Babe Ruth was a myth part one: How major were the major leagues?

You hear all the time how expansion has diluted the pitching in the major leagues. People wistfully point to the years when there were just 16 teams and talk about how tough Babe Ruth had it in his day.

The truth, though, today it is nearly twice as hard to reach the major leagues as it was for the Babe.

In 1920, Ruth's first season with the New York Yankees, the Census Bureau totaled the U.S. population at 106 million. The male population through the decades has roughly been about 49 percent so there were about 52 million males in the U.S. at that time.

There were 16 teams in the major leagues with 25-man rosters, meaning at any one time, there were 400 major league jobs.

Of course, in 1920, blacks weren't allowed in the major leagues, meaning about 5.2 million males out of the original 52 million were ineligible.

So essentially, you had 400 jobs for about 47.8 million white men and boys which equals 117,000 men per major league roster spot.

Today, there are 30 major league teams and 750 major league positions, so the number of openings has nearly doubled.

The U.S. population, though, nearly tripled. In 2000, there were 281 million people in the U.S., including 34.7 million blacks, which now can play in the major leagues. Again estimating the male population at 49 percent, there were roughly 137.9 million males eligible for those 750 big league jobs. That equals about 184,000 per big league roster spot.

The expansion in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, actually helped bring that number down. The toughest Census year to reach the bigs, when looking at just the U.S. population, was 1960 when there was still just the 16 teams and 400 positions available for a male (both black and white) population of 87.9 million. That meant there was one major league spot for every 220,000 males.

Today, if you wanted to make it as easy to reach the majors as it was back in the Babe's day, you'd need to add 16 more teams. At 46 major league teams, there'd be a spot for every 119,900 men.

Of course, the major leagues are more international than ever before and taking that into consideration shows it's never been more difficult to reach the bigs.

Here is a list of the percentage of international players making their big league debuts in each decade. The 2000s data is through the 2005 season.

Year, total new players, international players, pctg.
1900s -- 1,081 new players, 51 foreign players, 4.7 percent.
1910s -- 1,534 new players, 40 foreign players, 2.6 percent.
1920s -- 1,203 new players, 17 foreign players, 1.4 percent.
1930s -- 1,037 new players, 19 foreign players, 1.8 percent.
1940s -- 1,166 new players, 50 foreign players, 4.3 percent.
(Color bar falls in 1947)
1950s -- 1,076 new players, 84 foreign players, 7.8 percent.
(Boston Red Sox last team to integrate in 1958)
1960s -- 1,246 new players, 139 foreign players, 11.2 percent.
1970s -- 1,312 new players, 138 foreign players, 10.5 percent.
1980s -- 1,457 new players, 191 foreign players, 13.1 percent.
1990s -- 1,877 new players, 418 foreign players, 22.3 percent.
2000s -- 1,200 new players through 2005, 320 foreign players, 26.7 percent.

In 1920, major league players almost entirely came from the U.S., Canada and Cuba. If you added the white populations of Canada -- which was 90 percent white -- and Cuba -- just 39 percent white -- to the U.S., you had 51.2 million men for 400 positions or one roster spot for every 127,948 males.

The 1930s saw the beginning of the Venezuelan influx. Once the color line fell, players from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic -- both overwhelmingly black countries -- began making the majors in the 1960s and 1970s. Mexicans didn't start signing with major league organizations in any real numbers until the 1970s and the 1990s and this decade have seen the coming of the Japanese.

Today, the 30 teams and 750 major league spots are being fought over by players from seven predominant countries with a combined male population of 287.3 million. That's one big league roster spot for every 383,170 males.

To get that number back to the ratio of 127,948 in Babe's day of 1920, you'd need 90 teams.

The major leagues have never been more major.

Babe Ruth was a myth

As you can see by my posts, I love sports history and trying to quantify who were the greatest players in various sports. I have a system for baseball, but thanks to the fact they no longer produce the Baseball Encyclopedia, where I get all of the fielding stats, it's taking a while to finish the tables to produce it.

When I am finished, you'll quickly notice there will be some players missing. You won't see Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson and Babe Ruth. In fact, none of the players who compiled the bulk of their stats before 1947 will be included.

I'm a huge Negro Leagues fan -- I have about 20 books on the subject ranging from a history of the Puerto Rican leagues to most of John Holway's works -- and I fully support a call Holway made in one of the first books of his I read. All statistics before Jackie Robinson should carry an asterisk or be set aside as non-integrated records.

Really, do you think Cobb would have hit .367 in his career if you took out the weakest outfielders in the American League and replaced them with speedsters such as Oscar Charleston and Spotswood Poles to chase balls in the gap?

Would Cobb even have been the greatest centerfielder considering Charleston was likely just as fast and had much more power?

How high would Stan Musial's lifetime batting average been if you removed Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente from the majors and replaced them with AAA white outfielders?

I pick on Ruth in the headline of the post just because he seems to generate so much passion. I wrote a column on this subject for the newspaper I work for and received phone calls where the four letter words outnumbered the non-four letter words.

I consider Ruth a great player and an overall good guy. He, unlike Cobb, barnstormed often with Negro Leaguers seeing it as a way to make some extra money for himself and his opponents. There are legions of stories of his praising Negro Leaguers.

But what are we really to make of his numbers? He compiled them against all white players from the U.S. except for a handful of white Cubans at a time when scouts rarely headed west of the Great Plains. Indeed, the Pacific Coast League was considered to be very nearly major league and many players chose to stay in the PCL rather than travel east for the major leagues.

Really, all we know about Ruth was that he was the greatest white right fielder of the east coast.

Why even bring it up now? Sports Illustrated just published its all-time team. It included: Lou Gehrig, Lefty Grove, Joe DiMaggio, Cy Young, Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Rogers Hornsby, Babe Ruth, Walter Johnson and Honus Wagner.

It did not include a single player who played a majority of his years in the Negro Leagues.

That's really a joke. Look at three on the list, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Jackie Robinson. They came directly from the Negro Leagues with short stays in the minors.

If you were to pick an all-time team and insisted on including pre-1947 players, then Oscar Charleston should replace either DiMaggio or Cobb, Satchel Paige needs to be on the list ahead of either Mathewson or Young and Gibson should replace Johnny Bench or Yogi Berra. And I say this as a life-long Reds fan who grew up watching Bench play.

In the following posts, I'll add stats to support the arguments.

Pro basketball's greatest players: The top 60

Just in time for the beginning of NBA training camps, here are the 60 greatest players based on a system that weights by position, ranks players versus the league leaders and ranks playoff performance based against their own season performance.

Each season that's played, I add a player to the list so now we have 60 rather than last year's 59. Two of the old Big Three in Dallas leaped onto the list.

Player, Years, Raw total, Pos. Adj., Final Total
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1969-1989, 22721.5, 0.0, 22721.5
2. Wilt Chamberlain, 1959-1973, 21838.9, 0.0, 21838.9
3. Michael Jordan, 1984-2003, 20809.7, 651.5, 21461.2
4. Julius Erving, 1971-1987, 20247.8, 502.9, 20750.7
5. Hakeem Olajuwon, 1984-2002, 19935.7, 0.0, 19935.7

6. Larry Bird, 1979-1992, 19386.9, 502.9, 19889.8
7. Karl Malone, 1985-2004, 19407.7, 418.0, 19825.7
8. Bill Russell, 1956-1969, 19765.2, 0.0, 19765.2
9. Oscar Robertson, 1960-1974, 18753.0, 523.6, 19276.6
10. Magic Johnson, 1979-1996, 18692.0, 523.6, 19215.6

11. Tim Duncan, 1997-2006, 18769.3, 418.0, 19187.3
12. Bob Cousy, 1950-1970, 18554.9, 523.6, 19078.5
13. Shaquille O'Neal, 1992-2006, 18854.3, 0.0, 18854.3
14. Kevin Garnett, 1996-2006, 18354.6, 418.0, 18772.6
15. Bob Pettit, 1954-1965, 18297.2, 418.0, 18715.2

16. Jerry West, 1960-1974, 17946.0, 651.5, 18597.5
17. David Robinson, 1989-2003, 18490.3, 0.0, 18490.3
18. Moses Malone, 1974-1995, 18246.1, 0.0, 18246.1
19. George Mikan, 1948-1956, 18123.1, 0.0, 18123.1
20. Dolph Schayes, 1949-1964, 17694.8, 418.0, 18112.8

21. Elgin Baylor, 1958-1972, 17552.2, 502.9, 18055.1
22. Elvin Hayes, 1968-1984, 17347.0, 418.0, 17765.0
23. Charles Barkley, 1984-2000, 17139.1, 418.0, 17557.1
24. John Stockton, 1984-2003, 17006.1, 523.6, 17529.7
25. Gary Payton, 1990-2005, 16878.0, 523.6, 17401.6

26. Artis Gilmore, 1971-1988, 17375.7, 0.0, 17375.7
27. Rick Barry, 1965-1980, 16677.6, 502.9, 17180.5
28. Scottie Pippen, 1987-2004, 16536.3, 502.9, 17039.2
29. George Gervin, 1972-1986, 16304.3, 651.5, 16955.8
30. John Havlicek, 1962-1978, 16248.4, 502.9, 16751.3

31. Kobe Bryant, 1996-2006, 16032.8, 651.5, 16684.3
32. Jason Kidd, 1994-2006, 16096.0, 523.6, 16619.6
33. Pat Ewing, 1985-2002, 16609.2, 0.0, 16609.2
34. Isiah Thomas, 1981-1993, 15847.2, 523.6, 16370.8
35. Allen Iverson, 1996-2006, 15825.1, 523.6, 16348.7

36. Clyde Drexler, 1983-1998, 15594.0, 651.5, 16245.5
37. George McGinnis, 1971-1982, 15661.4, 418.0, 16079.4
38. Walt Frazier, 1967-1980, 15210.5, 523.6, 15734.1
39. Bob McAdoo, 1972-1986, 15574, 0.0, 15574.0
40. Connie Hawkins, 1961-1976, 14956.0, 502.9, 15458.9

41. Paul Arizin, 1950-1962, 14906.3, 502.9, 15409.2
42. Billy Cunningham, 1965-1976, 14869.1, 502.9, 15372.0
43. Dave Cowens, 1970-1983, 15258.6, 0.0, 15258.6
44. Dominique Wilkins, 1982-1999, 14542.8, 502.9, 15045.7
45. Dirk Nowitzki, 1998-2006, 14610.8, 418.0, 15028.8

46. Alex English, 1976-1991, 14486.0, 502.9, 14988.9
47. Chris Webber, 1993-2006, 14344.0, 418.0, 14762.0
48. Dan Issel, 1970-1985, 14331.7, 418.0, 14749.7
49. Bob Lanier, 1970-1984, 14649.0, 0.0, 14649.0
50. Mel Daniels, 1967-1977, 14557.3, 0.0, 14557.3

51. Tim Hardaway, 1989-2003, 13990.9, 523.6, 14514.5
52. Willis Reed, 1964-1974, 14458.4, 0.0, 14458.4
53. Bill Sharman, 1950-1961, 13802.7, 651.5, 14454.2
54. Mo Cheeks, 1978-1993, 13909.0, 523.6, 14432.6
55. Hal Greer, 1958-1973, 13769.6, 651.5, 14421.1

56. Dennis Johnson, 1976-1990, 13731.9, 651.5, 14383.4
57. Robert Parish, 1976-1997, 14340.4, 0.0, 14340.4
58. Gus Williams, 1975-1987, 13733.0, 523.6, 14256.6
59. Kevin Johnson, 1987-2000, 13653.7, 523.6, 14177.3
60. Steve Nash, 1996-2006, 13497.4, 523.6, 14021.0

Federer finishes second greatest season in Open era; Sharapova poised for next great run

It's funny to think after the French Open people were questioning Roger Federer's dominance. Sure he has a curiously poor record against Rafael Nadal, but Federer turned the tables at Wimbledon and again rolled through the U.S. Open.

