The greatest Bulldog ever?
As Rafael Palmeiro comes closer to joining the exclusive 500 HR/3000 Hit club, I ask myself a couple questions: is Raffy the greatest Bulldog ever? Is he the greatest Bulldog to play professional sports? As far as impact on a national level, who else compares? D.D. Lewis, Boo Ferris, Eric Moulds come to mind as professional athletes, however there’s only one former Bulldog who can stack up to Palmeiro. That person is Bailey Howell.
Careeer Highlights
* NBA’s Detroit Pistons (1958-64)
* NBA’s Baltimore Bullets (1964-66)
* NBA’s Boston Celtics (1967-70)
* NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers (1970-71)
* All-NBA Second Team (1963)
* Six-time All Star (1961-64, 1966-67)
* NBA championships with Boston Celtics (1968, 1969)
* Upon retirement (1971) ranked among NBA’s top 10 leaders in nine statistical categories,
including points (17,770, 18.7 ppg), rebounds 9,383 (9.9 rpg) and games played (950)
Palmeiro’s career numbers are straggering but he has never been considered a dominant player like Howell. Compare All-Star appearances. Palmeiro has appeared in only 4 All-Star games in his 19 year MLB career, while half of Howell’s 12 seasons included an NBA All-Star game appearance. What do y’all think?
