First of all, I’d like to thank all the people who voted in this year’s poll. We had a better response than last year, which is always good to see.
With that said, here’s a breakdown of this year’s Simply the Best poll results (opinionated comments purely mine):
1. What is the greatest individual achievement by a Capital District native?
1. Jeff Blatnick strikes gold ` 47 percent
2. Pat Riley wins five NBA titles ` 42 percent
3. Pink Gardner pro wrestler ` 6 percent
4. Johnny Podres wins Game 7 ` 3 percent
4. Shirley Muldowney drag racer ` 3 percent
In the end, this turned out to be a two-horse race, and Funny Cide wasn’t involved. It came down to Jeff Blatnick and Pat Riley, and after several lead changes, Blatnick pulled out a slim victory.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to many that this happened. Blatnick’s Olympic gold medal in 1984 was one of the best stories to come out of the Los Angeles games, while Riley’s five NBA titles (four with the L.A. Lakers, one with Miami) is one of the top coaching achievements in league history. Very hard to choose between the two of them, since both are deserving of this honor.
Three people got write-in votes: Johnny Podres for pitching the Brooklyn Dodgers past the New York Yankees in Game 7 of the 1955 World Series, Shirley Muldowney for her drag racing skills and Pink Gardner for his professional wrestling achievements.
2. What is the greatest moment in Siena men’s basketball history?
1. Beating Stanford (1989) ` 47 percent
1. Beating Ohio State (2009) ` 47 percent
3. Beating Vanderbilt (2008) ` 6 percent
Again, it came down to two events, and again, it ended in a tie. Siena’s victory over Stanford in the 1989 NCAA Tournament and the Saints’ double-overtime win against Ohio State in this year’s March Madness each got the same percentage of votes, while their blowout win against Vanderbilt in 2008 pulled in a distant third.
Secretly, I was hoping someone would mention Siena’s 1994 NIT run that ended with a third-place finish and Doremus Bennerman earning Most Valuable Player honors. It may only be the NIT, but beating the likes of Georgia Tech and Kansas State is no joke. But I guess that if it’s not the NCAA Tournament, it doesn’t mean a thing ` even if Saints fans crowded onto trains to fill up Madison Square Garden during the NIT Final Four.
3. Who is the greatest Siena men’s basketball coach?
1. Mike Deane ` 43 percent
2. Fran McCaffery ` 34 percent
3. Dan Cunha ` 11 percent
4. Bill Kirsch ` 6 percent
5. Paul Hewitt ` 3 percent
At first, this looked like a runaway for Mike Deane when he raced out to a big lead. But Deane had to fend off a furious rally by Fran McCaffery to lay claim to this honor.
Frankly, I was a little surprised by this result. Granted, Deane’s rEsumE is very good with 166 wins, an NCAA Tournament appearance and three NIT appearances, but he never guided the Saints to consecutive NCAA Tournaments like McCaffery has. And McCaffery had more wins in his first four seasons in Loudonville (85) than Deane (81). Of course, Deane’s 1989-90 Siena team had to make the transition from ECAC North to the MAAC, which probably cut down on the number of wins it had that year. But the voters went with Deane ` at least, for this year.
As for the other coaches on the list, I was glad to see Dan Cunha get some votes. Not many people remember that Cunha guided Siena to four 20-plus win seasons during a five-year stretch from 1947 to 1952 and earned the school national recognition. We’ll have to see if McCaffery can match Cunha’s feat over the next two years.
4. Who is the greatest Siena men’s basketball player?
1. Marc Brown ` 39 percent
2. Billy Harrell `35 percent
3. Kenny Hasbrouck ` 23 percent
4. Doremus Bennerman ` 3 percent
This was a tight battle, but Marc Brown managed to pull out the victory over Billy Harrell.
Both players had impressive runs at Siena, but Brown had the advantage of being the school’s all-time leading scorer and the one who led the Saints past Stanford in the 1989 NCAA Tournament. Still, Harrell ` the school’s first All-American ` is the first Siena player to have his jersey retired. (The second? Kenny Hasbrouck, who placed third in the voting.)
5. Who is the greatest RPI hockey coach?
1. Ned Harkness ` 85 percent
2. Mike Addesa ` 15 percent
3. Dan Fridgen ` 0 percent
All hail Ned Harkness. The man who guided the Engineers to 176 victories and an NCAA title before going to Cornell and led the Big Red to a national championship ran away with this category, outdistancing Mike Addesa by a wide margin.
Dan Fridgen didn’t receive a vote, despite being RPI’s all-time leader in career wins. I guess when you don’t win a national title, you don’t rate. Still, it’s kind of a sad statement that no one voted for Fridgen.
6. Who is the greatest RPI hockey player?
1. Adam Oates ` 69 percent
2. Joey Juneau ` 16 percent
3. Frank Chiarelli ` 9 percent
4. John Carter ` 3 percent
5. Paul Midghall ` 3 percent
The Oates half of the old Hull and Oates duo skated past his competition here, as Adam Oates breezed past Joey Juneau, Frank Chiarelli and John Carter to take the title.
