Top Five Fridays: My favorite ballplayers

In an attempt to post more regularly, I'm trying out a new feature called Top Five Fridays. It was going to be Top Ten Tuesdays, but that would be too much work and let's be honest here....too much work is why I've gone long stretches with no posts in the past. I'm going to use Top Five Fridays to list some of my favorite things, such as, Top 5 Ways to Annoy a Michigan Fan or Top 5 Most Overrated Athletes (cough cough, Brett Favre, cough cough)..... Have no fear, we'll get to both those topics in good time. At the end there will also be a section for those that just missed the cut. Finally, I need to give a little "Thank you" to Mrs. Sizemore for the pretty logo.

In honor of opening day in baseball finally arriving, today's topic is:

Top 5 Favorite Baseball Players of My Lifetime

1. Kenny Lofton

Lofton will forever be number one in my eyes. He was Spiderman in the outfield climbing the walls of Jacobs' Field to take home runs and extra bases away from opposing teams. He slapped ground balls through the holes, dropped down precision bunts, roped liners to the gaps, and would swipe a base at any moment. I'll never forget the 1995 ALCS when he scored from second base on a passed ball against the Seattle Mariners. He went from first to third better than anyone and during the mid-90s was the most feared leadoff man in the game. When Kenny finally made his way back to the shores of Lake Erie for the playoff run in 2007, I went out and bought myself a jersey. I wish I'd had it all along, and even though he probably won't play for Cleveland again, I figure this jersey will stand the test of time with Tribe fans.

2. Omar Vizquel

If you ask me, there is only one shortstop that can even hold a candle to Omar, and that's Ozzie Smith. However, I'll take Omar every day of the week and a doubleheader on Sunday. Sure, the Wizard of Oz was more flashy and had slightly better range. But Little O was a throwback during the era of the power hitting shortstop. He won ELEVEN Gold Gloves and was robbed of a couple more. He was a better hitter than Ozzie. And best of all, he always made the most difficult plays in baseball look routine.

3. Mark McGwire

Steriods or no steriods and Congressional hearing testimony aside, I still love Big Mac. I thought he was the greatest when I was a kid even through he played way out West for the Oakland Athletics. He was the only Starting Lineup figure I ever had. I defended him tooth and nail throughout his career saying that he would have had a shot at the career home run record if not for all the injuries and I still believe that to this day. And during the summer of '98, I watched almost every time he swung his bat. My Tribe was playoff bound that year and I swear I watched more Cardinals' baseball that year than Indians'....no doubt about it. Bob Costas once said that McGwire didn't just hit home runs, he hit "gravity defying moon shots." Do you remember where you were when he hit #62? I do.

4. Roberto Alomar

Okay, another Indian, I know. However, Robbie was only in Cleveland from 1999-2001 and wasn't on either of the World Series teams. I was very anti-Alomar after his famous spitting on the umpire incident. Despite him being the best second baseman in the league, I didn't want him playing for my Tribe. But watching he and Vizquel up the middle for three seasons was magical.

He was also excellent with the bat in his hands. I once heard Peter Gammons tell a tale about Alomar's batting practice habits. During BP, Robbie used to bunt the ball so that it will intentionally go just barely foul. The reason, Alomar said, was so that he could bunt a first pitch foul and see how the defense was going to react to the bunt.

Who else would practice things like that?

5. Greg Maddux

I'm supposed to dislike this guy since he helped the Braves topple the Tribe in the '95 World Series. However, I've always had a tremendous amount of respect for him. How could I not? Maddux looked like a regular Joe Schmoe off the street with skinny frame and his stupid reading glasses that he wore in the dugout between innings. He dominated big league hitters for a long time without ever having an over-powering fastball. Very impressive if you ask me. He was also the single greatest pitcher at fielding his position in history....seventeen Gold Gloves.

"Juuuuust a bit outside. He tried the corner and missed."

Jim Edmonds - A Pi Kappa Phi from Cal State - Fullerton....AND one of the better center fielders of the modern era.
Julio Franco - He'll turn 50 this year, and he' still playing ball. Wow.

Jim Thome - Unlike most Indians fans, I don't blame him for leaving and I'll never boo this man even though he's in a White Sox uniform. Wouldn't do it even he was in a Red Sox or Yankees uniform either. Class act all around.

Mark Prior - My first Cubs game at Wrigley Field was a seat in the bleachers during Prior's first start in the big leagues against the Pirates, so there will always be some man love for him. Now, my Cubs jersey of #22 is pretty much worthless, so that's annoying, but I still hope he is able to overcome the injuries and make it back to the bigs.

Sandy Alomar, Jr. - Big brother of Robbie, he was the first player in MLB history to be MVP of an All-Star Game played in his home ballpark. Little trivia for ya.

Grady Sizemore - Only 25 years old and one of the most feared leadoff hitters in the game as well as a classic five tool player, by career's end, he could make his way into the Top 5. And Mrs. Sizemore won't shut up about how hot she thinks he is. There might be hope for turning her into a Tribe fan yet.

Cal Ripken, Jr. - I was never a big fan of Cal's, but I always respected the tremendous talent he had and the way he played the game.

Tony Gwynn - Simply put: the best hitter I've ever seen in person.