In my scoring system, Federer's 2006 summer was surpassed only by Rod Laver's Grand Slam in 1969. Four finals, two wins over players that will be considered the two next best of his era -- Nadal and Roddick -- and a spirited final in the French, which he may never win just because of Nadal.

In fact, Federer now has two of the four greatest seasons. His 2004 campaign ranks just below Jimmy Connors' 1974 season of three major titles.

Maria Sharapova showed Wimbledon of 2004 was no fluke and, considering women's tennis has seen several periods where one player dominated, she seems poised to go on a Serena Williams-type run where she wins four or five of the next eight majors.

Sharapova just plowed through Amelie Mauresmo and Justin Henin-Hardenne. When she's on, no female has the firepower to match. Henin-Hardenne was a strange case. She made four finals but won just one. She may have reached her peak much like Martina Hingis did before the Williams sisters took over tennis for a few years.

A final goodbye not just to Andre Agassi, who would have been higher on this list with a much more concerted effort early in his career, but to Martina Navratilova. She added a final mixed doubles title -- and a half point -- to her all-time record.

All-time men's tournament seedings after 2006:

Player, Country, Years, Total
1. Pete Sampras, United States, 1990-2002, 656.50
2. Bjorn Borg, Sweden, 1974-1981, 648.50
3. Ivan Lendl, Czechoslovakia, 1981-1991, 619.50
4. Jimmy Connors, United States, 1974-1984, 597.00
5. John McEnroe, United States, 1979-1985, 558.00
6. Roger Federer, Switzerland, 2003-2006, 536.50
7. Mats Wilander, Sweden, 1982-1988, 472.50
8. Andre Agassi, United States, 1990-2005, 470.00
9. Boris Becker, Germany, 1985-1996, 423.50
10. Stephan Edberg, Sweden, 1985-1993, 409.00
11. Rod Laver, Australia, 1968-1971, 355.50
12. Jim Courier, United States, 1991-1993, 334.50
13. Guillermo Vilas, Argentina, 1975-1982, 323.00
14. John Newcombe, Australia, 1968-1976, 323.00
15. Ken Rosewall, Australia, 1968-1974, 295.50
16. Jan Kodes, Czechoslovakia, 1970-1973, 228.00
17. Arthur Ashe, United States, 1968-1975, 214.50
18. Illie Nastase, Romania, 1971-1976, 197.00
19. Lleyton Hewitt, Australia, 2001-2005, 192.50
20. Marat Safin, Russia, 2000-2005, 191.00
21. Gustavo Kuerten, Brazil, 1997-2001, 166.00
22. Rafael Nadal, Spain, 2005-2006, 160.50
23. Stan Smith, United States, 1968-1980, 156.50
24. Pat Rafter, Australia, 1997-2001, 155.50
25. Yevgeny Kafelinikov, Russia, 1996-2000, 145.00
26. Pat Cash, Australia, 1987-1988, 141.00
27. Michael Chang, United States, 1989-1996, 134.00
28. Sergei Bruguera, Spain, 1993-1997, 133.00
29. Goran Ivanisevic, Croatia, 1992-2001, 131.00
30. Andy Roddick, United States, 2003-2006, 130.50
31. Michael Stich, Germany, 1991-1996, 121.50
32. Johan Kriek, South Africa, 1981-1982, 113.00

All-time women's seedings:

Player, Country, Years, Points
1. Martina Navratilova, Czechoslovakia, 1974-2006, 1308.50
2. Steffi Graf, Germany, 1987-1999, 1215.50
3. Chris Evert-Lloyd, United States, 1973-1988, 953.50
4. Monica Seles, Yugoslavia, 1990-1998, 684.00
5. Margaret Smith-Court, Australia, 1968-1975, 675.00
6. Billie Jean King, United States, 1968-1979, 650.50
7. Evonne Goolagong-Cawley, Australia, 1971-1980, 579.50
8. Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario, Spain, 1989-1998, 468.50
9. Serena Williams, United States, 1999-2005, 457.50
10. Martina Hingis, Switzerland, 1996-2006, 446.50
11. Venus Williams, United States, 1997-2005, 408.50
12. Justine Henin-Hardenne, Belgium, 2001-2006, 350.00
13. Hana Mandlikova, Czechoslovakia, 1980-1987, 334.00
14. Lindsay Davenport, United States, 1998-2005, 312.00
15. Virginia Wade, England, 1968-1977, 197.00
16. Mary Pierce, France, 1994-2005, 194.00
17. Tracy Austin, United States, 1979-1981, 186.50
18. Jennifer Capriati, United States, 2001-2002, 184.00
19. Gabriela Sabatini, Argentina, 1988-1991, 165.00
20. Amelie Mauresmo, France, 1999-2006, 160.00
21. Kim Clijsters, Belgium, 2001-2005, 151.00
22. Jana Novotna, Czechoslovakia, 1991-1998, 150.00
23. Ann Haydon-Jones, England, 1968-1969, 141.00
24. Conchita Martinez, Spain, 1994-2000, 140.00
25. Maria Sharapova, Russia, 2004-2006, 135.50
26. Virginia Ruzici, Romania, 1978-1980, 107.50
27. Kerry Melville-Reid, Australia, 1970-1977, 103.00
28. Mimi Jausovec, Yugoslavia, 1977-1983, 97.00
29. Helena Sukova, Czechoslovakia, 1984-1993, 94.50
30. Christine O'Neill, Australia, 1978, 85.00
31. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia, 2004-2006, 82.00
32. Wendy Turnbill, United States, 1977-1980, 80.00

Golf's ultimate playday -- final 2006 standings

Tiger Woods' goal of surpassing Jack Nicklaus went from a question mark after the U.S. Open to something appearing close to an inevitability after the British Open and the PGA.

At age 30, he is now less than 200 points in my system from overtaking Nicklaus as the top male golfer in major championship history. The only golfers within 200 points of Woods are Ben Hogan, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson.

Of course, Woods has put up so many great years, it's going to be difficult to make major leaps in points. He'll just have to keep grinding out top finishes.

Here are the standings for 2006 (18 foursomes or top 72) with no more points to gather:

On the first tee (player, country, years, points):
Jack Nicklaus, United States, 1959-1998, 858.59
Tiger Woods, United States, 1994-2006, 681.67
Ben Hogan, United States, 1939-1967, 583.95
Walter Hagen, United States, 1913-1940, 517.29

On the second tee:
Arnold Palmer, United States, 1954-1977, 515.33
Tom Watson, United States, 1974-2000, 493.36
Gary Player, South Africa, 1956-1984, 477.43
Bobby Jones, United States, 1919-1930, 477.25

On the third tee:
Sam Snead, United States, 1937-1974, 464.41
Gene Sarazen, United States, 1921-1956, 458.63
Nick Faldo, England, 1978-2003, 401.50
Byron Nelson, United States, 1935-1955, 367.54

On the fourth tee:
Harry Vardon, England, 1894-1922, 351.50
J.H. Taylor, England, 1893-1925, 348.75
Lee Trevino, United States, 1967-1986, 334.54
Seve Ballesteros, Spain, 1976-1991, 321.08

On the fifth tee:
Phil Mickelson, United States, 1990-2006, 317.81
Greg Norman, Australia, 1979-1999, 316.82
Raymond Floyd, United States, 1965-1994, 309.32
James Braid, Scotland, 1894-1914, 301.63

On the sixth tee:
Jim Barnes, Eng/U.S., 1913-1930, 301.11
Ernie Els, South Africa, 1992-2006, 290.15
Peter Thomson, Australia, 1951-1971, 277.10
Nick Price, Zimbabwe, 1982-2005, 267.98

On the seventh tee:
Jimmy Demaret, United States, 1938-1962, 263.44
Bobby Locke, South Africa, 1936-1957, 259.75
Julius Boros, United States, 1950-1973, 252.92
Cary Middlecoff, United States, 1948-1959, 252.50

On the eighth tee:
Craig Wood, United States, 1929-1944, 251.94
Billy Casper, United States, 1958-1976, 251.21
Ben Crenshaw, United States, 1972-1995, 243.52
Hale Irwin, United States, 1973-1993, 243.38

On the ninth tee:
Ralph Guldahl, United States, 1933-1941, 237.13
Leo Diegel, United States, 1920-1933, 235.56
Willie Anderson Jr., Scot/U.S., 1898-1908, 223.50
Vijay Singh, Fiji, 1993-2006, 223.00

On the 10th tee:
Tom Weiskopf, United States, 1969-1982, 222.43
Lloyd Mangrum, United States, 1940-1956, 221.60
Harold Hilton, England, 1892-1913, 221.50
Johnny Miller, United States, 1966-1985, 221.38

On the 11th tee:
Paul Runyan, United States, 1931-1951, 221.13
Denny Shute, United States, 1928-1950, 219.25
Payne Stewart, United States, 1985-1999, 216.50
Henry Cotton, England, 1927-1958, 210.92

On the 12th tee:
Jock Hutchison, Scot/U.S., 1908-1928, 210.25
Bernhard Langer, Germany, 1981-2005, 209.58
Ted Ray, England, 1902-1925, 204.88
Tommy Armour, Scot/US, 1925-1937, 202.63

On the 13th tee:
Horton Smith, United States, 1928-1954, 198.31
Alex Smith, Scot/US, 1898-1921, 193.69
Henry Picard, United States, 1932-1950, 192.44
Hubert Green, United States, 1974-1989, 190.00

On the 14th tee:
Mark O'Meara, United States, 1979-2003, 188.70
Tom Kite, United States, 1970-2001, 187.94
Fred Couples, United States, 1980-2006, 187.70
Lawson Little, United States, 1934-1951, 187.33

On the 15th tee:
Jose Maria Olazabul, Spain, 1984-2006, 187.10
Lanny Wadkins, United States, 1970-1993, 185.50
Gene Littler, United States, 1953-1979, 184.00
Davis Love III, United States, 1995-2005, 177.89

On the 16th tee:
Jim Ferrier, Aus/U.S., 1936-1964, 176.50
Larry Nelson, United States, 1979-1991, 173.75
Johnny Farrell, United States, 1922-1937, 170.46
Jim Furyk, United States, 1996-2006, 170.45

On the 17th tee:
Curtis Strange, United States, 1980-1995, 170.17
Jack Burke Jr., United States, 1951-1965, 169.95
Harry Cooper, Eng/U.S., 1923-1942, 169.50
Doug Ford, United States, 1955-1962, 168.50

On the 18th tee:
Tommy Bolt, United States, 1952-1971, 166.63
Tony Jacklin, England, 1967-1972, 164.50
David Graham, Australia, 1975-1990, 163.70
Sandy Herd, Scotland, 1892-1927, 163.31

Greatest golf seasons ever

Although Tiger Woods still has a ways to go to catch Jack Nicklaus' career records, he has already proven he is the greatest golfer ever at his peak. He dominates the list of greatest single seasons in major championship history, according to my scoring system, which I'll explain below.

