| Who Is The Next DC Area Sports Hero? Authored by - September 12, 2003 - 10:19 am
September 12, 2003
By Jason Rosenthal
Over the past couple years, we have witnessed the retirement of Cal Ripken and Darrell Green – two of the most famous and beloved athletes in DC area history. As another losing Orioles season winds down (without a baseball team in Washington), the dawn of a new football season here, and the introduction of Gilbert Arenas as the newest Wizards’ savior, it left me wondering – who is the next great DC area sports hero? Will there be anyone close to having the impact both on and off the field as Ripken and Green? Is that person here now? Who are the most likely candidates?
Of course, it’s virtually impossible to expect another Ripken or Green. Because of the new era of big dollar sports, things like salary caps, free agency, and the “win at all cost” mentality, few players will finish their career with whom they are most closely associated with. What in the name of Willie Mays is Emmitt Smith doing on the Arizona Cardinals??
Ripken and Green both arrived in the early 80s and were immediate successes – winning championships, kissing babies, signing autographs, and becoming the type of people that we all could look up to – especially me – an impressionable young kid. Both players sustained their personal and career success over two decades, pretty much owning Washington and Baltimore. Both retired around age 40, with deteriorating skills but huge hearts.
Ripken, the workman-like worker, galvanized Baltimoreans and O’s fans, who could identify with their homegrown blue-collar golden boy. His consecutive games streak was his defining moment — so momentous that his victory lap around Camden Yards was one of the few things ever to shut up ESPN’s Chris Berman.
Darrell Green’s punt return against the Bears in the ’87 playoffs, when he leaped over a defender, injured his rib, and still managed to take it to the house for a critical touchdown, counts as his defining moment. Both still could play late in their careers. Ripken was the All-Star game MVP in his last season and Green showed he was still effective in his last few years even if Marty Schottenheimer tried to humiliate him.
Today’s players have a lot to live up to – both in terms of how they produce on the field and what they do off of it in the community. So who are the Top 10 most likely to assume the mantle as the next DC sports hero? Let’s take a look at the candidates.
A couple of caveats before we get started. First, second tier sports like hockey, soccer, and women’s basketball do not generate the kind of publicity and following as the big three (football, basketball, baseball) in this area. I don’t care if the Caps rattle off 10 straight Stanley Cups, they’ll still be a second-class citizen in Washington. Second, the Baltimore Ravens are excluded from this list. While the Orioles have been adopted by some Washingtonians, the Ravens have not. On to the candidates:
10. Jerry Stackhouse - Stackhouse is probably too old for this list, but if he becomes a leader on a Wizards’ team that contends over the next few seasons, he’ll move up the charts. As is, the odds of him remaining with the Wizards for the rest of his four-year contract are slim. He’s a productive player, but at a position loaded with elite talent – shooting guard. The question remains whether Stackhouse is willing to sublimate his style of play for the betterment of his team. More importantly, can he step up when it counts most – in the fourth quarter and in the playoffs? Stack gets downgraded for his sometimes surly attitude and demeanor. Then again, with the way things went last year for the Wizards, I wouldn’t be smiling either.
9. Jay Gibbons - Non-Oriole fans are probably asking, who? He’s the Orioles brightest young star – a guy who could hit 25-40 homers for the next 10 years if he stays healthy. Plucked from the Toronto Blue Jays for nothing, Gibbons is an underrated hitter who would look a whole lot better if the Orioles actually put a team around him. He doesn’t seem to have that Rick Dempsey-like personality, but that image could change in a hurry if the Orioles start winning.
8. Matt Riley - Going out on a serious limb here as most reading this column are wondering where this name comes from. Drafted in 1998 by the Orioles, Riley shot up the organization’s minor league system and seemed to be the next Mike Mussina. However, he self destructed in the 2000 season, fighting with police at a nightclub and dealing with numerous injuries as well. He seemed to be headed off the prospect list after undergoing reconstructive elbow surgery (Tommy John surgery) in late 2000 and missed the entire 2001 season. However, late last season he began to turn things around and he followed that up with a productive 2003 minor-league season. Riley’s mid-90s fastball and knee-buckling curve are again striking batters out, and he earned a September call-up to the O’s. He could be a mainstay in the Orioles rotation as soon as next season and a household name by 2005. Sometimes, patience does pay off (are you listening Ernie Grunfeld?).
