(David Crane/Daily News Staff Photographer)

An update on your Los Angeles Amazons, the local entry in the Women's Professional Football League that we featured in late September:

The gridiron girls finished the regular season as the American Conference West Division champions with a 7-1 mark, capped off by a 28-0 win at the Las Vegas Showgirlz on Saturday. They'll next take on the rival So Cal Scorpions in the playoff opener Saturday at 7 p.m. on the Bassett High field in La Puente. The Scorpions, based in La Jolla, handed the Amazons their only loss of the season, 23-12, in week 6 (Sept. 22). Coach Aubrey Duncan's Amazons beat the Scorpions in week 3, 15-13, at home (Sept. 1).
"We, as coaches, have done everything we could with the amount of time we have to practice each day -- about three hours, two days a week," Duncan said. "We're fundamentally sound and healthy right now.
"We'll just have to stop making some mistakesthat we did last time to win this game. It's do or die for both teams.
"As for Saturday's game, we're probably one of the best teams in the league defensively and we should win this game just on our defensive play. The mistakes we've been making are on offense, and fixing that, such as protecting the football, will be the key to our success."
The winner faces the American Conference East Division champ Empire State Roar (8-0) in the conference championship on Nov. 17, with the WPFL title game set for Dec. 1.
Two teams ended up disbanding during the season, including the New Mexico Burn, which gave the Amazons a forfeit victory in week 8. The Amazons traveled to Albuquerque to defeat the Burn, 64-0, in the season opener.
The Connecticut Cyclones also pulled out, which helped the Roar gain a forfeit win in the final week of the regular season. The Roar also beat the Cyclones, 61-0, in the season opener.

Posted by Tom Hoffarth at 6:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

To clarify what's going on with Pac-10 college football coverage this weekend: ESPN made a deal with Fox Sports Net to take Saturday's between No. 4 Arizona State and No. 5 Oregon and show it nationally at 3:30 p.m. with Mike Patrick, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe. Originally, that game was only going to be shown in Oregon, Arizona and California. Now it's a national broadcaast.
Uh, except in Oregon, Arizona and Southern California. We will see the Sun Devils-Ducks game as originally intended on FSN West and ESPN will be blacked out.
USC's home game against Oregon State remains one of the four ABC regional telecasts on Channel 7 at 5 p.m., opposite Boston College-Florida State and Texas A&M-Oklahoma. The South Carolina-Arkansas game is on ESPN2 at 5 p.m.

Posted by Tom Hoffarth at 8:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's hardly an original thought, this idea of transforming a sumo wrestler into an NHL goalie, as we put forth in Sunday's Daily News column that focused on the new book by Todd Gallagher called "Andy Roddick Beat Me With a Frying Pan." Suiting up a college goalie with foam padding, Gallagher tried to see what would happen if he made a morbedly obese man play goalie (see above) against an NHL team (in this case, it was members of the Washington Capitals during a practice). He also had sumo wrestlers take part in drills with the L.A. Avengers of the Arena Football League to see if they had a future as an offensive lineman.
As for sumos as NHL goalies, we recall an episode of “West Wing” back in 2001, where Sam (Rob Lowe) was blathering on to Josh (Bradley Whitford) after watching the Washington Capitals lose that “if I owned a hockey team . . . I’d hire a sumo wrestler. I’d give him a uniform, transportation, 500 bucks a week to sit in the goal, eat a ham sandwich, and enjoy the game. My team would never get scored on.”
That’s right about the time Charles Wang bought the New York Islanders. Wang, who moved to Queens in New York from Beijing when he was 8, suggested to then team-general manager Mike Milbury upon buying the team in 2000 that he look into finding a sumo to play goalie. Milbury’s response was to take 6-foot-1, 210-pound Rick DiPietro with the first pick of the ’00 NHL draft and eventually sign him to a $67.5 million contract that takes him through – seriously – 2021.
When we asked around to some of our hockey people around town their thoughs on whether a sumo could make it as a goalie, the reaction was predictably sour. Most said they thought it would affect the integrity of the game.
Bob Miller, the Kings' Hall of Fame play-by-play announcer, is one who's open minded about it.
"Perhaps you've hit on a wonderful idea for the Kings' problems in goal," he wrote back in an email. "I agree, I don't know why a team doesnt just put someone the size of a sumo wrestler in front of the net and tell him to stay put....don't leave that net to play the puck. Talk about having nowhere to shoot."
We'll give Gallagher the last word. Again.
"Some sumo wrestlers are incredibly quick," he said. "But no matter how big a person is, you're probably still better off with someone smaller and quicker."
Then again, with all the sumo scandals going in Japan these days ... read about it yourself.

Posted by Tom Hoffarth at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By DAVE GOLDBERG
Associated Press
Commissioner Roger Goodell and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones spent 20 minutes or so this week trying to sell an idea that the NFL hasn’t had to try and sell for almost 40 years: that it has a product worth televising.
In this case, the subject is the Culver City-based NFL Network, which four years into its existence is about 30 percent behind where it thought it would be when it began operations. It’s in 35 million homes nationwide instead of the 50 million Goodell acknowledges the NFL thought it would have at this point.
Why? Because some of the nation’s largest cable companies continue to balk at the league’s request that they show it on their basic tier.

