Baltimore Sports Mount Rushmore

A lot of sports talk radio shows do this little activity where they pick the 4 people that represent their city sports best for their Mount Rushmore. I wanted to take a page out of their book and give you all my own.

Obviously, Baltimore fans are at a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to this exercise. We have two professional sports teams to choose from currently. I know we’ve had a basketball and hockey team but not for long so really we only have the Orioles and Colts/Ravens to choose from.

So my Mount Rushmore consists of Ray Lewis, Johnny Unitas, Cal Ripken Jr, and Brooks Robinson.

Ray Lewis is the youngest of the four and is the only one currently still playing. He’s also the only Baltimore Raven. However, he is the face of Baltimore sports right now. He has been for over a decade and he will be for a very long time to come. He’s arguably the best linebacker to ever play the game and he’s still going strong at 36 years old. When you think Baltimore sports, and more specifically Baltimore football, you think of #52. He is one of the most famous names in all of football history and he’s a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame as soon as he’s eligible. Ray Lewis makes me proud to be a Ravens fan and he’s also a shoe-in for the Baltimore Mount Rushmore.

See the rest of the bunch after the jump.

Next we have Cal Ripken, Jr., the only other guy that I’ve seen play since I’ve been alive. He’s one of the greatest shortstops in baseball history and we all know of his amazing record of how many consecutive games he played 2,632 straight. Fans voted his record-breaking 2,181st straight game MLB’s Most Memorable Moment. He’s seen as God to Orioles fans and is beloved by all baseball fans. I still get chills watching him come out of the dugout to the screaming cheers of the sold-out Camden Yards during that 2,181st game. Amazing, amazing stuff.

Carrying on with the Orioles, we have the greatest third basemen of all time Brooks Robinson. The “Human Vacuum Cleaner” is often compared to Philadelphia’s legendary third basemen Mike Schmidt but many vote Brooks as the number one. He spent his entire career with the Orioles and the Hall of Famer earned 16 consecutive Gold Glove awards with his amazing defensive skills in the hot corner. He was selected for 15 straight All-Star games and played in four World Series. He also led the league in fielding percentage a record eleven seasons.

Finally, we come to the great Johnny U. One of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Damn, Baltimore has such a rich sports history. One of his greatest and most famous feats was throwing a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games, a record that hasn’t even been close to being broken. Dan Marino is next in line with 30 straight games. Wow. And this was from 1956 to 1960 when the league was nowhere near as pass-happy as it is now. He was also the winning QB in what is regarded as the greatest game ever played when the Colts took on the New York Giants in the 26th annual NFL Championship game and won 23-17 in sudden death overtime, the first overtime game in NFL history in 1958.

There you have it. My Baltimore Mount Rushmore. There are many who could be on there such as Johnathon Ogden, Peter Boulware, Ed Reed, Terell Suggs (maybe not yet but in a few years), Boog Powell, Jim Palmer, Mike Mussina, Eddie Murray, Paul Blair, and Roberto Alomar. There’s probably even more that I’m missing but anyways the point is there can only be four and those are the ones I picked. My Baltimore Sports Legends.

Who would be on your Baltimore Mount Rushmore? Comment!!