Thread: Toughest players to ever play on your favorite team

Now that the repairs have been made to the site,

let's see if we can get back on track.

Anyway,

I ask you this:

Who were the toughest players to ever play for your favorite team?

My Sabres have been stocked with a history of tough and gritty guys- Michael Peca, Mike Ramsey, Matthew Barnaby, Mike Grier, and Rob Ray.

Manny Ramirez

Originally Posted by BillD1984

Manny Ramirez

I thought you'd go with Cam Neely, Terry O'Reilly, Carlton Fisk, Andre Tippett, or John Hannah.

They were some of the toughest guys to ever play in Beantown.

Originally Posted by SabresRule

I thought you'd go with Cam Neely, Terry O'Reilly, Carlton Fisk, Andre Tippett, or John Hannah.

They were some of the toughest guys to ever play in Beantown.

Ok......seriously:


Bruins: Terry O'Reilly, Stan Jonathan, John Wensink, Lyndon Byers, Don Marcotte, Wayne Cashman, Chris Nilan, Cam Neely

Celtics: Larry Bird, Danny Ainge, Paul Pierce, Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe, Dennis Johnson, M.L. Carr

Red Sox: Jason Varitek, David Ortiz, Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, Trot Nixon

Patriots: John Hannah, Sam Gash, Steve Nelson, Raymond Clayborn, Tim Fox, Willie McGinest, Andre Tippett

But there's only one man that I can choose for my all-time toughest Boston athlete (in my lifetime), and IMO, it's not even close: STEVE GROGAN

Grogs played with two bad knees, a neck brace because of neck injuries, and various concussions, but that did not deter him from diving head-first for a first down. I'm tellin you, Steve Grogan had a pair the size of grapefruits!!!

And if you don't believe me about Grogan's courage, just ask the man SI once dubbed the "Greatest offensive lineman ever", John Hannah.

Red Sox: Butch Hobson. Bill James wrote that Hobson was the worst percentage player in baseball. He said all Hobson knew about playing defense was to run as hard as you can at the ball, and then throw it as hard as you can when you get it. In that article, he also criticized George Brett and Paul Molitor for playing too hard. He said that was the reason they missed so many games. People liked Butch Hobson because he played baseball like it was football, which is stupid, because baseball is not football. You play 162 baseball games a year and if you beat yourself into oblivion trying to make one play to win one baseball game, you will be a lousy player for the next several because of the aches. In football, there is often no tomorrow, but in baseball, there are lots of tomorrow.

I have to vote for Grogan. That year when he set the record for touchdowns for a quarterback, I once saw him act like he was going to step out of bounds after getting a first down, but instead then cheap shot the defensive back by throwing his shoulder into the guy's chest before he stepped out of bounds. I also saw Grogan throw a 300 pound lineman off himself who had piled on and start beating the shit out of the guy.

Bengals - Jim LeClair, LB - once wrestled a bear
Reds - Charlie Hustle, of course

Steelers defense in the 70's, the Steel Curtain.

Enough said.

Originally Posted by cybok0

Steelers defense in the 70's, the Steel Curtain.

Enough said.

Yeah baby!

Larry Brown. No, not the Steelers tight end of the '70s or the basketball coach who has been in charge of half the teams in the NBA. The Larry Brown I speak of was a tough, gritty running back for the Washington Redskins in the late '60s and early '70s.

When Vince Lombardi took over the Skins in '69, he wondered why Brown was always late getting started after the ball was snapped. Lombardi soon realized that Brown hid the fact that he was literally deaf in one ear. Lombardi got Brown a hearing aid . . . . and was about to propel him into football lore. But when Lombardi died and George Allen took over in '71, he ran Brown into the ground. The undersized back aged too fast and too quickly.

Larry Brown was the toughest player I ever saw play for the Washington Redskins.