billsfan1959 Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 1 hour ago, Bobby Hooks said: I mean, I guess you can start your own thread minus baseball. But the creator of the thread added baseball so it’s 100% relevant to the discussion. Because, you know, the OP made it relevant. Don't need to start a new thread. The OP referenced Boston's four major sports teams - as in professional sports teams - and the players he mentioned all represented the city of Boston on those teams. For me, Buffalo didn't have those four major professional teams and they didn't have a professional baseball player representing the city. So, the OP can include baseball if he wants. I can choose not to. Because, you know, it's just my opinion ...and last I checked, having a differing opinion was allowed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal Deek Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 Bruce Smith Gil Perrault Bob McAdoo or Calvin Murphy Baseball? (Not relevant in WNY) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan1959 Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 2 hours ago, chongli said: Well, technically speaking, all minor league teams are considered professional, so the Bisons should count; but I understand your point. If we are talking about all pro teams from WNY and not just Buffalo, for baseball, the Rochester Red Wings, the Syracuse Mets, the former Jamestown Jammers, and Batavia Muckdogs when they were Minor League Baseball (MiLB) should be considered. Am I forgetting any baseball team? You are right, minor league teams are part of the professional system. But, for me, a player passing through on a minor league team just isn't the same as a player representing the city at the major league level - for the purposes of a "Mount Rushmore" discussion. JMO. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldmanfan Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 Football: Jim Kelly Baseball: Luke Easter Basketball: Randy Smith Hockey: Gilbert Perreault 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleeding Bills Blue Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 13 minutes ago, oldmanfan said: Football: Jim Kelly Baseball: Luke Easter Basketball: Randy Smith Hockey: Gilbert Perreault I like the Easter choice - he played in rochester too i believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haslett_Stomp Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 1 hour ago, oldmanfan said: Football: Jim Kelly Baseball: Luke Easter Basketball: Randy Smith Hockey: Gilbert Perreault Randy Smith was my favorite Brave as a kid. I was ecstatic when he won the MVP at the NBA all star game (don't remember the year). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Jokeman Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 Buffalo did infact have a major league baseball team. They were part of the Federal League in 1914/1915. The BufFeds/Blues had a player lead the league in HRs in 1915 named Hal Chase who was considered one of best fielding first baseman in his era. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 Braves: Randy Smith Sabres: Gilbert Perrault Bills: Tom Sestak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybrew1 Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 11 hours ago, bighorn_zilla said: I recently read an article on how Larry Bird, during the National Anthem, would look at Bobby Orr’s banner and think how great Orr was and what Orr meant to Boston. Which got me thinking of Boston’s Mount Rushmore of the Four Major Sports – Baseball, Basketball, Football and Hockey. So it could be argued that the following are Boston’s Mount Rushmore: Baseball – Ted Williams Basketball – Bill Russell Football – Tom Brady Hockey – Bobby Orr But who would be Buffalo’s representatives? Baseball – Connie Mack? Basketball – Bob Lanier? / Christian Laettner? Football – Jim Kelly? Hockey – Dominic Hasek? Thoughts? Ouch.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobbRiddick Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 (edited) Here's what I'd like to do to Boston's Rushmore (that's Brady at the end) Edited July 9, 2021 by RobbRiddick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal Deek Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 I still find it hard to believe that most would pick Kelly over Bruce Smith. Don’t get me wrong, Jim is right there but objectively I’d have to say Bruce’s longevity, consistency and LEAGUE record make him the pick. He was the first pick in the entire draft and lived up to all the hype that comes with that status. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 Spahn Bruuuuuuuuuuuuce Gilbert McAdoo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg S Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 4 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said: I still find it hard to believe that most would pick Kelly over Bruce Smith. Don’t get me wrong, Jim is right there but objectively I’d have to say Bruce’s longevity, consistency and LEAGUE record make him the pick. He was the first pick in the entire draft and lived up to all the hype that comes with that status. If we were to have a Bills only Mount Rushmore then I would have Kelly on it. For me it would be.... 1. Ralph - without him the Bills don't exist. 2.OJ - best offensive player the Bills ever had and arguably the best player in team history along with Bruce. 3.Bruce - best defensive player the Bills ever had and ditto above with OJ. 4Jim - face of the franchise for a long time and best QB the Bills ever had. Was the key in turning the Bills around from the horrible 84 and 85 seasons. