I thought long and hard about this and well, I need to touch on a subject close to my heart. For all of you that know me, this post should come as no surprise.
The Caucasian Bulls player has always been close to my heart. Growing up a huge Bulls fan and dreaming of one day hearing Ray Clay shout my name was something I always played through my mind. All of the restrictions of me making it (average height, athletic ability, etc.) didn't really matter to me back then. As long as I watched guys like these, I knew I had a shot.
Ed Nealy was always a big inspiration for me. He didn't have the size that put him in the category of Greg Ostertag, Big Country Reeves, or Jim McIlvaine. With his 6'7" stature, he needed other skills to survive his 10 seasons in the NBA. Even Phil Jackson had this to say about him, "It's guys like Ed who make coaching a pleasure. If you give me a reason to put him into a game, he's going to find a way to contribute." Granted Phil doesn't give any specific ways that Ed contributes, but I think you get the drift. It's the same type of comment undersized rookies get when Mel Kiper calls them a "winner" and mentions "heart makes up for his size". We all know those type of guys never fail. And don't mention guys like JJ Redick, Tommy Frazier, Eric Crouch, and basically any other Nebraska QB you can think of.
Big Old Will Perdue also was very close to my heart. Now I knew I would never be able to match the size of good ole number 32 but at least I could match the average looks. I didn't need to grow fancy facial hair or ink my arms up with a picture of my grandmother who raised me while working 3 jobs. And you know what, average wasn't good enough for Will. He needed to get uglier and so as we all remember he went to the facial mask.
A couple honorable mentions go out to
Although not a Bulls player, I loved Mike Gminski. And his resemblance to Will Ferrell is something I have gained respect for over the past few years. If there is one thing Mike needs, it's more cowbell.
Dave Corzine was one of the first white guys I remember on the Bulls. His scraggly beard and awkward motions made watching those first years with MJ bearable.
6 comments:
Wow, Decent Destroyer comes out swingin. That's why we ended up bringing him on board. And while I sincerely agree with his assessment here, I think there was a lot left off the map. Guys like Jud Beuchler, Jack Haley, etc. But who am I to judge...
I forgot to ask...who wins in a fight between Mike Gminski and Mark Eaton?
Or Beef Wennington vs. Gminski?
Eaton due to the fact he was a modern day Paul Bunyan. I'll take Gminski over Wennington, only because I will never take a guy who's nickname is Beef.
i agree with the Eaton assessment. was stockton around at that point to be considered his blue ox?
i disagree on gminski over wennington. any guy who has a mcdonalds menu item named after him will probably win. i'm hoping to get the name "parfait #'s guy"
How about the Double Decker Decent Destroyer?
The 4 N's.
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