Mark My Words

Mark My Words

Mark My Words: Cowboys will win Super Bowl

January 04, 2010 , ι By MARK HAKE

NFC WILD CARD -Cardinals 27, Packers 24. In Rematch #1, things change next week. -Cowboys 31, Eagles 17. I don’t get the Eagles’ hype – as I’ve been saying, their defense can’t stop anybody. NFC... Read on

NFC WILD CARD
	 
-Cardinals 27, Packers 24. In Rematch #1, things change next week.
	 
-Cowboys 31, Eagles 17. I don’t get the Eagles’ hype – as I’ve been saying, their defense can’t stop anybody.
	 
NFC DIVISIONAL ROUND
	 
-Saints 41, Cardinals 10. The Saints explode. I can even see them scoring 50.
	 
-Cowboys 27, Vikings 21. Tony Romo – maybe one of the most underrated players in the league, believe it or not.
	 
NFC TITLE GAME
	 
- Cowboys 31, Saints 24. No NFC team is that impressive. I always liked Minnesota better than New Orleans anyway but the Vikings can’t be trusted right now. I say the Cowboys are going to Miami.
	 
AFC WILD CARD
	 
-Bengals 20, Jets 17. Everybody relax. I admit I was impressed by what the Jets did last night. But the stakes were a lot different, and the Bengals will be home and have their guys ready next week. And the Jets still shouldn't be here.
	 
-Patriots 23, Ravens 20. Maybe the best game of wild-card weekend.
	 
AFC DIVISIONAL ROUND
	 
- Chargers 27, Patriots 17. The Chargers get their revenge on New England for the Marlon McCree game three years ago.
	 
- Colts 38, Bengals 13. This one could – and probably will – get ugly. But at least it sets up the next week’s showdown.
	 
AFC TITLE GAME
	 
- Colts 31, Chargers 30. I know the Chargers have had Indy’s number the last few years. But I say it’s different this time. Indy is almost becoming underrated. This team WAS 14-0 before it stopped trying. And it has homefield. And the best player on the planet.
	 
SUPER BOWL
	 
- Cowboys 27, Colts 24. I like this Dallas team a lot -- good quarterback, solid rushing attack, dangerous receivers in Austin and Witten. And they're strong defensively. Maybe this time Adam Vinatieri doesn't make the big kick, as the Cowboys pull the upset.

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Hale: Top 10 players to never make playoffs

December 11, 2009 , ι By MARK HALE

The Yankees may or may not end up getting Roy Halladay this winter. But even if they don’t, if he does end up getting traded somewhere, he’ll probably get a pretty good chance to end his career playoff drought. Halladay’s been in the majors since 1998. He’s been in the playoffs never.
	 
Which brings us to today’s blog list – where does Halladay rank among the best current athletes to never make the postseason?
	 
Here’s my call:
	 
10. Patrick Willis, 49ers. Beats out runners-up Jamal Crawford (Hawks) and Emeka Okafor (Hornets).
	 
9. Jay Bouwmeester, Flames. You guys know I’m not a hockey guy. But he merits the honor. Or the dishonor.
	 
8. Andre Johnson, Texans. Has twice led the league in catches.
	 
7. Michael Young, Rangers. He’s been an All-Star the last six seasons. But he’s still looking for his first playoff at-bat.
	 
6. Darrelle Revis, Jets. Yeah, he’s only been playing for three years. But he’s that good.
	 
5. Kevin Durant, Thunder. Ditto.
	 
4. Nmadi Asomugha, Raiders. I don’t see that many Raiders games, so I can’t say really whether he’s a better corner than Revis. I also can't pronounce his name, but that's another story. Either way, the fact that he plays for the Raiders -- who have gone 28-80 since he's been there -- gives him the higher spot.
	 
3. Zack Greinke, Royals. One of the top pitchers on the planet. But not as accomplished as Halladay.
	 
2. Hanley Ramirez, Marlins. Might be the second-best player in baseball.
	 
1. Halladay, Blue Jays. The best pitcher there is.
	 
Who'd I leave off?

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Adams' shove among worst cheap shots in sports

December 07, 2009 , ι By MARK HALE

A couple quick things before today's list: -I know they won the game. But that final two-minute offense by the Texas Longhorns on Saturday night was maybe the worst I’ve ever seen. Stunning. - It's... Read on

A couple quick things before today's list:
	 
-I know they won the game. But that final two-minute offense by the Texas Longhorns on Saturday night was maybe the worst I’ve ever seen. Stunning.
	 
