Ten 30 for 30s I'd Like To See

Last week, I ranked the top 30 for 30s so far. If you missed it, click here. This week I give you the top 30 for 30s that I'd like to see. Here are 10 documentaries that I would love to see done and why they would make great documentaries.

10. T-Mac

Tracy McGrady is an NBA Hall of Famer that will be remembered by some as a guy that couldn't advance past the first round. He made teams perennial playoff teams, but was stuck in that round. It wasn't until signing with the Spurs in 2013 (his last NBA season) that he finally got minutes outside of the 1st round. He never did get a championship ring as San Antonio lost in the NBA Finals that year. A lot to enjoy here from one of the biggest personalities in league history.

9. The Peter Warrick Story

This is probably actually higher on the list, but how can Warrick not be #9. The best wide receiver in college football history, the Dillard's incident, being selected #4 overall, long career, but not legendary as some predicted. There are so many interesting storylines with Peter Warrick to discuss.

8. Jeffrey Maier from Baltimore Perspective

Jeffrey Maier grabbed a ball that was a routine fly ball and interfered in play giving Derek Jeter a home run somehow. This story has always been glossed over in sports while we vilify Bartman for going after a ball in foul territory. I would really like to see this story from a Baltimore perspective with some insight from the guy right under the fly ball, Tony Tarasco. 

7. TO Show

Terrell Owens is one of the greatest receivers of all-time. However, some have nicknamed him team obliterator because of their perception that he ruins team chemistry. It would be really neat to see what teammates truly thought about him and the good and bad of his career.

6. The Sam Bowie Story

This guy was picked in between Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Jordan. What it must have been like to be him with everyone disliking him because the best ever went one spot later. This is something that would interest a lot of people.

5. The Streak: The Story of Cal Ripken Jr.'s Legendary Streak

Most players can't even play a full 162 game season in baseball. Cal Ripken Jr. played 2,632 games in a row. How is that eve remotely possible? It would be cool to see them really dive into this story and the night he broke Lou Gehrig's streak.

4. Warrick Dunn Story

One of the nicest guys in NFL history, a lot of people don't know what Warrick Dunn went through in life. The guy had a murdered mother and raised his siblings at 18. You could show how that guy went to become one of the most charitable men ever and show him dominating in football on the way.

3. The Kid: The Story of Ken Griffey Jr.

The only athlete of my lifetime that has come close to Jordan in terms of popularity was Ken Griffey Jr. The swagger, the wearing the hat backwards, the skill, and that beautiful swing. This guy was everyone's favorite player in the 90s and I am sure he has quite the story to tell.

2. Charlie: The Story of How a Heisman Winner Played in the NBA

Two of the best movies in this series focus on two sport athletes Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders. What about the guy that won a Heisman and then went to play pro basketball? Are you telling me people wouldn't love watching this?

1. Wire to Wire: The Story of the 1999 FSU Seminoles

The 1999 Seminoles were the first team to go wire to wire. The team was dominant all season long. They had a legendary coach, the greatest college receiver of all-time and a ton of swag. There would be no more interesting story than this one.

- Noland

The Derek Jeter Legacy

As an Oriole fan I should really dislike the Captain of the Yankees. The Yankees were always our biggest rival and robbed the Orioles of their only legit WS shot of my lifetime. You see the best Orioles team of my lifetime was the 1996 team that lost to the Yankees in the American League Championship Series. Game 1 of that series was controversial after the Orioles lost on a freak play involving Jeter. You see Jeter hit a long fly ball to right field that would have been a routine play for Tony Tarasco, but a 12 year old named Jeffrey Maier reached over the railing and caught the ball that was still in play. The umpire, in an incredibly obnoxious move, ruled it a home run and the Orioles went on to lose the game and the series. Many Orioles fans, including me, went on to hate the kid and Jeter for a while. This image was our symbol over so many losing seasons.

However, as time went on, I grew to appreciate everything Jeter brought to the table. I even eventually started to like Derek Jeter. It seems that during this farewell tour more and more have gone on to appreciate Jeter the way I have. You see it wasn't Jeter's fault that the fan caught the ball, that the umpire called it a homer, or that the Orioles would blow the series. Jeter was just doing what he has done his entire career, he was playing his butt off. Derek Jeter played as hard as anybody I have every seen. He never shrunk in the big moment and never let an opportunity slip by. This guy just played baseball day in and day out and he did it the right way. If Jeter had been an Oriole, we would have said that he did it the Oriole Way.

This talk about Jeter having class comes down to one thing, integrity. Derek Jeter has integrity plain and simple. During this era of cheaters no one has ever or will ever accuse Jeter of cheating. In fact, if you asked any baseball fan who the least likely cheater in the game is, 85% of them would say Derek Jeter. He is clean. He is baseball. People love baseball because of guys like Derek Jeter. They trust that the game isn't a sham because of guys like Derek Jeter. Jeter obviously is not the only clean baseball player, but he is the face of the clean baseball player. Never once did this guy have off the field controversy, never once did he treat any employee with anything but class, and never once was he afraid of being an ambassador for the game of baseball. Baseball is better because of Derek Jeter.

Maybe this farewall tour is a bit overblown. I admit, I thought it was hogwash that he was being called the greatest Yankee ever by so many. It seems a big stretch to call him the best player in this generation as well. For me he ranks somewhere between 6-10 of the players I have seen, behind Griffey, Alomar, Henderson, Ripken, and Pudge Rodriguez for sure. However, there is no denying how great he was. No arguing how important he was for the game. No debate about him being in the conversation. No doubt that he made the game better. So when you think of the legacy of Derek Jeter, remember that. Remember that he did it his way and he did it the right way. Remember that he was clean without a shadow of a doubt. Remember that every fanbase in the country respected him. Remember that everyone in America liked him. Derek Jeter was probably the most likable athlete in the country. This guy was a class act. He is a class act still. And that is why we have given him so much Respect.
Farewell Captain.

-Noland