Here's my list of Famers and I checked it twice
BY BILL GALLO
The first thing I said to myself when I was asked to pick 25 of the very best athletes whose careers have been defined in New York was: "Holy mackeral, where do I draw the line?"
Nevertheless, pick we must... so I established a ground rule for entrance into our inaugural class of the Daily News Sports Hall of Fame and away we went:
The man or woman must not only possess that certain something that makes a champion, they must also display a fairness of play on and off the field.
All of my choices fit that simple, yet proper rule.
Here are my selections - and why I believe they should go through the door, even though not all of them made the cut (hey, that's why we have debates, right?):
Babe Ruth, of course, is first because, in my thinking, his amazing baseball career adds up to the leader of any pack. No matter how many ballplayers pass his 714 HRs, the Babe will always be known as the greatest baseball player to ever play the game. All those home runs and a lifetime batting average of .343 - plus the fact he was almost as good a pitcher as he was a hitter - makes him stand alone.
Muhammad Ali was such a unique athlete that he walks in unquestioned. A heavyweight champion three times, Ali's courage in standing up for his beliefs and promoting peace and love makes him a special person.
Former Yankee broadcaster Mel Allen goes in because nobody that I know ever gave us a word picture of a baseball game as well as Allen did. You may enter, Melvin.
Yogi Berra belongs just by being Yogi - a great ball player with a warm heart who gave us laughs even when he wasn't trying to.
I have another catcher on my list - Roy Campanella, who lived a great life before he lived a pained one in his wheelchair. A natural hitter, Campanella was one of the best backstops to ever put on that big mitt.
You may be surprised that I included Howard Cosell, only because he could be caustic to many sports writers, including this one. But when it comes to excellence, we can't deny this curmudgeon of the mike.
Joe DiMaggio simply belongs in every single Hall of Fame that's ever been erected. On the ballfield Joe D. was the personification of perfection. And - not that it matters - he had pretty good taste in women.
Whitey Ford was that kid from the neighborhood who made it! A great pitcher and a great guy, Whitey was all business on the mound, but off it he never took himself seriously. He was the coolest guy we ever saw facing hitters like Ted Williams and the bunch.
Joe Frazier was a very good champion in and out of the ring. This man worked harder at being good at his sport than most people I've covered through the years.
Althea Gibson, the tennis champion was class and grace in her swing and her persona.
Lou Gehrig is automatically in because of his hitting prowess, along with the way he handled first base. And because of how he handled the cards dealt to him, his words, "I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth," are immortal.
Frank Gifford has to go in for the way he played the game of football. He was fast and steady enough to march right into the Hall of Fame in Canton.
Gil Hodges makes my Hall and he should've made the one in Cooperstown a long time ago. Come on, you old geezers who vote this year, write down the name of G-I-L H-O-D-G-E-S. Do it!
Red Holzman gave you the plain and easy way to play, stressing defense. Red was a pleasure to be around and he gets a gold pass.
Derek Jeter is the best shortstop the Yankees ever had - and even the great Phil Rizzuto admits that.
Mickey Mantle, the natural, walks leisurely in my Hall because that's the way he strode unless he was on the base paths. "What a great ballplayer," says it all for The Mick.
Say Hey, did you think I'd forget Willie Mays? No chance. I still remember the thrill of watching Willie's style of play. It was like nobody else's.
Joe Namath could throw a football a hundred miles and the guy on the other end would catch it. This guy with the pantyhose and long white coat was as accurate as an income tax adjuster - bad knees and all.
Other than Rev. Martin Luther King, Jackie Robinson did more for helping cure America's prejudice than anyone in this land. Give credit to Branch Rickey, too, but it was Jackie who took all that unnecessary abuse. Besides, he was one helluva competitor. Who could beat him at that?
Sugar Ray Robinson was the best fighter who ever performed in a boxing ring. Case closed.
Joe Torre belongs, and how. The man shows his excellence in his own sure, quite way.
Casey Stengel, the rubber-face man who knew how to win and could tell you all about it. The trouble was in understanding him.
Come on, how am I going to leave old friend, General Von Steingrabber out of my Hall. Just think of what he did for the game of baseball in New York - and how he did it. With noise and wisdom.
Rod Gilbert is a wonderful man on ice and off it. He's in the NHL Hall and in mine.
Lou Carnesseca was taught to coach basketball sitting on the right side of Joe Lapchick. And he learned so much from Joe that he surpassed his mentor to become one of the great coaches of the game.
There they are folks. I take nothing back. Even though, per chance, I left out one or two who should be in.
Tune in next year.
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