For my ranking of the greatest boxers in history, I deviated from my systems in the other sports that are set up to incorporate current results. What you'll find below are the 100 greatest boxers inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Boxing today has too many divisions and champions today to keep up with unless you are really a hardcore fan. I plan on updating my standings each year when the newest edition of The Boxing Register is updated. The Register has the records and opponents of the more than 200 fighters in the IBHOF.
So while you will see fighters such as Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler in the rankings, you won't see Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns, Evander Holyfield or Bernard Hopkins. Hearns, Holyfield and Hopkins aren't eligible and Duran was just announced as an inductee. His results will be in the next Register and Duran will take his place somewhere in the rankings.
How did I rank the fighters? Weighting their victories and then dividing the points by a set number of fights to take away the advantage fighters who fought relatively few times had in my system over the old timers who stepped into the ring hundreds of times.
Basically, I gave fighters points -- or deducted in cases of when they were KO'd -- for wins over certain level of fighters.
First, a fighter received a score for his overall record, all wins and KOs worth the same, regardless of quality.
Then I broke the wins down in four ways:
Title fights against fellow Hall of Famers
Other title fights
Non title fights against Hall of Famers
All other bouts
Originally, I was going to give 6 points for a title win over Hall of Famers, plus 3 points if won in a knockout, 3 points (+1.5 for knockouts) for other title fight wins as well as non title fights against Hall of Famers and 1 point (+.5 for knockouts) for all other fights.
I had to tweak the original plan because of the growing number of divisions over the years. It is far easier for fighters today to line up championship fights because there are 17 weight divisions today versus the eight of much of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. There are several IBHOF members from the early part of 20th century who never received even one title shot.
Title fight victories in matches before 1950 was increased to 4.5 points with 2.25 points for a knockout. Championship wins from the 1950s through the 1970s was moved up to 3.75 with 1.875 for KOs and title wins from the 1980s and on are worth the 3 points.
I also had to tweak the heavyweight division. Since the growing number of weight classes had zero affect on the heaviest division, title wins for heavyweights has two breakdowns -- 3 points for wins from 1980 on and 3.75 points for wins before 1980. The change there is more a result of the multiple licensing bodies. Before 1980, there generally was just one champion. Today, there are four.
I also created a 4.5 point division in the heavyweight division for Black Heavyweight title fights. In the days of Jim Jeffries, Jack Johnson and Jack Dempsey, several great black heavyweights were forced to fight each other time and again because no one would risk the heavyweight title against them. Was Dempsey really better than Harry Wills. We'll never know for sure.
How does it breakdown? Let's look at two Hall of Fame middleweights, Carlos Monzon and Jake LaMotta.
LaMotta ran up a career record of 83-19-4 with 30 KOs and he was knocked out 4 times. I took his winning percentage and converted his record to what it would have looked like with 60 fights. LaMatta would have been 47-11-2 with 17 knockouts while being KO'd twice. That scored him 55.472 points. Monzon's record (87-3-9-59-0) would have boiled down to 53-2-6 with 36 knockouts, giving him 73.3 points. Power punchers, because of the bonus points, are going to have an advantage in my system, as well they should. A KO is always more definitive than even the most dominant decision.
Next, fighters earned points for the quality of competition. LaMotta was 1-1 against Hall of Famers in title fights with 1 KO while getting stopped once. He scored 8.5 points in those matches in my system. Monzon was 5-0 with 4 KOs, giving him 42 points.
LaMotta was 2-0 in his other title fights in the 3.75 a win era, while Monzon was 11-0 with 7 KOs in the same era where each win was worth 3.75 points. LaMotta received 9.375 points while Monzon scored 54.375 for those wins.
In matchups with Hall of Famers in non-title fights, LaMotta went 4-5 with all fights going the distance. He scored 12 points in those fights. In my system, a fighter does not lose points with a loss unless he is knocked out. He just gets zero points, which drives his average down. Fighters with large loss totals generally don't score well unless they had many, many quality wins.
Monzon, as is increasingly common in the modern era, did not face a Hall of Famer in a non-title bout.
Finally, I boiled a fighter's record in all other fights down to the 60 fight average, deducting the quality fights. So Monzon, who fought 16 title fights, had 44 matches against non-Hall of Famers in my system. He was 71-3-9 in those matches in his career and that was whittled down to 38-2-5 with 25 KOs, which earned him 52.747 points in those matches.
LaMotta had 13 fights either for the title or against Hall of Famers leaving him 47 matches out of 60 against "others." His career record in those matches was 76-13-4 and whittling that down to 47 would have given him a 38-7-2 record with 14 knockouts. That was worth 41.946 points.
To come up with a final score, simply add up all those points and divide by 60. LaMotta scored 127.29 points for a 60-fight score of 2.122. You won't see him in my top 100 despite the fact "Raging Bull" is so critically acclaimed.
Monzon scored 222.46 points for a final 60-fight score of 3.708. He is one of the top fighters ever.
Each year, there will be some fluctuations in scores as more fighters are added to the Hall. For example, Marvin Hagler's greatest win -- the knockout of Tommie Hearns -- earned him 4.5 points so far -- 3 points for the post 1980s title fight win and a 1.5 point knockout bonus.
When Hearns is elected to the Hall, Hagler's point total for that fight doubles. He'll get six points for a title fight win over a Hall of Famer and 3 points for the knockout.