In fact, the major cable outfit that has the network, Comcast, jumped it up this year to a digital sports tier, dropping its exposure from 9 million homes to 1 million in its area — basically the highly populous
Middle Atlantic region.
This became an issue last November when the NFL Network began carrying eight late-season games on Thursday and Saturday nights. It could come to a head in late November, when Dallas and Green Bay square off for what could be the overall lead in the NFC.
Or in December, when New England plays its final game on Dec. 29 at the New York Giants, a contest that will be of historic significance if the Patriots, currently 7-0, are trying to finish the first unbeaten regular season since
Miami in 1972.
At this point, the only folks without the NFL Network who will get those games are ones in the local viewing areas. In the rest of the country, it will be seen primarily by those who get the network through smaller cable companies, on satellite television, or through telephone company connections.
Jones, who recently became chairman of the league’s NFL Network committee, naturally is concerned about Dallas’ game with Green Bay on Thursday night, Nov. 29.
“We’ve been getting calls and mail from folks in our area already,” Jones said. “Places in Oklahoma and West Texas that aren’t in our direct market but are full of our fans want to know why they won’t be able to see that game.”
The Cowboys’ answer: switch to one of the satellite companies or the phone companies.
But that doesn’t solve the NFL’s long-term problem.
Not since the late 1960s, when Pete Rozelle went from network to network trying to sell his dream of a Monday night package, has the NFL been a seller in the television market. Rozelle, of course, was correct about prime time: ABC, then by far the smallest of the major networks, took a shot at Monday night programming in 1970 and it became an instant hit that persists today.
The NFL prevailed also in the early 1990s when the networks claimed that despite high ratings, they were paying so much for football they were losing money. They even hinted they would ask for rebates.
Fox jumped into the picture in the next bidding round, went sky high to get the NFC package, and shoved CBS out. Then CBS elbowed out NBC for the AFC package. NBC came back in last year when ABC nominally dropped out of its prime-time role, ceding its package to its partner, ESPN.
But the NFL Network is different.
More than five years ago, Paul Tagliabue sat at dinner the night after the league meetings in Orlando and spoke about wraparound coverage. He believed there were millions of die-hard fans who would watch chatter and highlights 365 days a year. Asked then if he ever envisioned televising games on an NFL-owned station, he was
noncommittal.
“Down the line, maybe,” he said.
Last year became down the line and the NFL was cautious in scheduling the games it carried. Most of them had middle-of-the-road contests between middling teams. The most significant game, as it could be this year, was the last one, when the struggling Giants beat Washington and secured a wild-card playoff berth.
It was shown over the air in New York, overcoming the fact that the two major cable carriers in that area, Cablevision and Time Warner, don’t carry the network.
But there wasn’t overwhelming national interest in a 7-8 team fighting for a playoff berth. And incessant round-the-clock talk and highlights already are available on ESPN and the Fox sports affiliates for most die-hards.
One way the NFL could get leverage would be to schedule high-profile games for the NFL Network, then challenge the major cable companies to respond to subscriber demand.
“Yes, but we’re never sure which games will be big at the end of the season,” Goodell responds.
Beyond that, of course, there are pressures from Fox, CBS, NBC and ESPN.
Next week’s New England-Indianapolis game, which the league knew before the season was likely to be huge, will be shown in late afternoon by CBS even though NBC no doubt wanted it for a night game.
But the league is sensitive about ensuring that Fox and CBS get their share of the big games, especially with “flexible scheduling” in effect since last season, allowing attractive games to be switched to NBC prime time on
Sundays late in the season.
But as Goodell pointed out, nothing is ever certain.
Atlanta, for example, was scheduled this season for three night games, including one at home against Indianapolis on Thanksgiving night that will be the first on the NFL Network. The Falcons were chosen before anyone knew they would be without Michael Vick, the main attraction for viewers outside the Atlanta area. Given that they
are 1-6, that game now looks like a potential blowout folks will be loathe to watch after a big dinner and two more attractive games during the day-- plus competition from USC playing at Arizona State on ESPN that night.
The leverage for the network starts the next week with Green Bay-Dallas and might peak the final Saturday night. Right now, there is little talking between the sides, although there might be more if there is real demand for those games.
Meanwhile, Jones and Goodell sounded a lot this week like businessmen with a underperforming product, one that might even be losing money.
Asked if that was the case, Jones responded: “We’re a private company. We don’t have to say.” Then he responded: “We’re making money.”
It didn’t sound all that convincing.

Posted by Tom Hoffarth at 4:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hollywood has always had its hands in making sports films, going back to when Harold Lloyd was doing crazy things with nutty props, through a bunch of crazies trying to pass off themselves as "The Comebacks." Many of the teams are based on real-life squads, but the characters portraying the athlete are usually fictional, and thus, are a product of the Southern California creative minds. And, they each have their own numbers connected to them.
As a post-script to the series on the All-Time Southern California sports roster, we have an additional ist of numbers that are most connected to movie characters created by people living among us (some, real players, of course, played by actors):

Our pick of all the movie numbers:

==99: Rick Vaughn (Charlie Sheen) “Major League” (1989)
(Replica T-shirts now on sale at BaseballSaavy.com for $18.99)

Runner up:
==16: Joe Pendleton (Warren Beatty) as a Rams quarterback who makes it to the Super Bowl in "Heaven Can Wait" (1978)
==8: Crash Davis (Kevin Costner) in "Bull Durham" (1988) (although in some scenes, you'll see him wearing a helmet with the No. 20 on the back as he's wearing it backwards while making trips to the mound)
==9: Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) in “The Natural” (1984)
==22: Paul Crewe (Burt Reynolds) in "The Longest Yard" (1974)
==33: Charles Jefferson (Forest Whitaker) in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982)