Rank, Player, Year, Points
1. Tiger Woods, 2000, 91.00
2. Ben Hogan, 1953, 76.00
3. Bobby Jones, 1930, 65.00
4. Tiger Woods, 2005, 60.50
5. Jack Nicklaus, 1980, 56.50
5. Arnold Palmer, 1962, 56.50
7. Arnold Palmer, 1960, 55.50
8. Jack Nicklaus, 1972, 55.00
8. Tiger Woods, 2002, 55.00
10. Ben Hogan, 1948, 54.50
10. Sam Snead, 1949, 54.50
12. Tiger Woods, 2006, 53.50
12. Jack Nicklaus, 1975, 53.50
13. Nick Faldo, 1990, 53.00
14. Gary Player, 1974, 52.50
15. Jack Nicklaus, 1963, 51.00
16. Bobby Jones, 1926, 50.00
17. Gene Sarazen, 1932, 50.00
18. Tom Watson, 1977, 49.50
19. Tom Watson, 1982, 49.25
20. Jack Nicklaus, 1966, 49.00
21. Walter Hagen, 1924, 49.00
22. Nick Price, 1994, 47.50
23. Jack Nicklaus, 1971, 45.50

How my scoring works, let's look at Tiger's 2006 major championship season.

* This year, he finished in a five-way tie for third at the Masters. On a scale of 20 for first, 9 for second, 8 for third, 7 for fourth, etc., he earned six points for the t-3.
* He missed the cut at the U.S. Open so, of course, he earned 0.
* He won the British Open by two strokes so he earned 20 points plus 2 bonus points for margin of victory. That put him up to 28 for the year.
* At the PGA, he won by five shots to score 25 (20+5 bonus points), plus a 0.5 bonus point for tying the record for lowest under par total in PGA history -- a record he already held. So for the PGA, he earned 25.5 points, giving him a total of 53.5 points for the year.

The NBA's all-time teams -- just updated

Who would play on the team of players made up of the 10th, 9th, 8th, etc. players at each of their positions? Here's the list, updated with 2005-2006 point totals. One new players entered the list for the first time.

On the 10th team:
C -- Pat Ewing, 1985-2002, 16609.2
PF -- Chris Webber, 1993-2006, 14344.0
SF -- Dominique Wilkins, 1982-1999, 14542.8
SG -- Sydney Moncrief, 1979-1991, 12982.5
PG -- Tim Hardaway, 1989-2003, 13990.9
(Lots of scoring and one shutdown defender)

On the 9th team:
C -- Artis Gilmore, 1971-1988, 17375.7
PF -- Dirk Nowitzki, 1998-2006, 14610.8
SF -- Billy Cunningham, 1965-1976, 14869.1
SG -- Walter Davis, 1977-1992, 13313.6
PG -- Walt Frazier, 1967-1980, 15210.5
(Power in Artis, shooting in Dirk, who's new to the list, and a balanced backcourt)

On the 8th team:
C -- George Mikan, 1948-1956, 18123.1
PF -- George McGinnis, 1971-1982, 15661.4
SF -- Paul Arizin, 1950-1962, 14906.3
SG -- Dennis Johnson, 1976-1990, 13731.9
PG -- Allen Iverson, 1996-2006, 15825.1
(Two old-timers would have to learn how to play with Iverson)

On the 7th team:
C -- Moses Malone, 1974-1995, 18246.1
PF -- Charles Barkley, 1984-2000, 17139.1
SF -- Connie Hawkins, 1967-1976, 14956.0
SG -- Hal Greer, 1958-1973, 13769.2
PG -- Isiah Thomas, 1981-1993, 15847.2
(Barkley and Malone would be tough inside and Isiah would take the tough shots)

On the 6th team:
C -- David Robinson, 1989-2003, 18490.3
PF -- Elvin Hayes, 1968-1984, 17347.0
SF -- John Havlicek, 1962-1978, 16248.4
SG -- Bill Sharman, 1950-1961, 13802.7
PG -- Jason Kidd, 1994-2006, 16096.0
(A team of runners and passers and one black-hole in Hayes)

On the 5th team:
C -- Shaquille O'Neal, 1992-2006, 18854.3
PF -- Dolph Schayes, 1949-1964, 17694.8
SF -- Scottie Pippen, 1987-2004, 16536.3
SG -- Clyde Drexler, 1983-1998, 15594.0
PG -- Gary Payton, 1990-2005, 16878.0
(Shaq's power, defense in Pippen and Payton, but no great outside shooter)

On the 4th team:
C -- Bill Russell, 1956-1969, 19765.2
PF -- Bob Pettit, 1954-1965, 18297.2
SF -- Rick Barry, 1965-1980, 16677.6
SG -- Kobe Bryant, 1996-2006, 16032.8
PG -- John Stockton, 1984-2003, 17006.1
(Maybe best team based on balance. Three scorers, one pure passer and one pure defender)

On the 3rd team:
C -- Hakeem Olajuwon, 1984-2002, 19935.7
PF -- Kevin Garnett, 1996-2006, 18354.6
SF -- Elgin Baylor, 1958-1972, 17552.2
SG -- George Gervin, 1972-1986, 16304.3
PG -- Bob Cousy, 1950-1970, 18554.9
(Crosses all generations, from Cousy to Garnett)

On the 2nd team:
C -- Wilt Chamberlain, 1959-1973, 21697.2
PF -- Tim Duncan, 1997-2006, 18769.3
SF -- Larry Bird, 1979-1992, 19386.9
SG -- Jerry West, 1960-1974, 17946.0
PG -- Magic Johnson, 1979-1996, 18692.0
(Wilt, West and Bird can beat anyone and Magic is there to run the show)

The all-time starting five:
C -- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1969-1989, 22721.5
PF -- Karl Malone, 1985-2004, 19407.7
SF -- Julius Erving, 1971-1987, 20247.8
SG -- Michael Jordan, 1984-2003, 20809.7
PG -- Oscar Robertson, 1960-1974, 18753.0
(MJ, Dr. J, The Big O, the Mailman and the Sky Hook, at least the all-time nickname team)

Steinhauer enters women's ultimate playday

Madison, Wis.'s Sherri Steinhauer overcame the LPGA's somewhat wacky history with a third British Open victory that catapulted her into the top 54 players in women's professional golf history.

Steinhauer's first two British wins were before the tournament was considered a major. So the three-shot win is classified as her second major -- she won the defunct DuMaurier in 1992.

No matter. The big names (Sorenstam, Webb and Pak) didn't contend. Neither did the youngsters (Creamer, Wie). Still, an impressive result. With the men's PGA going on, I figured I better update this listing.

Here are the 54 greatest women professional golfers:

1. Mickey Wright, 1958-1973, 575.40
2. Annika Sorenstam, 1995-2006, 541.42
3. Karrie Webb, 1996-2006, 469.50
4. Pat Bradley, 1977-1996, 460.93
5. Julie Inkster, 1984-2006, 458.05 (passed Whitworth with 4th in British)
6. Kathy Whitworth, 1963-1984, 453.10
7. Patty Berg, 1937-1965, 441.50
8. Patty Sheehan, 1981-1997, 400.62
9. Louise Suggs, 1946-1969, 377.64
10. Amy Alcott, 1976-1994, 358.22
11. Sandra Haynie, 1963-1983, 353.00
12. Babe Didrikson Zaharias, 1940-1954, 350.00
13. Betsy Rawls, 1951-1969, 329.09
14. JoAnne Carner, 1970-1992, 321.85
15. Meg Mallon, 1990-2004, 321.63
16. Laura Davies, 1987-2005, 303.42
17. Nancy Lopez, 1975-1997, 298.88
18. Se Ri Pak, 1998-2006, 284.70
19. Donna Caponi, 1969-1982, 266.85
20. Beth Daniel, 1980-2006, 266.30
21. Susan Maxwell Berning, 1965-1979, 242.50
22. Mary Mills, 1963-1974, 232.45
23. Clifford-Ann Creed, 1963-1976, 230.20
24. Carol Mann, 1963-1975, 226.50
25. Dottie Pepper, 1988-2001, 221.25
26. Sandra Palmer, 1967-1986, 220.00
27. Jan Stephenson, 1976-2000, 216.25
28. Marilyn Smith, 1963-1972, 211.45
29. Hollis Stacy, 1976-1996, 207.51
30. Sally Little, 1975-1988, 205.47
31. Ayako Okamoto, 1983-1993, 204.93
32. Rosie Jones, 1983-2005, 200.53
33. Liselotte Neumann, 1988-2005, 198.45
34. Jane Geddes, 1985-1996, 178.30
35. Tammie Green, 1989-1998, 173.10
36. Kelly Robbins, 1994-2004, 158.80
37. Brandie Burton, 1991-2001, 151.00
38. Grace Park, 1999-2005, 136.60
39. Sherri Steinhauer, 1992-2006, 134.08
40. Jane Blalock, 1971-1980, 132.00
41. Judy Rankin, 1964-1979, 130.58
42. Judy Kimball-Simon, 1962-1967, 130.38
43. Beverly Hanson, 1955-1958, 130.00
43. Betty Jameson, 1942-1954, 130.00
45. Shirley Englehorn, 1963-1970, 124.25
46. Chris Johnson, 1983-2000, 122.50
47. Marlene Hagge, 1956-1972, 122.00
48. Nancy Scranton, 1986-2000, 120.50
49. Donna Andrews, 1992-1998, 116.93
50. Pat Hurst, 1996-2006, 116.90
51. Helen Alfreddson, 1992-2006, 116.83
52. Colleen Walker, 1987-1997, 116.80
53. Ruth Jessen, 1963-1974, 113.25
54. Sheri Turner, 1986-1999, 111.97

Alice Miller was knocked out of the top 54, dropping to 56. Christie Kerr is on the verge. She's up to No. 55.

