Cleveland Sports Mount Rushmore

[Steve_424]

Paul Brown, Jim Brown, Bob Feller, Jesse Owens

Jesse Owens, while great, has nothing to do with Cleveland, does he?

 

[The Oi]

Cleveland is his middle name. Horrible.

Let's put Grover Cleveland and Grover Cleveland Alexander up there too.

 

[Surge]

Don't forget:

 

[JMcCurry08]

If Lebron doesnt count, I'd give his spot to Big Z

 

[rabman_gold]

Nobody on the Cavs would deserve it. It's an honor reserved for a champion. For a hall of famer. For a long timer, but someone who is worthy of star status.

We'll have to wait a little longer to make our Rushmore... It's premature.

 

[MoFlo]

Nobody on the Cavs would deserve it. It's an honor reserved for a champion. For a hall of famer. For a long timer, but someone who is worthy of star status.

We'll have to wait a little longer to make our Rushmore... It's premature.

I really don't get why it's premature & why we have to have at least 1 rep from each of the 3 major sports...

It is what it is. If no Cav is deserving, then you just don't include any Cavs..

 

[Steve_424]

Very surprised by the lack of votes for Doby.

- 1st African-American player in the AL (only 11 weeks after Jackie)
- Key component of 1948 World Series Champion and 1954 AL Champion teams (First African-American to HR in a World Series game and first to be a World Series Champion)
- 2nd African-American manager in MLB history
- 9-time All-Star
- Member of National Baseball Hall of Fame
- U.S. Navy Veteran

A great player that helped change sports as we/they knew them.

Otto Graham also gets a spot with me.

- Led Browns to 10 straight AAFC/NFL Championship games, winning 7 of them (They reahced the championship game every year he played)
- 9-time All-Pro
- World War II veteran
- Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee
- NBL Champion with Rochester Royals

My other picks are the no brainers - Bob Feller and Jim Brown.

 

[rabman_gold]

I really don't get why it's premature & why we have to have at least 1 rep from each of the 3 major sports...

It is what it is. If no Cav is deserving, then you just don't include any Cavs..

Then you and the rest of the Cleveland fans are mis-perceiving what a "rushmore" would be. Something that's the ultimate, great. If you only represent the little 20 year part of our history, you're taking away from the rest of it in a big way.

Mount Rushmore didn't get represented by just Washington and Jefferson for their efforts in the Revolutionary War and purchase of the Louisiana Territory (20-30 years). It got represented by Lincoln in the mid/late 1800s and Roosevelt in the early 1900s. It's an actual balance of the ages and personalities.

That's why the 20s-40s represents the Indians (and a possible favorite Bob Feller), the 50s-60s represents the Browns (Jim Brown and Otto Graham), the 70s-90s is like a lost era, but could be seen as saved basketball from Stepien by Gordon Gund, or founded by Nick Mileti, or coached by Bill Fitch, or nothing. 2000s may have LeBron, if he comes back and leads to a championship in this decade.

Anyways, you really do need that sports balance along with that eliteness, or it's not a rushmore...

 

[MoFlo]

Then you and the rest of the Cleveland fans are mis-perceiving what a "rushmore" would be. Something that's the ultimate, great. If you only represent the little 20 year part of our history, you're taking away from the rest of it in a big way.

Mount Rushmore didn't get represented by just Washington and Jefferson for their efforts in the Revolutionary War and purchase of the Louisiana Territory (20-30 years). It got represented by Lincoln in the mid/late 1800s and Roosevelt in the early 1900s. It's an actual balance of the ages and personalities.

That's why the 20s-40s represents the Indians (and a possible favorite Bob Feller), the 50s-60s represents the Browns (Jim Brown and Otto Graham), the 70s-90s is like a lost era, but could be seen as saved basketball from Stepien by Gordon Gund, or founded by Nick Mileti, or coached by Bill Fitch, or nothing. 2000s may have LeBron, if he comes back and leads to a championship in this decade.

Anyways, you really do need that sports balance along with that eliteness, or it's not a rushmore...

You're really taking this thing too serious, rab :chuckles:

 

[rabman_gold]

You're really taking this thing too serious, rab :chuckles:

Thanks, I'm good at that. :gap:

 

[Giambiwannabe7]

I'm biased towards baseball and football for numerous reasons, but mostly because my family has worked for the Browns in the Rutigliano years and I had legit baseball aspirations, as do my kids. Anyways, that is why my Rushmore has 2 from each team. Sorry Cavs, you just don't make it.

Watching Manny Ramirez as a rookie, I thought to myself that this kid has thee sweetest, most gracefully powerful swing by a right hander I have ever seen. I still point to his swing to my kids at how much power can come from such an easy swing. Yes, he was, at best, average in the field. Slightly above average arm, slightly below average fielder, and below average speed. Yes, he was a full scale knucklehead, but in a loveable way. In his early years here, he wasn't the Manny of BOS. He was shy, soft spoken, and lacked confidence with the media. But, he was a beast in the batter's box.

The rest of mine are pretty easy, and don't need much explanation....
Bob Feller
Jim Brown
Otto Graham

 

[Steve_424]

I'm biased towards baseball and football for numerous reasons, but mostly because my family has worked for the Browns in the Rutigliano years and I had legit baseball aspirations, as do my kids. Anyways, that is why my Rushmore has 2 from each team. Sorry Cavs, you just don't make it.

Watching Manny Ramirez as a rookie, I thought to myself that this kid has thee sweetest, most gracefully powerful swing by a right hander I have ever seen. I still point to his swing to my kids at how much power can come from such an easy swing. Yes, he was, at best, average in the field. Slightly above average arm, slightly below average fielder, and below average speed. Yes, he was a full scale knucklehead, but in a loveable way. In his early years here, he wasn't the Manny of BOS. He was shy, soft spoken, and lacked confidence with the media. But, he was a beast in the batter's box.

The rest of mine are pretty easy, and don't need much explanation....
Bob Feller
Jim Brown
Otto Graham

Manny was a huge roider, got caught twice and retired instead of facing a 100 game suspension. Does that factor in at all?

 

[Huber.]

It's funny that the two given players Brown, Feller are/were mean old men.

 

[Steve_424]

It's funny that the two given players Brown, Feller are/were mean old men.

There's a difference between being a jerk and speaking your mind. I met Feller on two separate occasions and found him to be kind. When he would sign, he would look each fan in the eye when he talked to them and take his time in connecting with each one of them. He was especially good with kids. He loved being a Cleveland Indian more than anyone else in franchise history.

Other Feller tidbits:

- Feller voluntarily enlisted in the U.S. Navy two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, knowing that by doing so he would miss out on the financial rewards of MLB.
- The offseason exhibition league he created included Negro Legaue players, which many believe helped pave the way for Robinson and Doby.
- He suggested taking a pay cut (he asked management for it) after not performing well in 1949.

Did he say some stupid/ignorant things? Absolutely. So have I, and I don't consider myself a jerk. Did he seem like a cranky old man at times? You bet. So did my grandfather...so do a lot of grandfathers...it doesn't make him a jerk.

When I think of Bob Feller, I think hero...legendary pitcher...creator of change for the greater good.

 

[-Akronite-]

Cleveland is his middle name. Horrible.

Let's put Grover Cleveland and Grover Cleveland Alexander up there too.

Owens was raised in Cleveland and became a prominent runner on a national level while going to HS in Cleveland. He's an Ohio State and American athletic legend. I'm surprised there aren't more votes, especially since a Rushmore means 4 people and we only have 3 teams. I'd go Owens, Jim Brown, Feller, and Carr, though they are all tough calls.