BUCN Perfect : My Top 10 Favorite Current Pittsburgh Athletes

These are in no certain order:
10. Ryan Clark- He went to college at LSU, and he’s one of my three favorite defensive players for the Steelers. In 2007, he had to have his spleen and gall bladder removed because of the sickle cell trait he carries. My sister was one of his nurse aide’s at Presby Hospital. She said both him and his family were some of the nicest people she’d ever met. Since that happened, he has spent much of his time raising awareness around Pittsburgh for sickle cell disease. Great all around guy.

9. Sidney Crosby- Sid the Kid, where do I begin? I saw him play a bunch of times at Mellon Arena when tickets were buy one get one free and we were a not so great hockey club. He is literally the face of Pittsburgh hockey, and pretty much the NHL. The Consol Energy Center ground breaking ceremony was done with shovels attached to a few of Sid’s old sticks. He and the Penguins organization have revitalized an interest in hockey all over the region. Their support of local schools giving out hockey sticks to kids and free equipment to 1,000 kids a year have led to an exponential increase in interest for hockey in Western PA. Oh yeah, he also won a gold medal. He’s classy, well spoken, very mild mannered, and an amazing sports role model for kids everywhere. More athletes should strive to be as respectable an athlete as Sid.

8. Evgeni Malkin- Geno, the other half of the Penguins phenomenal duo, is also one of my favorites. Unlike Sid, Geno isn’t afraid to get up in people’s faces once in awhile. His interviews are always epic. Raw talent, skill, and play making capabilities are all reasons why he’s one of the best players in the NHL. His parents are one of the most adorable couples I’ve ever seen. Geno has won more awards and set more records than you could count on all your fingers and toes.

7. Marc-Andre Fleury- Flower is the third part of the Penguins drafts from 2003-2005. He’s an amazing goaltender, he makes gorgeous saves, and although he has been known to get shaken up under pressure, the guy has talent. Much like Sid, he lived with Mario Lemieux, and was on that gold medal winning team in the Olympics. You can’t help but love that French accent when he talks. He’s from a small town near Montreal, which is in the French speaking Quebec. His moves between the pipes baffle other teams’ players. When he’s on his game, he’s clutch; when he’s not, well, we have Tomas Vokoun! HAHAHA!

6. Brett Kiesel- Hard to believe this guy wanted to go to college for basketball and not football!! From Utah, he’s one of 8 children; having three sisters and four brothers. I feel like Kiesel is the “man’s man” of Pittsburgh sports. His persona, his beard, his play; he’s a beast of a man at 6’5” and 285 pounds. He shoots an air bow and arrow after a sack. His beard even has its own personality! When he shaves it off, he holds a fundraiser; the first two times the money was donated to Children’s Hospital, and the third time they went specifically to the cancer program at Children’s.

5. AJ Burnett- I’ve already went over the reasons I like AJB more than one time. So no explanation needed here. He’s crazy, he’s badass, and he’s a scary good pitcher. I can’t tell you how many Batman shirts I saw at the Bucco game. Haters can STFD because AJB is way better than his record would lead you to believe.

4. Andrew McCutchen- The face of MLB 2013, the face of the Pittsburgh Pirates. We share the same birthday, but Cutch is 2 years younger than me. Two time All Star and Golden Glove winner, he’s pretty much what baseball here in Pittsburgh needed: a young, new, fresh face to get people back into the game. McCutchen is to the Pirates like Sid is to the Penguins. Now we just need to get the Buccos winning.

3. Jason Grilli- The Big Cheese has gone out on that mound and made every team his ***** this season. Everyone whined and cried about the Hanrahan trade. Where’s Hanrahan now? It doesn’t matter because Grilled Cheese is leading the league in saves. So I’ll give all those whiners a collective STFD. He had a shark tank brought into the clubhouse because of his “Shark Tank” nickname for the Bucco bullpen. He’s the veteran leader of those guys like AJB is of the starting rotation.

2. Heath Miller- Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeath!! This guy has class and manners that can only be compared with Sid the Kid. He’s not a showboat, not a trash talker, and he’s money every time Ben throws to him. He’s that shy kid in class that all the girls secretly have a crush on. He’s a 2 time Pro Bowler, 2 time Super Bowl Champ, and the MVP for 2012. Heath also works with the Salvation Army and WTAE to fundraise for events in Pittsburgh.

1. Matt Cooke- Cookie has substantially changed his play over the past few years, after criticism from the league, teammates, and the Penguins organization. He’s been characterized as a bad guy and a goon for some of his past actions. Ottawa and Boston hate him. Eugene Melnyk thinks Cooke shouldn’t be allowed to play because of the freak play where Cookie accidentally cut Erik Karlsson’s Achilles. Sometimes he still takes penalties for just being Matt Cooke, but he has totally changed up his game. He and his wife run The Cooke Family Foundation, providing support to families who are in need of help and support from things like loss of a child, disability, and any other type of life altering event.


Honorable Mentions:5. Neil Walker (The Hometown Kid)
4. LaMarr Woodley
3. Kris Letang
2. Brooks Orpik
1. Troy Polamalu
** I wanted to give Jameson Taillon an honorable mention but I don't think he's quite ready yet. I'm also not a huge fan of Ben Roethlisberger either, but if I was, he would be in the top 10.