30-something fans witness a golden age

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It began with the recent Major League baseball all-star game. Or maybe it was watching Mark Plummer win the Maine Amateur golf tournament, followed by his winning the New England Amateur, both at age 42.

Wheels turned. Memories were pulled from the archives and replayed. The conclusion was inescapable. Those of us in the 30-something generation who have been following sports over the past 20 or so years, both in-state and out, can rightfully claim to have witnessed a golden age.

Best that ever was. That’s not a designation to be made lightly. But I can confidently compile a list of best-that-ever-was sports figures I’ll put up against any list compiled by fans from preceding generations. Here it is, in alphabetical order:

Aaron, Hank: most prolific home run hitter of all time (755) and he did it facing relief pitchers and social pressures Ruth never dreamed of.

Ali, Muhammad: Go ahead, try and make a case for any other heavyweight being better. Marciano never faced the kind of division Ali did. Neither did Joe Lewis. Remember Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Ken Norton, and, at the end, Larry Holmes?

Benoit-Samuelson, Joan: Maine’s all-time amateur athlete. Olympic gold and the Boston Marathon to boot.

Blodgett, Cindy: Care to bet on how many years pass before another Maine high school basketball player, male or female, approaches the Lawrence High phenom’s 2,565 career points?

Buck, Mike: Best college QB to play in this state by a mile of statistics.

Dream Team 1: No other sport in any era can match the collection of talent on the USA basketball team in the ’92 Olympics. Jordan… Bird… Magic… Patrick… Charles… Playing together with deadly seriousness against the rest of the world, not in some puff all-star game. It was no contest.

Dryden, Ken: One NHL game, winner take all. You choose anyone else you want in goal. I’ll take the ’70s Montreal legend.

Eckersley, Dennis: Forget that he doesn’t have the most saves, I’m talking sheer ability to get the tough outs against great hitters in the ninth inning over the longest period of time.

Gamache, Joey: Two world titles make him the greatest Maine-born boxer.

Gretzky, Wayne: Hockey’s Hank Aaron.

Henderson, Rickey: No other leadoff hitter in history comes close, factoring in steals, homers, and runs.

Jordan, Michael: Respectful nods to Bird, Magic, and Dr. J. Mike’s the basketball player we’ll still be using as a measuring stick in the year 2030.

Landry, Mike: We can argue other sports. For coaching Maine high school football, Landry’s career at Biddeford stands alone with six big-school state titles in 16 years.

Matthieu, Kirk: We won’t live long enough to see another Maine-born college running back approach the recently graduated Maine Maritime Academy star’s 7,004 all-purpose yards and 5,180 rushing yards.

Montana, Joe: No other NFL quarterback comes close where it counts: winning.

Montgomery, Jim: UMaine’s top hockey figure, even without the Hobey. Kariya didn’t stick around long enough. Pellerin never got the big win. Montgomery delivered the national title.

Nicklaus, Jack: No brainer.

Orr, Bobby: Hockey’s greatest defenseman.

Plummer, Mark: No Mainer was ever better with a golf club. Stay tuned for the senior tour?

Rice, Jerry: a best-ever in progress. If your life’s savings depended on one pass route and one catch, who else would you ever want to run it?

Rose, Pete: Hall of Fame or not, you and I watched the all-time hits leader in his prime.

Ryan, Nolan: greatest strikeout pitcher ever.

Secretariat: Horse for the ages. Every true sports fan can still picture those blue and white silks flashing to the ’73 triple crown.

Smith, Ozzie: 13 gold gloves, the standard for major league defensive players by which all must be measured.

Swift, Billy: College or pro, Maine’s greatest pitcher.

Taylor, Lawrence: The only NFL defensive player I’ll be telling the grandkids about.

Top these.