Afternoon Baseball

ESPN.com -- Wojciechowski

Before I knew much about football (say, 1989 or 1990), I knew this much: Lawerence Taylor was the best defensive player and Jerry Rice the best offensive player. Taylor's reign didn't last much past my 7th birthday, but arguably Rice was the best receiver in football until Warren Sapp blew out his knee on an end-around in the late 1990s. He was still a Pro Bowler for a few years after that.
The numbers speak for themselves, and very few NFL statistics tell the story. Neither do Rice's numbers, but the legendary workout stories, the longevity, the innate connection he shared first with Joe Montana and then with Steve Young, the Super Bowl MVP performance of 11 catches for 215 yards, and the record streak of consecutive games with a catch all point to a relentless desire to be the greatest. And for nearly all 20 of those seasons, he made it to that goal, redefining the standard of greatness for a wide receiver in this, the greatest age of passing the sport has ever seen.