huge statue of Jordan, but it doesn't have anyone to represent the Blackhawks. Since it looks like Bobby Hull and the Hawks are back on good terms, the Golden Jet seems like a good choice too.
What about two baseball legends from my childhood, Sammy Sosa and Frank Thomas? People forget how awesome Frank was in his prime. Before the season was shortened by the strike in 1994, Thomas was OPS'ing 1.216 with 38 homers and a .353 batting average in only 113 games. Thomas finished with an OPS higher than 1.000 seven times with the White Sox.
Yeah, that Sosa guy wasn't bad either, no matter what type of stuff he was on. Remember how unreal A-Rod was last year? He finished with a .314 average, 54 homers and 1.067 OPS. Well Sosa clobbered more than 60 dingers three seasons, hitting above .300 in two of those years (in the other he hit a mere .288). Does Sammy deserve a statue outside of Wrigley or should he just be forgotten?
I think we should go for a Mt. Rushmore style statue at this point...
Maybe a HAWK,SWEETNESS,SOSA,SAYERS
or..
what about a Park that has all the statues of all our greatest sports Hero's that you can walk through....??
I like the names mentioned but there is one problem - where are the championship(s)?
I have to admit as much as I love the White Sox and Bainsey, I don't think the statue is deserving. I am sorry Harold, but you need the championship(s). Yes, he is an all-time favorite player of the team and mine. But at least Frank Thomas got the one championship on the resume. He did enough in prior years to be helped across the line for the 2005 Championship.
Now Jordan put fear into other teams with two minutes left if the Bulls either up six or down four points. SIX CHAMPIONSHIPS - Both THREE-PEATS! He deserves a statue - The NBA and the world know the man!
I really believe Ernie Banks was a sentimental choice after being pushed out as Mr. Cub. Why you do it Cubbies - He will always be Mr. CUB, ya bums!
We all know why Harry Carey got one, he was a beloved Chicago announcer for both teams at one time or another. But more for the Cubbies in his latter years. - Nothing wrong with that.
Ricky, no championship(s) - no statues. That simple.
We're getting a bit statued-out aren't we? Harold Baines???
I know...2800+ hits in 22 years, I get it. But don't statues imply some sort of excellence and Hall of Fame certainty? I remember seeing Harold getting a lot of hits and playing decent RF - that's about it.
Hopefully when the Sox and Big Frank kiss and make up, they'll tear down Harold's statue and use the material for Frank's. This is rather silly...you'd think they also retired the guy's jersey too.
Oops...
Good idea.
My Mt. Rushmore would be comprised of:
Bobby Hull
Michael Jordan
Dick Butkus
Ernie Banks
Walter should have a statue above all of the others mentioned. The way he lived his life, gave back, and deferred in the end; that's a role model!!!
i agreee with Mark5 ....Walter should have an Expressway named after his a**
"The Sweetness Expressway"
ooops..i meant Billy.
Also...is that Stubble on Harold Baines statue child safe?
Walter Payton should have the Biggest statue ever built....we will put it in Lake Michigan....as if to tell the poor folks immigrating from Detroinia that refuse to drive through Indiana, "THIS IS WHAT A REAL
RUNNING BACK LOOKS LIKE."
The Statue of Sweetness................
.........oh...it should also say "Kid Rock not welcome"...at the base.
...and also "Ho's not Bro's"
"We all know why Harry Carey got one, he was a beloved Chicago announcer for both teams at one time or another."
Need Championships - not exactly the case. When he announced for the Sox, Carey was considered a drunken boob by the mainstream media and most Cub fans. It wasn't until he was masterfully re-branded by Budweiser and WGN that he was finally "beloved" in this town and then deserving of a statue.
Since we have the precedent of a non-player having a statue (Harry Carey) I'd suggest Papa Bear be next in line.
" think we should go for a Mt. Rushmore style statue at this point...
Maybe a HAWK,SWEETNESS,SOSA,SAYERS"
The only "Mt Rushmore" Sosa belongs on is a 5-spot Rushmore - one with:
- Bonds
- Clemens
- Sosa
- Giambi
- McGuire
An astute observation, Tommy.
Carey and Piersall were like the side show at a carnival. But I have to admit that I liked their "Shoot From The Hip" repartee, and the fact that they weren't afraid to call out players on the home team when they weren't performing up to par.
That all changed after a few years.
Jimmy finally talked himself out of a job, and Harry became a "houseboy" for the Cubs. I lost my respect for Harry due to his total lack of objectivity, along with the constant product shilling he became known for.
How do you say "Sellout" backwards?
Other than the obvious picks of Payton, Sayers, Butkus, Hull… some of my picks would be...
"Shoeless" Joe Jackson. (Grow a pair and do the right thing for the best pure hitter in Chicago baseball history)
Billy Williams. (So great yet so under rated)
Red Grange. (The first NFL superstar)
Frank Thomas. (For some reason people forget how good he really was)
Stan Mikita. (2nd only to the Golden Jet)
Sammy Sosa. (Unless he is proven to be a cheater how can you ignore 600 HRs?)
Scottie Pippen.
Think about it. Forget about Jordan for just a moment and remember how good Pippen was.
* 6 time NBA champion.
* 4th in NBA history in steals.
* Ranks first in Bulls history in 3-pointers and 3 point attempts.
* Ranks second in Bulls history in: points, field goals, field goal attempts, free throws attempted, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, assists, steals, seasons played, games played and minutes.
* Ranks third in Bulls history in rebounds and blocked shots.
* Second only to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in NBA history with 208 playoff appearances.
* Member of the NBA All-Defensive Team from 1991-2000 (First Team member seven times)
* Seven-time NBA All Star
* Selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
* Two-time Olympic gold medal winner.