Without using further space, here's my top 100 fighters in the International Boxing Hall of Fame:
Rank, Boxer, Years, Total points, Classes
100. Fighting Harada, 1960-70, 2.435, Bantam/Fly
99. Ismael Laguna, 1961-71, 2.438, Lightweight
98. Pancho Villa, 1919-25, 2.442, Flyweight
97. Laszlo Papp, 1957-64, 2.448, Middleweight
96. Lou Ambers, 1932-41, 2.452, Lightweight
95. Sugar Ramos, 1957-72, 2.457, Featherweight
94. Young Stribling, 1921-33, 2.459, Heavyweight
93. Paul Berlenbach, 1923-33, 2.464, Light heavyweight
92. Ken Buchanan, 1965-82, 2.471, Lightweight
91. Harry Wills, 1910-32, 2.473, Heavyweight
90. Jack Dillon, 1908-23, 2.477, Light heavyweight
89. Pipino Cuevas, 1971-89, 2.487, Welterweight
88. Jimmy McLarnin, 1923-36, 2.496, Welterweight
87. Marcel Thil, 1920-37, 2.519, Middleweight
86. Flash Elorde, 1951-71, 2.527, Jr. Lightweight
85. Tony Zale, 1934-48, 2.537, Middleweight
84. Jack Delaney, 1919-32, 2.537, Light heavyweight
83. Tommy Gibbons, 1911-25, 2.555, Heavyweight
82. Freddie Miller, 1927-40, 2.555, Featherweight
81. Bobby Chacon, 1972-88, 2.573, Jr. Light/Feather
80. Jackie "Kid" Berg, 1924-45, 2.578, Jr. Welterweight
79. Charles "Kid" McCoy, 1891-16, 2.583, Middleweight
78. Ingemar Johansson, 1952-63, 2.584, Heavyweight
77. Marcel Cerdan, 1934-49, 2.591, Middleweight
76. Packey McFarland, 1904-15, 2.599, Lightweight
75. Wilfredo Benitez, 1973-90, 2.602, Jr. Mid/Welter/Jr. Welter
74. Kid Chocolate, 1928-38, 2.608, Jr. Light/Feather
73. Freddie Welsh, 1905-22, 2.638, Lightweight
72. Joe Jeannette, 1904-19, 2.643, Heavyweight
71. Mickey Walker, 1919-35, 2.650, Middleweight
70. Victor Galindez, 1969-80, 2.662, Light heavyweight
69. Nino Benvenuti, 1961-71, 2.667, Middle/Jr. Mid
68. Barry McGuigan, 1981-89, 2.674, Featherweight
67. Edwin Rosario, 1979-97, 2.675, Jr. Welter/Light
66. Jose Torres, 1958-69, 2.688, Light heavyweight
65. Carlos Palomino, 1972-98, 2.701, Welterweight
64. Daniel Zaragoza, 1980-97, 2.701, Jr. Feather/Bantam
63. Harry Greb, 1913-26, 2.711, Middleweight
62. Jeff Chandler, 1976-84, 2.716, Bantamweight
61. Freddie Steele, 1928-41, 2.719, Middleweight
60. Sonny Liston, 1953-70, 2.728, Heavyweight
59. John Henry Lewis, 1928-39, 2.731, Light heavyweight
58. Johnny Kilbane, 1907-23, 2.732, Featherweight
57. Jimmy Wilde, 1910-23, 2.756, Flyweight
56. Emile Griffith, 1958-77, 2.761, Middle/Welter
55. Panama Al Brown, 1922-42, 2.766, Bantamweight
54. Gene Fullmer, 1951-63, 2.768, Middleweight
53. Bob Fitzsimmons, 1883-14, 2.800, Heavy/Lt. Heavy/Mid
52. Ruben Olivares, 1965-88, 2.800, Feather/Bantam
51. Jack Johnson, 1897-28, 2.861, Heavyweight
50. Jeff Fenech, 1984-96, 2.862, Feather/Jr. Feather/Bantam
49. Tony Canzoneri, 1925-39, 2.874, Jr. Welter/Light/Feather
48. Ike Williams, 1940-55, 2.903, Lightweight
47. Pascual Perez, 1952-64, 2.915, Flyweight
46. Floyd Patterson, 1952-72, 2.955, Heavyweight
45. Johnny Coulon, 1905-20, 2.965, Bantamweight
44. Abe Attell, 1900-17, 2.978, Featherweight
43. Bob Foster, 1961-78, 2.980, Light heavyweight
42. Terry Norris, 1986-98, 2.986, Jr. Middleweight
41. Jack Dempsey, 1914-27, 2.993, Heavyweight
40. Sandy Saddler, 1944-56, 2.997, Jr. Light/Feather
39. Ezzard Charles, 1940-59, 3.013, Heavyweight
38. Tommy Burns, 1900-20, 3.035, Heavyweight
37. Mike McCallum, 1981-97, 3.051, Lt. Heavy/Middle/Jr. Mid
36. Willie Pep, 1940-66, 3.066, Featherweight
35. Eusebio Pedroza, 1973-92, 3.098, Featherweight
34. Vicente Saldivar, 1961-73, 3.119, Featherweight
33. Benny Leonard, 1911-32, 3.136, Lightweight
32. Barney Ross, 1929-38, 3.138, Welter/Jr. Welter/Light
31. Archie Moore, 1936-63, 3.171, Light heavyweight
30. Sugar Ray Leonard, 1977-97, 3.180, Lt. Heavy/Sup. Mid/Middle/Jr. Mid/Welter
29. George Foreman, 1969-97, 3.186, Heavyweight
28. Stanley Ketchel, 1904-10, 3.188, Middleweight
27. Joe Frazier, 1965-81, 3.196, Heavyweight
26. Salvador Sanchez, 1975-82, 3.201, Featherweight
25. Terry McGovern, 1897-08, 3.205, Feather/Bantam
24. Chiquita Gonzalez, 1984-95, 3.234, Jr. Flyweight
23. Michael Spinks, 1977-88, 3.246, Heavy/Lt. Heavy
22. Gene Tunney, 1915-28, 3.250, Heavy/Lt. Heavy
21. Michael Carbajal, 1989-99, 3.269, Jr. Flyweight
20. Eder Jofre, 1957-76, 3.269, Feather/Bantam
19. Antonio Cervantes, 1964-83, 3.297, Jr. Welterweight
18. Marvin Hagler, 1973-87, 3.356, Middleweight
17. Azumah Nelson, 1979-98, 3.360, Jr. Light/Feather
16. Carlos Ortiz, 1955-72, 3.370, Jr. Welter/Light
15. James Jeffries, 1896-10, 3.371, Heavyweight
14. Jose Napoles, 1958-75, 3.399, Welterweight
13. Carlos Zarate, 1970-88, 3.429, Bantamweight
12. Aaron Pryor, 1976-90, 3.470, Jr. Welterweight
11. Manuel Ortiz, 1938-55, 3.470, Bantamweight
10. Joe Gans, 1891-09, 3.599, Lightweight
9. Rocky Marciano, 1947-55, 3.648, Heavyweight
8. Alexis Arguello, 1968-95, 3.650, Light/Jr. Light/Feather
7. Carlos Monzon, 1963-77, 3.708, Middleweight
6. Khaosai Galaxy, 1980-91, 3.723, Jr. Bantamweight
5. Wilfredo Gomez, 1974-89, 3.973, Jr. Light/Feather/Jr. Feather
