Who should be on the Mount Rushmore of Maryland sports? (semi-final fan voting)

[The Excellector]

Phelps reputation around town is going to damage him in the voting. The only difference between Phelps reputation around the city of Baltimore and Roethlisberger's reputation around the city of Pittsburgh is that Roethlisberger had legitimate predatory concerns attached to his name.

[alien bird]

The poll is concerning Maryland sports, not Baltimore sports, and not exclusively team sports. You have to go with the athletes who changed their sport, who transcended the sport, or who performed at a level that put their mark on the sport while becoming record-setters known at a national or international level. That would be Unitas, Ripken, Phelps and Lewis, with Katie Ledecky fifth. A lot of the others on the list were simply really good at what they did, but never became names known nationally or internationally.

[ravenmaniac4life]

Johnny Unitas (1956 - 1972, the standard by which all QB's have been measured)
Cal Ripken (1982 - 2001, top 5 greatest SS's in baseball history)
Ray Lewis (1996 - 2012, the greatest defensive football player in NFL history)
Brooks Robinson (1955 - 1977, the greatest 3rd Baseman in AL history)

Every one of those guys OWNED Baltimore during their era and they are icons in their respective sports for all time. IMO, that list is undisputable.

Whenever I think of Baltimore...those are the 4 guys that immediately pop in my head.

I'm sure you'd be hard-pressed to find a kid who's hero is Michael Phelps. Every one of the men listed above are the heroes of millions of Baltimore sports fans. Ripken and Hulk Hogan were my heroes growing up. Lol.

[Real Fan Dan]

For the final 10 I included Toots Barger because there is not much more Bawlmer or Merlin then duck pin bowlin hon!

Other than that i'm with RM4life above.

[ravenmaniac4life]

For the final 10 I included Toots Barger because there is not much more Bawlmer or Merlin then duck pin bowlin hon!

Other than that i'm with RM4life above.

Holy shit! A Toots Barger reference! Isn't she the most famous Baltimore sports figure pre-Colts/Orioles? Talk about cankles. Toots put Hilary Clinton to shame.

I bet if someone started selling Toots Barger merchandise in Bawlmer...it would sell. I know I'd buy.

[unbelievable]

Here is the list of 20 athletes for voting:

Here's my list of 10:

The final four:

• Ray Lewis
• Brooks Robinson
• Johnny Unitas
• Michael Phelps

Brooks is iconic but Cal Ripken jr gets put on the mountain top. Otherwise, you're list is dead on.

[Greg]

Artie Donovan
Boog Powell
Dancing Harry

Wild Bill Hagy is #4

What about the Big Wheel?

[Real Fan Dan]

What about the Big Wheel?

What about ... ?
Oh never mind

[moose10101]

I'm sure you'd be hard-pressed to find a kid who's hero is Michael Phelps.

LOL. I’ve seen him mobbed by hundreds of kids at one time, and it’s possible that fewer than one in ten of them has even heard of Unitas. I’ve seen kids wait in line for 2 hours to get his autograph and talk to him.

Phelps owns the damn Olympic Games. His influence is global and local. Hard-pressed, LO freaking L.

[Bhcforlife]

I can understand the feeling that Phelps and/or Ledecky didn't swim "for" Baltimore but I can't not include Phelps regardless. The city always played it up when he was swimming. He's the most decorated Olympian of all time. That's at the world level. That trumps anything anyone else on these lists have done except MAYBE Cal with the record game streak.

[Jfoh]

Harold Baines. Maryland born, played for the O's two times. Great hitter, clutch hitter with power. His biggest problem was playing in Chicago for his first ten years. The right field foul line was 30' too long. Many balls were outs there which would hav been hr in NY or Baltimore. 363 down the lines, 420 to center cost him 50-75 hr when he played there.

[DonNMass]

Agree completely. Where's Sugar Ray Leonard on this list?

Nikolai Volkoff