Tiger resumes chase of the Bear

Another lifestyle change taken care of -- life after Earl Woods' death -- Tiger Woods resumed his pursuit of the title "greatest golfer ever."

Woods' ho-hum victory at the British Open was his 11th professional major, pulling him to within seven of Jack Nicklaus. It was his 14th major, if you include his three U.S. Amateurs, which Nicklaus always considered majors. That means he's just six from Jack in the overall column.

Still, under my point system, Woods has a considerable margin to bridge because Nicklaus scored high finishes more consistently than Tiger so far.

There weren't a lot of moves in the top 72, except for one. Jim Furyk's finish pushed him into Golf's Ultimate Playday and knocked out one of the few remaining career amateurs, Chick Evans.

With the PGA -- and the U.S. and British amateurs -- left for 2006 here are the updated standings.

On the first tee
1. Jack Nicklaus, United States, 1959-1998, 858.59
2. Tiger Woods, United States, 1994-2006, 645.17
3. Ben Hogan, United States, 1939-1967, 583.95
4. Walter Hagen, United States, 1913-1940, 517.29

On the second tee
5. Arnold Palmer, United States, 1954-1977, 515.33
6. Tom Watson, United States, 1974-2000, 493.36
7. Gary Player, South Africa, 1956-1984, 477.43
8. Bobby Jones, United States, 1919-1930, 477.25

On the third tee
9. Sam Snead, United States, 1937-1974, 464.41
10. Gene Sarazen, United States, 1921-1956, 458.63
11. Nick Faldo, England, 1978-2003, 401.50
12. Byron Nelson, United States, 1935-1955, 367.54

On the fourth tee
13. Harry Vardon, England, 1894-1922, 351.50
14. J.H. Taylor, England, 1893-1925, 348.75
15. Lee Trevino, United States, 1967-1986, 334.54
16. Seve Ballesteros, Spain, 1976-1991, 321.08

On the fifth tee
17. Phil Mickelson, United States, 1990-2006, 317.81
18. Greg Norman, Australia, 1979-1999, 316.82
19. Raymond Floyd, United States, 1965-1994, 309.32
20. James Braid, Scotland, 1894-1914, 301.63

On the sixth tee
21. Jim Barnes, Eng/U.S., 1913-1930, 301.11
22. Ernie Els, South Africa, 1992-2006, 290.15
23. Peter Thomson, Australia, 1951-1971, 277.10
24. Nick Price, Zimbabwe, 1982-2005, 267.98

On the seventh tee
25. Jimmy Demaret, United States, 1938-1962, 263.44
26. Bobby Locke, South Africa, 1936-1957, 259.75
27. Julius Boros, United States, 1950-1973, 252.92
28. Cary Middlecoff, United States, 1948-1959, 252.50

On the eighth tee
29. Craig Wood, United States, 1929-1944, 251.94
30. Billy Casper, United States, 1958-1976, 251.21
31. Ben Crenshaw, United States, 1972-1995, 243.52
32. Hale Irwin, United States, 1973-1993, 243.38

On the ninth tee
33. Ralph Guldahl, United States, 1933-1941, 237.13
34. Leo Diegel, United States, 1920-1933, 235.56
35. Willie Anderson Jr., Scot/U.S., 1898-1908, 223.50
36. Vijay Singh, Fiji, 1993-2006, 223.00

On the 10th tee
37. Tom Weiskopf, United States, 1969-1982, 222.43
38. Lloyd Mangrum, United States, 1940-1956, 221.60
39. Harold Hilton, England, 1892-1913, 221.50
40. Johnny Miller, United States, 1966-1985, 221.38

On the 11th tee
41. Paul Runyan, United States, 1931-1951, 221.13
42. Denny Shute, United States, 1928-1950, 219.25
43. Payne Stewart, United States, 1985-1999, 216.50
44. Henry Cotton, England, 1927-1958, 210.92

On the 12th tee
45. Jock Hutchison, Scot/U.S., 1908-1928, 210.25
46. Bernhard Langer, Germany, 1981-2005, 209.58
47. Ted Ray, England, 1902-1925, 204.88
48. Tommy Armour, Scot/US, 1925-1937, 202.63

On the 13th tee
49. Horton Smith, United States, 1928-1954, 198.31
50. Alex Smith, Scot/US, 1898-1921, 193.69
51. Henry Picard, United States, 1932-1950, 192.44
52. Hubert Green, United States, 1974-1989, 190.00

On the 14th tee
53. Mark O'Meara, United States, 1979-2003, 188.70
54. Tom Kite, United States, 1970-2001, 187.94
55. Fred Couples, United States, 1980-2006, 187.70
56. Lawson Little, United States, 1934-1951, 187.33

On the 15th tee
57. Jose Maria Olazabul, Spain, 1984-2006, 187.10
58. Lanny Wadkins, United States, 1970-1993, 185.50
59. Gene Littler, United States, 1953-1979, 184.00
60. Davis Love III, United States, 1995-2005, 177.89

On the 16th tee
61. Jim Ferrier, Aus/U.S., 1936-1964, 176.50
62. Larry Nelson, United States, 1979-1991, 173.75
63. Johnny Farrell, United States, 1922-1937, 170.46
64. Jim Furyk, United States, 1996-2006, 170.45

On the 17th tee
65. Curtis Strange, United States, 1980-1995, 170.17
66. Jack Burke Jr., United States, 1951-1965, 169.95
67. Harry Cooper, Eng/U.S., 1923-1942, 169.50
68. Doug Ford, United States, 1955-1962, 168.50

On the 18th tee
69. Tommy Bolt, United States, 1952-1971, 166.63
70. Tony Jacklin, England, 1967-1972, 164.50
71. David Graham, Australia, 1975-1990, 163.70
72. Sandy Herd, Scotland, 1892-1927, 163.31

Federer roars past Agassi, Wilander

Roger Federer is challenging the five greatest players of the Open era after his fourth straight win at Wimbledon. Federer earned 13 points with the three sets to one win over Rafael Nadal -- 10 points for the win, two bonus points for the 3-1 margin in sets and two .5 bonus points for the fact Nadal is a two-time major winner.

For the year, Federer has 31 points and he's the defending U.S. Open champion. Another U.S. Open win would make this summer the best in the Open era since Rod Laver won the grand slam in 1969.

Nadal's surprising run means he might be more than a clay court phenomenon. He's quickly moving up the list of the top 32 as well.

Here's the all-time rankings with just the U.S. Open left for the year.


Rank, Player, Country, Years, Total
1. Pete Sampras, United States, 1990-2002, 656.50
2. Bjorn Borg, Sweden, 1974-1981, 648.50
3. Ivan Lendl, Czechoslovakia, 1981-1991, 619.50
4. Jimmy Connors, United States, 1974-1984, 597.00
5. John McEnroe, United States, 1979-1985, 558.00
6. Roger Federer, Switzerland, 2003-2006, 483.50
7. Mats Wilander, Sweden, 1982-1988, 472.50
8. Andre Agassi, United States, 1990-2005, 470.00
9. Boris Becker, Germany, 1985-1996, 423.50
10. Stephan Edberg, Sweden, 1985-1993, 409.00
11. Rod Laver, Australia, 1968-1971, 355.50
12. Jim Courier, United States, 1991-1993, 334.50
13. Guillermo Vilas, Argentina, 1975-1982, 323.00
14. John Newcombe, Australia, 1968-1976, 323.00
15. Ken Rosewall, Australia, 1968-1974, 295.50
16. Jan Kodes, Czechoslovakia, 1970-1973, 228.00
17. Arthur Ashe, United States, 1968-1975, 214.50
18. Illie Nastase, Romania, 1971-1976, 197.00
19. Lleyton Hewitt, Australia, 2001-2005, 192.50
20. Marat Safin, Russia, 2000-2005, 191.00
21. Gustavo Kuerten, Brazil, 1997-2001, 166.00
22. Stan Smith, United States, 1968-1980, 156.50
23. Pat Rafter, Australia, 1997-2001, 155.50
23. Rafael Nadal, Spain, 2005-2006, 155.50
25. Yevgeny Kafelinikov, Russia, 1996-2000, 145.00
26. Pat Cash, Australia, 1987-1988, 141.00
27. Michael Chang, United States, 1989-1996, 134.00
28. Sergei Bruguera, Spain, 1993-1997, 133.00
29. Goran Ivanisevic, Croatia, 1992-2001, 131.00
30. Michael Stich, Germany, 1991-1996, 121.50
31. Johan Kriek, South Africa, 1981-1982, 113.00
32. Andy Roddick, United States, 2003-2005, 111.50

Mauresmo zooming up list of women's greatest tennis players

France's Amelie Mauresmo showed her Australian Open win over Justine Henin-Hardenne was no fluke. The win catapulted the player once thought too shaky to win big tournaments into the top 20 of the all-time list of women's tennis players in the Open era.

Henin-Hardenne is just 1-for-3 in major finals this year but it's still equaled enough points to push her past Lindsay Davenport for 13th place.

The Open era really has been dominated by a small group of players. Look at the gap between No. 14 and No. 15.

Here are the updated standings

1. Martina Navratilova, Czechoslovakia, 1974-2003, 1308.00
2. Steffi Graf, Germany, 1987-1999, 1215.50
3. Chris Evert-Lloyd, United States, 1973-1988, 953.50
4. Monica Seles, Yugoslavia, 1990-1998, 684.00
5. Margaret Smith-Court, Australia, 1968-1975, 675.00
6. Billie Jean King, United States, 1968-1979, 650.50
7. Evonne Goolagong-Cawley, Australia, 1971-1980, 579.50
8. Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario, Spain, 1989-1998, 468.50
9. Serena Williams, United States, 1999-2005, 457.50
10. Martina Hingis, Switzerland, 1996-2006, 446.50
11. Venus Williams, United States, 1997-2005, 408.50
12. Hana Mandlikova, Czechoslovakia, 1980-1987, 334.00
13. Justine Henin-Hardenne, Belgium, 2001-2006, 326.50
14. Lindsay Davenport, United States, 1998-2005, 312.00
15. Virginia Wade, England, 1968-1977, 197.00
16. Mary Pierce, France, 1994-2005, 194.00
17. Tracy Austin, United States, 1979-1981, 186.50
18. Jennifer Capriati, United States, 2001-2002, 184.00
19. Gabriela Sabatini, Argentina, 1988-1991, 165.00
20. Amelie Mauresmo, France, 1999-2006, 160.00
21. Kim Clijsters, Belgium, 2001-2005, 151.00
22. Jana Novotna, Czechoslovakia, 1991-1998, 150.00
23. Ann Haydon-Jones, England, 1968-1969, 141.00
24. Conchita Martinez, Spain, 1994-2000, 140.00
25. Virginia Ruzici, Romania, 1978-1980, 107.50
26. Kerry Melville-Reid, Australia, 1970-1977, 103.00
27. Mimi Jausovec, Yugoslavia, 1977-1983, 97.00
28. Helena Sukova, Czechoslovakia, 1984-1993, 94.50
29. Christine O'Neill, Australia, 1978, 85.00
30. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia, 2004-2006, 82.00
31. Wendy Turnbill, United States, 1977-1980, 80.00
32. Maria Sharapova, Russia, 2004, 77.50

Sorenstam closes in on Wright

Annika Sorenstam's 10th major title not only tied her with Tiger Woods, it separated her a bit from Karrie Webb as the player of her generation and brought her closer to Mickey Wright as the woman golfer of all generations.

