From Jackie Robinson to Mark Messier to Mickey Mantle, New York has plenty of Rushmore honorable mentions

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There's only one New York City.

There's a reason that Mike and the Mad Dog were the voices of sports-talk radio nearly two decades. There's a reason that Madison Square Garden is known as "The Mecca of Basketball." There's a reason Yankee fans remind you of the team's 27 championship rings.

That reason? New York is a town that takes its sports seriously.

Is that self-aggrandizing? Is that overhyped? Is it, dare I say, obnoxious? Yes, to all of the above. But that's New York, baby.

MORE: See The Sporting News Rushmore of all 13 cities

But regardless of how you feel about radio gasbags, barbershop talk and over-the-top pinstripe fans, one universal truth remains: New York is a place where its favorite athletes can't be strictly quantified. It's not a place where Baseball Reference is going to be found in the browser history of most baseball fans. "Grit" means something. Playing hard defense means something. It's a town where moments become legendary.

Simply put: New York sports are special. Being a New York athlete, even more so.

Just ask a man who had a moment of his own in the Big Apple.

"It's the most rewarding place to play because of the passion for sports here," David Cone told The Sporting News. "The feeling you get of importance — it just makes you feel more important, that things matter more when you play for a New York team."

MORE: Ruth, Gehrig, Taylor, Frazier earn spots on New York Rushmore

Cone spent over a decade pitching in New York for both the Mets and the Yankees in the '80s and '90s. His gritty performances and cerebral attacking of hitters as part of the Yankee dynasty in the '90s earned him plenty of praise as one of New York's most beloved athletes. He has four World Series rings with the Yankees to show for it.

Not to mention, he threw the 16th perfect game in MLB history on July 18, 1999. 

Four of New York's icons were placed on The Sporting News' Mount Rushmore of New York athletes. There were plenty of debates surrounding candidacy and qualifications of that. Ultimately, plenty of deserving NYC athletes didn't make the cut.

Here are five of the honorable mentions who belong:

Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson is the most obvious and glaring omission of New York's Sports Mount. Rushmore: his not making it onto the NYC Mount Rushmore isn't because he wasn't good enough of a player or as impactful of a person to be on there. In fact, it's the complete opposite: Robinson belongs to everyone, and The Sporting News Mt. Rushmore NYC panel wanted that reflected here.

Robinson's on-field feats are impressive: In 10 years with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he slashed .311/.409/.474 with 200 stolen bases. In those 10 years, Robinson amassed 57.2 fWAR — that was fourth in MLB behind Stan Musial, Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle.

His 1949 season, in which he hit .342 with 38 doubles, 12 triples and 37 stolen bases, resulted in an MVP award. 

But more than any of that, Robinson would become a civil rights icon for breaking baseball's color barrier, cementing his immortality far beyond the reaches of New York sports. 

Robinson might have accomplished a lot in a Brooklyn uniform, but his off-the-field feats are worth far more to the sport, and the country as a whole, to have him attached to a single town.

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Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter was emblematic of everything New York loved in an athlete: No frills, all class and nothing but a winner.

Jeter holds five World Series rings, 3,465 hits, a Hall of Fame plaque and the distinction of being the face of baseball for a long time after the Steroid Era had turned from baseball-saving to finger-wagging. Jeter remained the constant as the Yankees remained constant winners.

"He was one of the most consistent performers, probably the most consistent performer, in regards to attitude," Cone told TSN.

All things considered, while Jeter was obviously a successful major leaguer and one of the best offensive shortstops of all time, the question remains as to how good of a player he was compared to several other generational Yankee talents. His defensive shortcomings and a laundry list of other Yankees who were better all-around players are largely why Jeter missed out on the Mount Rushmore. 

Still, Jeter's reputation for being one of the game's most clutch players and a consistent presence in the pressure cooker that is New York endured.

"I felt like he was such a leader by example, the way he posted up everyday — just the look on his face right before gametime," Cone said. "To me, it was just remarkable. It was like, 'Wow. He's ready to play. I better be ready to play.'"

Off the field, Jeter was the definition of "Men want to be him, women want to be with him." 

In a perfectly New York way, Jeter is a guy whose legend might not match the truth. (Just don't ask him about the gift baskets.)