4. Sugar Ray Robinson, 1940-65, 4.150, Middle/Welter
3. Muhammad Ali, 1960-81, 4.345, Heavyweight
2. Henry Armstrong, 1931-45, 4.346, Welter/Light/Feather
1. Joe Louis, 1934-51, 4.865, Heavyweight
I'll admit there are a few headscratchers in here. Wilfredo Gomez No. 5 all-time. Well, he had a stellar record, 44-3-1 with 42 knockouts and the knockouts pushed his score upward. Plus, he was a remarkable 21-3 with 19 knockouts in title fights.
Henry Armstrong over Sugar Ray Robinson? Armstrong was just 3-3 in Hall of Fame title fights while Robinson was 10-5-1. But Armstrong was 19-0-1 with 16 KOs in his other title fights and 6-2 against Hall of Famers in non-title bouts. Robinson was 7-2 in his other title fights and although he was 11-1 against Hall of Famers in non-title bouts, he had just one KO in those fights.
There were several heavyweight surprises. Liston is below Floyd Patterson, who he crushed twice, because those were his only title fight wins. Patterson had several defenses before running into Liston.
Jack Dempsey is very low at No. 42 (behind Ezzard Charles and Tommy Burns), while Jack Johnson finished even worse at No. 52, while Jim Jeffries was No. 15.
Dempsey held the heavyweight title but defended it few times. He only had 10 fights for titles or against Hall of Famers. Johnson also was hurt by inactivity -- once he won the title he refused to defend it against fellow black Hall of Famers Sam Langford, Harry Wills or Joe Jeannette -- but also a poor overall record. Johnson lost 13 fights and was knocked out seven times, dragging down his score. Some of those may have been dives. In fact, there are lots of curious losses among these fighters that may have been gangster influenced. I can't judge those. I just added up the points.
Burns is a special case. Lightly regarded by most, he was a very active champion -- if only to keep Johnson off his tail -- with a 11-1 record in title fights with nine KOs.
Marciano never lost and he had a fine record in his title fights and fights against Hall of Famers -- 8-0 with 7 KOs. He just didn't fight enough of them. Rocky had the top career score of any figher -- 86.3 with Galaxy next at 84.7 -- but his point total from title fights ranked just 45th. If he had stuck around long enough to beat Patterson and Liston, he would have been able to move into the Ali, Louis point totals.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Monday, October 16, 2006
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.
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.
Monday, October 09, 2006
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.
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.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
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
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
Monday, September 11, 2006
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
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
Thursday, September 07, 2006
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
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
Saturday, August 26, 2006
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.
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)
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)
Saturday, August 19, 2006
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.
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.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
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
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
Sunday, July 09, 2006
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
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
Saturday, July 08, 2006
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
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
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
Monday, June 26, 2006
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
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
Monday, June 12, 2006
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
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
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
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
Saturday, April 15, 2006
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
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
Monday, January 30, 2006
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
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
Sunday, January 29, 2006
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Friday, November 25, 2005
All-time greatest point guards
Although point guard doesn't have the star power of the other positions, there have been a handful of great ones and it turned out to be the most competitive for the top spot. Here are the top 10 point guards in NBA/ABA/ABL history and then some explainer on how it turned out.
