To know list: 5 bricks in rebuilding our rep after picking Auburn no. 1

Sporting News, The, Sept 8, 2003

(1) TSN'S ANNUAL NFL RANKINGS

Six years of Favre and fun

Those who have followed our annual ranking of the NFL's top 100 players (Page 14) will not be surprised to see Brett Favre atop this year's list. Favre was the No. 1 player in 1998--the first year we did a top 100--and never has been lower than fourth (last year). More on the history of our rankings:

* Eight others have made our list all six years: Peter Boulware, Isaac Bruce, Marshall Faulk, Ray Lewis, Jonathan Ogden, Orlando Pace, Warren Sapp and Michael Strahan.

* Favre is the only player who has been in the top 10 all six years. Next are Peyton Manning and Randy Moss, with four top 10 appearances. Manning is 10th on this year's list, Moss 15th.

* Manning is the only No. 1 overall draft pick to be No. 1 with us (in 2000, before his third season). On the other hand, many No. 1s never have made the top 100, including Jeff George, Russell Maryland, Dan Wilkinson, Ki-Jana Carter, Tim Couch, Courtney Brown and David Carr.

* Five players named Brown and five named Smith have made the list. The Browns are Chad, Gilbert, Mike, Ruben and Tim. The Smiths: Bruce, Emmitt, Jimmy, Robert and Rod. Of those 10, only Mike Brown made it this year.

* A big rookie season can land a player among the league's elite--quickly. Entering their sophomore seasons, Moss was No. 8, Edgerrin James No. 6 and Jevon Kearse No. 9. This year, second-year players Jeremy Shockey and Clinton Portis are Nos. 21 and 22.

* A total of 255 players have made the lists, including 25 first-timers this year.--Dave Sloan

(2) GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE

If it's online, it must be true

Before you hit send on that politely worded e-mail explaining why we're out of our bleepin' minds for having Brett Favre at the top of our NFL players rankings, check out who was the leader in No. 1 votes cast last week by www.sportingnews.com users. (Percentages are through the first 10,000 votes.)

Brett Favre       20.6%
Donovan McNabb    14.3%
Michael Vick      13.2%
Ray Lewis         12.9%
Priest Holmes      8.1%
Brian Urlacher     7.8%
Terrell Owens      5.8%
Marvin Harrison    5.2%
Derrick Brooks     4.7%
Jason Taylor       3.9%
Peyton Manning     2.6%
Michael Strahan    1.1%

(3) THE GODFATHER: SONNY VACCARO

Hoops giant sneaks away

The pursuit of LeBron James' signature on a sneaker contract made a dent in Nike's cash flow, but it also wore down the man who went after James for Adidas.

Sonny Vaccaro, who introduced Michael Jordan to Nike and Tracy McGrady to Adidas, said last week he was resigning from his position with Adidas' grassroots operation. One of the most influential figures in basketball over the past quarter-century, Vaccaro, 64, is "backing off, not retiring." He served Adidas for roughly a decade after a turbulent parting from Nike. He says he will be "re-energizing" in the near term but will continue to own and operate the ABCD Camp, the Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas and the EA Sports Roundball Classic.

But whatever he ends up doing, he'll never sign another player to a sneaker deal. "That's a very time-consuming, hard march," he says.

His relationship with James dated back to the player's sophomore year at St. Vincent-St. Mary's High in Akron, Ohio. James competed at the ABCD Camp in 2001 and became a media darling when he outplayed former New York high school star Lenny Cooke. St. V's wore Adidas gear during most of James' career. But that was not enough to overcome the $102 million Nike offered to sign James.

"That was the most exciting thing of my life" Vaccaro says. "I really enjoyed the pursuit, and I feel good about him. But it'd be a lot easier being with him."--Mike DeCourcy

(4) SET IN THE WEST

Dodgers' future is brilliant

One scout says his stuff is better than Barry Zito's. A general manager calls him "Chuck Finley with a little more." Another scout compares him to--gasp!--Steve Carlton. "Whatever they're saying," says the Dodgers' Class AA Jacksonville pitching coach, Marty Reed, "he's the real deal."

Eighteen-year-old lefthander Greg Miller is in his second pro season. Along with his teammate, righty Edwin Jackson, he gives the Dodgers the potential for a homegrown Randy Johnson-Curt Schilling combination. Miller is the youngest player at Class AA. Jackson, who turns 20 on Tuesday, is the next youngest.

"These two guys have the ability, the personality and the heart to be top-of-the-rotation starters in the big leagues," says Dodgers general manager Dan Evans, who has refused to consider trading either pitcher, even for a slugger such as Brian Giles.

Miller, a first-round pick in 2002, throws 92 to 96 mph with an above-average changeup and breaking ball. Jackson, a sixth-round pick in 2001, tops out at 98 and regularly throws 96. "And it's easy," Reed says. "He's not grunting when he throws it"

Miller, however, has passed Jackson on many lists of prospects. At the start of the week, Miller was a combined 12-5 at Classes A and AA with a 2.21 ERA, averaging better than a strikeout per inning. Asked if he projects better as a starter or closer, a scout says dreamily, "You could make him anything you want."