The others:
==00: Willie Mays Hayes (Wesley Snipes) in “Major League" (1989)
==00: Barney Gorman (Tony Danza) in "The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenom" (1998)
==1: Dean Youngblood (Rob Lowe) in "Youngblood" (1986)
==1: Joe Kingman (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) in "The Game Plan" (2007)
==3: Kelly Leak (Jackie Earle Haley) in "The Bad News Bears" (1976)
==4: Jonathan "Mox" Moxon (James Van Der Beek) in "Varsity Blues" (1999)
==5: Mae Mordabito (Madonna) in "A League of Their Own" (1992)
==5: The car driven by Michael Delaney (Steve McQueen) in "Le Mans" (1971)
==7: Jake Taylor (Tom Berenger) in “Major League” (1989)
==7: Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman) in "Slap Shot" (1977)
==7: Jess Bhamra (Parminder Nagra) in "Bend It Like Beckham" (2002) (wearing Beckham's number)
==8: Jonathan E (James Caan) in "Rollerball" (1975)
==8: Duke Temple (Steve Yeager) in “Major League” (1989) (the ex-Dodgers catcher couldn't even get his old No. 7 as the Indians coach)
==11: Amanda Whurlitzer (Tatum O'Neal) in "The Bad News Bears" (1976)
==11: K.C. Carr (Raquel Welch) in “Kansas City Bomber” (1972), which included real Roller Derby L.A. T-Birds (such as John Hall and Danny Reilly)
==11: Arthur Agee in Hoop Dreams (1994)
==12: Reno Hightower (Kurt Russell) in "The Best of Times" (1986)
==12: Tanner Boyle (Chris Barnes) in "The Bad News Bears" (1976)
==13: Willie Beaman (Jamie Foxx) in "Any Given Sunday" (1999)
==14: Billy Chapel (Kevin Costner) in “For Love of the Game” (1999)
==14: Michelle Langford (Vivica A. Fox) in "Juwanna Mann" (2002)
==16: Shane Falco (Keanu Reeves) in "The Replacements" (2000)
==16: Seth Maxwell (Mac Davis) in "North Dallas Forty" (1979)
==16: Jack Hanson (Dave Hanson) in "Slap Shot" (1977)
==17: Steve Hanson (Steve Carlson) in "Slap Shot" (1977)
==17: Doug Remer (Matt Stone) in "BASEketball" (1998)
==18: Jeff Hanson (Jeff Carlson) in "Slap Shot" (1977)
==18: Paul Crewe (Adam Sandler) in "The Longest Yard" (2005)
==20: Gavin Grey (Dennis Quaid) in "Everybody's All-American" (1988)
==21: Stan Ross (Bernie Mac) in "Mr. 3000" (2004)
==22: Juwanna Mann (Miguel Nunez Jr.) playing for the WUBA's Banshees (as Jamal Jeffries) in "Juwanna Mann" (2002)
==22: William Gates in "Hoop Dreams" (1994)
==24: Roger Dorn (Corbin Bernsen) in “Major League” (1989)
==26: Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) in "Talladega Nights" (2006)
==32: Monica Wright (Sanaa Latham) in "Love and Basketball" (2000)
==33: Julian Washington (LL Cool J) in "Any Given Sunday" (1999)
==33: Stef Djordjeciv (Tom Cruise) in "All The Right Moves" (1983)
==34: Lincoln High's Jesus Shuttlesworth (Ray Allen) in "He Got Game" (1998)
==37: Ebby Calvin "Nook" LaLoosh (Tim Robbins) in "Bull Durham" (1988)
==41: Brian Piccolo (James Caan) in "Brian's Song" (1971)
==40: Kent Stock (Sean Astin) in "The Final Season" (2007)
==40: Max "Hammer" Dubois (Dennis Haysbert) in "Mr. Baseball" (1992)
==44: Luther “Boom Boom” Jackson (Ron Rich) in "The Fortune Cookie" (1966). Jackson runs over cameraman Harry Hinkle (Jack Lemon) and sets brother in law Willie Gingrich (Walter Matthau) out to get him insurance money. At Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, 1966.
==44: Joe Cooper (Trey Parker) in "BASEketball" (1998)
==45: Boobie Miles (Derek Luke) in "Friday Night Lights" (2004) (Miles' number is actually 35)
==50: Neon Bodeaux (Shaquille O'Neal) in "Blue Chips" (1994)
==53: Herbie in "The Love Bug" (1968): Producer Bill Walsh came up with the number from Dodgers pitcher Don Drysdale's uniform. He chose the red, white, and blue racing stripes for a patriotic theme.
==54: Jack Elliott (Tom Selleck) in "Mr. Baseball" (1992)
==69: O.W. Shaddock (John Matuzak) in "North Dallas Forty" (1979)
==69: Lawrence (John Goodman) in "Everybody's All-American" (1988)
==85: Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.) in "Jerry Maguire" (1996)
==87: Phillip Elliott (Nick Nolte) in "North Dallas Forty" (1979)
==99: Irwin “Fletch” Fletcher (Chevy Chase) in “Fletch” (1985) and “Fletch Lives” (1989), wearing a wig and Lakers uniform
==99: Jack Dundee (Robin Williams) in "The Best of Times" (1986)

The others:
(No tthat we didn't have enough time to do all the research, but we thought we'd let you find these numbers if you were so inclined -- check your own DVD collection -- and submit others):
==xx: Harold "Speedy" Lamb (Harold Lloyd) in "The Freshman" (1925)
==xx: Lucy Draper (Kathy Ireland) in "Necessary Roughness" (1991)
==xx: Bobby Rayburn (Wesley Snipes) in "The Fan" (1996)
==xx: Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) in "A League of Their Own" (1992)
==xx: Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks) in "A League of Their Own" (1992)
==xx: Doris Murphy (Rosie O'Donnell) in "A League of Their Own" (1992)
==xx: Jim Morris (Dennis Quaid) in "The Rookie" (2002)
==xx: Henry Wiggin (Michael Moriarty) in "Bang The Drum Slowly" (1973)
==xx: Bruce Pearson (Robert DeNiro) in "Bang The Drum Slowly" (1973)
==xx: Robert Hatch (Sylvester Stallone) in "Victory" (1981)
==xx: John Colby (Michael Caine) in "Victory" (1981)
==xx: Bingo Long (Billy Dee Williams) in "Bingo Long's Traveling All Stars and Motor Kings" (1976)
==xx: Leon Carter (James Earl Jones) in "Bingo Long's Traveling All Stars and Motor Kings" (1976)
==xx: Charlie Snow (Richard Pryor) in "Bingo Long's Traveling All Stars and Motor Kings" (1976)
==xx: Professor Vernon K. Simpson (Ray Milland) in "It Happens Every Spring" (1949)

What else did we miss?
You've got our vote, now let's see yours:

Posted by Tom Hoffarth at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's officially over: Double zero to ninety nine have been chosen. Now, please, state your case as to who was more deserving and who wasn't. Results will be included in a future column:

No. 0-00: Benoit Benjamin
No. 1: Rod Dedeaux
No. 2: Tom Lasorda
No. 3: Carson Palmer
No. 4: Rob Blake
No. 5: Reggie Bush
No. 6: Steve Garvey
No. 7: Bob Waterfield
No. 8: Kobe Bryant
No. 9: Lisa Leslie

No. 10: Ron Cey
No. 11: Matt Leinart
No. 12 : Charles White
No. 13 : Wilt Chamberlain
No. 14 : Mike Scioscia
No. 15 : Ann Meyers
No. 16 : Gary Beban
No. 17 : Bill Kilmer
No. 18 : Dave Taylor
No. 19 : Jim Gilliam

No. 20 : Luc Robitaille, over Don Sutton
No. 21 : Michael Cooper
No. 22 : Elgin Baylor
No. 23 : Eric Karros, over Kirk Gibson and David Beckham
No. 24 : Kobe Bryant (again)
No. 25 : Gail Goodrich
No. 26 : Jon Arnett
No. 27 : Vladimir Guerrero
No. 28 : Anthony Davis
No. 29 : Eric Dickerson

No. 30 : Nolan Ryan, over Maury Wills and Rogie Vachon
No. 31 : Mike Piazza over Cheryl and Reggie Miller
No. 32 : Magic Johnson, over Sandy Koufax, Bill Walton, O.J. Simpson and Marcus Allen (Raiders)
No. 33 : Lew Alcindor/Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, over Marcus Allen (USC)
No. 34 : Fernando Valenzuela, over Shaquille O'Neal and Bo Jackson
No. 35 : Sidney Wicks
No. 36 : Bo Belinsky
No. 37 : Lester Hayes
No. 38 : Eric Gagne
No. 39 : Sam Cunningham

No. 40 : Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch
No. 41 : Glenn Davis
No. 42 : James Worthy
No. 43 : Troy Palamalu
No. 44 : Jerry West
No. 45 : A.C. Green
No. 46 : Todd Christensen
No. 47 : LeRoy Irvin
No. 48 : Ramon Martinez
No. 49 : Tom Niedenfuer