Key moment: "The Dive"

There are no shortage of moments that belong to Jeter. "The Flip." "Mr. November." His 3,000th hit, his last at-bat at Yankee Stadium. None were quite as symbolic as "The Dive," though.

A few things: Yes, "Dive" is a misnomer. Yes, the play is highly romanticized. But nothing embodied the hustle and heart of Jeter more than the full-tilt sprint to catch the flare off the bat of Red Sox right fielder Trot Nixon, which ended with a bruised and blooded Jeter emerging from the third-base stands.

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Mark Messier

New York is a sports town exemplified by moments — the type of things that lead water-cooler talk the next morning. Messier, while not a blue-blood New York athlete, made himself a New York sports icon by helping end the Rangers' championship drought in 1994.

You may not believe this, but when the Rangers (and to a slightly lesser extent, the Islanders) are playing well, New York takes pride in its hockey. That wasn't more apparent than the end of the 1993-94 season, when Messier made good on a playoff guarantee.

Messier's status as a leader and bona-fide star on the ice helped lift the Rangers between 1991 and 1997. He would also finish out his career in New York in 2004, capping off a four-year return stint with the Blueshirts.

Key moment: "Game 6"

"We know we have to win it. We can win it and we are going to win it," Messier said before Game 6 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals against the Devils.

In that game, Messier scored a natural hat trick to help keep New York alive in the series. The Rangers made the Stanley Cup Final after an even more dramatic Game 7 win ("Matteau! Matteau! Matteau!") They'd go on to win the Cup, downing the Canucks in seven games — Messier would score the game-winning goal in Game 7, too.

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Joe Namath

Broadway.

Joe Namath might not have the gaudy numbers that today's pass-happy NFL quarterbacks possess, but when you compare him against some of the top passers during his era, it was clear that Namath was one of them.

Namath might not have laid the blueprint for the modern NFL passing game, but he certainly offered a glimpse into the future: He authored the league's first 4,000-yard passing season, and he was one of, if not the most, marketable players in pro football at the time.

On top of that, he was a two-time league MVP, a Super Bowl MVP and a five-time Pro Bowler. He also is a Pro Football Hall of Famer.

Away from the field, Namath's nightlife was just as legendary as what he did on the field. He frequented and reveled in New York's club scene, even famously retiring (and un-retiring) in the span of a month due to a dispute over his part ownership in a nightclub. In 2020, Namath was ranked No. 1 by the NFL as the league's all-time greatest character.

He also wore pantyhose and starred in a few different commercials with Farrah Fawcett.

(Lawrence Taylor never did that.)

The moment: "The Guarantee"

"We're gonna win the game — I guarantee it."

While the NFL and AFL had agreed to merge prior to Super Bowl 3, there were still doubts as to whether the AFL belonged. Namath and the Jets put those doubts to rest when they upset the Colts 16-7, making good on Namath's guarantee to win the Super Bowl.

The photo of Namath with a finger held high running off the field after the win at the Orange Bowl is one of sports' most enduring images.

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Mickey Mantle

A bevy of Yankees who could have been listed. While Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig represent the top tier of pinstripe icons, Mantle also belongs in that group.

He was a 20-time All-Star, a seven-time World Series champion, a three-time league MVP — and one of New York's most beloved sports figures. 

His standing as one of the best players in baseball history remains largely unchanged. He ranks 14th in fWAR all-time, behind fellow Yankees Ruth (first) and Gehrig (12th). 

"I really believe he was the ultimate idol for a lot of people," Cone told TSN. "Everybody wanted to be Mickey Mantle. Everybody idolized him — he was really the ultimate idol."

Mantle's home run chase with teammate Roger Maris in 1961 is one of the sport's most famous seasons and is documented in the Billy Crystal-directed film "61*".

The moment: "The 565-foot home run"

Mantle's home runs are the stuff of legend, but none were more legendary than a 565-foot homer he hit in 1953 vs. the Washington Senators.

The blast left Griffith Stadium, eventually coming to rest 565 feet from home plate. A boy who had found the ball gave it up for 10 cents to the Yankees' press secretary.

The homer is the reason for birth of the phrase "tape measure home run."

Author(s)
Joe Rivera Photo

Joe Rivera is a senior content producer at The Sporting News and teaches Multimedia Sports Reporting at his alma mater, Rutgers University.