Borrowing An Idea From CNNSI.Com: The Most Exciting Athletes

For me, this selection was easy. I have never been a part of anything as exciting during a regular season baseball game than really any Pedro Martinez Fenway Park start between 1998-2002. And he wasn't too bad on the road either. Pedro had the stuff and the attitude and personality to make all fans pay attention every time he was on the mound.

I was just talking the other day about Griffey, Jr. has almost become a forgotten star due to his injuries over the years and the attention grabbed by other players who may have hit more home runs in a season, but no doubt did it with an asterisk attached. For Griffey, there is no asterisk. There is only 600+ home runs in an amazing career. During his Seattle days, it appeared as if no one had more fun playing baseball than Griffey. In addition to his perfect swing, the image of Griffey that stays in my head is of him during batting practice with his hat on backwards having fun. And not to mention when it came to playing center field, no one did it better.

This picture says it all - what was more exciting than getting to watch Ozzie Smith take the field. The only thing I can think of is getting to watch him play the field. Not many infielders can routinely excite fans with their defense, but Smith did it better than anyone I have ever seen, and he did it with a certain flare that brought excitement to the game.

I will admit to not ever being the biggest Rickey Henderson fan. But that certainly doesn't mean I wasn't watching him with excitement any time he was on TV or playing against my favorite team (and even when he spent one season with my favorite team). When Henderson was in the game, you didn't want to miss the first pitch because you very well could miss a leadoff home run. If he got on base, he was willing and able to steal a base at any time, no matter the situation.

I love pitching, and I love guys who come into games with some excitement and adrenaline. That was Eckersley. I am a little too young to remember him as a starter, but when he closed games for the A's, he was the best I had ever seen. When he came in, the game was almost always as good as over. Eck would throw virtually nothing but strikes. He would show emotion on the mound that would get the fans even more into the game. Some baseball purists may not like that kind of stuff, but I do. A defining sports memory of my life was Kirk Gibson's home run - and that he did it off of such an unhittable closer, made it all the more memorable.

Honorable Mention - Randy Johnson: no personality, so loses points, but as dominating a strikeout pitcher as there has ever been; and some current guys whose speed makes them exciting to watch - Carl Crawford and Jacoby Ellsbury.

Another easy choice for the top spot - Barry Sanders was simply breathtaking as a running back and no one I have ever watched play has even come close to matching him. He may get hit for a loss a few times, but then just like that he'd a move on and break free for a long run. I still remember a run he had against the Patriots one year where he made the defensive back turn every which way before finally Sanders simply left him in his dust.

Randall Cunningham was the first great scrambling quarterback I ever saw, and more fun to watch than any other QB at the time. Growing up in New England, there were always NFC East games on TV on Sundays and I saw a lot of Cunningham and the Eagles. I remember watching live his great play against the Giants where he was nearly sacked, scrambled away and threw a touchdown. That may be his defining moment, but he routinely had many other that were nearly as memorable.

Everyone loved Bo Jackson. A combination of power and speed that simply has not been duplicated. Here we are today and it is still common for his name to come up in conversations that still end in one of two ways - what if he hadn't injured his hip; what if he chose to concentrate on one sport. Regardless, even though his body of wok is quite small compared to others, if you got to see him play, you did not want to miss a carry. On any given rush, he could bolt over, around, through and past any defender. It is possible his legacy is slightly inflated because so much is based on what could have been; but I know for certain that I will never forget the times I got to see him play football.

It says quite a lot about the talent of Deion Sanders that a guy who could not tackle is one of the most exciting football players I ever watched. But he was. Anytime he touched a ball, whether on a punt or interception return, you knew he was more than capable of finding his way into the end zone. And not only would he score, but he would do so with a style that was uniquely Deion, and in a way that you knew was just his natural personality and attitude coming through on the football field. Maybe not quite as exciting, Sanders was also a shut-down cornerback, so much so that opposing QBs often didn't even bother to look on his side of the field.

