Throwdowns > Forfeited

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  • March 04, 2008 11:03 PM ET

Best # 48

Michael Phelps is The Joker (68-38-10) vs Stauff Nation TB (55-30-4)
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Rules: Best player/driver that has wore/drove the number 48, and has to be retired.

To bad Jimmie Johnson isn't retired. This cat is the reigning NASCAR champion, and has emerged as one of the sport's premier stars. He has won 27 races and has 119 top ten finishes, and he's only 31.

My pick........

Sam McDowell


This is really tough. There's no retired #48s in baseball, and there's no one even in the Football Hall of Fame who wore 48.

So it was between my pick and Gerald Ford really, and i could find NO stats to back Ford up.

I was thinkin Jimmie Johnson at first, too, but the only other #48 that comes to mind is...

Daryl Johnston.

Let's do this...


I agree, 48 was a hard number to find, but you did a good job at finding a decent pick.

McDowell made his first start a week before his 19th birthday. Even though he struggled his first two seasons, his career was a decent one. He was a six time All Star selection and led the AL in ERA (2.18) in 1965, in strikeouts/9IP from 1964-66 and 1968-70, in strikeouts from 1965-66 and 1968-70, in shutouts (5) in 1966, and in innings (305) and batters faced (1,257) in 1970.

In 1970, Robinson put together his best season when he was named "Pitcher of the Year" by The Sporting News. During this season he led in strikeouts and won 20 games.


I liked your pick, too, but I found a few major problems with him that kind of stuck out above all the other stats.

His career record is only a little over .500 (.513, 141-134)
Every 162 games he averaged a 12-11 record
He was extremely inconsistant near the end of his career. When he was 29, in his 12th season (1972), he had a 4.33 ERA, followed by a 4.11 in 1973 and a 4.69 in 1974. Those are pretty mediocre numbers for the last part of his career.

Daryl "Moose" Johntson had a pretty consistant and illustrious career, though. He was on 3 Super Bowl teams with the Cowboys in the 90's and was the main blocker for Emmit Smith for the main chunk of Smith's career.

He primarily was known as a recieving full back, since Smith got most of the touches for the Cowboys. Johnston has below average numbers rushing (753 yards, 8 TD's and 3.2 Yards per attempt) but if you take into account that he only ran the ball an average of 1.5x a game his career, those stats are understandable. He only had over 40 attempts a season once.

He was a great receiving FB, though. 2227 yards, 14 TDs and 7.6 yrds per rec. And averaging 1.9 receptions per game with those numbers is very good.


That's a great job at looking up the negative stuff about McDowell, but maybe you didn't notice some of the actual facts that makes him the best player to wear the number 48.

He is ranked 8th on MLB All Time strikeouts/9IP list with 8.86, and he ranks 34th on MLB All Time strikeouts list with 2,453Ks. He also holds the Cleveland Indians single season record for strikeouts/9IP with 10.71 in 1965.

At the time of his retirement, he had 2,453 career strikeouts and an average of 8.86 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Also at the time of his retirement, McDowell's strikeout rate was 3rd best, only behind Nolan Ryan and Sandy Koufax. That's pretty good company, don't you think?


Just helpin out the cause, Joker. haha.

I knew you were gunna throw that stat in there, the one about how when he retired he was 3rd overall. I was hopin you wouldn't though. Thanks, Wikipedia!

Speaking, of finding things on WIkipedia, I wasn't aware that Stouffer's Foods bought the Indians in 1966. They spell it the wrong way. (For correct spelling, see my profile. stAuffer. A!)

I'm stating this because that was really the only worthy note of the Indian's history when Sam McDowell played for them. Almost the entire time he was there, the Indians dominated last place. Obviously his pitching wasn't good enough to get the team where it needed to be.

Johnston, on the other hand, won 3 Super Bowls with the Cowboys and scored 3 of his 22 career TD's in the playoffs.

Now before you go saying "Johnston played with better players than McDowell" let me stop you.

Don't say that.

The fact is that Johnston had a more consistant career than McDowell, was more successful and some could say he's the reason that Emmitt Smith has the record for most overall yards (including Smith himself)

Neither of these guys had amazing numbers, but I think Johnston's are a wee beter.

Comments (14) Add A Comment

March 4, 2008  11:41 PM ET
Report Abuse | QUOTE

Seriously Joker are you taking these TDs straight from Sporting News? You always choose who they say is number. You wanted to do so with Jimmie Johnsons but they didn't fit your rules.

March 4, 2008  11:48 PM ET
Report Abuse | QUOTE

Moooooooooooooooooooooooooooooose

March 5, 2008  12:10 AM ET
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Seriously I'm not. I wanted to pick JJ because I like Nascar, but he's not retired. The "retired" rule has always been my rule.

March 5, 2008  12:35 AM ET
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im going to sleep. Ill argue the rest tomorrow afternoon.

March 5, 2008  12:56 AM ET
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"I knew you were gunna throw that stat in there, the one about how when he retired he was 3rd overall. I was hopin you wouldn't though. Thanks, Wikipedia!"

I knew this fact since I was like 12 or 13. My dad grew up in Cleveland, and McDowell is one of the players he talked about. It is funny though that Wiki also has that stat.

March 5, 2008  01:20 AM ET
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"Dominated last place"

That's great stauff...

March 5, 2008  09:06 AM ET
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I knew this fact since I was like 12 or 13. My dad grew up in Cleveland, and McDowell is one of the players he talked about. It is funny though that Wiki also has that stat.
The Joker | 03/05/08, 12:56 AM

Sorry. Those kinda stats aren't usually the things people remember off the top of their heads. Ya the wiki page was short but that was one of the stats it had.

March 5, 2008  09:39 AM ET
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Who cares where he got the info from? I see people all the time whine about how the Joker gets his info from Wiki or other websites. Big deal, everyone who TD's researches their topics via the internet, especially with these number TD's.

March 5, 2008  09:51 AM ET
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Umm...about Jimmie....your numbers are off. He is the TWO TIME defending champion, and has 33 wins. For someone who professes to be a fan, you missed the boat on that one.

March 5, 2008  11:45 AM ET
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Jimmie Johnson anybody?

March 5, 2008  01:00 PM ET
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jimmies won 33 races

March 5, 2008  10:32 PM ET
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I wasnt winin bentley. I was jokin around with him. Get the rock out your ****

March 5, 2008  10:32 PM ET
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jimmie johnson's still racing

 
March 5, 2008  11:09 PM ET
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Stephen Davis?

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