Keller @ Large: Boston's Mount Rushmore Of Sports
BOSTON (CBS) - April in Boston is peak sports season, with the Bruins and Celtics almost always in the playoffs, the Red Sox opening up, and the marathon.
Perfect timing for another great column by Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald, who bemoans the fact that there is only room for four monuments on the Mount Rushmore of Boston sports heroes.
Buckley argues that three of those are reserved for Ted Williams, Bobby Orr and Tom Brady, and who can argue with him. He chooses Bill Russell over Larry Bird for the final spot; for me that's not even a close call.
But he also makes the case that we need a Mount Rushmore 2 to accommodate Bird and who else? This real estate should be reserved for athletes who weren't just great, but transformed the stature of their sport here.
To me, David Ortiz is a lock. Some of us thought we'd go to our graves without seeing the Sox win one; with Ortiz they've won three, none of them possible without him.
Bob Cousy would be a deserving candidate. So would Carl Yastrzemski.
But our local sports culture is defined by more than just the pro franchises, and those last two spots should acknowledge that.
The Boston Marathon has produced some inspirational figures -- Johnny Kelley the elder comes to mind, and Dick and Rick Hoyt.
But Bill Rodgers took the marathon to a new level of appreciation and popularity. He should be up there alongside Harry Agganis, the golden Greek, a worthy representative of all the great amateur athletes our area has produced as well as those who died too young, like Tony Conigiliaro.
Got your own suggestions? Share them with me via email keller@wbztv.com or via Twitter @kelleratlarge.