- It's worth noting that there's been an interesting trend this year in the NFL – rookie receivers are playing real well. On the Giants, Hakeem Nicks has 575 yards and five TDs. On the Titans, Kenny Britt has 567 yards and three TDs. On the Eagles, Jeremy Maclin has 623 yards and four TDs. On the Steelers, Mike Wallace has 519 yards and three TDs. On the 49ers, Michael Crabtree has 406 yards and a TD -- in seven games.
	 
And the big one – on the Vikings, Percy Harvin has 681 yards and six TDs. Pretty impressive crop, and I might even be forgetting someone.
	 
On to the list. Fresh off yesterday’s Flozell Adams disgrace in the Giants-Cowboys game, today’s list is about the worst cheap shots in sports in the past 20 years. Here’s the top seven – though I didn’t include White Goodman’s "blatant cheap shot," as Cotton McKnight calls it in "Dodgeball" when White (Ben Stiller) smashes Kate (Christine Taylor) in the face with a dodgeball.
	 
7. Oregon’s LeGarrette Blount's sucker punch after this year's game against Boise State.
	 
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6. Dennis Rodman kicking a photographer.
	 
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5. Albert Haynesworth, then with the Titans, stepping on Andre Gurode’s head.
	 
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4. Marty McSorley slashing Donald Brashear in the head.
	 
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3. USC’s Leonard Washington drilling Blake Griffin in the groin while Griffin was a Sooner. Disgraceful.
	 
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2. Dale Hunter crushing the Islanders’ Pierre Turgeon after Turgeon scored a goal.
	 
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1. Todd Bertuzzi punching Steve Moore and smashing his face into the ice.
	 
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Looking back at
	 the story Moore cracked three vertebrae in his neck and got a concussion. Bertuzzi was charged with assault.
	 
Did I leave any out?

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Mark My Words: Best franchises in sports

December 03, 2009 , ι MARK HALE

Before the World Series, ESPN's Jayson Stark wrote a piece about how the Fall Classic winner, the Phils or the Yanks, would arguably be baseball's team of the decade. The other day on Twitter, SI.com's Jon Heyman asked whether the Lions were the worst team in sports history. So let's do a spin on both today, since the baseball season just ended and the NFL, NBA and NHL are all in full swing:
	 
Who's the best franchise in sports today?
	 
Here's my top 10:
	 
10. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim:Tight race for the final spot, since I started with 15 teams in the derby. But the Angels get it for incredible consistency and changing player cores (their success has spanned from the Darin Erstad/Troy Glaus crew to the Vladimir Guerrero/Bartolo Colno group to the Torii Hunter/Bobby Abreu class now).
	 
And unlike some other teams in the mix here, they did win a championship. Honorable mention to the St. Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, Utah Jazz, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. The Giants would have been higher if not for their recent collapse.
	 
9. Philadelphia Phillies:If we were doing just the last three years, the Phils might top this list.
	 
8. Detroit Red Wings:Four Stanley Cup wins in the last 14 seasons and two Cup runner-ups. Why aren't they higher? Only 'cause it's hockey.
	 
7. Pittsburgh Steelers:Since 1992? Twelve playoff seasons. Eleven years of double-digit wins. Two Super Bowl championships. The model franchise of the NFL?
	 
6. Boston Red Sox:A playoff team six of the past seven years, a run that's included two World Series wins and two ALCS Game 7 losses. Tough to beat in baseball.
	 
5. San Antonio Spurs:Sports Illustrated once termed them "The Quiet Dynasty." Four championships in the past 11 seasons, thanks to Tim Duncan and co.
	 
4. Indianapolis Colts:They might go undefeated this year and they win at least 12 games every season. In the last five years, they're 62-13 with one Super Bowl title and counting.
	 
3. New England Patriots:I'm currently reading "The Education of a Coach" (David Halberstam's book on Belichick), so I'm getting the full Pats scoop now. You know the deal -- three Super Bowl wins this decade, plus one last-second loss to the Giants. And winning 11 games last year without Tom Brady? Just a tremendous organization.
	 
2. New York Yankees:They've got the title again now, their fifth in the past 14 years. And in 13 of those years, they've made the playoffs. Yeah, they spend. But they do play every October.
	 
1. Los Angeles Lakers:I caught some of the Lakers-Knicks game the other night, and here's the deal -- as long as they want to, the Lakers will be the NBA's best team again this year. Just a ridiculous collection of talent -- Kobe, Gasol, Bynum, Artest, Odom, Fisher, Shannon Brown, etc.
	 