Pat Hurst's near miss pulled her into the ultimate playday (top 54 players), knocking out Jody Anschutz. At age 16, with her already long list of near misses, Michelle Wie is No. 64.

Here are the rankings with one women's major to go in 2006.

1. Mickey Wright, 1958-1973, 575.40
2. Annika Sorenstam, 1995-2006, 541.42
3. Karrie Webb, 1996-2006, 469.50
4. Pat Bradley, 1977-1996, 460.93
5. Kathy Whitworth, 1963-1984, 453.10
6. Julie Inkster, 1984-2005, 451.80
7. Patty Berg, 1937-1965, 441.50
8. Patty Sheehan, 1981-1997, 400.62
9. Louise Suggs, 1946-1969, 377.64
10. Amy Alcott, 1976-1994, 358.22
11. Sandra Haynie, 1963-1983, 353.00
12. Babe Didrikson Zaharias, 1940-1954, 350.00
13. Betsy Rawls, 1951-1969, 329.09
14. JoAnne Carner, 1970-1992, 321.85
15. Meg Mallon, 1990-2004, 321.63
16. Laura Davies, 1987-2005, 303.42
17. Nancy Lopez, 1975-1997, 298.88
18. Se Ri Pak, 1998-2006, 284.70
19. Donna Caponi, 1969-1982, 266.85
20. Beth Daniel, 1980-2005, 264.05
21. Susan Maxwell Berning, 1965-1979, 242.50
22. Mary Mills, 1963-1974, 232.45
23. Clifford-Ann Creed, 1963-1976, 230.20
24. Carol Mann, 1963-1975, 226.50
25. Dottie Pepper, 1988-2001, 221.25
26. Sandra Palmer, 1967-1986, 220.00
27. Jan Stephenson, 1976-2000, 216.25
28. Marilyn Smith, 1963-1972, 211.45
29. Hollis Stacy, 1976-1996, 207.51
30. Sally Little, 1975-1988, 205.47
31. Ayako Okamoto, 1983-1993, 204.93
32. Rosie Jones, 1983-2005, 200.53
33. Liselotte Neumann, 1988-2005, 198.45
34. Jane Geddes, 1985-1996, 178.30
35. Tammie Green, 1989-1998, 173.10
36. Kelly Robbins, 1994-2004, 158.80
37. Brandie Burton, 1991-2001, 151.00
38. Grace Park, 1999-2005, 136.60
39. Jane Blalock, 1971-1980, 132.00
40. Judy Rankin, 1964-1979, 130.58
41. Judy Kimball-Simon, 1962-1967, 130.38
42. Beverly Hanson, 1955-1958, 130.00
43. Betty Jameson, 1942-1954, 130.00
44. Shirley Englehorn, 1963-1970, 124.25
45. Chris Johnson, 1983-2000, 122.50
46. Marlene Hagge, 1956-1972, 122.00
47. Nancy Scranton, 1986-2000, 120.50
48. Donna Andrews, 1992-1998, 116.93
49. Pat Hurst, 1996-2006, 116.90
50. Helen Alfreddson, 1992-2006, 116.83
51. Colleen Walker, 1987-1997, 116.80
52. Ruth Jessen, 1963-1974, 113.25
53. Sheri Turner, 1986-1999, 111.97
54. Alice Miller, 1976-1985, 109.75

U.S. Open career-defining for Mickelson

Minutes from matching Tiger Woods' master achievement, Phil Mickelson instead made a case that he's the Arnold Palmer of this generation. His 18th hole meltdown matched the best of Arnie's late-tournament blowups. Palmer is a better comparison than Greg Norman, who had several majors snatched from him by miracle shots.

Still, Mickelson's near miss bumped him up a couple more spots in golf's ultimate playday. Here's the all-time top 72 players in major championship history, according to my rankings.

1st tee
Jack Nicklaus, United States, 1959-1998, 858.59
Tiger Woods, United States, 1994-2006, 625.08
Ben Hogan, United States, 1939-1967, 583.95
Walter Hagen, United States, 1913-1940, 517.29

2nd tee
Arnold Palmer, United States, 1954-1977, 515.33
Tom Watson, United States, 1974-2000, 493.36
Gary Player, South Africa, 1956-1984, 477.43
Bobby Jones, United States, 1919-1930, 477.25

3rd tee
Sam Snead, United States, 1937-1974, 464.41
Gene Sarazen, United States, 1921-1956, 458.63
Nick Faldo, England, 1978-2003, 401.50
Byron Nelson, United States, 1935-1955, 367.54

4th tee
Harry Vardon, England, 1894-1922, 351.50
J.H. Taylor, England, 1893-1925, 348.75
Lee Trevino, United States, 1967-1986, 334.54
Seve Ballesteros, Spain, 1976-1991, 321.08

5th tee
Phil Mickelson, United States, 1990-2006, 317.81
Greg Norman, Australia, 1979-1999, 316.82
Raymond Floyd, United States, 1965-1994, 309.32
James Braid, Scotland, 1894-1914, 301.63

6th tee
Jim Barnes, Eng/U.S., 1913-1930, 301.11
Ernie Els, South Africa, 1992-2004, 285.40
Peter Thomson, Australia, 1951-1971, 277.10
Nick Price, Zimbabwe, 1982-2005, 267.98

7th tee
Jimmy Demaret, United States, 1938-1962, 263.44
Bobby Locke, South Africa, 1936-1957, 259.75
Julius Boros, United States, 1950-1973, 252.92
Cary Middlecoff, United States, 1948-1959, 252.50

8th tee
Craig Wood, United States, 1929-1944, 251.94
Billy Casper, United States, 1958-1976, 251.21
Ben Crenshaw, United States, 1972-1995, 243.52
Hale Irwin, United States, 1973-1993, 243.38

9th tee
Ralph Guldahl, United States, 1933-1941, 237.13
Leo Diegel, United States, 1920-1933, 235.56
Willie Anderson Jr., Scot/U.S., 1898-1908, 223.50
Vijay Singh, Fiji, 1993-2006, 223.00

10th tee
Tom Weiskopf, United States, 1969-1982, 222.43
Lloyd Mangrum, United States, 1940-1956, 221.60
Harold Hilton, England, 1892-1913, 221.50
Johnny Miller, United States, 1966-1985, 221.38

11th tee
Paul Runyan, United States, 1931-1951, 221.13
Denny Shute, United States, 1928-1950, 219.25
Payne Stewart, United States, 1985-1999, 216.50
Henry Cotton, England, 1927-1958, 210.92

12th tee
Jock Hutchison, Scot/U.S., 1908-1928, 210.25
Bernhard Langer, Germany, 1981-2005, 209.58
Ted Ray, England, 1902-1925, 204.88
Tommy Armour, Scot/US, 1925-1937, 202.63

13th tee
Horton Smith, United States, 1928-1954, 198.31
Alex Smith, Scot/US, 1898-1921, 193.69
Henry Picard, United States, 1932-1950, 192.44
Hubert Green, United States, 1974-1989, 190.00

14th tee
Mark O'Meara, United States, 1979-2003, 188.70
Tom Kite, United States, 1970-2001, 187.94
Fred Couples, United States, 1980-2006, 187.70
Lawson Little, United States, 1934-1951, 187.33

15th tee
Jose Maria Olazabul, Spain, 1984-2006, 187.10
Lanny Wadkins, United States, 1970-1993, 185.50
Gene Littler, United States, 1953-1979, 184.00
Davis Love III, United States, 1995-2005, 177.89

16th tee
Jim Ferrier, Aus/U.S., 1936-1964, 176.50
Larry Nelson, United States, 1979-1991, 173.75
Johnny Farrell, United States, 1922-1937, 170.46
Curtis Strange, United States, 1980-1995, 170.17

17th tee
Jack Burke Jr., United States, 1951-1965, 169.95
Harry Cooper, Eng/U.S., 1923-1942, 169.50
Doug Ford, United States, 1955-1962, 168.50
Tommy Bolt, United States, 1952-1971, 166.63

18th tee
Tony Jacklin, England, 1967-1972, 164.50
David Graham, Australia, 1975-1990, 163.70
Sandy Herd, Scotland, 1892-1927, 163.31
Charles Evans Jr., United States, 1909-1927, 162.67

Who's the greatest woman golfer ever?

When discussing the greatest female golfer ever, it seems as if Annika Sorenstam has created a title-wave of support for the title. Using the same system I used to rank the greatest male golfers, I've only got Annika at No. 2. And my ranking is incomplete. I've been unable to find top 10 results for women's majors before 1963 so great players of the 30s, 40s and 50s such as Patty Berg and Mickey Wright are undervalued. They received points for the majors they won but no points for the numerous seconds, thirds, etc.

Also, Annika hasn't clearly established herself as the greatest player of this generation as you'll see by the list below.

In my system, you receive 20 points for winning a major and a bonus point for every stroke ahead. You add up the best year, best three years, best five years, best 10 and career, add that again to the career total and divide by two. This weights the ranking in favor of the dominant golfer rather than the one who gathered points over a long career.

Here are the 54 (18 holes of threesomes) greatest female golfers.