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal Deek Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 5 minutes ago, Greg S said: If we were to have a Bills only Mount Rushmore then I would have Kelly on it. For me it would be.... 1. Ralph - without him the Bills don't exist. 2.OJ - best offensive player the Bills ever had and arguably the best player in team history along with Bruce. 3.Bruce - best defensive player the Bills ever had and ditto above with OJ. 4Jim - face of the franchise for a long time and best QB the Bills ever had. Was the key in turning the Bills around from the horrible 84 and 85 seasons. All good points. I sort of discount Ralph as he wasn’t a player, which to me was the criteria, and looking back I’d put Bruce above OJ on both longevity and league wide status over those many years. (It’s been so long since we’ve had a pass rusher like Bruce that I think many have forgotten what a truly dominant force he was.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg S Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 Just now, SoCal Deek said: All good points. I sort of discount Ralph as he wasn’t a player, which to me was the criteria, and looking back I’d put Bruce above OJ on both longevity and league wide status over those many years. (It’s been so long since we’ve had a pass rusher like Bruce that I think many have forgotten what a truly dominant force he was.) To me Bruce and OJ were 1 and 1A as far as the best players in team history. Even though Ralph wasn't a player I would still put him up there since he brought pro football to WNY. If I were to replace him then I would put Thurman up there. He was the key to those offensive teams in the late 80's/early 90's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal Deek Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 22 minutes ago, Greg S said: To me Bruce and OJ were 1 and 1A as far as the best players in team history. Even though Ralph wasn't a player I would still put him up there since he brought pro football to WNY. If I were to replace him then I would put Thurman up there. He was the key to those offensive teams in the late 80's/early 90's. It’s interesting that you bring in Thurman. I don’t recall seeing anyone else listing him. He was always that utility knife player and his overall production numbers were amazing. He’s often overlooked as he was not considered elite at any one thing but rather was really really good at just about everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg S Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 18 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said: It’s interesting that you bring in Thurman. I don’t recall seeing anyone else listing him. He was always that utility knife player and his overall production numbers were amazing. He’s often overlooked as he was not considered elite at any one thing but rather was really really good at just about everything. Thurman was the heart and soul of the no-huddle offense. I remember reading comments from opposing players/coaches back then and they all said the #1 key was stopping Thurman. Then you can get after Kelly, Reed, Lofton etc etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffaloaggie Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 18 hours ago, billsbackto81 said: Agree with the first 3 but don't see the Johnny Bench connection? Click on "Show Minors" next to Standard Batting Bench played in 1966 and 1967 for the Bisons 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark80 Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 I'm putting Tavares from the Bandits on a Buffalo Mt Rushmore over minor league baseball players. And Basketball is McAdoo. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irv Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 (edited) Football: Bruce Smith Basketball: Bob McAdoo Hockey: Gilbert Perreault Lacrosse: John Tavares Baseball: N/A Edited July 9, 2021 by Irv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stranded in Boston Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 On 7/8/2021 at 3:33 PM, PromoTheRobot said: For Buffalo natives: Baseball: Warren Spann Hockey: Pat Kane Basketball: Randy Smith Football: Gronk I'm with you on Randy Smith, Promo. Big Mac had some unforgettable seasons in Buffalo, but Randy was the heart and soul of that Braves team, one of the greatest all-around athletes in NBA history -- and a Buff State guy to boot. (As for Gronk, he can go ... well, you know!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo716 Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 Everybody knows the four major sports in Buffalo are Football Hockey Drinking And procreation And we're really good at the last two Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stranded in Boston Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 On 7/8/2021 at 3:48 PM, ticketssince61 said: Had we not made trades based on $, we would have had possibly the best starting front line in NBA history with 3 HOF'ers: Dantley / McAdoo / Malone 45 years on, it still baffles me that the Braves let Malone slip through their fingers -- 2 freakin' games?? I've often wondered if the Braves would have survived in Buffalo if they'd kept him ... Indeed, that front line would have been unstoppable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie's Dead Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 I give Randy Smith the nod over McAdoo, for his time at Buf