They're on their way to their fifth title in 11 years. There's a reason Artest says he didn't look anywhere else to play this past offseason when he was a free agent.
	 
What do you guys think? Who's too high or too low? And who did I forget?

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Federer, others deserve Sportsman more than Jeter

November 30, 2009 , ι MARK HALE

Hey there -- sorry for the hiatus, but Mark My Words is back now. Kind of like the blog version of Vince Young. Today's list deals with Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year. I was going to... Read on

Hey there -- sorry for the hiatus, but Mark My Words is back now. Kind of like the blog version of Vince Young.
	 
Today's list deals with Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year. I was going to tackle it later this week, but in light of Derek Jeter taking the honor today, I'm going to tell you why he shouldn't have won and who I thought deserved it. Here's my top five:
	 
5. Albert Pujols or Joe Mauer:Pujols won his third MVP (and second straight) and led the Cards to the playoffs again. Mauer took his first MVP and lifted the Twins to an incredible division crown. All due respect to Jeter, who had a fantastic season, but both Pujols and Mauer had better ones, unquestionably.
	 
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4. Peyton Manning:The guy has won every game he's played this season, and he's led the Colts to 20 straight regular-season wins dating back to last year while also taking last year's MVP. The only problem is that the Colts lost their playoff game to the Chargers.
	 
3. Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte:Jeter CAN'T be higher than this, and even in putting him here, I'd be hesitant to give it to just him. I don't even love giving it to the four "core" Yankees because how do you honor Pettitte, for example, without honoring CC Sabathia? Or Posada without paying tribute to Mark Teixeira?
	 
Much of this underscores why Jeter just isn't deserving. Look, even in the AL MVP derby, he not only didn't win, but he wasn't even deemed the most valuable player on his own team! He finished third overall, behind Mauer and Teixeira.
	 
Now, granted, the Yankees won the World Series. And granted, Jeter – as usual – was excellent, hitting .344 with three homers in the playoffs. But he didn't have that one critical hit or memorable play, like his homer off Byung-Hyun Kim or his flip play against Oakland. And he certainly wasn't the Yankees' most valuable postseason player, easily trailing Sabathia and Alex Rodriguez, probably trailing Rivera and maybe trailing Hideki Matsui.
	 
Which brings me to the argument that this is perhaps a lifetime award for Jeter. Trouble there is that why is Jeter more deserving than Rivera? Or, more importantly, than the guy who's first on my list?
	 
2. Tim Tebow:This is a pretty tough runner-up. In fact, I'm almost convinced Tebow should have won. Consider that his team hasn't lost a single game in 2009, it captured the national championship and it's reeled off 22 straight wins since LAST Oct. 4. He's the defining player in college football. How is Jeter more worthy than Tebow?
	 
1. Roger Federer:He took home his first-ever French Open and won his sixth Wimbledon, becoming the greatest winner in men's tennis history, thanks to his 15 Grand Slams. If he can't win it this year, when can he win it?
	 
Again, all due respect to Jeter, but the Jeter-over-Federer argument is almost impossible to make. If you want to say Jeter deserves a lifetime win, so does Federer. He's not only the most accomplished outright winner, but assuming Wikipedia's results are right, Federer's reached the finals in 17 of his last 18 Grand Slams!
	 
The only other argument I can see people making against Federer is that he won the French Open without having to beat Rafael Nadal, who lost in the fourth round to Robin Soderling. But you can't make that claim here for two reasons. One, you can't punish Federer because Nadal didn’t advance far enough for the two to play.
	 
And two, if we're going to talk about competition, how about this – Jeter's Yankees beat a Twins team in the ALDS that was missing Justin Morneau and that started Brian Duensing and Carl Pavano in two of the three games.

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Best Yankees Game Ones

October 16, 2009 , ι MARK HALE

Let’s start it out today with a tremendous quote from Mike Piazza in the new issue of New York Magazine. Piazza is asked whether he misses Shea Stadium. Um, not quite:“Well, Shea is kind of like that... Read on

Let’s start it out today with a tremendous quote from Mike Piazza in the new issue of New York Magazine. Piazza is asked whether he misses Shea Stadium. Um, not quite:
	 
“Well, Shea is kind of like that good friend who you always have fun with but he never buys lunch. You can kind of do without him. You know, you like him, but at the end of the day, do you really miss him?”
	 
