6 Sports Statues We'd Like To See In NYC
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- There has been a renewed push this week for the Mets to erect a statue of Tom Seaver at Citi Field -- and we agree, he is entirely deserving of such an honor. But "The Franchise" isn't the only one being snubbed.
In fact, sports statues are fairly scarce in the New York City area. Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, Casey Stengel, Roberto Clemente, Martin Brodeur and Arthur Ashe are among the few to have their likenesses chiseled.
In addition to a Seaver statue, here are six statues we'd like to see go up.
BABE RUTH
Where: Outside Yankee Stadium
The Pose: Standing with a bat in his hands and his legs crossed, staring high into the sky at one of his moon shots.
The Yankees obviously prefer plaques at Monument Park -- although they do have a Don Larsen/Yogi Berra statue in their museum. But something just doesn't seem right about Camden Yards having a statue of Ruth and not Yankee Stadium, even if Baltimore was the Bambino's hometown.
LOU GEHRIG
Where: Columbia University campus
The Pose: Standing, head bowed in front of a microphone, giving his famous farewell address. A plaque on the statue would read, "I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth."
Why not put this at Yankee Stadium? Because with so many greats in the team's history, we fear it would be easy to get carried away. So stopping at Ruth would be preferred. Gehrig was a New York City boy through and through, and a statue at his alma mater would be an appropriate tribute.
MUHAMMAD ALI AND JOE FRAZIER
Where: Madison Square Garden
The Pose: Ali leaning to his left dodging a left jab from Frazier.
The Garden has such a rich history of boxing, and what better way to honor that than with a statue featuring two of the greatest boxers of all time who battled each other in two of the most epic fights inside the arena?
JOE NAMATH
Where: MetLife Stadium
The Pose: Broadway Joe, helmet on, trotting while holding up his right index finger, just as he did after the Jets' win in Super Bowl III.
In this January 1970 file photo, New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath warms up before a game. (AP Photo, File)
The only problem with this idea is, if it ever happend, the Giants would undoubtedly want a statue, too. And their defining moment and greatest player did not coverge quite as nicely as they did with the Jets.
VINCE LOMBARDI
Where: Fordham University campus
The Pose: Standing, wearing a tan trenchcoat, a dark fedora and a smile.
Widely regarded as the greatest coach in NFL history, Lombardi is mostly linked to Green Bay. But he was born and raised in Brooklyn, played for Fordham and was an assistant coach for the Giants. One of the most iconic figures in football history deserves a sculpture in his hometown.
SANDY KOUFAX
Where: Prospect Park
The Pose: Delivering a pitch, his legs spread apart, right leg in front, his left arm cocked back clutching a baseball.
Arguably the best pitcher baseball has ever seen, Koufax is a Brooklyn native who spent his first three seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers before the team bolted for the West Coast. A statue in Prospect Park would be just blocks from where Ebbets Field once stood.
Before you get up in arms, we realize there are plenty of other great sports figures you can certainly make a statue argument for -- Clyde, Messier, Leetch, Holzman, Bossy, Potvin, Parcells, L.T., Hodges, Piazza, Carnesecca and too many Yankees to count. But cut us some slack; we had to draw the line somewhere.