No. 50 : Jimmie Reese
No. 51 : Randy Cross
No. 52 : Jamaal Wilkes
No. 53 : Don Drysdale
No. 54 : Marques Johnson
No. 55 : Orel Hershiser
No. 56 : Jarrod Washburn
No. 57 : Francisco Rodriguez
No. 58 : Isiah Robertson
No. 59 : Bob Brudzinski

No. 60 : Clay Matthews
No. 61 : Rich Saul
No. 62 : Bill Bain
No. 63 : Mike McDonald
No. 64 : Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds
No. 65 : Tom Mack
No. 66 : Bruce Matthews
No. 67 : Duval Love
No. 68 : Mike McKeever
No. 69 : Chad Overhauser

No. 70 : Harry Smith
No. 71 : Joe Scibelli
No. 72 : Don Mosebar
No. 73 : Dennis Rodman
No. 74 : Merlin Olsen
No. 75 : Deacon Jones
No. 76 : Rosey Grier
No. 77 : Anthony Munoz
No. 78 : Jackie Slater
No. 79 : Jonathan Ogden

No. 80 : Don Moomaw
No. 81 : Tim Brown
No. 82 : Greg Hopkins
No. 83 : Ted Hendricks
No. 84 : Jerry Robinson
No. 85 : Jack Youngblood
No. 86 : Marlin McKeever
No. 87 : Danny Farmer
No. 88 : Pat Curran
No. 89 : Fred Dryer

No. 90 : Larry Brooks
No. 91 : Kevin Greene
No. 92 : Rick Tocchet
No. 93 : Greg Townsend
No. 94 : Kenechi Udeze
No. 95 : Jamir Miller
No. 96 : Darrell Russell
No. 97 : Jeremy Roenick
No. 98 : Parnelli Jones
No. 99 : Wayne Gretzky

Posted by Tom Hoffarth at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No. 99:
Our pick:
==Wayne Gretzky, Kings (1988-'96)

The story goes that he idolized Gordie Howe, who wore No. 9. As a teenager, Gretzky tried No. 19, but it didn't fit well. Finally, as a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, he made it a pair of 9s. Thus became the legend.
On the NHL.com website, there's a link to 99 reasons why Gretzky has been named the greatest player in hockey history.
The league says he still holds or shares 61 records listed in the Official Guide and Record Book.
He's even got a decent restaurant in Toronto.
The band Goldfinger wrote a song about him. The lyrics include:
Wayne Gretzky
The only man I'd have sex with.
Wayne Gretzky
I'd be intimate with
Wayne Gretzky
I think hes kinda sexy
Wayne Gretzky
I wonder what he looks like naked
I wonder what it would be like to have sex with the great one
I wonder what it would be like to have sex with the league's leading scorer
Wayne Gretzky
What more needs to be said.
Did he bring a Stanley Cup to Los Angeles. No. He got 'em to the finals.
Did he set the record for career goals while in a Kings' jersey? Yes, on March 23, 1994, and you can relive it in the video above.
Did he influence the growth of hockey in the Pacific Time zone without him? Kings analyst Jim Fox, a former teammate, talks about it on this Yahoo! Sports video Q-and-A.
Did he become part of pop culture history when Vince Vaughn made "Gretzky's head bleed" in an EA Sports NHL 94 video game during a scene in "Swingers"? Check out the video here (note: Roenick scores for Chicago), with Sue wearing Gretzky's jersey:

We could go on and on. But we've reached the end at about as good a place as any.

Other No. 99s:
==Mike Patterson, USC football ('01-'04)
==Tim Ryan, USC football ('86-'89)
==Ricky Hunley, Raiders ('89-'90)
==Mitch Williams, Angels ('95)
==Kenyon Coleman, UCLA football ('97-'01)

Sports Illustrated's pick for the all-time No. 99: You need to guess? (True, it's Gretzky ... did you expect George Mikan?)

Did we miss anyone?
You've got our vote, now let's see yours:

Posted by Tom Hoffarth at 8:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No. 98:
Our pick:
==Parnelli Jones, motorsports

Rufus Parnell Jones, inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1992 and International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990, may be best remembered for winning the Indianapolis 500 in 1963. But when his family moved to Torrance, he started drag racing under the name Parnelli so that his family wouldn't find out what was going on (he was only 17). At the Carroll Speedway in Gardena, Jones started his career developing as a sprint and midget racer when he got the attention of promoter J.C. Agajanian, the owner of the old Ascot Park in Gardena and his new car sponsor. Jones' No. 98 was a staple of Ascot Park in its hey day. He won five of the nine midget car events that he entered in 1966, including the Turkey Night Grand Prix at Ascot. He finished fourteenth in the final points despite competing in only nine of 65 events. He ended up in the National Midget Racing Hall of Fame.
Jones retired with six IndyCar wins and 12 pole positions, four wins in 34 NASCAR starts , 25 midget car feature wins in occasional races between 1960 and 1967, and 25 career sprint car wins.
He also excelled as a car owner and ran a chain of Parnelli Jones Tire Centers, including his home base in Torrance.

Runner up:
==Tom Harmon, Rams ('46-'47)
Known as "Old No. 98" when winning the Heisman Trophy at the University of Michigan, Harmon was drafted by the Chicago Bears but opted not to play in the NFL. He got into acting (playing himself in his own biopic), and went into World War II. When he got out, he landed in Los Angeles and decided to give it pro football a shot and play for the local team, the Rams. The war injuries limited his time over two seasons, and he actually paid the team back the salary he took.
But he wore ol' 98 again in those two years with the Rams.
After that, he launched a career in broadcasting on radio and TV -- one of the first athletes to make the transition to the medium of TV. He became a legendary sportscaster at L.A.'s KTLA Channel 5 and at KNX radio. As a result, Harmon became one of the most recognizable sports figures in these parts. The Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association have an annual awards program now, giving out the "Tommys," in Harmon's honor.
Then there's that whole thing where his son was a star quarterback at UCLA, his daughter married Ricky Nelson, his twin grandsons became rock stars ... Tom Harmon is part of the sports fabric of Los Angeles up until his death recently. He deserves this much recognition.

Sports Illustrated's pick for the all-time No. 98: Harmon, over Tony Siragusa

Did we miss anyone?
You've got our vote, now let's see yours:

Posted by Tom Hoffarth at 8:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No. 97:
Our pick:
==Jeremy Roenick, Kings (2005-06)

One lousy season at Staples Center -- 58 games, nine goals, 13 assists, 36 penalty minutes -- and he was gone. Picked up as a big name in the year after the lockout season, Roenick did a tremendous job as an ambassador for the team even if his time on the ice was limited. His reputation with Chicago, Philadelphia and Phoenix made him a great name signing. But he was gone back to Phoenix the next season, and now is with San Jose, signing a $500,000 deal.
When Roenick appeared in an exhibition game with San Jose last month, the Staples Center fans booed him.
"I'm trying to forget about L.A. to be honest," he told the San Jose Mercury News. "That wasn't a very good time for me."
The guy's got 495 career goals with 675 assists going into this season. And during the Kings' two-game series against the Ducks in London recently, an ESPN.com columnist spotted someone wearing a Roenick Kings' No. 97 sweater.
Plus, our friends (Chicago natives) still have a dog named Roenick, so his legend lives on. In little piles in their backyard.
Find out more about his comings and goings at his own website.