Well put.
	 
Moving on – two pop culture comments. One is, very disappointing and unfunny season premiere to "30 Rock" last night. Two – I’m going to give you guys a song recommendation, and that is “Born Again” by Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons. Yes, that’s the name. But the song’s masterful – one of the best this year. Just trust my music taste.
	 
Anyway, tonight is ALCS Game 1 for the Yanks, so today’s list is pretty simple – the best Yankee playoff Game 1s of this Yankee era (starting from their 1995 playoff season). Here are your top seven:
	 
7. 2004 ALCS Game 1: Yankees 10, Red Sox 7. This series ended badly – horribly – but the opener was a treat. Mike Mussina – Mr. Almost – took a perfect game into the 7th inning. He then got rocked, but still for 6.1 innings in an ALCS game, Mussina literally couldn’t have been better.
	 
6. 2002 ALDS Game 1: Yankees 8, Angels 5. Pretty appropriate – Yankees vs. Angels in The Bronx. This was the only game the Yanks won in this series, which was a back-and-forth game highlighted by the Yankees’ four-run eighth inning. Trailing 5-4, the Yanks tied it, then took the lead on Bernie Williams’ three-run homer.
	 
5. 1997 ALDS Game 1: Yankees 8, Indians 6. Cleveland scored five runs in the first inning and was up 6-1 in the fourth. The Yanks came back, thanks to a five-run sixth and three straight homers from Tim Raines, Derek Jeter and Paul O’Neill.
	 
4. 1999 ALCS Game 1: Yankees 4, Red Sox 3 (10 innings). Bernie wins it in the bottom of the 10th with a leadoff homer off Rod Beck.
	 
3. 1998 World Series Game 1: Yankees 9, Padres 6. San Diego led this one 5-2 in the seventh – then the Yanks pounded out seven runs that inning. Chuck Knoblauch, three-run homer. Tino Martinez, grand slam.
	 
2. 1996 ALCS Game 1: Yankees 5, Orioles 4 (11 innings). Jeter and Jeffrey Maier. Followed by another Bernie Williams walk-off.
	 
1. 2000 World Series Game 1: Yankees 4, Mets 3 (12 innings). My friend and Post colleague Mike Vaccaro ranked the best Mets-Yanks games earlier this year and I don't remember where this one was listed. But it's pretty tough to beat for this derby. Just a classic game – scoreless into the sixth, when the Mets blow a chance after Timo Perez doesn’t run hard and is thrown out by Jeter at home. With the Mets up 3-2 in the ninth, Armando Benitez walks O’Neill and the Yanks end up tying it. Finally in the 12th Jose Vizcaino’s walk-off single wins it.

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Biggest N.Y. arrivals; LeBron can top 'em all

October 05, 2009 , ι MARK HALE

Yesterday was busy -- between LeBron James’ cameo on 'Entourage', Eli Manning’s injury and the Knicks-Nets preseason game -- and it serves as a good segue into today’s list. In my first blog I did – back in May, I believe – I made several predictions, the biggest of which was that LeBron would be a Knick in 2010. Obviously I stand by that.
	 
When LeBron comes here, it will be the biggest athlete arrival in New York in decades – bigger than A-Rod, trust me – and he’ll be expected to have an epic impact. So where does that leave us? Today’s list: the sports figures who have come here and had the biggest impact on New York in the last 20 years.
	 
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	 One other criteria: the key words are "come here." Meaning they can’t have been drafted by the local team -- i.e., no Jeter or Manning or Wright or Rivera. They had to have either come via trade, free agency or simple hiring:
	 
10. Latrell Sprewell. A bigger impact, all around, than scoring partner Allan Houston.
	 
9. Pedro Martinez. The first major player to join the Mets in Omar Minaya's run that included Carlos Beltran, Billy Wagner, Carlos Delgado and Johan Santana.
	 
8. Roger Clemens. Both times.
	 
7. Mike Piazza. For at least a few years before his decline.
	 
6. Stephon Marbury. Didn’t say it had to be a good impact.
	 
5. Isiah Thomas. Marbury times 1000.
	 
4. Joe Torre. Not quite sure where to put him. Too high? Too low?
	 
3. Alex Rodriguez. Both in terms of on-the-field impact and off-the-field fascination.
	 
2. Jason Kidd. Seriously. Completely changed the Nets – the Nets! – from perennial loser to annual contender.
	 
1. Mark Messier. Got to be pretty monumental to get me to put a hockey guy first.
	 
What do you guys think? Did I get 'em right? And did I leave anyone off?

