L.A.’s 10 Best--Picking Isn’t Easy

There are several good reasons why it is impossible to compile a list of Los Angeles’ 10 greatest athletes.

For starters, you can’t compare jockeys with shotputters, athletes of the 1920s with athletes of the 1980s, or men with women.

It’s not only impossible to name a top 10, it’s crazy. You wind up offending dozens of athletes and millions of fans.

Nevertheless, our town just may be the world’s first city of sport, and I’ve never seen an all-time L.A. top 10. We need one. If you don’t like mine, pick your own.

A few words before getting to the list:

Who was eligible? There was no set residency requirement. I generally judged the athletes on how they performed for L.A. teams. But I also considered L.A. people who played sports not generally showcased in one city, such as track, tennis or golf. The basic rule of eligibility was subjective: Are they ours ? Do they belong to L.A.?

What factors were considered? I judged on style, statistics, longevity, innovation, impact, and one important but subjective quality--electricity. Could they light up a stadium?

Here is my list of the all-time L.A. top 10 athletes:

1. Jackie Robinson--Some might say Jackie shouldn’t even be on this list because his greatest feats were performed for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

But remember, Robinson was raised in Pasadena. He was a star at Muir High, Pasadena City College and UCLA, and in local amateur sports.

At UCLA, he was an honorable mention All-American halfback who led the nation in rushing average one season. He also won an NCAA broad jump title, led the Pacific Coast Conference’s Southern Division in basketball scoring, and played baseball for the Bruins. In his spare time, Robinson maintained a full class schedule and held down a regular job to help support his family.

Beyond all that, far beyond all that, Mr. Robinson pulled off the single most significant sports feat in history--breaking baseball’s color line. And he did it his way--no bowing, no shufflin’. I’ve always been proud that Jackie Robinson was an L.A. guy.

2. Sandy Koufax--He scores low on career longevity, but makes up for it with super high marks on the style and voltage meters. He was a marvel of finesse and power.

There were the three Cy Young awards and the four no-hitters and the 165-87 record. Dwight Gooden is off to a faster start than Koufax, but let’s see Gooden finish like this: Koufax in his last season, pitching with arthritis in his left arm, at age 31, had a 27-9 record, 1.73 ERA, 27 complete games, 317 strikeouts.

And who pulled it all off with more class? Even 19 years after his retirement, Koufax has an amazing superstar aura, matched only by Joe DiMaggio among living baseballers.

3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar--Three national championships and three NCAA Final Four MVP awards at UCLA, three NBA championships with the Lakers. Fifteen years of brilliant basketball in L.A., counting his UCLA freshman season, and this season.

The greatest scorer in NBA history. The last word in agility and durability. And Kareem gets extra style points for the sky hook.

4. Bob Waterfield--This was a tough call. What about Norm Van Brocklin? What about Deacon Jones?

OK. Waterfield gets the nod because: In addition to his great Ram career, he was an All-American at UCLA; he was a fabulous all-around athlete in the NFL--punter, placekicker, defensive back, running quarterback, passer, leader; he helped bring wide-open football to the NFL and excitement to L.A.; he married a movie star, Jane Russell.

5. Elgin Baylor-Jerry West--An entry.

I tried, but I couldn’t separate these two. They’re woven together in my earliest NBA memories. Talk about pioneers! They brought pro basketball to the West Coast practically in a covered wagon. Baylor re-invented offensive basketball. West was so great he could probably hold his own in the NBA today at age 47.

6. Jigger Statz--Count up the thrills he provided over 18 seasons with the minor league Los Angeles Angels in the ‘20s and ‘30s, and you’ll see why Jigger is one of our city’s all-time baseball heroes.

He was a little center fielder who ran with the wind and sucked up base hits in his tiny glove with the pocket cut out. He played more games and scored more runs than any other pro baseball player.

7. Henry Armstrong--Homicide Hank drifted into L.A. in the late ‘20s, probably riding the rails under a railroad freight car. He wanted to be a boxer, and in his hometown of St. Louis, they didn’t allow black men to fight white men, so he adopted our city.

There were eight weight divisions in boxing then, and all Henry did was simultaneously hold three titles--featherweight, lightweight and welterweight. And it would have been four, but for a highly suspicious decision.

Armstrong’s manager was Al Jolson, and four of Henry’s title defenses were here in L.A. He had 174 fights, lost only 20 and knocked out 98 opponents.

8. Bill Shoemaker--In longevity and achievement, Shoe is the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of jockeys, and more. He rode his first race in ‘48, and at 54 is still riding strong. You can put his records in the freezer because they’re going to be around a long time. Horse racing isn’t a sport, but jockeys are athletes, and on this list, the Shoe fits.

9. Billie Jean King--Not a token pick, although it would be a shame to have no woman on the list.

King ruled big-time tennis for a decade and brought a new level of intensity to the game. She won Wimbledon six times between ’66 and ’75. Besides that, she talks a great game, and was the major force in elevating women’s tennis out of the dark ages, both in terms of pay and publicity.

And don’t forget--she beat Bobby Riggs in ’73 in what people now tend to think of as a silly novelty match, but really did a lot for women’s tennis and women’s athletics.

10. Parry O’Brien--A great showman and strongman. A product of the Santa Monica muscle and beach culture and USC. He studied yoga, and would psych up at meets by listening to African tribal chants.

Stats? O’Brien won 116 straight meets. He won Olympic gold medals in ’52 and ‘56, the silver in ’60 and was fourth in ’64. He was the first shotputter to break the 60-foot barrier, and he did it at the Coliseum (‘54). To boot, he revolutionized the sport with the O’Brien Glide, where you start with your back to the target area.

In compiling a list of candidates from which to pick a top 10, I consulted L.A.’s greatest sports historian, Bill Schroeder. For 39 years, until he retired late last year, Schroeder was the managing director of what is now the LAOC Amateur Athletic Foundation.

Schroeder already had a master list, left over from an ambitious 1980 project to select, but not rank, the city’s greatest athletes, by sport. There were about 90 names on the list, in everything from baseball to badminton.

I asked Schroeder to pick his own personal top 10. After agonizing, he declined. He has seen too many thrilling moments and wonderful athletes to be able to eliminate all but 10. Also, Schroeder is a consummate gentleman, and close friends with about half the people on the big list, and you can’t rate your friends. Still, his assistance was invaluable.

I can’t end this without offering three more lists.

The heartbreakers (toughest to leave off the top 10, in no special order)--Kenny Washington, Deacon Jones, Maury Wills, Carlos Palomino, Rafer Johnson, Jess Mortensen, John Naber, Pat McCormack, Merlin Olsen.

A few more names to start the highlight films reeling in your brain--Walt Hazzard, O.J. Simpson, Gail Goodrich, Wilt Chamberlain, Charley Paddock, Mel Patton, Jack Kramer, Glenn Davis, Steve Bilko, Jon Arnett, Jess Hill, Frank Shellenback, Ann Meyers, Tom Fears, Rogie Vachon, Cathy Rigby, Peggy Fleming, John Longden, Marcel Dionne, Stan Smith, Kate Schmidt, Nolan Ryan . . .

And, looking to the future . . .

Picks to click (best bets to wind up on the top 10 list someday)--Magic Johnson, Cheryl Miller, Marcus Allen, Fernando Valenzuela, Paul Gonzales and Evelyn Ashford.