It's International Talk Like A Pirate Day. Here at FanIQ, we are all about celebrations. Legendary columnist Dave Barry has been celebrating Talk Like A Pirate Day for years, and it's important that we all carry on the tradition. So in honor of this great holiday, here are 5 of the greatest sports Pirates of all time.
5) Mike Timlin - He has been on 4 World Series winning teams, has a career ERA of 3.64 over 18 MLB seasons, and was a stud for the Southwestern University Pirates way back in the mid-1980's. He also bears a distinct resemblance to Pirate Steve, from the movie Dodgeball. Coincidence? I think not.
4) Craig Biggio - Most people will remember Biggio as an Astro, and rightfully so. With the 'Stros, he got over 3,000 hits, and set the record for most times hit by a pitch. But before he ever set foot in the Astrodome, he was a Pirate. Biggio is arguably the best players ever to come out of Seton Hall, and still holds the school record for career triples with 18.
3) Mo Vaughn - Believe it or not, Maurice Samuel Vaughn was a beast, at one point. He won the AL MVP in 1995, and maybe could have won a couple more, if it weren't for Juan Gonzalez' two borderline fraudulent awards in 1996 and 1998. After leaving the Sox, Vaughn's career fell off significantly. There's no telling exactly what was the cause of his decline, but I'll let the pictures do the talking. I'm not saying Mo had a weight problem later in his career... but he may have been better off spending a little less of that contract at the buffet. Vaughn enjoyed some of his greatest success as a Pirate, and still holds Seton Hall records in HR and RBI, and is among the all-time school leaders in career batting average (3rd), walks (2nd), runs (3rd), and hits (6th).
2) Chris Johnson - Right now, Chris is making fantasy football players everywhere giddy with his huge numbers in his first two games. But last year, he was playing for Skip Holtz and the East Carolina University Pirates. He put up 410 all-purpose yards in the 2008 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl against Boise State. That's not a typo. Four hundred ten all purpose yards. 153 on kick returns, 32 receiving yards, and an absurd 223 yards rushing. Two touchdowns, to boot. The guy is one of the fastest players in the NFL, and is proving it every time he touches the ball.
1) Roberto Clemente - A Hall of Famer for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Clemente finished his career with exactly 3,000 hits. His career (and his life) was cut short when he died in a plane crash while bringing disaster relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Major League Baseball now has an annual award named after him, given to "the player who combines outstanding skills on the baseball field with devoted work in the community". Appropriately enough, the winner in 2007 was the aforementioned Biggio. The circle of outstanding piracy lives on.
Honorable mentions:
- Ken Jolly, Park College Pirates - Jolly has the best last name ever for a Pirate, and played 2 seasons as a LB for the Kansas City Chiefs. He started 12 games in 1985, and had one fumble recovery.
- Honus Wagner - Arguably the best Pittsburgh Pirate of all time, the Hall of Fame shortstop is the face on the most expensive baseball card in the world, and racked up 3,415 hits, with a .327 career batting average.
- Rick Mahorn - A former Hampton University Pirate, Mahorn played 19 seasons in the NBA, and now is an assistant coach for the Detroit Shock of the WNBA. Mahorn was recently suspended for 2 games due to his involvement in one of the weakest "brawls" in sports history.
- Sam Dalembert - Another Seton Hall great, the 76ers center has averaged double digit points in the past 2 seasons, and averaged a double-double last year, with 10.4 rebounds per game.
- Barry Bonds - Sure he broke Hank Aaron's record, but the scurvy seadog used steroids.
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