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Best guarantees in New York sports

September 23, 2009 , ι MARK HALE

Left field is one of the areas the Mets have to figure out for next season. One wild-card possibility I’d look into is Johnny Damon.I wonder if Damon -- a free agent-to-be -- is a fit here,... Read on

Left field is one of the areas the Mets have to figure out for next season. One wild-card possibility I’d look into is Johnny Damon.
	 
I wonder if Damon -- a free agent-to-be -- is a fit here, especially on a short deal overall but on one longer or more lucrative than what the Yankees will offer (which, I’d imagine, would be the only way the Mets could get him). Damon’s home-road splits aren’t great in terms of power (17 homers at cozy Yankee Stadium, seven on the road). But even if he hit 14 homers next season instead of 25, he'd still provide disciplined at-bats, quality speed, a good average, a strong on-base percentage and pretty good run production.
	 
On to today’s list. You might have seen the claim from Ron Artest – one of sports’ great personalities and a Queens native –
	 that if the Lakers don’t repeat as champs next season, it’s his fault.
	 
That’s not really a guarantee, per se, but it’s close enough to lead us into today’s list – the best guarantees/predictions in New York sports history:
	 
7. Jose Canseco saying
	 he suspected Alex Rodriguez had been a PED user.Ding, ding, ding.
	 
6. Jim Fassel guaranteeing that the Giants were headed to the playoffs in 2000.
	 All his chips were in.
	 
5. Jimmy Rollins saying the Phillies were the “team to beat” in the NL East in 2007, even though the Mets were coming off an NLCS appearance. Rollins was a prophet, while the Mets were chokers.
	 
4. Davey Johnson in 1986. As Darryl Strawberry said in an
	 ESPN.com chat– “we came into camp in 86, and Davey Johnson told us from the first day of camp that we were going to dominate.”
	 
3. Plaxico Burress. Before the Super Bowl a few years ago, Burress told The Post that the Giants would beat the Pats, 23-17. Close enough – Giants 17, Patriots 14.
	 
2. Mark Messier, Game 6, 1994. Yessir.
	 
1. Joe Namath. Forty years ago, Broadway Joe delivered.

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Dumbest things about baseball

September 21, 2009 , ι MARK HALE

Tremendous job by Marty Funkhauser’s cousin in the new Curb Your Enthusiasm last night. Best part was when she and Larry witness the robbery across the street, and as she sees the getaway, she just goes, “Nice!” Welcome back, Curb.
	 
A few Giants thoughts off last night’s game before today’s list:
	 
-Before the Giants took over for their final drive, a friend of mine texted me saying that this was a good test for Eli Manning – whether he could drive the team down the field in the final couple of minutes, against Dallas, etc. But I told him I disagreed, and here’s why: A couple years ago during the Giants’ Super Bowl run, you may remember that Eli asked Peyton for advice on something and Peyton said, “I think you’re beyond me giving you advice.” And that’s even more true now.
	 
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	 Eli, at this point, has won a Super Bowl, been a Super Bowl MVP, been a Pro Bowler, taken the Giants to the playoffs four years in a row and established himself as a terrific, terrific quarterback. He’s way beyond having to go through tests.
	 
-Another gem by Jerry Reese – the Giants’ GM snags undrafted rookie Bruce Johnson, a corner out of Miami. And look what he did last night.
	 
-What was most impressive about last night’s win? To me, it’s that the Giants not only beat a very good team in its glitzy home opener but did so without half their roster. For the whole game or part of the game, the Giants were without Justin Tuck, Domenik Hixon, Aaron Ross, Kevin Dockery, Chris Canty and Hakeem Nicks. That is a LOT of talent to be missing, especially in Tuck’s case, since he’s probably their best defensive player. Of course, for the Giants’ sake, he better not be too badly hurt.
	 
On to the list.
	 
In Spaceballs, one of my favorite lines comes when Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) says to Lone Star (Bill Pullman), “So Lone Star, now you see why evil will always triumph over good – because good is dumb.” Which is my segue into today’s list of the dumbest things about baseball:
	 
5. You can’t come back into the game after you leave. There’s no other sport like this, where once you take a seat, that’s it. It’s silly. Why is a lefty reliever only allowed to pitch in, say, the sixth inning and then not again if he leaves the game? I mean, I don’t know how WISE it would be physically for a pitcher to get up to face one batter every two or three innings. But it should still be ALLOWED.
	 
