The best seat in the house is the view from the couch

The Greatest Boston Sports Debate Ever

I think everyone in the Greater Boston Area woke up this morning with one question in mind - "Is David Ortiz the most 'clutch' player to ever wear a Boston uniform - any Boston uniform?" OK, maybe two questions ("Is the rain ever going to end...")

It's really uncanny how we all have the same train of thought after a game like yesterdays. For example - as I was driving in to work this morning, I began to formulate the basis for this post. I tried to think of the most "clutch" professional Boston athletes of my lifetime. I narrowed the list to six players, and I probably could have made it seven if I followed basketball more, or if the Bruins had been even remotely good in my 24+ years on this planet.

By the time I sat at the computer today and began typing, WEEI was already beginning the same conversation, even using most of the same players.

I'm going to turn the radio off so I don't get influenced as I write this, but I'd be interested to hear other people's thoughts.

Anyway, back to the question at hand. My answer? No. No he isn't. Not yet at least.

I narrowed my list to the following six players:

David Ortiz - 2003-present

Curt Schilling - 2004-present

Pedro Martinez - 1998-2004

Tom Brady - 2001-present

Adam Vinateri - 2001-2005

Larry Bird - 1982-1990

Now, I will freely admit right off the top, that I was probably too young to fully appreciate what Bird accomplished in the 1980s. I knew he was good; I knew the Celtics were the best team in the NBA. I probably could have picked Larry out of a crowd by the time I was four years old... in 1985. But I don't think I really had any understanding of just what he was capable of doing until I watched some of the old games on ESPN Classic or Sportscentury, etc.

All that being said, I put the six players listed above to the same test: "Which of these players would I feel most comfortable putting a game on the line with?" Now I know that's not the same thing as coming through "in the clutch", but it's pretty close. So if I had one game to win, which of these players would I feel most confident would get the job done?

Here's how I see it:

Adam Vinateri: I rank him #1 for one reason - he's never disappointed. In the five years above (2001-2005), when he had a chance to tie or win a game, he didn't miss. Period. It's like he reached a new level of consciousness or something - the guy was ridiculous. Luckily, he's now kicking for the Patriots' only real threat in the AFC in 2006. Great.

Larry Bird: Even without fully understanding what the man could do, I've heard the legends. I know the tales. Larry Bird could single handedly carry a team for a quarter, a half, a game, or even a full season. The man was uniquely talented - one of the few people to ever play in the NBA who constantly made everyone around him better and knew when it was time to be selfish and simply take over a game. Magic summed it up best at "Larry Bird Night" - "There will never be another Larry Bird."

David Ortiz: Pretty impressive that most New Englanders (and New Yorkers, for that matter) would rank Ortiz ahead of a 3-time Super Bowl winning QB (and 2-time Super Bowl MVP). It's really comical at this point. And I know, this might just be an "Instant History" type of thing, since Ortiz has three walk-off hits in the Red Sox' last eight games, so he's the hottest thing in the city right now. But allow me to explain it this way - Saturday, I was so confident that Papi would come through with a walk-off home run that I recorded the entire at-bat on my DVR, just so I could watch it over and over again. Monday, in the top of the 12th inning, after the Phillies took a 7-6 lead, I immediately started thinking what it would take to get Ortiz to the plate in the bottom of the inning. I figured that it would take the Red Sox tying the game and having at least two on base for him to get up with a chance to win it. Guess I was close…

Tom Brady: The three rings and two MVP trophies should speak for themselves, but really, Brady is as much of a leader as he is an unshakeable presence in the huddle. When the Patriots need a drive, whether for a TD or a FG attempt, I have no doubt that #12 is going to at least give them an opportunity. He just doesn't make mistakes (except in Denver last January...) It will be very interesting to see how he adjusts to the relatively weaker receiving corps, and an unproven kicker when the 2006 season kicks off. But know one thing - I will never count the Pats out of a game if Brady is healthy.

Pedro Martinez: I know, it's sacrilege now to say that Petey is/was better than Schilling. But here's the thing - from 1999-2001, there was no one - no one - in the Major Leagues that was comparable to Pedro Martinez. When he took the mound, it was an event. I would skip college classes just to watch him pitch, because I knew there was always a chance that he would do something unbelievable. In the 1999 playoffs, when he came out of the bullpen in Game 5 of the ALDS against Cleveland, people in Boston knew the game was over. Right then and there, we knew that the Indians had no shot. You could see the look in Pedro's eye - I own this game. It's over, and I'm going to be the one to end it. That was his mentality for his seven years in Boston. And sure, his body started to fail him after 2001, whether it was the hip, the shoulder, or now his big toe. But a Pedro Martinez start was always an event, and probably nine times out of ten, it was almost a guaranteed W.

Curt Schilling: Look, the bloody sock games will go down as two of the gutsiest, grittiest, and most self-sacrificing performances I've ever witnessed. In 2004, he was untouchable (and probably should have won the Cy Young over Johan Santana). In 2004, if I had one game to win, I'd want Curt Schilling standing on the mound for the first pitch. But in 2005, he was still recovering from the ankle injury, and this year he's been very good, but not dominant. That's why he falls sixth (and why Pedro is fifth) - when you can only affect one of every five games, you need to be absolutely unstoppable in those games. Schilling is still a great pitcher, and would be an ace on 85-90% of the teams in the Major Leagues. But I no longer turn on a Schilling start and just expect the Sox to cruise to another win.

Honorable mentions:

Paul Pierce (2005-06): Single-handedly won the Celtics at least six games last season. That's a lot for a team that only managed 33 wins total.

Doug Flutie (1984): I didn't consider college athletes, but Flutie's Heisman Season (capped off with "The Catch") certainly would qualify. Plus, he gave us "Flutie Flakes..."

Ray Bourque (1979-2002): Listen, the guy defined the Bruins for 20 years. He was, by far, the best defenseman in the NHL for the better part of his entire career. The night he won a Stanley Cup was one of one three times I've ever teared up over a sporting event (and the only one not involving a local team - Sox' World Series, Pats' first Super Bowl). But the Bruins just weren't good enough over his time here to be put in the discussion. He was great, but I don't think he was truly "clutch".

Jonathan Papelbon (2006): Waaaaaaay too early. But give him time...

OK, I've written more in the last five days that I had written in the last month. I'll try to be on here more frequently in the next couple months, and I'll have the NFL Preview/Predictions post coming up sometime in early - to - mid-August.

Until next time - Lata.

posted by Big D @ 9:55 AM