State. Shocked that no one has mentioned Roy Hobbs for baseball. Bruuuuce (GOAT) and Perrault round it out for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dma0034 Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 Hasek is easily the best player for Hockey. He single handedly made that team a contender and is the only Sabre in any kind of GOAT conversation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gondola Jones Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 I didn't know Connie Mack had Buffalo connections. I live in a city in New Mexico that hosts a pretty big High School tournament named after Connie Mack. Quite a few major prospects have gone through this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Darragh Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 For hockey, don't forget Porky Palmer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Turk Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 10 hours ago, Freddie's Dead said: I give Randy Smith the nod over McAdoo, for his time at Buf State. Shocked that no one has mentioned Roy Hobbs for baseball. Bruuuuce (GOAT) and Perrault round it out for me. Because Roy Hobbs didn't exist? And he didn't play for Buffalo in the movie, it was simply filmed here. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADOLBILZ Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 On 7/8/2021 at 2:40 PM, chongli said: I'd have to say McAdoo is a good choice. Dantley was here only for his rookie year in 1976-77; otherwise he would clearly win over McAdoo. Well, technically I guess Moses Malone is the most renowned NBA player to play for the Braves. McAdoo was actually the best player in the NBA for a stretch while with Buffalo............Dantley had a longer prime and was a great scorer but he was more of a one-trick pony and almost all of that happened elsewhere. The Braves had to be the most personnel-lucky of any Buffalo franchise in their brief history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffaloboyinATL Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 On 7/8/2021 at 12:16 PM, bighorn_zilla said: I recently read an article on how Larry Bird, during the National Anthem, would look at Bobby Orr’s banner and think how great Orr was and what Orr meant to Boston. Which got me thinking of Boston’s Mount Rushmore of the Four Major Sports – Baseball, Basketball, Football and Hockey. So it could be argued that the following are Boston’s Mount Rushmore: Baseball – Ted Williams Basketball – Bill Russell Football – Tom Brady Hockey – Bobby Orr But who would be Buffalo’s representatives? Baseball – Connie Mack? Basketball – Bob Lanier? / Christian Laettner? Football – Jim Kelly? Hockey – Dominic Hasek? Thoughts? I would put Miller over Hasek, but the correct answer in my eyes is Gilbert Perrault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 22 hours ago, Stranded in Boston said: I'm with you on Randy Smith, Promo. Big Mac had some unforgettable seasons in Buffalo, but Randy was the heart and soul of that Braves team, one of the greatest all-around athletes in NBA history -- and a Buff State guy to boot. (As for Gronk, he can go ... well, you know!) I realize now Randy Smith was from Long Island. But he went from D3 Buff State to the NBA. He was also a soccer stud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelius Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 I feel like you have to go with The Dominator for hockey. He's simply one of the best to ever do it. LaFontaine's 148 point season was incredible and I was always a huge fan. Set the record for an American-born player, although I'm not sure if that still stands. Probably does I would think. Shame about the concussions because if he had put together another season or two like that, or simply have contributed until he was 36-38 years old like other NHL legends then he'd be in the conversation with Hasek and Perreault. Kelly and McAdoo. and then I guess Spahn, sure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelius Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 After re-reading the original post it seems it's cool to deviate outside of the actual professional teams, in which case I change my basketball vote to Uncle Cliffy Cliff Robinson and his headband. An NBA legend RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Lightning Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 Spahn Hasek Lanier Kelly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo716 Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 (edited) On 7/10/2021 at 11:48 AM, buffaloboyinATL said: I would put Miller over Hasek, but the correct answer in my eyes is Gilbert Perrault. I love Miller time.. but Dom is almost a consensus greatest goalie of all time The dude has six vezina trophies for the sabers.. most under modern voting criteria Miller isn't a top 10 goalie of all time.. hasek is guaranteed in the top three But yea it's Gilbert Edited July 11, 2021 by Buffalo716 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrimeTime101 Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 On 7/8/2021 at 12:35 PM, Motorin' said: Baseball - Warren Spahn, South Park HS graduate https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Spahn Winningest Left Handed pitcher of all-time, also took three years off in his prime to fight WWII. Basketball - Bob McAdoo Hockey - Gilbert Perrault Football - soon to be Josh Allen this.. and its not close... lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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