BBTN Top 10 Web Gems of All Time

[sherwood921]

Is showing tonight. Here's what I remember.

 

1)Ozzie Smith, the diving barehand with the Padres

2)Edmonds

3)Matthews Jr.

4)Smith again with a diving catch

5)Otis Nixon

6)Buck Martinez

7)Rowand

8)Griffey

9)Lofton

10)Mays

 

*edit Griffey to 8th, Martinez to 6

Edited September 7, 2006 by sherwood921

[erik316wttn]

The Mays catch is the best, period. The Matthews catch, while good, does not deserve to be ranked nearly that high. He robbed a home run. It happens.

[soccer10k]

I think #6 was Griffey going into the wall, making the catch, and breaking his wrist.

[NorthsideAvenger]

The Mays catch is the best, period. The Matthews catch, while good, does not deserve to be ranked nearly that high. He robbed a home run. It happens.

 

Agree. What makes the Mays catch even MORE impressive was that it happen in the WORLD SERIES. Talk about clutch.

[Brian]

I think #6 was Griffey going into the wall, making the catch, and breaking his wrist.

 

yeah it was.

[chuckywang]

Is showing tonight. Here's what I remember.

 

1)Ozzie Smith, the diving barehand with the Padres

2)Edmonds

3)Matthews Jr.

4)Smith again with a diving catch

5)Otis Nixon

6)I forgot

7)Rowand

8)Buck Martinez

9)Lofton

10)Mays

 

Griffey Jr. with the catch that broke his wrist.

[ToupeeOnFire]

The Mays catch is the best, period. The Matthews catch, while good, does not deserve to be ranked nearly that high. He robbed a home run. It happens.

Are we judging individual plays based on merit or the importance of individual plays in significant games? Mays' catch was outstanding, no doubt, especially given the fact that he made the running grab deep in center field of the Polo Grounds in game 1 of the World Series in a tie game (caught it around 450 feet); but the greatest catch ever?

 

That play has been mythologized, and while I hesitate to call it routine, it's the kind of play that has been made before and since, and it would be made with some not-to-occasional frequency today (relatively speaking) if parks were nearly 475 deep in centerfield.

 

It was a great play and Willie Mays was a great player, but as far as "the catch" is concerned, I am willing to bet he's made many more difficult plays in his career. The fact that his catch was caught on camera during the World Series is what makes it iconic. I've certainly seen better (my opinion obviously) in my time as a baseball fan, and now with the advent of ESPN and Sportscenter, everything is captured for posterity.

 

As far as the list goes, as much as I hesitate to praise a Cardinal player, Ozzie Smith was the greatest defensive player I've ever seen. It is fitting he is number one.

[muntjack]

Matthews Jr. is #1 for me. The insane jump, the body control, the stretch.....it was Jordanesque.

[Outshined_One]

Amazingly enough, the Mays catch was done with runner on first and second...

 

That play resulted in there only being runners on 1st and 3rd! :shock:

 

In other words, not only did he make the catch, but he also got the ball back in time to keep one runner from scoring and the other from advancing.

 

Then again, Mays' teammates all said he'd done a number of better catches than that one in the past.

 

Also, some one at ESPN reeeeeeeeeally has a mad-on for Gary Matthews Jr. I think he should send them a thank you fruit basket when he gets his 3/$24m contract in the offseason.

[Too Tall]

Is showing tonight. Here's what I remember.

 

1)Ozzie Smith, the diving barehand with the Padres

2)Edmonds

3)Matthews Jr.

4)Smith again with a diving catch

5)Otis Nixon

6)I forgot

7)Rowand

8)Buck Martinez

9)Lofton

10)Mays

 

Griffey Jr. with the catch that broke his wrist.

 

Was it the one where he head butted a wall? If so, thats pretty lame.. IF thats the case they should have put Jeters catch when he caught the ball 5 feet from the wall and decided to jump into the stands..

[erik316wttn]

I'm suprised they didn't show the catch Bo Jackson made where he ran up the wall afterwards.

[sherwood921]

Is showing tonight. Here's what I remember.

 

1)Ozzie Smith, the diving barehand with the Padres

2)Edmonds

3)Matthews Jr.

4)Smith again with a diving catch

5)Otis Nixon

6)I forgot

7)Rowand

8)Buck Martinez

9)Lofton

10)Mays

 

Griffey Jr. with the catch that broke his wrist.

 

Was it the one where he head butted a wall? If so, thats pretty lame.. IF thats the case they should have put Jeters catch when he caught the ball 5 feet from the wall and decided to jump into the stands..

 

Wow, I didn't even realize that Jeter didn't make the list. Not that he deserved to, but with it being on ESPN one would think the dive in the stands or the flip to the catcher would make the list.