7. Champ Bailey - Champ is as great cornerback yet still doesn’t get the respect he deserves. The Redskins are probably underutilizing him by not involving him with the offense or special teams. Champ just turned down a huge contract offer to remain with the Redskins past this season, so who knows if he’ll even be in Washington this time next year. He has already filled Darrell’s shoes on the field, but despite his engaging smile, he doesn’t generate the aura that Darrell did. Bailey might end up being a guy who had a chance to be the next great DC area sports hero, but let his agent get in the way.
6. Juan Dixon - He’s already a local hero, but that was in college. He has a leg up on the rest of the list for bringing a national basketball championship to Maryland. The question is whether he can become a good enough pro to stick in the NBA and help the Wizards become a team that matters. Dixon was not good last year. He struggled with his shot, committed turnovers, and looked uncomfortable on an NBA court. He showed flashes of being a contributor, but he must get better. If he wants to sniff the court this year, he’ll have to earn it by winning playing time in a crowded backcourt. The odds are against him but he’s an easy one to root for.
5. Vladimir Guerrero - If Bud Selig was a halfway decent commissioner, Vlad would have played this past year in RFK Stadium as a Washington Senator. Instead, he still toils in anonymity in Montreal, while Selig flirts with the likes of Puerto Rico and Portland as permanent homes for the Expos (that’s another column). Now, as Vlad enters free agency, he most certainly won’t be a Senator, but the Orioles look to make a strong push to sign Vlad this winter. Baseball fans know who he is, but if he lands in a baseball loving market like Baltimore, the general public will worship him too. He’ll have to improve his English-speaking skills, but if the Orioles somehow sign him, they’ll be contenders faster than you can say Armando Benitez.
4. Kwame Brown - Two years ago, he would have topped this list. Michael Jordan’s chosen one, Kwame said all the right things and appeared to have the combination of personality and talent to reign over DC for decades. Two years later, we are left wondering if Kwame will even become a productive NBA starter, much less a star. A DUI arrest and a questionable work ethic aren’t helping him off the court either. Kwame can turn it around and fulfill his potential. As we’ve witnessed at MCI Center over the past two seasons, when Kwame is playing well there’s electricity in the building. The fans want to love him. But time is running out.
3. Gilbert Arenas - We are learning more and more about the kid from the Left Coast. We’ve heard about him taking a shower in his uniform during halftime — and returning to the court to play in the wet clothes. How he picked #0 when he got to Arizona because zero was the number of minutes his detractors told him he would get at a big time college program. How the Warriors gave him a key to the practice court so Arenas could work out past midnight. And most recently, how he decided between the Clippers and Wizards this offseason by flipping a coin best of ten times – and then picking the Wizards because the Clippers came up eight times and he likes to go “against the grain.” The NBA’s Most Improved Player brings his act to Washington and it promises to be entertaining. His quirkiness, coupled with his strong work ethic culled from years of being doubted, could make him a fan favorite in a hurry. Unfortunately, unlike the Redskins players, the Wizards will have to win big for most in Washington to notice.
2. Patrick Ramsey - He’s on this list almost by default – he’s the starting quarterback for the media darling Washington Redskins. There isn’t a team followed as closely in the area as the Redskins – both by the media and fans. The verdict is still out on whether Ramsey is the long-term answer at QB. But he’s tough; he’s got a rocket for an arm, and doesn’t appear fazed by the pressure he’s under. Plus, the women tell me he’s good-looking. There are countless ex-players from the Redskins glory years of the 80’s and early 90’s who are still living off their football success and exposure in this area – Jeff Bostic, Charles Mann, Gary Clark, Mark May, Joe Theismann, Rick “Doc” Walker, etc. Patrick Ramsey could be next in line. Sonny could need a radio replacement in 10 or 15 years.
1. LaVar Arrington - . LaVar’s blend of charisma and talent puts him at the top of the list for the next DC area sports hero. LaVar is as good at his craft as anyone on this list – probably the best. He’s young, engaging, a pleasure to watch, and he comes with the skills of a Ray Lewis without the baggage. Playing for the Redskins helps him. Danny Snyder will likely do everything he can to keep Arrington a Redskin for a long time. Only time will tell if he’ll put in the time and money to be a pillar of the community. He already participates in a number of NFL charities, but he’ll have to do more to become an adopted Washingtonian like Darrell.
With the way sports is today, it’s possible all 10 of these players won’t even be in DC in 10 years – perhaps they’ll all be gone in five. But for those of us growing up watching the good deeds of Ripken and Green, we can hope someone emerges and becomes a sports hero that we can all look up to and be proud of.
Jason Rosenthal is the content supervisor at WizFans.com. Got a comment on the top 10 list? Send it to jmrosenth@yahoo.com.
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