Rank, player, years, points
1. Mickey Wright, 1958-1973, 575.40
2. Annika Sorenstam, 1995-2006, 523.37
3. Karrie Webb 1996-2006, 469.50
4. Pat Bradley, 1977-1996, 460.93
5. Kathy Whitworth, 1963-1984, 453.10
6. Julie Inkster, 1984-2005, 449.30
7. Patty Berg, 1937-1965, 441.50
8. Patty Sheehan, 1981-1997, 400.62
9. Louise Suggs, 1946-1969, 377.64
10. Amy Alcott, 1976-1994, 358.22
11. Sandra Haynie, 1963-1983, 353.00
12. Babe Didrikson Zaharias, 1940-1954, 350.00
13. Betsy Rawls, 1951-1969, 329.09
14. JoAnne Carner, 1970-1992, 321.85
15. Meg Mallon, 1990-2004, 321.63
16. Laura Davies, 1987-2005, 303.42
17. Nancy Lopez, 1975-1997, 298.88
18. Donna Caponi, 1969-1982, 266.85
19. Beth Daniel, 1980-2005, 264.05
20. Se Ri Pak, 1998-2003, 244.95
21. Susan Maxwell Berning, 1965-1979, 242.50
22. Mary Mills, 1963-1974, 232.45
23. Clifford-Ann Creed, 1963-1976, 230.20
24. Carol Mann, 1963-1975, 226.50
25. Dottie Pepper, 1988-2001, 221.25
26. Sandra Palmer, 1967-1986, 220.00
27. Jan Stephenson, 1976-2000, 216.25
28. Marilyn Smith, 1963-1972, 211.45
29. Hollis Stacy, 1976-1996, 207.51
30. Sally Little, 1975-1988, 205.47
31. Ayako Okamoto, 1983-1993, 204.93
32. Rosie Jones, 1983-2005, 200.53
33. Liselotte Neumann, 1988-2005, 198.45
34. Jane Geddes, 1985-1996, 178.30
35. Tammie Green, 1989-1998, 173.10
36. Kelly Robbins, 1994-2004, 158.80
37. Brandie Burton, 1991-2001, 151.00
38. Grace Park, 1999-2005, 136.60
39. Jane Blalock, 1971-1980, 132.00
40. Judy Rankin, 1964-1979, 130.58
41. Judy Kimball-Simon, 1962-1967, 130.38
42. Beverly Hanson, 1955-1958, 130.00
43. Betty Jameson, 1942-1954, 130.00
44. Shirley Englehorn, 1963-1970, 124.25
45. Chris Johnson, 1983-2000, 122.50
46. Marlene Hagge, 1956-1972, 122.00
47. Nancy Scranton, 1986-2000, 120.50
48. Donna Andrews, 1992-1998, 116.93
49. Helen Alfreddson, 1992-2006, 116.83
50. Colleen Walker, 1987-1997, 116.80
51. Ruth Jessen, 1963-1974, 113.25
52. Sheri Turner, 1986-1999, 111.97
53. Alice Miller, 1976-1985, 109.75
54. Jody Anschutz, 1986-1991, 109.50

Nadal's win earns him entry into ultimate tennis tournament

Rafael Nadal's second straight French Open title moved him into the top 32 in the ultimate tennis tournament. Nadal earned 10 points for the win, two points for the 3-1 set victory and 3.5 bonus points -- .5 for each of Roger Federer's seven major victories.

Federer, even though he fell short of four straight major titles, continued his speedy climb up the list, passing Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg.


Rank, Player, Country, Years, Total
1. Pete Sampras, United States, 1990-2002, 656.50
2. Bjorn Borg, Sweden, 1974-1981, 648.50
3. Ivan Lendl, Czechoslovakia, 1981-1991, 619.50
4. Jimmy Connors, United States, 1974-1984, 597.00
5. John McEnroe, United States, 1979-1985, 558.00
6. Mats Wilander, Sweden, 1982-1988, 472.50
7. Andre Agassi, United States, 1990-2005, 470.00
8. Roger Federer, Switzerland, 2003-2006, 431.50
9. Boris Becker, Germany, 1985-1996, 423.50
10. Stephan Edberg, Sweden, 1985-1993, 409.00
11. Rod Laver, Australia, 1968-1971, 355.50
12. Jim Courier, United States, 1991-1993, 334.50
13. Guillermo Vilas, Argentina, 1975-1982, 323.00
14. John Newcombe, Australia, 1968-1976, 323.00
15. Ken Rosewall, Australia, 1968-1974, 295.50
16. Jan Kodes, Czechoslovakia, 1970-1973, 228.00
17. Arthur Ashe, United States, 1968-1975, 214.50
18. Illie Nastase, Romania, 1971-1976, 197.00
19. Lleyton Hewitt, Australia, 2001-2005, 192.50
20. Marat Safin, Russia, 2000-2005, 191.00
21. Gustavo Kuerten, Brazil, 1997-2001, 166.00
22. Stan Smith, United States, 1968-1980, 156.50
23. Pat Rafter, Australia, 1997-2001, 155.50
24. Yevgeny Kafelinikov, Russia, 1996-2000, 145.00
25. Pat Cash, Australia, 1987-1988, 141.00
26. Michael Chang, United States, 1989-1996, 134.00
27. Sergei Bruguera, Spain, 1993-1997, 133.00
28. Goran Ivanisevic, Croatia, 1992-2001, 131.00
29. Rafael Nadal, Spain, 2005-2006, 125.50
30. Michael Stich, Germany, 1991-1996, 121.50
31. Johan Kriek, South Africa, 1981-1982, 113.00
32. Andy Roddick, United States, 2003-2005, 111.50

Henin-Hardenne closes in on Davenport

Justine Henin-Hardenne is closing in on Lyndsay Davenport after scoring her fifth major championship at the French Open. The player she beat, Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova, winner of the 2004 U.S. Open, moved into the top 32 by finishing second.

Here is my list of the 32 greatest women's tennis players of the open era.


Player, Country, Years, Points
1. Martina Navratilova, Czechoslovakia, 1974-2003, 1308.00
2. Steffi Graf, Germany, 1987-1999, 1215.50
3. Chris Evert-Lloyd, United States, 1973-1988, 953.50
4. Monica Seles, Yugoslavia, 1990-1998, 684.00
5. Margaret Smith-Court, Australia, 1968-1975, 675.00
6. Billie Jean King, United States, 1968-1979, 650.50
7. Evonne Goolagong-Cawley, Australia, 1971-1980, 579.50
8. Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario, Spain, 1989-1998, 468.50
9. Serena Williams, United States, 1999-2005, 457.50
10. Martina Hingis, Switzerland, 1996-2006, 444.50
11. Venus Williams, United States, 1997-2005, 408.50
12. Hana Mandlikova, Czechoslovakia, 1980-1987, 334.00
13. Lindsay Davenport, United States, 1998-2005, 312.00
14. Justine Henin-Hardenne, Belgium, 2001-2006, 282.50
15. Virginia Wade, England, 1968-1977, 197.00
16. Mary Pierce, France, 1994-2005, 194.00
17. Tracy Austin, United States, 1979-1981, 186.50
18. Jennifer Capriati, United States, 2001-2002, 184.00
19. Gabriela Sabatini, Argentina, 1988-1991, 165.00
20. Kim Clijsters, Belgium, 2001-2005, 151.00
21. Jana Novotna, Czechoslovakia, 1991-1998, 150.00
22. Ann Haydon-Jones, England, 1968-1969, 141.00
23. Conchita Martinez, Spain, 1994-2000, 140.00
24. Virginia Ruzici, Romania, 1978-1980, 107.50
25. Kerry Melville-Reid, Australia, 1970-1977, 103.00
26. Mimi Jausovec, Yugoslavia, 1977-1983, 97.00
27. Helena Sukova, Czechoslovakia, 1984-1993, 94.50
28. Amelie Mauresmo, France, 1999-2006, 92.50
29. Christine O'Neill, Australia, 1978, 85.00
30. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia, 2004-2006, 82.00
31. Wendy Turnbill, United States, 1977-1980, 80.00
32. Maria Sharapova, Russia, 2004, 77.50

Mickelson moves into golf's top 20

Phil Mickelson has now passed Ernie Els as the second best player of his generation -- well behind Tiger Woods -- thanks to his dominating Masters win.

Mickelson moved into Golf's Ultimate Play Day's top 20, knocking Long Jim Barnes, out. Fred Couples, Vijay Singh and Jose Maria Olazabul inched up in the top 72 while Canadian Mike Weir made the top 144 -- the cutoff for an all-time tournament.

Of all the great players, only Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus spread their victories out. The rest of the modern greats all had a stretch where they won all or the vast majority of their majors. Mickelson may be in that stretch now.

Here's the updated Golf's Ultimate Play Day (active players in bold):

On the first tee
Jack Nicklaus, United States, 1959-1998, 858.59
Tiger Woods, United States, 1994-2006, 625.08
Ben Hogan, United States, 1939-1967, 583.95
Walter Hagen, United States, 1913-1940, 517.29

On the second tee
Arnold Palmer, United States, 1954-1977, 515.33
Tom Watson, United States, 1974-2000, 493.36
Gary Player, South Africa, 1956-1984, 477.43
Bobby Jones, United States, 1919-1930, 477.25

On the third tee
Sam Snead, United States, 1937-1974, 464.41
Gene Sarazen, United States, 1921-1956, 458.63
Nick Faldo, England, 1978-2003, 401.50
Byron Nelson, United States, 1935-1955, 367.54

On the fourth tee
Harry Vardon, England, 1894-1922, 351.50
J.H. Taylor, England, 1893-1925, 348.75
Lee Trevino, United States, 1967-1986, 334.54
Seve Ballesteros, Spain, 1976-1991, 321.08

On the fifth tee
Greg Norman, Australia, 1979-1999, 316.82
Raymond Floyd, United States, 1965-1994, 309.32
Phil Mickelson, United States, 1990-2006, 301.83
James Braid, Scotland, 1894-1914, 301.63

On the sixth tee
Jim Barnes, Eng/U.S., 1913-1930, 301.11
Ernie Els, South Africa, 1992-2004, 285.40
Peter Thomson, Australia, 1951-1971, 277.10
Nick Price, Zimbabwe, 1982-2005, 267.98

On the seventh tee
Jimmy Demaret, United States, 1938-1962, 263.44
Bobby Locke, South Africa, 1936-1957, 259.75
Julius Boros, United States, 1950-1973, 252.92
Cary Middlecoff, United States, 1948-1959, 252.50

On the eigth tee
Craig Wood, United States, 1929-1944, 251.94
Billy Casper, United States, 1958-1976, 251.21
Ben Crenshaw, United States, 1972-1995, 243.52
Hale Irwin, United States, 1973-1993, 243.38

On the ninth tee
Ralph Guldahl, United States, 1933-1941, 237.13
Leo Diegel, United States, 1920-1933, 235.56
Willie Anderson Jr., Scot/U.S., 1898-1908, 223.50
Tom Weiskopf, United States, 1969-1982, 222.43

On the 10th tee
Vijay Singh, Fiji, 1993-2006, 221.66
Lloyd Mangrum, United States, 1940-1956, 221.60
Harold Hilton, England, 1892-1913, 221.50
Johnny Miller, United States, 1966-1985, 221.38

