His Hall of Fame plaque will probably have him wearing the cap of the New York Mets, where he logged more time (seven plus seasons) than he did in L.A. (six seasons and about 30 more games). And some Dodger fans will blame him for demanding a trade that the team ownership -- Fox -- decided to honor by dealing him near the start of the '98 season to Florida in a deal that really involved TV rights to the Sunshine Network. But for those seasons he began his career with the Dodgers, the 62nd round pick in the 1988 draft done as a favor to Tommy Lasorda lit the city on fire with his bat. A five-time All-Star with the Dodgers (starting four of them, and winning MVP in '96), Piazza was the '93 Rookie of the Year after hitting 35 home runs, driving in 112 and hitting .318. His HR count set the record for most home runs by a rookie catcher, surpassing Detroit's Matt Nokes with 32 in 1987. Plus, it is the most home runs by any Dodger rookie. On Sept. 21, 1997, he became the only Dodger ever to hit a ball out of Dodger Stadium with a blast over the left-field pavilion. In his last full season in L.A., the 28-year-old hit 40 homers, with 124 RBI and an incredible .362 average, finishing second in MVP voting. He had hit 9 homers and drove in 30 runs in his first 37 games of the '98 season when the trade crashed down on the city.
So what happed after that? He set the record for more homers by a catcher in major-league history. He won a record 10 consecutive Louisville Silver Slugger Awards. He married a former Playboy playmate. Played in a few heavy metal bands. And earlier this season, when his latest team, the Oakland A's, played the Angels, a fan at Angel Stadium hit him with a water bottle after he had homered earlier in the game.

First runner-up:
==Cheryl Miller, USC women's basketball ('83-'86)
Calling her the greatest women's basketball player in history wouldn't be considered far off. Even though she hasn't played in 20 years. During her senior year at Riverside Poly, she dropped 105 points in a game. At USC, she was a four-time All-American, won the Naismith College Player of the Year three times, led the team to a 112-20 record and two NCAA titles ('83 and '84), named NCAA Tournament MVP both years. Miller was the first women's player on the cover of SI. She even coached USC for two seasons ('93-'95) and got them into the NCAA tournament twice.

Second runner up:
==Karch Kiraly, UCLA volleyball ('79-'82)
A 124-5 record in matches during his career, with two NCAA titles and two runner-ups, as well as playing on the local AVP tour as the all-time leader in Tour wins (148), three Olympic gold medals (two for indoor volleyball, one for beach)

Third runner-ups:
==Reggie Miller, UCLA basketball ('83-'87)
Finished second in all-time scoring at UCLA behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. And held the UCLA single-season records for most league points, highest league scoring average, and most free throws.
==Ed O’Bannon, UCLA basketball ('90-'95)
The Wooden Award winner for leading the Bruins to the '95 NCAA title, scoring 30 points with 17 rebounds in the final.

Fourth runner-ups:
==Kurt Rambis, Lakers ('81-'88, '93-'95)
On four Lakers title teams, tied for third all-time in playoff field-goal percentage.
==Richard Washington, UCLA basketball ('73-'76)
Named NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player following UCLA's 1975 championship.
==Dean Chance, Angels ('61-'66)
Won the '64 Cy Young Award (given to the top pitcher in all of baseball) with a 20-9 mark and 1.65 ERA
==Chuck Finley, Angels ('87-'99)
Four-time All-Star in Anaheim, leading the league with 13 complete games in '93, wore No. 59 in '86

Other No. 31s:
==Swen Nater, UCLA basketball ('71-'73)
==Mel Counts, Lakers ('66-'70, '72-'74)
==Zelmo Beatty, Lakers ('74-'75)
==Spencer Haywood, Lakers ('79-'80)
==Doug Rau, Dodgers ('72-'79)
==Hoyt Wilhelm, Dodgers ('71-'72)
==Ron Riley, USC basketball ('69-'72)
==Carnell Lake, UCLA football (85-88)
==Brad Penny, Dodgers (’05- )

Sports Illustrated's pick for the all-time No. 31: Greg Maddox, over Miller, Piazza and Winfield

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