Other No. 97s:
==Harper Howell, UCLA football ('80-'83)

Sports Illustrated's pick for the all-time No. 97: Simeon Rice, over Roenick and Corneilus Bennett

Did we miss anyone?
You've got our vote, now let's see yours:

Posted by Tom Hoffarth at 8:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No. 96:
Our pick:
==Darrell Russell, USC football (1994-'96)

His tragic story ended with his death in December, 2005, killed in a high-speed car crash in Culver City with former USC teammate Mike Bastianelli. Russell was 29.
At USC, he startedl as a freshman and after his team-high nine sacks as a junior, he decided to turn professional
The Oakland Raiders made the 6-foot-5, 325-pounder the No. 2 overall pick by in the 1997 draft and signed a seven-year, $22 million contract -- the richest ever at the time by a rookie -- but then substance abuse problems ruined his career. He had 28½ sacks in five seasons with Raiders, making the Pro Bowl in 1998 and 1999.
Russell was suspended three times for violating the league’s substance abuse policy and his career never really recovered. After being released by the Raiders at the end of his second suspension, he played briefly for the Washington Redskins in 2003 and was released before training camp by Tampa Bay the following year.
Russell tested positive for drugs again and was suspended indefinitely in July 2004.
Russell talked about his problems this summer at the NFL’s rookie symposium, which is used to teach new players what pitfalls to avoid in their careers.

Other No. 96s:
==Neil Hope, Rams ('87)
==Lawrence Jackson, USC football ('04- )

Sports Illustrated's choice for the all-time No. 96: Cortez Kennedy over Pave Bure.

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Posted by Tom Hoffarth at 8:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No. 95:
Our pick:
==Jamir Miller, UCLA football (1991-93)

The All-American and Butkus Award finalist linebacker's name came up recently when UCLA was facing BYU. Miller set a single-game record with 4.5 sacks during the Bruins' 68-14 win over the Cougars at the Rose Bowl in 1993, the most lopsided loss in BYU history. Miller finished his career tied with Donnie Edwards with 12.5 sacks, third all time. Miller and J.J. Stokes shared the Red Sanders Award for team MVP in '93 and Miller shared the Donn Moomaw Award for top defensive player in the annual game against USC that season.
The Arizona Cardinals drafted him in the first round in '94, but he made his mark with the Cleveland Browns, starting in 1999 and ending his career on '01.

Other No. 95s:
None.

Sports Illustrated's pick for the all-time No. 95: Richard Dent

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Posted by Tom Hoffarth at 8:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No. 94:
Our pick:
==Kenechi Udeze, USC football ('00-'03)

Former USC assistant coach Ed Orgeron tells the story that the recruitment of Udeze out of Verbum Dei High was the first real star that Pete Carroll's new staff was able to land, setting the wheels in motion for a strech of success that the program hadn't seen since the '70s. USC was 5-7 during Udeze's freshman season, improved to 6-6, and then went 11-2 on '02, winning the Pac-10 title. He then helped them to the Rose Bowl win in '04 that clinched the No. 1 ranking in the final AP poll.
A three-year starter who finished with a school-record 28 sacks, 14 forced fumbles, two blocked kicks and 135 tackles was the first Trojan defensive lineman to earn All-America honors since Tim Ryan (1989). BKU posted 24 sacks in the 26 final games of his career.
The Minnesota Vikings took him with the 20th pick of the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft and gave him No. 95. And, for the record, Kenechi means "God's love will always be with me" in Nigerian, his native country.

Runner-up:
==Mike Lodish, UCLA football (1985-'89)
The 6-foot-3, 270 pound defensive end and nose tackle was a 10th round pick of the Buffalo Bills in the 1990 draft. Then he drifted over to the Denver Broncos (where he wore No. 97). As a result, played 11 seasons in the NFL and holds a league record with most Super Bowl appearances -- six. These days, Lodish is the president of Ethos Sports, a full-service sports agency service.

Other No. 94s:
==Paul Bergmann, UCLA football ('79-'83)
==Don Yi, Dodgers (1994).
He was the interpreter for South Korean native rookie Chan Ho Park, a 31-year-old computer engineer out of UCLA who the team issued a uniform to and kept him on the bench.

Sports Illustrated's pick for the all-time No. 94: Charles Haley

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Posted by Tom Hoffarth at 8:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No. 93:
Our pick:
==Greg Townsend, Raiders (1983-'93)

The L.A. born Townsend got to play his entire NFL career in the city before going to Philadelphia ('94) and returning to Oakland ('97). The NFL's rookie of the year out of TCU was a fourth-round pick. He's 11th on the Raiders' all-time sack list with 109.5, going to the Pro Bowl in '91 and '92. He led the team in sacks five times, with a high of 12.5 sacks in '90 and 13 sacks in '91. In a Q-and-A with a Raiders' website, he was asked his most memorable game.
"All of the games I played in were good. The battles with San Diego were good. The battles with Denver were always good as well and even the battles we had with Miami were good. In 1985 we played a game against Denver Broncos in Denver. This game would decide who was going to go to the playoffs that season. We went into overtime, and Denver won the toss. During the first play of overtime, I sacked John Elway, he fumbled, and we recovered the ball. Chris Bahr comes in to kick the field goal, we win the game, and we move on to the playoffs. That had to be the most memorable game for me."

Other No. 93s:
None.

Sports Illustrated's pick for the all-time No. 93: Doug Gilmore

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Posted by Tom Hoffarth at 8:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No. 92:
Our pick:
==Rick Tocchet, Kings (1994-'96)

A reach, for sure, but it would be criminal to leave him off this roster. His stop with the Kings for two seasons, which resulted in a total of 31 goals and 40 assists, plus grinding out 187 in penalty minutes, was brief compared to his time in Philadephia (eight seasons), Pittsburgh (three seasons), Boston (two seasons), Washington (one season), Phoenix (three seasons) and back with Philly (the last three) before retiring in '02.
Then he showed up as a bench coach for former Kings teammate Wayne Gretzky, and all hell broke loose.
In Feb., 2006, he was served with a criminal complaint, accused of financing a nationwide sports gambling ring based in New Jersey. Somehow Mrs. Gretzky got linked to it. Eventually, Tocchet plead guilty to conspiracy and promoting gambling and got two years probation in exchange for his plea. Last we heard of him, he went to the World Series of Poker in Vegas last July and survived the first day, but didn't come back for the second day.