Never mind that Chiarelli is still RPI’s all-time leading scorer more than 50 years after he graduated from the Troy engineering school. Oates likely took first place honors because not only did he help RPI win the 1985 national title, but he went on to have a stellar NHL career including his time playing alongside Brett Hull in St. Louis.
7. Which minor league team has a more storied history?
1. Adirondack Red Wings ` 23 percent
1. Albany Patroons ` 23 percent
3. Albany-Colonie Yankees ` 20 percent
4. Albany River Rats ` 14 percent
5. Albany Senators ` 11 percent
6. Albany Firebirds ` 6 percent
7. Albany Metro Mallers ` 3 percent
This category produced a tight finish as the Adirondack Red Wings tied the Albany Patroons for first place, with the Albany-Colonie Yankees making a late charge to finish a close second.
The Patroons and the Red Wings gained their popularity in the 1980s when they were the only minor league teams playing during the winter. Both teams produced great players, with the Wings sending several players on to stellar NHL careers (including Adam Oates). Meanwhile, the Patroons’ biggest contribution to the NBA has to be Phil Jackson, who has coached the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers to a combined 10 NBA titles.
Among the other teams that got votes were the Albany Senators and the Albany Metro Mallers ` specifically, the Metro Mallers of the 1970s and 1980s.
8. Who was the greatest athlete to play for a Capital District minor league team?
1. Ralph Kiner (Senators) ` 43 percent
2. Mariano Rivera (A-C Yankees) ` 29 percent
3. Eddie Brown (Firebirds) ` 14 percent
4. Derek Jeter (A-C Yankees) ` 9 percent
5. Geordie Kinnear (River Rats) ` 3 percent
6. Orie Anson (Senators) ` 3 percent
It came down to two baseball players from two different eras ` Ralph Kiner and Mariano Rivera. And when the dust settled, Kiner pulled away to defeat Rivera and claim the crown. Nice job by the former Albany Senator.
`Touchdown` Eddie Brown needed a late rally to take third place. Otherwise, that honor might have gone to write-in candidate Derek Jeter, who apparently was impressive enough during his cup-of-coffee time in Colonie to garner some votes.
9. Greatest high school coach
1. Brent Steuerwald (Shen football)
2. Sig Makofski (Mt. Pleasant)
3. Larry Mulvaney (Mt. Pleasant)
I deliberately left this to the voters to write in their choices, since I didn’t want to be accused of singling anybody out. The leading vote-getter was Shenendehowa football coach Brent Steuerwald for guiding the Plainsmen to 295 wins and numerous state playoff appearances in more than four decades of service. Larry Mulvaney, Sig Makofski, Walt Pryzyblo and George Mardigan were the other coaches who received multiple votes.
Other vote getters: Brian Melanson, Art Ritchko, Bob Wilsey, Larry O’Neil, Bill Boehner, Jim Obermayer, Jim Zullo, Jack Burger, Mike Vorgang, Mike Black, Jesse Braverman and Matt Shell. Nice mix of the past and the present.
10. Greatest high school athlete
1. Sam Perkins (Shaker basketball)
2. Barry Kramer (Linton)
3. Pat Riley (Linton)
This was another write-in category, and when the votes were tallied, it was determined that Sam Perkins was still the man. Shaker’s only NBA product edged out Schenectady legends Barry Kramer and Pat Riley for first place. Football players Charlie Leigh and AndrE Davis also got multiple votes, as did Shen basketball great Greg Koubek.
Others who received votes: Gary Trout, John Stokie, Gerald Thomsen, Greg Donahue, Paul Reinisch, Paul Layton, Mike Caruso, Dr. James Nolan and Bill DeVoe. (Wait how did DeVoe’s name get on this list? Who’s monitoring the ballots here? Oh wait, that would be me.)
Bonus question: What is the best sports facility to watch a game in (past or present)?
1. Times Union Center
1. Joe Bruno Stadium
3. Glens Falls Civic Center
Maybe I should have specified the best Capital District sports facility because Fenway Park, Giants Stadium and Madison Square Garden all received votes. But at least most of the responders picked local venues.
Tied at the top was Albany’s Times Union Center and Troy’s Joseph Bruno Stadium. Both facilities were lauded for their nice sightlines and how close the fans can get to the action. The Glens Falls Civic Center was next on the list, followed by the Washington Avenue Amory.
Other facilities receiving votes: Siena’s Alumni Recreation Center, RPI’s Houston Field House, University at Albany’s SEFCU Arena, Albany’s Bleecker Stadium, Saratoga Springs’ old Convention Hall and a split vote between Latham’s Boght Baseball Complex and Clifton Common. (Missing from the list: Saratoga Race Course, Colonie’s Heritage Park and Albany’s Hawkins Stadium.)
So with that, this year’s Spotlight Sports Survey is hereby declared closed. Be sure to tune in next summer for a new set of questions about the Capital District sports scene.“