1. Oscar Robertson, 1960-1974, 18749.4
2. Magic Johnson, 1979-1996, 18628.3
3. Bob Cousy, 1950-1970, 18546.4
4. John Stockton, 1984-2003, 17021.6
5. Gary Payton, 1990-2005, 16848.3
6. Isiah Thomas, 1981-1993, 15838.4
7. Jason Kidd, 1994-2005, 15816.8
8. Allen Iverson, 1996-2005, 15246.7
9. Walt Frazier, 1967-1980, 15201.6
10. Tim Hardaway, 1989-2003, 13990.9
Again, scoring is worth the most points so that explains why shoot first point guards Tim Hardaway and Allen Iverson make the top 10 ahead of the No. 11 point guard, Mo Cheeks.
But pass first floor leaders such as Jason Kidd, John Stockton and Bob Cousy scored well. Gary Payton seems to be too high at No. 5 but he scored really well on defensive points and ranks with Frazier as the top two defenders among point guards.
The Big O was better at his peak than either Magic or Cousy. Cousy's multiple titles almost pushed him into the top two. Cousy was a lousy shooter but an amazing rebounder for such a small player.
1. Oscar Robertson, 1960-1974, 18749.4
2. Magic Johnson, 1979-1996, 18628.3
3. Bob Cousy, 1950-1970, 18546.4
4. John Stockton, 1984-2003, 17021.6
5. Gary Payton, 1990-2005, 16848.3
6. Isiah Thomas, 1981-1993, 15838.4
7. Jason Kidd, 1994-2005, 15816.8
8. Allen Iverson, 1996-2005, 15246.7
9. Walt Frazier, 1967-1980, 15201.6
10. Tim Hardaway, 1989-2003, 13990.9
Again, scoring is worth the most points so that explains why shoot first point guards Tim Hardaway and Allen Iverson make the top 10 ahead of the No. 11 point guard, Mo Cheeks.
But pass first floor leaders such as Jason Kidd, John Stockton and Bob Cousy scored well. Gary Payton seems to be too high at No. 5 but he scored really well on defensive points and ranks with Frazier as the top two defenders among point guards.
The Big O was better at his peak than either Magic or Cousy. Cousy's multiple titles almost pushed him into the top two. Cousy was a lousy shooter but an amazing rebounder for such a small player.
Sunday, October 30, 2005
All-time pro basketball player rankings -- first the power forwards
Just in time for the NBA season, I'm wrapping my all-time pro basketball player rankings. I'll post my all-time Top 59 (one player for each season, so next year it'll be a Top 60 list) early next week. For the next few days, I'll list the top 10s at each position, starting today with the Top 10 power forwards.
First, the rankings. A team sport is much tougher than an individual sport. Great stats don't always equal great players. Or a great player may sacrifice stats at some point in his career for the good of the team. Isaiah Thomas, point guard of the Pistons in the 80's, comes to mind. Statistically, he was a greater player earlier in his career. But as the Pistons picked up talent, he didn't shoot as much and turned over some of the ball-handling to Joe Dumars.
To balance the team versus the individual, I gave bonus points on team performance as well as on a variety of post-season awards.
Each season, I took a players total points, field goal and free throw percentages, rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shots and divided it by the average of the top three totals in each category in that season. I then multiplied the total points by 1,500, the shooting percentages by 250 each, the rebounds and assists by 1,000 each and the blocks and steals by 500 each.
So scoring was worth 2,000 (points and shooting percentages), rebounds and assists worth 2,000 and blocks and steals worth 1,000.
For the bonus points, I took a player's team's winning percentage in the regular season and mutliplied it by 625 (Jordan's 1995-1996 Bulls earned the highest score of 548.8). I took the playoff winning percentage and multiplied it by 375 (The 1982-1983 76ers got 346.2 points). Then, every player on a team that won a BAA, ABA or NBA title received 100 bonus points. So players could earn up to 1,100 for his team's performance.
The other bonus points were given to the top 10 players in the MVP voting (max. 500), MVP of the NBA Finals or ABA playoffs (100 points), Defensive Player of the Year (100 points), All-NBA or ABA (200 for first team, 100 for second, 50 for third), and All-Defensive Team (100 for first, 50 for second). In total, a player could earn another 1,000 points in bonus points.
The playoffs also presented a dilemma. Unlike baseball and football, where the regular seasons are clearly the measuring stick, basketball players are often defined by their postseason play. It's why many downgrade Wilt Chamberlain and elevate Michael Jordan. Kevin Garnett is maligned for not taking his Timberwolves farther and Tim Duncan is considered by many to be the top player in the game.
For the playoffs, I decided not to rank players statistically on how they performed against everyone else. Instead, they are judged on how they performed in comparison with their regular-season play.
An example, in 1961-1962, Wilt Chamberlain averaged 35 points a game in 12 playoff games on .467 shooting. Those are monster numbers. But those numbers earned Chamberlain just 18 points in my ranking system (74 total points divided by 4 since the playoffs, at most, are about 1/4 as long as the regular season). How could that be. Well, in 1961-1962, Wilt averaged 50.4 points a game in the regular season on .506 shooting. Only strong playoff rebounding numbers saved "The Stilt" from actually earning a negative for his postseason performance.
My thought was teams head into the playoffs expecting the stars to perform at or above their regular-season production. By holding Wilt to just 35 points, the Warriors needed other players to produce 15 more points just so they could meet their normal production.
Once I had the year-by-year numbers, I took a player's top three years and came up with an average score. Then I averaged their top five years and top 10 years for two more scores. Then I totaled their career numbers and added the four (3, 5, 10 and career) numbers together for a final ranking.
This system produced some interesting results, which I'll get into later. For now, here's my all-time top 10 power forwards.