Other No. 92s:
None.

Sports Illustrated's pick for the all-time No. 92: Reggie White over Michael Strahan

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Posted by Tom Hoffarth at 8:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No. 91:
Our pick:
== Kevin Greene, Rams (1985-'92)

Almost as fast as Eric Dickerson faded from the Rams' roster, Greene did the same kind of big-time departure after making a lot of noise. The team's sack leader (16.5) was second in the league behind Reggie White in 1988. The big game was sacking San Francisco's Joe Montana 4.5 times in a key late-season game that the Rams had to win to make it into the playoffs.
Greene was All-Pro the next season (another 16.5 sack season, fourth in the league). In 1990, his 13 sacks were tied for sixth. But his three year total -- 46 -- was the most of any player in the league.
And it was his ticket out.
He left for the Pittsburgh Steelers, ended up later in Carolina ... it's really just tedious details. He was on the NFL's All-1990s decade team, but the Hulk Hogan wannabe got into pro wrestling before he finally retired in '99.

Runner ups:
==Sergei Fedorov, Ducks ('03-'06)
==Chester McGlockton, Raiders ('92-'94, plus three more years in Oakland)

Sports Illustrated's pick for the all-time No. 91: Fedorov, over Dennis Rodman (Chicago) and Greene.

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Posted by Tom Hoffarth at 8:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No. 90:
Our pick:
==Larry Brooks, Rams (1972-'82)

The only defensive tackle in team history to lead the Rams in sacks during a season -- 14.5 (which actually tied him with Jack Youngblood in '76). He also led the team with eight sacks in '78, went to five consecutive Pro Bowls, was All-NFC six times ... and ask Phil Simms what it was like meeting Our Mr. Brooks (pictured here tackling Walter Payton). An L.A. Rams fan site notes that on Oct. 28, 1979, Brooks broke through the New York Giants line and wrapped up Simms, dug his helmet into Simms' chest and "buried him to the ground." Simms was out a few plays because of it.

Other No. 90s:
==Frostee Rucker, USC ('03-'05)
==Mike Wise, Raiders (1986-'90)
The defensive end out of UC Davis committed suicide in 1992.

Sports Illustrated's pick for the all-time No. 90: Neal Smith, over Bob Kurland, Jevon Kerse and George Webster.

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Posted by Tom Hoffarth at 8:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No. 89:
Our pick:
==Fred Dryer, Rams (1972-'81)

"Hunter" was a hunter as a Rams defensive end who came to L.A. after stops in New York (with the Giants) and New England out of San Diego State. He shared the starting spot with Jack Youngblood on the left side before he was moved to the right side in '73.
His claim to fame was becoming the only NFL player to have two safeties in the same game -- both of them in the fourth quarter of a game against Green Bay on Oct. 21, '73 (and both were Packers' quarterbacks, Scott Hunter and Jim Del Gaizo.) Go to this link to hear Dick Enberg's call of the plays on the Rams' radio network.
In '75, he was second to Youngblood in the NFL with 12 sacks and made his second Pro Bowl. Dryer was still around when the Rams of L.A. made their only Super Bowl appearance against Pittsburgh at the Rose Bowl.
Then, he became a TV star. Or, at least, a TV personality.
It started with an uncredited appearance in 1976 in the Disney movie "Gus." Maybe that was on purpose.
Eventually, as "Hunter," the NBC series that ran from 1984-'91, Dryer attracted a whole new audience, and an acting career that he continues with today. Even without Stepfanie Kramer.

Other No. 89s:
==Charles Young, USC football ('70-'72)
==Jim O’Bradovich, USC football ('73-'74)
==Hoby Brenner, USC football ('78-'80)
==Nate Shaw, USC football ('64-'66)
==Norm Anderson, UCLA football ('72-'75)

Sports Illustrated's pick for the all-time No. 89: Mike Ditka over Gino Marchetti

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No. 88 :
Our pick:
==Pat Curran, Rams (1969-'74)

The big tight end lasted five seasons with the Rams before heading to the San Diego Chargers and made himself much more of a receiver (107 catches in four seasons, versus eight in five years in L.A.).
There's a guy on EBay selling Curran knock off jerseys for about $120 if you're interested.
Again, maybe it's just me and when I grew up watching the Rams, but the only person who wore No. 88 that could possibly be a better candidate is ...

Runner-up:
==Tim Rossovich, USC football ('65-'67)
The Trojans were 24-7-1 in his career, including a national title. Voted USC lineman of the year in '67 and drafted in the first round by the Philadelphia Eagles. After his NFL career ended, he became an actor and stuntman in Hollywood.

Other No. 88s:
==Sean LaChapelle, UCLA football ('89-'92)

Sports Illustrated's pick for the all-time No. 88: Alan Page, over Lynn Swann, Marvin Harrison, Eric Lindros and Michael Irvin

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Posted by Tom Hoffarth at 9:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No. 87:
Our pick:
==Danny Farmer, UCLA football (1995-'99)

The 6-foot-4 all-around athlete out of Loyola High came to UCLA without a scholarship and as a redshirt freshman lead the team with 31 catches, including an 88-yard touchdown against Tennessee in his first game.
As a junior, he set a school record with 1,274 yards on 58 catches, averaging 22.0 yards per reception to lead the Pac-10. That included a 77-yard grab against Miami. He ended up as the school's career leader in receiving with 3,020 yards.
Meanwhile, he started on the UCLA volleyball team and was second-team All-MPSF, and a key reserve on the Bruins' 1996 and '98 NCAA title teams.
His dad, George, lettered in track and football at UCLA and also was a member of the Bruins' 1970 NCAA championship basketball team.
Off to the NFL, Farmer was a fourth-round draft choice of the PIttsburgh Steelers and currently sits on the Miami Dophins roster, waiting to catch on.

Other No. 87s:
==Ralph Heywood, USC football (1941-'43)
==Craig Bragg, UCLA football ('00-'04)

Sports Illustrated's pick for the all-time No. 87: Dwight Clark, over Dave Casper and Sidney Crosby.

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Posted by Tom Hoffarth at 9:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No. 86:
Our pick:
==Marlin McKeever, USC football (1958-'60), Rams ('61-'66, '71-'72)

Half of the famous twin brothers who starred at USC in the late '50s, Marlin was a two-time All-American end, fullback and punter who ended up playing 13 years in the NFL.
At USC, he won Lineman of the Year and Player of the Game against UCLA Awards in 1960, and played in the 1960 East-West Shrine Game and 1961 College All-Star Game and Hula Bowl. He ended up as USC's leading receiver in '59 and '60, and its top punter in '58 and '60. On top of that, he lettered twice in track, competing in the shot put and discus.
With the Rams, Marlin stuck a linebacker, which is also the position the San Diego Chargers of the AFL wanted him to play when they drafted him in 1961. Still, Marlin saw time as a tight end for the Rams, then with Minnesota, Washington and Philadelphia before returning to the Rams for his final two seasons.
Time magazine ran a short piece on the McKeevers in a 1959 story, at this link. Mike's our choice for No. 68.
Marlin died of head injuries a year ago in Long Beach after a fall at his home. He was 66.