I went back and forth with this choice for #5 between Marshall Faulk and Lawrence Taylor. I might have to admit that Taylor was as exciting a presence on the defensive side of the field that I ever watched, but I gave the nod to Faulk anyway. I have always had a bias towards running backs, so that may be part of it, and the other part is that while I certainly remember watching LT, I saw the entirety of Faulk's career. Faulk was one of the first running backs I can remember that was devastating either running or catching. When watching the Rams, I would find myself just watching him and forgetting about the rest of the play because you knew whether he rushed or received, he could get the ball at any moment and something exciting was bound to happen.

Honorable Mention - Randy Moss: All I will say about Moss is that the top two scoring teams in the history of the NFL have one common link, and it is Moss. That is exciting. Ray Lewis: Another guy who I might not be the biggest fan of, but an amazing talent who runs down plays all over the field.

Any list that doesn't begin with Michael Jordan at the top is simply wrong. He did things on the basketball court no one thought were possible. He combined that with an almost unmatched will to win and a persona that even today outshines almost all other athletes. I remember gathering around a TV at my friend's house as he scored 63 against the Celtics in the '86 Playoffs. He turned every single slam dunk contest into a must see event; and the contest has just never been the same without him in it. As his career went on, fans got to see him match his once-in-a-lifetime athletic ability with supreme basketball skills, and wind up being the greatest to ever play. I know statements that begin "what if" can never be answered, but I often wonder, "what if" he hadn't had retired (the first time) - would he have run off 8 straight titles? That seems awfully tough, but would you doubt that Jordan could have done it?

His nickname was the Human Highlight Film That should really be enough said. If you need more, the picture above should say the rest. His battles with Jordan in the dunk contest are legendary. He played maybe the greatest game of his life, and one of the greatest individual performances I have ever watched, in the duel with Larry Bird in the 1988 Playoffs. He combined strength and agility in his dunks that remained unrivaled until maybe today with LeBron.

Not as fast as some of the other guys. Not a great leaper or dunker - but even a Celtic fan has to admit that watching Magic grab a rebound and lead the fast break was about as exciting as basketball can be. This 6'9 man handling the ball as if he was a small guard, seemingly looking to his right but somehow seeing the guy cutting down the lane to his left - that type of routine Magic play was as exciting as any dunk could be. I mean his nickname was Magic and he more than lived up to it - he had to make this list.

Before Michael and Dominique, there was Dr. J. I only saw the end of his career, but still felt as if he had to be on this list (and that I only saw the end is probably why he is not higher). The first of the great dunkers. His up and under against the Lakers is one of those plays that is etched in the minds of anyone who is truly a basketball fan. What I wouldn't give to be able to see some of his games from the ABA days, because you know they were filled with highlight after highlight.

We all know Larry couldn't run, and couldn't jump. But that doesn't mean he wasn't exciting. Shooting jumper after jumper and hitting nothing but net every time as he ran back on defense before the ball even went through the rim - that is exciting. Using ball fake after ball fake only to hit a teammate with a pass that no one else in the building saw coming - that is exciting. Walking into the lockerroom before the three-point contest and telling everyone they are playing for second, and then delivering - that is exciting. And hitting game-winning shot nearly every time he was called upon - that is exciting. Not to mention this is the guy that decided to play a first half of a game and only use his left hand. And Bird did all this while talking as much trash as any player who had ever played. Just ask Xavier McDaniel.

Honorable Mention: Tim Hardaway - I love point guards, and Hardaway's UTEP-Two-Step was fun to watch, as were the RUN -TMC days of the Golden State Warriors. Len Bias - I did not ever see him play, but watching the videos from his days at Maryland will have anyone glued to their seat, jaw open. The most memorable play - he hits a jumper on the wing, steals the inbounds pass, then takes a step before throwing down a reverse jam on the guy who threw the inbounds pass. Exciting.