1. Karl Malone, 1985-2004, 19339.0
2. Bob Pettit, 1954-1965, 18231.9
3. Tim Duncan, 1997-2005, 18217.9
4. Kevin Garnett, 1996-2005, 18108.3
5. Dolph Schayes, 1949-1964, 17694.8
6. Elvin Hayes, 1968-1984, 17280.1
7. Charles Barkley, 1984-2000, 17100.3
8. George McGinnis, 1971-1982, 15607.3
9. Dan Issel, 1970-1985, 14264.9
10. Chris Webber, 1993-2005, 13908.0
Clearly, scorers do well in the system. Of these 10, only Schayes and Garnett weren't pure scorers. Dirty-work power forwards such as Dave DeBusschere, Buck Williams and Dennis Rodman finished well down in 15th, 17th and 19th place. It's important to remember these three were never really considered among the top players in the league when they were playing. DeBusschere and Williams were picked all-NBA second team just once each and Rodman was picked just third-team All-NBA twice.
Both Duncan and Garnett will pass Pettit this season and each should zoom past Malone. Dirk Nowitzki is 12th on the list and may move past Chris Webber and Kevin McHale to No. 9 this year. The 00's are the era of the great power forward.
To get a better look at how the system works, let's look at Karl Malone versus Charles Barkley, two contemporaries who battled for years for the distinction of the games best No. 4.
Karl Malone
3 years (1996-1997, 1997-1998, 1994-1995) - 5151.6
5 years (add 1998-1999 and 1990-1991) - 5041.6
10 years - 4813.4
career - 4332.5
Total - 19339.0
Charles Barkley
3 years (1992-1993, 1985-1986, 1989-1990) - 4775.9
5 years (add 1988-1989, 1987-1988) - 4592.4
10 years - 4271.7
career - 3460.2
Total - 17100.3
Malone made the top 10 in MVP voting 14 times in 19 years, Barkley eight in 16 seasons.
Barkley was first team All-NBA five teams, second team five teams and third team once. Malone was first team 11 times, second team twice and third team once.
Barkley was never named to the all-defensive first or second teams. Malone was a first-team all-defensive player three times and a second-teamer once.
Malone's teams made the playoffs in every season and three times advanced to the finals, although never winning. Barkley's teams made one NBA final and twice missed the playoffs. Barkley, though, was the better playoff performer. He earned 2,330.1 bonus points over his 16 seasons and only had negative playoff scores three times. Malone received 1,698.4 bonus points in 19 seasons although he had just two negative playoff totals.
A lot of people love Barkley because he was so spectacular and produced his numbers in a small-forward (6-foot-4) body. Malone was steadier, better longer and a better defensive player.
First, the rankings. A team sport is much tougher than an individual sport. Great stats don't always equal great players. Or a great player may sacrifice stats at some point in his career for the good of the team. Isaiah Thomas, point guard of the Pistons in the 80's, comes to mind. Statistically, he was a greater player earlier in his career. But as the Pistons picked up talent, he didn't shoot as much and turned over some of the ball-handling to Joe Dumars.
To balance the team versus the individual, I gave bonus points on team performance as well as on a variety of post-season awards.
Each season, I took a players total points, field goal and free throw percentages, rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shots and divided it by the average of the top three totals in each category in that season. I then multiplied the total points by 1,500, the shooting percentages by 250 each, the rebounds and assists by 1,000 each and the blocks and steals by 500 each.
So scoring was worth 2,000 (points and shooting percentages), rebounds and assists worth 2,000 and blocks and steals worth 1,000.
For the bonus points, I took a player's team's winning percentage in the regular season and mutliplied it by 625 (Jordan's 1995-1996 Bulls earned the highest score of 548.8). I took the playoff winning percentage and multiplied it by 375 (The 1982-1983 76ers got 346.2 points). Then, every player on a team that won a BAA, ABA or NBA title received 100 bonus points. So players could earn up to 1,100 for his team's performance.
The other bonus points were given to the top 10 players in the MVP voting (max. 500), MVP of the NBA Finals or ABA playoffs (100 points), Defensive Player of the Year (100 points), All-NBA or ABA (200 for first team, 100 for second, 50 for third), and All-Defensive Team (100 for first, 50 for second). In total, a player could earn another 1,000 points in bonus points.
The playoffs also presented a dilemma. Unlike baseball and football, where the regular seasons are clearly the measuring stick, basketball players are often defined by their postseason play. It's why many downgrade Wilt Chamberlain and elevate Michael Jordan. Kevin Garnett is maligned for not taking his Timberwolves farther and Tim Duncan is considered by many to be the top player in the game.
For the playoffs, I decided not to rank players statistically on how they performed against everyone else. Instead, they are judged on how they performed in comparison with their regular-season play.
An example, in 1961-1962, Wilt Chamberlain averaged 35 points a game in 12 playoff games on .467 shooting. Those are monster numbers. But those numbers earned Chamberlain just 18 points in my ranking system (74 total points divided by 4 since the playoffs, at most, are about 1/4 as long as the regular season). How could that be. Well, in 1961-1962, Wilt averaged 50.4 points a game in the regular season on .506 shooting. Only strong playoff rebounding numbers saved "The Stilt" from actually earning a negative for his postseason performance.
My thought was teams head into the playoffs expecting the stars to perform at or above their regular-season production. By holding Wilt to just 35 points, the Warriors needed other players to produce 15 more points just so they could meet their normal production.