Other No. 86s:
==Jack Bighead, L.A. Dons football ('55, also played at Pepperdine wearing No. 11)
C'mon, how do you pass up a name like that?

Sports Illustrated's pick for the all-time No. 86: Buck Buchanan

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Posted by Tom Hoffarth at 9:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No. 85:
Our pick:
==Jack Youngblood, Rams (1971-'84)

The legend of the Pro Football Hall of Famer starts with the fact he played through the 1979 playoffs and through the '80 Super Bowl with a fractured left leg. In 2004 Sports Illustrated listed Youngblood's playing with the fractured fibula on its Top ten list of athletes playing in pain.
A first-round draft pick out of Florida, Youngblood was a five-time All-Pro during his 14 years and All-NFC seven times. He'd go on to only miss one game in his career, running off a streak of 201 games played in a row. That streak ended in week 15 of the '84 season when he had a ruptured disc in his lower back. Even with that injury, he played in the playoffs that season even though doctors said he needed surgery.
Although they didn't keep stats, he had 151.5 sacks and led the team nine times in that category. According to profootballweekly.com, "Roger Staubach said Youngblood was the toughest defensive lineman that he ever faced."
After he retired, Youngblood was the Rams' radio colorman from 1987-'91. He was even the first co-host for ESPN's Game Day with Chris Berman before Tom Jackson replaced him. His autobiography, "Blood," which came out in 1988, can still be located with a good web browser. But don't break your leg trying to find it.

Other No. 85s:
==Lamar Lundy, Rams ('57-'69)
==Dokie Williams, UCLA football, Raiders ('83-'87)

Sports Illustrated's pick for the all-time No. 85: Youngblood.

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No. 84:
Our pick:
==Jerry Robinson, UCLA football (1975-'78)

The College Football Hall of Famer was a wide receiver/tight end his freshman year under coach Dick Vermeil before moving him to inside linebacker just before the Rose Bowl game with Ohio State. As a linebacker, he was All-America three times -- college football's first three-time All-America since Doak Walker in the late '40s. He set a school record for most tackles in one game -- 28 against Air Force in 1976. He had 23 tackles against USC in 1977, 21 tackles in two games and 20 on another. His career total, 468 tackles, set a UCLA record. He ranked first, second, and third in tackles per season with 161, 159, 147, respectively. He returned intercepted passes for touchdowns three times on runs of 95, 72, 69 yards. The Downtown Athletic Club of New York named him Linebacker of the Year in 1977 and 1978. UCLA retired his No. 84, and SI.com named him the greatest college player to wear the number.
In 14 years in the NFL, first with the Philadelphia Eagles (drafted by Vermeil), Robinson came back to L.A. with the Raiders (wearing No. 57).

Runner up:
==Jack Snow, Rams ('65-'75)

Other No. 84s
==Charles Weaver, USC football ('69-'70)
==Shaun Cody, USC football ('01-'04)
==Bob Klein, USC football ('66-'68)

Sports Illustrated's choice for the all-time No. 84: Shannon Sharpe, over Sterling Sharpe.

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Posted by Tom Hoffarth at 9:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No. 83:
Our pick:
==Ted Hendricks, Raiders (1982-'83, wearing it in Oakland since 1975)

The Stork started his business in Oakland, coming out of the University of Miami and making stops in Baltimore and Green Bay first.
When he was finished, he was on the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time team, a member of the 70s and 80s All-Decade squad, and Hall of Fame bound.
Hendricks last game was the Raiders' win in Super Bowl XVIII as the starting left linebacker.
The 6-7, 220-pounder -- tall and comparatively skinny -- was strong, fast and a devastating tackler who specialized in blocking punts, field goals and extra point attempts. In his career, he intercepted 26 passes, which he returned for 332 yards and a touchdown. He also recovered 16 opponents' fumbles and scored a record-tying four safeties. He scored touchdowns on an interception, a fumble return, and a blocked punt.
He played in 215 straight regular-season games and made eight Pro Bowl games, seven AFC championships and four Super Bowls (V with the Colts, XI, XV, XVIII with the Raiders).
Read up more about what he's doing these days on his official website.

Top runner-up:
==Richard Wood, USC football ('72-'74)
"Batman" is the newest entry into the College Football Hall of Fame, a member of two USC national championship teams and the school's first three-time All-American. He's also been named the all-time No. 83 in college football history by SI.com.
==Willie "Fllipper" Anderson, UCLA football ('83-'87), Rams ('88-'94)

Other No. 83s:
==Jimmy Gunn, USC football ('67-'69)
==Willie Hall, USC football ('70-'71)
==Cormac Carney, UCLA football ('80-'82)
==Fred Davis, USC football ('04- )

Sports Illustrated's pick for the all-time No. 83: Hendricks, over Mark Clayton.

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Posted by Tom Hoffarth at 9:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No. 82:
Our pick:
==Greg Hopkins, Avengers (2002-'06)

When the Arena Football League made up its Top 20 players of all time to celebrate its 20th anniversary last year, Hopkins, a four-time All-Arena team member and the 2002 "Ironman of the Year" winner, was included. An Ironman is a good thing. It means you're good on offense and defense. The AFL is a two-way street, and the receiver/linebacker was one of the best.
That '02 season, he had 102 receptions for 1,185 yards and 29 touchdowns, while recording 38.5 tackles and five interceptions, three returns for scores. In his time with the Avengers, he caught 411 passes for 4,863 yards and 96 touchdowns in his five seasons. He also scored six rushing touchdowns. On defense, he had 16 interceptions, five returned for TDs. For his AFL career: 833 receptions, 10,206 receiving yards, 196 touchdown catches, 312 tackles, 42 pass deflections, 26 interceptions (10 returned for a league-record 10 TDs), 17 fumble recoveries, 13 forced fumbles and 5.5 quarterback sacks. Sounds like video-game numbers.
After surgery to repair a torn shoulder, Hopkins officially retired and joined the team's coaching staff in '07 as the linebacker coach. In '06, he also made a run to represent the 50th district in the state of Pennsylvania, winning the primary but losing the election in November to the 30-year incumbent/windbag. You'd think there'd at least be a spot opening up for him soon on the new "American Gladiators." It's all indoors.

