thought it might be fun to keep a running list of the most prominent athletes on the Cleveland sports scene. Just so there is no confusion as to what these rankings mean, I'll set forth the criteria used to make the list.1. Only players who are still active in their respective sport and still playing in Cleveland
are eligible.
2. Talent, ability, and performance are only derivatively important. This poll is based more on fan notoriety and adoration. For example, Cliff Lee is coming off probably the greatest season by an Indians pitcher in history. Yet, he's ranked below Josh Cribbs, a very solid Browns
special teamer. Why? Well, I would guess that there are more people in Northeast Ohio that would call themselves Josh Cribbs fans than there are people who are particularly fond of Cliff Lee. This also explains why Brady Quinn, a player who has yet to accomplish anything in this city, is ranked 3rd ahead of more successful players like Victor Martinez and Z.
3. The season doesn't really matter. Obviously, in February, people are going to be fixated
on the Cavs. The same could be said of the Indians in July or the Browns in September. For the most part, the rankings attempt to ignore the obvious bias in favor of athletes whose sport is in season.
4. While season doesn't matter, sport does. This is a Browns town first and foremost and no matter how many dumps the team takes on its fans, they'll always be number one in the hearts of the majority of Northeast Ohioans. Thus, Browns players have a distinct advantage over the rest of the field. Fortunately, however, given that the Browns only have a few players who aren't despicable, the list has a good mix of the 3 major
Cleveland sports. 5. Ohio State counts as Cleveland for the purposes of these rankings. So, if and when Terrelle Pryor wins the heisman and/or a National Championship, he's eligible for the list.
So, there you have it. We'll try to update these rankings every couple of weeks or so. And, because the poll is supposed to be a measure of fan sentiment, we encourage you to comment in the discussions section under any posting to express your views on the rankings. If there is enough momentum for or against a particular decision that we've
made, I assure you that we'll change it. The purpose here is just to have a little fun and generate some good discussion.
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7 comments:
I think that Phil Dawson needs to be in the rankings, he has done more for the Browns over the years than Brady.
I don't think Joe Thomas makes the list over Pryor personally. I also think K2 and Edwards make this list as well. I'd Mo near the bottom (as much as I love him) and I'd consider Pronk over Victor.
Lori, i see what you're saying but a) not that many people other than true browns fans know of Dawson, and b) as I said, the rankings are not based on performance.
Alvaro, on the Cleveland landscape, I don't think Pryor is that prominent yet. Of course people like us are wrapped up in him because we follow recruiting but to the average sports fan, he's still somewhat of an unknown. K2 and Edwards fall short because as I said, it's not just about awareness, it's about adoration. I think it's hard to make the case that people in cleveland love edwards or k2 right now as much as they love Mo.
I don't think Pronk goes over victor right now just because he hasn't really been a face on the sports landscape here in two years. At one time, I think he could've been as high as number two on this list but as of right now, there's no way he gets above Grady or Victor. As I said though, I'm not the rankings Czar. If more people share your feelings, we'll change it.
I love the idea Biff. I just wish that there were a (even completely arbitrary) points rating system for the athletes, much like the world golf rankings so we could see how much Lebron has the field lapped by. For instance, If you were to allocate 100 rating points to the entire list, lebron would probably have 75-80 of them in my eyes. Maybe you could have first place votes life College football. Yeah Grady is a wonderful baseball player but he is a DISTANT 2nd place. He would have to have 6 consecutive 40/40 seasons to overtake LBJ at #1. Its a great idea though and I don't know if it's one that I've seen anywhere else. Just my .02. Thanks
Like the idea too....
Do you think after 6 40/40 seasons Grady would overtake Lebron in this town? I love Sizemore but it would take a ton more than that.....
Im with Biff on not including Pryor. He isnt that prominent in the eyes of the average fan. He most likely will be someday, but not now.
On the basis of prominence and popularity, a litmus test might be to ask your mother who she thinks of when she thinks of Cleveland sports.
I know mine would recognize Brady Quinn over Phil Dawson, and wouldnt be able to pick Terrell Pryor out of a lineup.
Good points Shelley.
Aside from doing something completely absurd like breaking the single season home run record, I think there is only one thing that Sizemore could do to ever overtake Lebron: Turn in a transcendent World Series performance that almost single-handedly brings the Indians their first title since '48. In spite of the fact that on the worldwide stage, Lebron will always be 1,000 times bigger than Grady, on the local scene, if Grady played a particularly prominent role in bringing this town a title, the top spot would be his....that is, of course, unless Lebron does it first.
I dont feel like anything that Grady does in the next few years would overtake lebron at the top spot...lebron is the franchise player for the cavs, which is harder for grady to achieve w/pitchers such as Cliff Lee winning Cy youngs.
As far as Dawson-i would like to see him on the list, but at the end of the day he is still a place kicker.
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