Once I had the year-by-year numbers, I took a player's top three years and came up with an average score. Then I averaged their top five years and top 10 years for two more scores. Then I totaled their career numbers and added the four (3, 5, 10 and career) numbers together for a final ranking.
This system produced some interesting results, which I'll get into later. For now, here's my all-time top 10 power forwards.
1. Karl Malone, 1985-2004, 19339.0
2. Bob Pettit, 1954-1965, 18231.9
3. Tim Duncan, 1997-2005, 18217.9
4. Kevin Garnett, 1996-2005, 18108.3
5. Dolph Schayes, 1949-1964, 17694.8
6. Elvin Hayes, 1968-1984, 17280.1
7. Charles Barkley, 1984-2000, 17100.3
8. George McGinnis, 1971-1982, 15607.3
9. Dan Issel, 1970-1985, 14264.9
10. Chris Webber, 1993-2005, 13908.0
Clearly, scorers do well in the system. Of these 10, only Schayes and Garnett weren't pure scorers. Dirty-work power forwards such as Dave DeBusschere, Buck Williams and Dennis Rodman finished well down in 15th, 17th and 19th place. It's important to remember these three were never really considered among the top players in the league when they were playing. DeBusschere and Williams were picked all-NBA second team just once each and Rodman was picked just third-team All-NBA twice.
Both Duncan and Garnett will pass Pettit this season and each should zoom past Malone. Dirk Nowitzki is 12th on the list and may move past Chris Webber and Kevin McHale to No. 9 this year. The 00's are the era of the great power forward.
To get a better look at how the system works, let's look at Karl Malone versus Charles Barkley, two contemporaries who battled for years for the distinction of the games best No. 4.
Karl Malone
3 years (1996-1997, 1997-1998, 1994-1995) - 5151.6
5 years (add 1998-1999 and 1990-1991) - 5041.6
10 years - 4813.4
career - 4332.5
Total - 19339.0
Charles Barkley
3 years (1992-1993, 1985-1986, 1989-1990) - 4775.9
5 years (add 1988-1989, 1987-1988) - 4592.4
10 years - 4271.7
career - 3460.2
Total - 17100.3
Malone made the top 10 in MVP voting 14 times in 19 years, Barkley eight in 16 seasons.
Barkley was first team All-NBA five teams, second team five teams and third team once. Malone was first team 11 times, second team twice and third team once.
Barkley was never named to the all-defensive first or second teams. Malone was a first-team all-defensive player three times and a second-teamer once.
Malone's teams made the playoffs in every season and three times advanced to the finals, although never winning. Barkley's teams made one NBA final and twice missed the playoffs. Barkley, though, was the better playoff performer. He earned 2,330.1 bonus points over his 16 seasons and only had negative playoff scores three times. Malone received 1,698.4 bonus points in 19 seasons although he had just two negative playoff totals.
A lot of people love Barkley because he was so spectacular and produced his numbers in a small-forward (6-foot-4) body. Malone was steadier, better longer and a better defensive player.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Federer moves into top 10 of all-time greatest tennis players
Switzerland's Roger Federer continued to climb quickly on the short list of greatest men's tennis players of the open era.
Federer earned 16 points in my system with his four-set win over Andre Agassi in the U.S. Open -- 10 for the victory, two points for winning three sets to one and four bonus points by beating an 8-time major champion in Agassi.
Federer finished the year with 29.5 points when you combine the points with his Wimbledon victory. Federer has now won six of the last 10 major tournaments and when you run his record through my system, he's already run up 372.5 points to knock Rod Laver out of the 10th spot.
Laver, of course, would rank near the top if most of his career wasn't in the amateur era.
Agassi's run to the final edged him oh so close to sixth all-time. The U.S. Open final was the 15th time he made it to a major final. He is now 8-7 in those finals with four losses to Pete Sampras (No. 1 all-time). Still, he'll need one more final to pass Mats Wilander for sixth.
Here's how the men's top 32 now appear:
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, 594.50
5. John McEnroe, United States, 1979-1985, 542.50
6. Mats Wilander, Sweden, 1982-1988, 471.50
7. Andre Agassi, United States, 1990-2005, 470.00
8. Boris Becker, Germany, 1985-1996, 423.50
9. Stephan Edberg, Sweden, 1985-1993, 406.00
10. Roger Federer, Switzerland, 2003-2005, 372.50
11. Rod Laver, Australia, 1968-1969, 351.00
12. Jim Courier, United States, 1991-1993, 334.50
13. Guillermo Vilas, Argentina, 1975-1982, 323.00
14. John Newcombe, Australia, 1969-1976, 304.50
15. Ken Rosewall, Australia, 1968-1974, 290.50
16. Jan Kodes, Czechoslovakia, 1970-1973, 228.00
17. Arthur Ashe, United States, 1968-1975, 212.00
18. Lleyton Hewitt, Australia, 2001-2005, 191.00
19. Marat Safin, Russia, 2000-2005, 191.00
20. Illie Nastase, Romania, 1971-1976, 188.50
21. Gustavo Kuerten, Brazil, 1997-2001, 166.00
22. Pat Rafter, Australia, 1997-2001, 154.00
23. Stan Smith, United States, 1971-1972, 150.50
24. Pat Cash, Australia, 1987-1988, 141.00
25. Yevgeny Kafelinikov, Russia, 1996-2000, 139.50
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, 120.00
30. Johan Kriek, South Africa, 1981-1982, 113.00
31. Andy Roddick, United States, 2003-2005, 111.50
32. Manuel Orantes, Argentina, 1974-1975, 109.00
On the women's side, Mary Pierce made a slight move up the list and Kim Clijsters joined the ranks of established champions after finally claiming a title after losing three times to Justine Henin-Hardenne and once to Jennifer Capriati.