Other No. 82s:
==Rommie Loudd, UCLA football ('53-'55)
==Paul Cleary, USC football ('46-'47)
==Mike Sherrard, UCLA football ('83-'85), L.A. Express ('86)

Sports Illustrated's choice for the all-time No. 82: Raymond Barry over John Stallworth.

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Posted by Tom Hoffarth at 9:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No. 81:
Our pick:
==Tim Brown, Raiders ('88-'95, continued wearing number in Oakland through '03)

The Heisman Trophy winner out of Notre Dame -- and the first wide receiver to win it, although it was baded on his all-around ability -- was the L.A. Raiders' sixth-overall pick in the '88 draft, and left as the franchise's all-time leader in games played -- 240 -- and was the last of the Raiders of L.A. to remain an active player. A nine-time Pro Bowl selection retired as a Raider with 14,934 receiving yards, the second-highest total in NFL history, 1,094 receptions (third all time), and 100 touchdown catches (tied for third). He also had 3,320 punt-return yards and 1,235 yards returning kickoffs. His grand total of 19,682 combined net yards put him No. 5 on the all-time NFL list.
He's still nicknamed "Mr. Raider" by those in the organization where he had 1,070 catches for 14,734 yards and 99 touchdowns.
During a Q-and-A with the Raiders website, Brown was asked about a career that began in L.A. instead of Atlanta, which had the first overall pick in '88: "Well, to be honest with you, at that particular time I was looking for the best team for Tim Brown to play for. After not being picked first by the Atlanta Falcons, we looked down the list at the next nine teams and we thought that the best team for me to play for was the Raiders, because of the roster that they already had and it worked out great. I don’t know what my agent said to those four teams in between, but some kind of way he got me to the Raiders pick."

Runner up:
==Dick “Night Train” Lane, Rams (1952-'53)
In 1952, the 24-year-old showed up at the Rams training camp looking for a job because he disliked his occupation at an aircraft factory. He got the nickname "Night Train" from a hit record by Buddy Morrow frequently played by teammate Tom Fears. No. 81 was unusual for a defensive back, because he was initially projected as an end, except he couldn't get time from Fears and Elroy Hirsch, so he was moved to defensive back.
In his rookie season he set an NFL single season record for interceptions with 14, which stands to this day. Then the Rams traded him to Chicago, and then to Detroit where he really made his Hall of Fame career, where he had 68 career interceptions. Call his departure from the Rams the worst pre-Piazza deal in L.A. history.

==Other No. 81s:
==Ron Jessie, Rams ('75-'79)
==Don Hardy, USC football ('43-'44,'46)

Sports Illustrated's pick for the all-time No. 81: Brown, over Lane and Art Monk.

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Posted by Tom Hoffarth at 9:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No. 80:
Our pick:
==Donn Moomaw, UCLA football (1950-'52)

The starting linebacker/center was fourth in the '52 Heisman voting, a two-time All-American and had his number retired by the school before he was inducted into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame in '73.
According to his College Football Hall of Fame biography, his 11 career pass interceptions tied him with Bob Waterfield on UCLA's all-time interception list. At 6-4 and 220 pounds, Moomaw was strong, rangy and agile to perfection. Like a submarine commander, Moomaw stalked enemy ball-carriers and downed them with torpedo- like tackling thrusts. His finest season came when he was a senior in 1952. His defensive prowess paced the Bruins to an 8-1 record, the campaign marred only by a bitter 14-12 loss to arch rival USC in a game which decided the Pacific Coast Conference title. Moomaw's personal acclaim skyrocketed. The Associated Press and United Press International selected Moomaw as the nation's Lineman of the Year, and he was named MVP in the North-South All-Star Game in Miami. The local Rams drafted him in the first round of the '53 draft, but following a successful professional career in the Canadian Football League, Moomaw completed his theological studies and became a Presbyterian minister at Bel Air Presbyterian Church (1964-'93) and gave the invocation at both of President Reagan's inaugurations.

Runner up:
==Henry Ellard, Rams (1983-'93)
In his 11 seasons with Los Angeles, he went to three Pro Bowls. At the time of his retirement, Ellard held the Rams' team records for career receptions (593), receiving yards (9,761), 100-yard games (26), punt return average (11.3), and total offense (11,663).

Other No. 80s:
==Johnnie Morton, USC football ('90-'93)
==Bob Klein, USC football, Rams ('69-'76)
==Duane Bickett, USC football ('82-'84)

Sports Illustrated's pick for the all-time No. 80: Jerry Rice, over Kellen Winslow.

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No. 79:
Our pick:
==Jonathan Ogden, UCLA football (1992-'95)

The eighth, and last, player to have his football number retired at UCLA, Ogden won the Outland Trophy in '95 and was a unanimous All-American. The team MVP helped UCLA to its highest rushing per carry average (4.7) in 20 years. He was also the '96 indoor NCAA shot put champion -- a reason why he attended UCLA instead of Florida was because the school said he could compete for the track team. A first-team freshman All-American in '92, a second-team sophomore All-American in '93, a first-team All-Pac-10 and third team All-American in '94, Ogden ended up as a first-round pick (No. 4 overall) by Baltimore in '96 and has played in 10 Pro Bowls.

Other No. 79s:
==Jeff Bregel, USC football ('83-'86)
==Gary Jeter, USC football ('73-'76)
==Bob Golic, Raiders ('89-'92)
==Coy Bacon, Rams ('68-'72)
==Mike Fanning, Rams ('75-'82)
==Lance Zeno, UCLA football ('88-'90)
==Sam Baker, USC football ('04- )

Sports Illustrated's pick for the all-time No. 79: Harvey Martin.

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Posted by Tom Hoffarth at 12:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No. 78:
Our pick:
==Jackie Slater, Rams (1976-'94)

He was such a prolific blocker on the Rams' line for all those years in L.A., he even stayed around one more year, leading the way for the team's move to St. Louis before having his No. 78 retired. Slater is the only player in NFL history to play 20 seasons with same team. Number one all-time among offensive linemen the at time of his retirement with 259 games played, he started 214 of them, plus 18 in the postseason, including Super Bowl XIV. In making it to seven Pro Bowls, Slater showed leadership, work ethic and high level of play, a tremendous blocker who matched up against opponents' best pass rushers. Here's how precise they keep stats in the NFL: Slater ended up blocking in 107 different 100-yard rushing games, and 27 different 300-yard passing games. He blocked for seven different 1,000-yard rushers (Lawrence McCutcheon, Wendell Tyler, Eric Dickerson, Charles White, Greg Bell, Cleveland Gary, and Jerome Bettis), 36 different running backs and 27 different quarterbacks. Inducted into the Pro Football Hall in '01, Slater was also responsible for helping the R