On the 11th tee
Paul Runyan, United States, 1931-1951, 221.13
Denny Shute, United States, 1928-1950, 219.25
Payne Stewart, United States, 1985-1999, 216.50
Henry Cotton, England, 1927-1958, 210.92

On the 12th tee
Jock Hutchison, Scot/U.S., 1908-1928, 210.25
Bernhard Langer, Germany, 1981-2005, 209.58
Ted Ray, England, 1902-1925, 204.88
Tommy Armour, Scot/US, 1925-1937, 202.63

On the 13th tee
Horton Smith, United States, 1928-1954, 198.31
Alex Smith, Scot/US, 1898-1921, 193.69
Henry Picard, United States, 1932-1950, 192.44
Hubert Green, United States, 1974-1989, 190.00

On the 14th tee
Mark O'Meara, United States, 1979-2003, 188.70
Tom Kite, United States, 1970-2001, 187.94
Fred Couples, United States, 1980-2006, 187.70
Lawson Little, United States, 1934-1951, 187.33

On the 15th tee
Jose Maria Olazabul, Spain, 1984-2006, 187.10
Lanny Wadkins, United States, 1970-1993, 185.50
Gene Littler, United States, 1953-1979, 184.00
Davis Love III, United States, 1995-2005, 177.89

On the 16th tee
Jim Ferrier, Aus/U.S., 1936-1964, 176.50
Larry Nelson, United States, 1979-1991, 173.75
Johnny Farrell, United States, 1922-1937, 170.46
Curtis Strange, United States, 1980-1995, 170.17

On the 17th tee
Jack Burke Jr., United States, 1951-1965, 169.95
Harry Cooper, Eng/U.S., 1923-1942, 169.50
Doug Ford, United States, 1955-1962, 168.50
Tommy Bolt, United States, 1952-1971, 166.63

On the 18th tee
Tony Jacklin, England, 1967-1972, 164.50
David Graham, Australia, 1975-1990, 163.70
Sandy Herd, Scotland, 1892-1927, 163.31
Charles Evans Jr., United States, 1909-1927, 162.67

Federer inches up; Mauresmo makes women's top 32

Roger Federer's wipeout of Marcos Baghdatis in the Australian Open pulled him nearly even with Stephan Edberg for ninth place on my all-time list of greatest tennis players of the open era.

I've also slightly reconfigured the rankings, adding bonus points for doubles titles. This didn't affect the men, but it did change the women's rankings slightly.

Anyway, heading into the French (the one major tournament Federer has yet to win), here's the men's all-time top 32.


Player, Country, Years, Total
1. Pete Sampras, United States, 1990-2002, 656.50
2. Bjorn Borg, Sweden, 1974-1981, 648.50
3. Ivan Lendl, Czechoslovakia, 1981-1991, 619.50
4. Jimmy Connors, United States, 1974-1984, 597.00
5. John McEnroe, United States, 1979-1985, 558.00
6. Mats Wilander, Sweden, 1982-1988, 472.50
7. Andre Agassi, United States, 1990-2005, 470.00
8. Boris Becker, Germany, 1985-1996, 423.50
9. Stephan Edberg, Sweden, 1985-1993, 409.00
10. Roger Federer, Switzerland, 2003-2006, 408.50
11. Rod Laver, Australia, 1968-1971, 355.50
12. Jim Courier, United States, 1991-1993, 334.50
13. Guillermo Vilas, Argentina, 1975-1982, 323.00
14. John Newcombe, Australia, 1968-1976, 323.00
15. Ken Rosewall, Australia, 1968-1974, 295.50
16. Jan Kodes, Czechoslovakia, 1970-1973, 228.00
17. Arthur Ashe, United States, 1968-1975, 214.50
18. Illie Nastase, Romania, 1971-1976, 197.00
19. Lleyton Hewitt, Australia, 2001-2005, 192.50
20. Marat Safin, Russia, 2000-2005, 191.00
21. Gustavo Kuerten, Brazil, 1997-2001, 166.00
22. Stan Smith, United States, 1968-1980, 156.50
23. Pat Rafter, Australia, 1997-2001, 155.50
24. Yevgeny Kafelinikov, Russia, 1996-2000, 145.00
25. Pat Cash, Australia, 1987-1988, 141.00
26. Michael Chang, United States, 1989-1996, 134.00
27. Sergei Bruguera, Spain, 1993-1997, 133.00
28. Goran Ivanisevic, Croatia, 1992-2001, 131.00
29. Michael Stich, Germany, 1991-1996, 121.50
30. Johan Kriek, South Africa, 1981-1982
31. Andy Roddick, United States, 2003-2005, 111.50
32. Manuel Orantes, Argentina, 1974-1975, 109.00

Amelie Mauresmo moved into the women's top 32 with her abbreviated title over Justin Henin-Hardenne. Henin-Hardenne's disappointing effort still gained her some points.

Also, Martina Hingis actually earned some points. Her mixed doubles title earned her .5 bonus points and Mauresmo's title earned Swiss Miss some bonus points for her 1999 Aussie Open win over Mauresmo. If she can just reach another final, that would be enough to send her past Serena Williams. I'm sure deep down in Martina's soul, she'd like to be remembered as better than Venus and Serena.

The updated top 32 women.


Player, Country, Years, Points
1. Martina Navratilova, Czechoslovakia, 1974-2003, 1308.00
2. Steffi Graf, Germany, 1987-1999, 1215.50
3. Chris Evert-Lloyd, United States, 1973-1988, 953.50
4. Monica Seles, Yugoslavia, 1990-1998, 684.00
5. Margaret Smith-Court, Australia, 1968-1975, 675.00
6. Billie Jean King, United States, 1968-1979, 650.50
7. Evonne Goolagong-Cawley, Australia, 1971-1980, 579.50
8. Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario, Spain, 1989-1998, 468.50
9. Serena Williams, United States, 1999-2005, 457.50
10. Martina Hingis, Switzerland, 1996-2006, 444.50
11. Venus Williams, United States, 1997-2005, 406.00
12. Hana Mandlikova, Czechoslovakia, 1980-1987, 334.00
13. Lindsay Davenport, United States, 1998-2005, 312.00
14. Justine Henin-Hardenne, Belgium, 2001-2006, 245.00
15. Virginia Wade, England, 1968-1977, 197.00
16. Mary Pierce, France, 1994-2005, 194.00
17. Tracy Austin, United States, 1979-1981, 186.50
18. Jennifer Capriati, United States, 2001-2002, 184.00
19. Gabriela Sabatini, Argentina, 1988-1991, 165.00
20. Kim Clijsters, Belgium, 2001-2005, 151.00
21. Jana Novotna, Czechoslovakia, 1991-1998, 150.00
22. Ann Haydon-Jones, England, 1968-1969, 141.00
23. Conchita Martinez, Spain, 1994-2000, 140.00
24. Virginia Ruzici, Romania, 1978-1980, 107.50
25. Kerry Melville-Reid, Australia, 1970-1977, 103.00
26. Mimi Jausovec, Yugoslavia, 1977-1983, 97.00
27. Helena Sukova, Czechoslovakia, 1984-1993, 94.50
28. Amelie Mauresmo, France, 1999-2006, 90.00
29. Christine O'Neill, Australia, 1978, 85.00
30. Wendy Turnbill, United States, 1977-1980, 80.00
31. Maria Sharapova, Russia, 2004, 77.50
32. Mary Joe Fernandez, United States, 1990-1993, 75.00

The final list - top 59 players in pro basketball history

First, why 59? There have been 59 pro basketball seasons. Each year, I'll update the list and add a player. So this summer, I'll put out a top 60.

Now if you went through and looked at my top 10s by each position, you'd think that would create the list. It wouldn't. For my top 59, I adjusted the overall totals by position.

Certain positions, center and power forward, just scored better under my system. They had tremendous advantages in rebounding, shot blocking and field goal percentage. Guards really only had an advantage on assists, and slightly in steals.

To keep the final list from being dominated by power players, I added up the point totals of the top 10 players at each position and divided by 10. Centers finished with the highest average. I then subtracted each position from the center position for the adjustment. Power forwards received 439 points, point guards 516, small forwards 519 and shooting guards 771.

As players move up the rankings, their position adjustments will fall. Today, there are two active power forwards in the top 10 moving up and one just outside the top 10. Power forwards are going to receive fewer position adjustment points. This will create situations where players will pass each other in my rankings even though both are retired.

Strange but fair, I believe. Here is my final top 59. I'll do it in reverse order.

Player, year, raw total, adjustment, final total
No. 59, Walter Davis, 1977-1992, 13313.6, 771.4, 14085.0
No. 58, Kevin Johnson, 1987-2000, 13644.6, 516.8, 14161.4
No. 57, Gus Williams, 1975-1987, 13723.5, 516.8, 14240.3
No. 56, Robert Parish, 1976-1997, 14315.6, 0.0, 14315.6
No. 55, Chris Webber, 1993-2005, 13908.0, 439.5, 14347.5
No. 54, Mo Cheeks, 1978-1993, 13882.3, 516.8, 14399.1
No. 53, Willis Reed, 1964-1974, 14448.4, 0.0, 14448.4
No. 52, Dennis Johnson, 1976-1990, 13706.2, 771.4, 14477.6
No. 51, Mel Daniels, 1967-1977, 14480.3, 0.0, 14480.3

No. 50, Tim Hardaway, 1989-2003, 13990.9, 516.8, 14507.7
No. 49, Hal Greer, 1958-1973, 13769.2, 771.4, 14540.6
No. 48, Bill Sharman, 1950-1961, 13783.2, 771.4, 14554.6
No. 47, Bob Lanier, 1970-1984, 14649.0, 0.0, 14649.0
No. 46, Dan Issel, 1970-1985, 14264.9, 439.5, 14704.4
No. 45, Alex English, 1976-1991, 14486.0, 519.7, 15005.7
No. 44, Dominique Wilkins, 1982-1999, 14542.8, 519.7, 15062.5
No. 43, Dave Cowens, 1970-1983, 15258.6, 0.0, 15258.6
No. 42, Billy Cunningham, 1965-1976, 14869.1, 519.7, 15388.8
No. 41, Paul Arizin, 1950-1962, 14906.3, 519.7, 15426.0

No. 40, Connie Hawkins, 1961-1976, 14956.0, 519.7, 15475.7
No. 39, Bob McAdoo, 1972-1986, 15561.9, 0.0, 15561.9
No. 38, Walt Frazier, 1967-1980, 15201.6, 516.8, 15718.4
No. 37, Allen Iverson, 1996-2005, 15246.7, 516.8, 15763.5
No. 36, Kobe Bryant, 1996-2005, 15120.8, 771.4, 15892.2
No. 35, George McGinnis, 1971-1982, 15607.3, 439.5, 16046.8
No. 34, Clyde Drexler, 1983-1998, 15550.6, 771.4, 16322.0
No. 33, Jason Kidd, 1994-2005, 15816.8, 516.8, 16333.6
No. 32, Isiah Thomas, 1981-1993, 15838.4, 516.8, 16355.2
No. 31, Pat Ewing, 1985-2002, 16588.4, 0.0, 16588.4