The all-time women's ranking looks this way heading into 2006:
1. Steffi Graf, Germany, 1987-1999, 1212.00
2. Martina Navratilova, Czechoslovakia, 1975-1994, 1190.00
3. Chris Evert-Lloyd, United States, 1973-1988, 948.50
4. Monica Seles, Yugoslavia, 1990-1998, 684.00
5. Margaret Smith-Court, Australia, 1968-1973, 646.00
6. Billie Jean King, United States, 1968-1975, 609.50
7. Evonne Goolagong-Cawley, Australia, 1971-1980, 567.00
8. Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario, Spain, 1989-1998, 455.50
9. Serena Williams, United States, 1999-2005, 446.00
10. Martina Hingis, Switzerland, 1997-2002, 425.00
11. Venus Williams, United States, 1997-2005, 394.00
12. Hana Mandlikova, Czechoslovakia, 1980-1987, 333.00
13. Lindsay Davenport, United States, 1998-2005, 308.50
14. Justine Henin-Hardenne, Belgium, 2001-2005, 245.00
15. Virginia Wade, England, 1968-1977, 191.00
16. Mary Pierce, France, 1994-2005, 190.00
17. Tracy Austin, United States, 1979-1981, 185.00
18. Jennifer Capriati, United States, 2001-2002, 184.00
19. Gabriela Sabatini, Argentina, 1988-1991, 163.00
20. Kim Clijsters, Belgium, 2001-2005, 147.00
21. Conchita Martinez, Spain, 1994-2000, 140.00
22. Ann Haydon-Jones, England, 1968-1969, 139.00
23. Jana Novotna, Czechoslovakia, 1991-1998, 126.00
24. Virginia Ruzici, Romania, 1978-1980, 107.50
25. Kerry Melville-Reid, Australia, 1970-1977, 100.00
26. Mimi Jausovec, Yugoslavia, 1977-1983, 95.00
27. Christine O'Neill, Australia, 1978, 85.00
28. Maria Sharapova, Russia, 2004, 77.50
29. Nancy Richey, United States, 1968-1969, 71.00
30. Mary Joe Fernandez, United States, 1990-1993, 69.00
31. Helena Sukova, Czechoslovakia, 1984-1993, 67.00
32. Wendy Turnbill, United States, 1977-1980, 65.00
Federer earned 16 points in my system with his four-set win over Andre Agassi in the U.S. Open -- 10 for the victory, two points for winning three sets to one and four bonus points by beating an 8-time major champion in Agassi.
Federer finished the year with 29.5 points when you combine the points with his Wimbledon victory. Federer has now won six of the last 10 major tournaments and when you run his record through my system, he's already run up 372.5 points to knock Rod Laver out of the 10th spot.
Laver, of course, would rank near the top if most of his career wasn't in the amateur era.
Agassi's run to the final edged him oh so close to sixth all-time. The U.S. Open final was the 15th time he made it to a major final. He is now 8-7 in those finals with four losses to Pete Sampras (No. 1 all-time). Still, he'll need one more final to pass Mats Wilander for sixth.
Here's how the men's top 32 now appear:
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, 594.50
5. John McEnroe, United States, 1979-1985, 542.50
6. Mats Wilander, Sweden, 1982-1988, 471.50
7. Andre Agassi, United States, 1990-2005, 470.00
8. Boris Becker, Germany, 1985-1996, 423.50
9. Stephan Edberg, Sweden, 1985-1993, 406.00
10. Roger Federer, Switzerland, 2003-2005, 372.50
11. Rod Laver, Australia, 1968-1969, 351.00
12. Jim Courier, United States, 1991-1993, 334.50
13. Guillermo Vilas, Argentina, 1975-1982, 323.00
14. John Newcombe, Australia, 1969-1976, 304.50
15. Ken Rosewall, Australia, 1968-1974, 290.50
16. Jan Kodes, Czechoslovakia, 1970-1973, 228.00
17. Arthur Ashe, United States, 1968-1975, 212.00
18. Lleyton Hewitt, Australia, 2001-2005, 191.00
19. Marat Safin, Russia, 2000-2005, 191.00
20. Illie Nastase, Romania, 1971-1976, 188.50
21. Gustavo Kuerten, Brazil, 1997-2001, 166.00
22. Pat Rafter, Australia, 1997-2001, 154.00
23. Stan Smith, United States, 1971-1972, 150.50
24. Pat Cash, Australia, 1987-1988, 141.00
25. Yevgeny Kafelinikov, Russia, 1996-2000, 139.50
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, 120.00
30. Johan Kriek, South Africa, 1981-1982, 113.00
31. Andy Roddick, United States, 2003-2005, 111.50
32. Manuel Orantes, Argentina, 1974-1975, 109.00
On the women's side, Mary Pierce made a slight move up the list and Kim Clijsters joined the ranks of established champions after finally claiming a title after losing three times to Justine Henin-Hardenne and once to Jennifer Capriati.
