| @jishimsy It's not that Lidstrom isn't great, it's that Ichiro is better. Already, Ichiro has set many records, and is well on his way to becoming one of the best players of all time, as well as easily the quickest to 3,000 hits. Now, who to take off? 5 (Woods, Sorenstam, Phelps, Armstrong, Federer) are arguably the best ever in their respective sport. An additional 8 are clearly the best of the decade in their sport (Bryant, Manning, Pujols, Johnson, Ronaldinho, Williams, Brodeur, White). That leaves Brady, O'Neal, Duncan, A-Rod, Tomlinson, Tebow, and Lidstrom. Brady, O'Neal, and Duncan are each in the top 15 all time in their sports. Tomlinson reached a completely-unheard-of level during his peak. Tebow won 3 championships in 4 years. A-Rod improved his team more than most players in any sport (Last year, the Yankees were only in 3rd place during the time when A-Rod was injured). That leaves Lidstrom. While he is a great player, I do not think he belongs in the top 20 of this decade. His career and legacy are unmatched, but I think that Chris Pronger and Scott Neidermayer could have done the same thing if they were on the juggernaut Red Wings. I don't want to seem like I'm badmouthing Lidstrom- he's one of the only Wings I like, and a legendary player- but I would place him outside the top 20 of the 2000s. |
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