* Participated in postseason play in 16 of his 17 NBA seasons, making the playoffs in each of his first 16 seasons.
Why do so many people here ignore what Pippen and Thomas did while playing in Chicago while idolizing players who were half as good?
I don't get it.
Hey Ricky - where you been, babe? Planning the FCP fantasy league, you say? Oh, okay then, your absence is excused. Let us know the scoop when you have that all figured out. I'm in for sure.
Could you also tell me how to hack this system, or somehow make it easier to comment like in the good ol' days from like, last week? I know what you're thinking.... usually it's dudes who are most resistant to change, but I feel like some dumb tushies who couldn't figure out that their names were below their posts ruined it for the rest of us geniuses.
And to answer your question, I'd have to say a Rex Grossman statue would be in order. They could make it really tall and strong with big hands and upright 100% of the time. And it could have man-shaped eyebrows, yknow for a nice change of pace from the human Rex.
Philtration, you took this way to serious.
Villano, Caray was not a sideshow...of course..you said 'Carey', which I agree...Drew Carey was and is a sideshow.
Villano, Caray was not a sideshow...
You must have missed the last ten years of his career. He was a mumbling, drooling, caricature of himself. How Stone was able to finess a decent broadcast out of that situation will forever remain one of life's great mysteries.
Mark - no doubt; with the Sox, Harry seemed to take pride in getting tanked from Falstaff and eating chicken on the air.
Remember his infamous line about an upcoming game celebrating Mexican heritage? Oh man...but give him a statue right???
Sosa and all his Enhancements SAVED BASEBALL.
there is nothing you can say about him that will change that. you can cry about cheating, but if they hadnt cheated, you would be watching Beach Volleyball all summer.
The "Statue of Sweetness" should be put in place of Oprah's lakefront condo building by Navy Pier.
That would be PERFECT.
PapaBear should have a statue too.
Julie...Ripping Rex does not take the sting out of it, and does not take the power back and does not take the word out of the hands of the people who have bashed him. Duh..
Kyle responds: Sosa may have helped save baseball, but how can you admit he cheated in one breath and then in the next say he should be immortalized in bronze for said actions? It seems like an awfully weird disconnect to me.
I'd be interested to see how many people really attribute baseball's resurgence from the depths of the 1994 strike to the big boppers and their home runs. Sure, it helped bring the casual fan back into the fold, but eventually their interest faded. Again, I'm not saying that the Sosa-McGwire-Bonds triumvirate didn't carry the game for a little while, but baseball has endured much worse than a strike-shortened season and rebounded. The Black Sox scandal, two World Wars depleting the talent pool...George Steinbrenner. Do you really think there was every any danger of beach volleyball taking baseball's place in America's heart?
Philtration is Right! Scottie and Frank deserve their statues. Champs and Hall of Famers. Scottie deserves a statue just for his defense alone! And a lot of people didn't like them, but they did something you just don't see anymore - they EARNED IT with their PLAY.
Ditka and Hawk Harelson deserve it for their contributions. One day even Jay Marriotti is going to deserve one.
But Stuck is also right. Payton deserves a holiday, street, statue and whatever else we can give to his legacy.
Jordan built the UC and his statue is at the main gate, but on the other side of the build they should have a statue of Pippen blocking somebody's shot on the glass. He wouldnt even allow Mark Jackson past half court in one game. They had to call time out and the refs had to ASK Scottie to let him bring it up to progress the game. STATUE!
Kyle responds: Tim Donaghy had taken the 'over' in that game. The refs look out for their own.
Julie I have to agree with you, I don't mind so much that the names are now before the comments but the "type the characters you see in the picture" thing is ridiculous. Is there supposed to be spaces between the characters? Who the hell knows. The first comment I posted after this change was made it was 3 tries before it was excepted and I have yet to figure out why the first 2 weren't. Anyway back to the subject at hand......
I think a walkway through Grant park lined with some of Chicago's sports figures would be great. And I'm surprised some life long sox fan hasn't mentioned Nellie Fox yet. By the way since Chicago has a statue of Harry shouldn't Mayberry erect a statue of Otis?
Kyle responds: An "Andy Griffith Show" reference before 10:30 a.m.? Oh, this is going to be a great day.
Just to clarify the word verification: There is no space between the letters. Just type them in as they appear. Sadly, we live in a world where people send virus and spam through all possible avenues...so this step proves you are, in fact, a human being.
The Bears should put two sets of statues up. One honoring the middle linebacker postion(Butkus and Singletary) and the other for the running back postion( Sayers and Payton). I'm for Sandberg getting one. Nothing wrong with Scottie getting one for the Bulls. The statues should be placed though to keep time in a bottle. The Bulls of the 90's can't be remembered without talking of Pippen.
Oh come on, Culzie! Those eyebrows are ridiculous! He looks like he went to the waxer and said, "Think Carrot Top."
Wilbur Wood. Anyone that can pitch both games of doubleheader deserves one. And, the size that the statue would have to be would shade the whole area around it and keep people cool in the heat
Kyle I would have thought just the fact that I can type and operate a computer was enough proof that I am a human being but then I'm not all that current on what strides have been made educating other animal species. Although at times I'm sure some of us have wondered about the number of or lack of limbs on the family trees of some posters I am pretty sure they also are human beings. I also know enough about computers to know if someone is determined to hack a site or plant a virus typing the word verification isn't going to stop them.
Tim "how" Little you know about BLOGGING...
the reason for the BARCODE ID RETNAL SCAN...
is not to prevent viruses or hackers....Mr. Matthew Broderick
nope..its because SPAMMERS have figured out how to SPAM blog sites now, and so in additional to the hundreds and thousands of regular POSTS this site gets that are REAL, they probably get another 10,000 that are BOGUS SPAM POSTS.
hmmmm...thought you woulda known that!
tcshyh