The all-time women's ranking looks this way heading into 2006:
1. Steffi Graf, Germany, 1987-1999, 1212.00
2. Martina Navratilova, Czechoslovakia, 1975-1994, 1190.00
3. Chris Evert-Lloyd, United States, 1973-1988, 948.50
4. Monica Seles, Yugoslavia, 1990-1998, 684.00
5. Margaret Smith-Court, Australia, 1968-1973, 646.00
6. Billie Jean King, United States, 1968-1975, 609.50
7. Evonne Goolagong-Cawley, Australia, 1971-1980, 567.00
8. Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario, Spain, 1989-1998, 455.50
9. Serena Williams, United States, 1999-2005, 446.00
10. Martina Hingis, Switzerland, 1997-2002, 425.00
11. Venus Williams, United States, 1997-2005, 394.00
12. Hana Mandlikova, Czechoslovakia, 1980-1987, 333.00
13. Lindsay Davenport, United States, 1998-2005, 308.50
14. Justine Henin-Hardenne, Belgium, 2001-2005, 245.00
15. Virginia Wade, England, 1968-1977, 191.00
16. Mary Pierce, France, 1994-2005, 190.00
17. Tracy Austin, United States, 1979-1981, 185.00
18. Jennifer Capriati, United States, 2001-2002, 184.00
19. Gabriela Sabatini, Argentina, 1988-1991, 163.00
20. Kim Clijsters, Belgium, 2001-2005, 147.00
21. Conchita Martinez, Spain, 1994-2000, 140.00
22. Ann Haydon-Jones, England, 1968-1969, 139.00
23. Jana Novotna, Czechoslovakia, 1991-1998, 126.00
24. Virginia Ruzici, Romania, 1978-1980, 107.50
25. Kerry Melville-Reid, Australia, 1970-1977, 100.00
26. Mimi Jausovec, Yugoslavia, 1977-1983, 95.00
27. Christine O'Neill, Australia, 1978, 85.00
28. Maria Sharapova, Russia, 2004, 77.50
29. Nancy Richey, United States, 1968-1969, 71.00
30. Mary Joe Fernandez, United States, 1990-1993, 69.00
31. Helena Sukova, Czechoslovakia, 1984-1993, 67.00
32. Wendy Turnbill, United States, 1977-1980, 65.00
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Mickelson nears top 20 in all-time golf playday
Phil Mickelson's dramatic flop shot earned him a second major title and pushed him past eight golfers in my Golf's Ultimate Playday standings.
In terms of his peers, only Tiger and Ernie Els rank ahead of Lefty.
Mickelson earned 21 points -- 20 points for winning and one bonus point for margin of victory -- for the PGA and ended up with 22 points overall for 2005. That makes for his second best season in the majors in his career. His total points, factoring in his 1, 3, 5, 10 and career rankings, rose from 249.56 to 277.3, leapfrogging him past Billy Casper, Craig Wood, Cary Middlecoff, Julius Boros, Bobby Locke, Jimmy Demaret, Nick Price and Peter Thomson.
Els is immediately ahead of Mickelson with 279.9 points. Jim Barnes is ahead of those two with 301.11 points.
Here are the top 14 golfers from the PGA (there was a five-way tie for 10th) and where they now rank in the Ultimate Playday standings. The players in bold are in the Ultimate Playday or top 72 golfers ever.
PGA rank, player, points, all-time rank
1. Phil Mickelson, 277.3, 22nd
2. Steve Elkington, 140.5, 88th
2. Thomas Bjorn, 78.3, 187th
4. Tiger Woods, 622.08, 2nd
4. Davis Love III, 177.89, 60th
6. Geoff Ogilvy, 15.0, 662nd
6. Michael Campbell, 59.0, 251st
6. Retief Goosen, 145.6, 83rd
6. Pat Perez, 8.75, 874th
10. Vijay Singh, 220.41, 41st
10. Ted Purdy, 0.50, 1,116th
10. David Toms, 81.45, 179th
10. Steve Flesch, 12.9, 697th
10. Dudley Hart, 5.09, 923rd
In terms of his peers, only Tiger and Ernie Els rank ahead of Lefty.
Mickelson earned 21 points -- 20 points for winning and one bonus point for margin of victory -- for the PGA and ended up with 22 points overall for 2005. That makes for his second best season in the majors in his career. His total points, factoring in his 1, 3, 5, 10 and career rankings, rose from 249.56 to 277.3, leapfrogging him past Billy Casper, Craig Wood, Cary Middlecoff, Julius Boros, Bobby Locke, Jimmy Demaret, Nick Price and Peter Thomson.
Els is immediately ahead of Mickelson with 279.9 points. Jim Barnes is ahead of those two with 301.11 points.
Here are the top 14 golfers from the PGA (there was a five-way tie for 10th) and where they now rank in the Ultimate Playday standings. The players in bold are in the Ultimate Playday or top 72 golfers ever.
PGA rank, player, points, all-time rank
1. Phil Mickelson, 277.3, 22nd
2. Steve Elkington, 140.5, 88th
2. Thomas Bjorn, 78.3, 187th
4. Tiger Woods, 622.08, 2nd
4. Davis Love III, 177.89, 60th
6. Geoff Ogilvy, 15.0, 662nd
6. Michael Campbell, 59.0, 251st
6. Retief Goosen, 145.6, 83rd
6. Pat Perez, 8.75, 874th
10. Vijay Singh, 220.41, 41st
10. Ted Purdy, 0.50, 1,116th
10. David Toms, 81.45, 179th
10. Steve Flesch, 12.9, 697th
10. Dudley Hart, 5.09, 923rd
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