4. The changing of the rules come September. People have opined about this before, and Jerry Manuel did so a few weeks ago in fact. But it remains ridiculous – starting Sept. 1, your roster can now include 10-15 more players than it has the entire season? Um, what?
	 
3. One league has the DH, the other doesn't.
	 
2. The park factors. Way too much of a discrepancy between pitchers' parks and hitters' parks. The dimensions should be the same -- or close to the same -- everywhere.
	 
1. The games don’t really matter. There are 162 games in the season, and that is just flat-out too many. I’ve talked about this with friends/colleagues before, but it’s also the reason why it’s hard to justify going to a game as a fan. You go to a football game two months into the season, you come home and someone asks what happened – you say, “The Eagles won! Huge win. They’re now 4-4 instead of 3-5.” It’s a big swing because there are only 16 games.
	 
But you go to a baseball game in June or something, you come home and someone asks what happened – you say, “The Phillies won! Tremendous – now they’re 37-34 instead of 36-35.”
	 
It just doesn’t matter.

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Greatest comebacks in sports

September 14, 2009 , ι By MARK HALE

Yes, I am on twitter. As Charlie Steiner said in the old SportsCenter commercial – “Follow me! Follow me to freedom!” Sorry for the blog hiatus, but like the NFL season, we’re back. I would rank my... Read on

Yes, I am on
	 twitter. 
	 
	 As Charlie Steiner said in the old SportsCenter commercial – “Follow me! Follow me to freedom!”
	 
Sorry for the blog hiatus, but like the NFL season, we’re back. I would rank my return as more important, but that’s just me. Kidding.
	 
Anyway, one quick thought before I get to today's list. It concerns the Jeter vs. Teixeira debate for possible AL MVP. Now, maybe someone else (Joe Mauer?) is still a better candidate than both, but here’s another reason why I say Teixeira is more valuable than Jeter:
	 
On May 12, the Yankees were 15-17, 6.5 games back. They then played better to get to June 23, when they were 38-32, five back. Then through Aug. 9, they went 31-10 to move to 69-42, 6.5 games up. That was pretty much the run that ended the division.
	 
So how did Jeter and Teixeira fare during those stretches? Take a look:
	 JETER

	 
MAY 13 THROUGH AUG. 9: 74 games, .328/.397/.455 (.853 OPS), 8 HR, 34 RBI
	 
JUNE 24 THROUGH AUG. 9: 39 games, .329/.400/.429 (.829 OPS), 3 HR, 17 RBI
	 
TEIXEIRA
	 
MAY 13 THROUGH AUG. 9: 78 games, .320/.403/.614 (1.017 OPS), 22 HR, 66 RBI
	 
JUNE 24 THROUGH AUG. 9: 41 games, .292, .379/.520 (.900 OPS), 9 HR, 27 RBI
	 
There you go. Anyway, onto today’s list. With Kim Clijsters doing what she did last night and with Osi Umenyiora doing what he did yesterday afternoon, we’ll focus on the best comebacks of the last 20 years or so. This has to do with people in sports who returned from an absence, not just someone who was slumping and improved his play. Here’s the top nine, mainly because I couldn’t think of a 10th:
	 
9. Jack McKeon. From not managing for two-plus years to returning in-season to lead the Marlins to the 2003 championship.
	 
8. Clijsters.
	 
7. Tedy Bruschi. Had a stroke and still came back and played.
	 
6. David Cone. The man had an aneurysm in 1996, and in his first game back after missing four months, he threw seven no-hit innings. Then he led the Yankees to the title.
	 
5. Josh Hamilton. You know the story.
	 
4. Mario Lemeuix. Sixteen years ago, he came down with Hodgkins’ disease and
	 less than two months later he was back on the ice.
	 
3. Monica Seles. An incredible tragedy – she was the best player in tennis, then got stabbed and was never the same. Still, she came back two years after the crime.
	 
2. Magic Johnson. That All-Star Game return – his first game since leaving the sport due to HIV – still remains remarkable.
	 
1. Lance Armstrong. I remember watching the highlights of the year from the ESPYs one year and when it came to Armstrong, the commentator said something like, “This has got to be the greatest comeback in any sport at all.” I think he’s right.
	 
What do you guys think? I'm sure I left some out.

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About the Author

MARK HALE With the Post since 2000, Mark is a Cornell graduate. The former Mets beat writer is a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Columnist Archives

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