No. 30, John Havlicek, 1962-1978, 16248.4, 519.7, 16768.1
No. 29, Scottie Pippen, 1987-2004, 16536.3, 519.7, 17056.0
No. 28, George Gervin, 1972-1986, 16304.3, 771.4, 17075.7
No. 27, Rick Barry, 1965-1980, 16677.6, 519.7, 17197.3
No. 26, Artis Gilmore, 1971-1988, 17319.1, 0.0, 17319.1
No. 25, Gary Payton, 1990-2005, 16848.3, 516.8, 17365.1
No. 24, John Stockton, 1984-2003, 17021.6, 516.8, 17538.4
No. 23, Charles Barkley, 1984-2000, 17100.3, 439.5, 17539.8
No. 22, Elvin Hayes, 1968-1984, 17280.1, 439.5, 17719.6
No. 21, Elgin Baylor, 1958-1972, 17430.3, 519.7, 17950.0

No. 20, George Mikan, 1948-1956, 18123.1, 0.0, 18123.1
No. 19, Dolph Schayes, 1949-1964, 17694.8, 439.5, 18134.3
No. 18, Moses Malone, 1974-1995, 18288.7, 0.0, 18288.7
No. 17, David Robinson, 1989-2003, 18490.3, 0.0, 18490.3
No. 16, Kevin Garnett, 1996-2005, 18108.3, 439.5, 18547.8
No. 15, Jerry West, 1960-1974, 17819.0, 771.4, 18590.4
No. 14, Tim Duncan, 1997-2005, 18217.9, 439.5, 18657.4
No. 13, Bob Pettit, 1954-1965, 18231.9, 439.5, 18671.4
No. 12, Shaquille O'Neal, 1992-2005, 18846.9, 0.0, 18846.9
No. 11, Bob Cousy, 1950-1970, 18546.4, 516.8, 19063.2

No. 10, Magic Johnson, 1979-1996, 18628.3, 516.8, 19145.1
No. 9, Oscar Robertson, 1960-1974, 18749.4, 516.8, 19266.2
No. 8, Bill Russell, 1956-1969, 19765.2, 0.0, 19765.2
No. 7, Karl Malone, 1985-2004, 19339.0, 439.5, 19778.5
No. 6, Larry Bird, 1979-1992, 19359.2, 519.7, 19878.9
No. 5, Hakeem Olajuwon, 1984-2002, 19927.9, 0.0, 19927.9
No. 4, Julius Erving, 1971-1987, 20213.4, 519.7, 20733.1
No. 3, Michael Jordan, 1984-2003, 20809.7, 771.4, 21581.1
No. 2, Wilt Chamberlain, 1959-1973, 21838.9, 0.0, 21838.9
No. 1, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1969-1989, 22679.8, 0.0, 22679.8

Michael Jordan gave up a chance to be the greatest player by retiring prematurely not once but twice. Had he played the 4 1/2 seasons he chose to sit out, he would have finished as the sport's all-time leading scorer and most likely racked up enough points to edge Kareem and Wilt for the top spot.

Michael didn't though and Kareem finished on top. He played forever and at the highest level until his final season. He played as well and sometimes better in the playoffs than the regular season.

Karl Malone is in an interesting spot. He's No. 7 ahead of Bill Russell, the Big O and Magic. For consistency, no one, not even Kareem beats Karl. He carved out season after season among the top five players in the league. He never won an NBA title and several times his teams bowed out early. But his playoff stats are solid. He just worked himself into the mix as one of the best players of all time.

That being said, Garnett and Duncan are rewriting how power forward will be remembered. It's likely his position adjustment points will fall enough to put Russell in front of him. Still, he seems safe from Robertson and Magic.

Final side note: Basketball is the sport most disected by race. Black players just naturally seem to jump higher, a decided advantage in basketball. Using this list, this would be the all-time white vs. black game.

Position, black team, white team
Center, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. George Mikan
PF, Karl Malone vs. Bob Pettit
SF, Julius Erving vs. Larry Bird
SG, Michael Jordan vs. Jerry West
PG, Oscar Robertson vs. Bob Cousy

Backups
Black team, white team
Wilt Chamberlain -- Dolph Schayes
Hakeem Olajuwon -- John Stockton
Bill Russell (C-PF) -- Rick Barry
Magic Johnson -- John Havlicek
Tim Duncan -- Paul Arizin
Elgin Baylor -- Billy Cunningham
Gary Payton -- Dave Cowens

* This bypasses players such as Shaquille O'Neal, Kevin Garnett and Charles Barkley because those positions were full. Bill Walton's abbreviated career would cost the white team. He had perhaps the best skills of any white center.

The men in the middle

Great centers appear to be a dying breed. With Shaquille O'Neal on the downside of his career, there doesn't appear to be a successor coming along -- although Tim Duncan truthfully is a center listed at power forward.

Still, this is a strange development since centers have ruled the professional landscape since George Mikan.

Side note: I like Yao Ming. I've drafted him for fantasy teams each year he has been in the league. But I don't think he'll ever be a 20 and 10 guy.

Here are the top 10 centers

Player, year, points
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1969-1989, 22679.8
2. Wilt Chamberlain, 1959-1973, 21697.2
3. Hakeem Olajuwon, 1984-2002, 19927.9
4. Bill Russell, 1956-1969, 19765.2
5. Shaquille O'Neal, 1992-2005, 18846.9
6. David Robinson, 1989-2003, 18490.3
7. Moses Malone, 1974-1995, 18288.7
8. George Mikan, 1948-1956, 18123.1
9. Artis Gilmore, 1971-1988, 17319.1
10. Pat Ewing, 1985-2002, 16588.4

Kareem over Wilt. This was another thing that surprised me when I ran the numbers. It came down to Kareem's longevity and Wilt's playoff shortcomings. I've always defended Chamberlain in the Wilt vs. Russell arguments. Russell's fans say he was the ultimate winner. Well, Wilt still finished higher on my list than Bill, but they have a point about Wilt's playoff numbers. They aren't nearly as good as his regular season stats. And in my system, I don't rate playoff numbers against other players, I rate playoff numbers against a player's regular season stats.

Why? Well if Michael Jordan averaged 30 points a game in the regular season, his teammates were going to need those 30 in the playoffs to win the title. If he only averaged 25 in the playoffs, that still may have been better than everyone else, but that means the defense held him down, forcing other Bulls to step up or the Bulls went home.

This happened way too much with Wilt.

Another result that surprised me, Moses Malone finished below David Robinson. I saw both play at their peak and I thought Moses was better. His 1982-1983 season was magic. But Moses faded quickly as a top player -- although he remained a serviceable center for 20 years -- while Robinson played at the highest level longer. Robinson was also helped by his defensive statistics. He may have been the greatest athlete to play center ever. Moses wasn't much of a shot blocker.

Of the next 10 centers, only Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo are playing, but both as backups. This list won't change for a long time.

The greatest shooting guards

No one player dominated his position more than Michael Jordan. Jerry West may be on the NBA's logo (and a better team executive by far), but Jordan stands alone as the choice at shooting guard.

Player, years, points
1. Michael Jordan, 1984-2003, 20809.7
2. Jerry West, 1960-1974, 17819.0
3. George Gervin, 1972-1986, 16304.3
4. Clyde Drexler, 1983-1998, 15550.6
5. Kobe Bryant, 1996-2005, 15120.8
6. Bill Sharman, 1950-1961, 13783.2
7. Hal Greer, 1958-1973, 13769.2
8. Dennis Johnson, 1976-1990, 13706.2
9. Walter Davis, 1977-1992, 13313.6
10. Sydney Moncrief, 1979-1991, 12982.5

Interestingly, there have been few really top notch shooting guards. Reggie Miller was beloved but he finished 12th, behind cocaine-hampered David Thompson, because he did little except score. Pete Maravich didn't really get a chance in the NBA because of the lousy teams he played on and Earl "The Pearl" Monroe was a surprisingly low 17th.

Kobe Bryant is No. 5 with a bullet. He's on his way to his first scoring title and he excels on defense as well. He may challenge West for No. 2 on this list.

Interesting point about Dennis Johnson at No. 8. Celtic fans always talk about that great front line of Bird, McHale and Robert Parish. It turns out Bird's best teammate was Dennis Johnson.

All-time top small forwards -- a surprise.

In the NBA today, No. 4s rule rule with players Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace and Elton Brand dominating the landscape. It almost makes you forget that small forwards dominated basketball for much of the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

Here are the 10 greatest small forwards and there is a surprise at the top, at least in my system.

Player, years, points
1. Julius Erving, 1971-1987, 20213.4
2. Larry Bird, 1979-1992, 19359.2
3. Elgin Baylor, 1958-1972, 17430.3
4. Rick Barry, 1965-1980, 16677.6
5. Scottie Pippen, 1987-2004, 16536.3
6. John Havlicek, 1962-1978, 16248.4
7. Connie Hawkins, 1967-1976, 14956.0
8. Paul Arizin, 1950-1962, 14906.3
9. Billy Cunningham, 1965-1976, 14869.1
10. Dominique Wilkins, 1982-1999, 14542.8

OK, I can hear Bird fans saying "Whaaaaat?"

Going in, I assumed Bird would finish ahead of Dr. J even though I was an Erving fan. But what fans of Bird forget is that Doctor J dominated the ABA as thoroughly as any player dominated a league ever. If you just take NBA seasons into account, Bird would finish way ahead. But by the time Bird came into the NBA, Erving's best days were behind him.

Another factor in Erving's favor was defense. Bird had very few steals or blocks. Somehow he was second team all-defense three times, but there was little justification for that. He was said to be a great help defender, but Charles Barkley had a great line about Bird's defense, saying he'd never be the league's worst defender as long as Bird was still playing.

Erving was all-league defense in the ABA but never in the NBA. But he was a first-rate shot blocker and better at stealing the ball.

Defense was a key reason Scottie Pippen finished so high as well. I watched Pippen play and always considered him to be overrated. But he filled a box score as well as anyone.

Another surprise in this system is that Elgin Baylor finished so far behind in third. Elgin had some great seasons but those were in the highest-scoring times in the NBA. Elgin also lost a lot of time because of his knees.

This list isn't likely to change soon. Only one of the next 10 players -- Grant Hill -- is active. Hill is 13th but he's got little time left to move past Dominique Wilkins for 10th.