Philly March Madness: (2) Tim Kerr vs. (15) Carlos Ruiz

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Over the next few weeks at The700Level, we'll be posting pollmatchups as part of our Philly March Madness competition.Examine thecases of the two fine Philadelphia athletesbelow,andcastyourvote atthe bottom as to which youthink shouldadvance tothe nextround. Andas always,feelfree to explainyourselectionand/ordebate thechoicesin the comments section.


(2) Tim Kerr

Imagine Scott Hartnell. Now imagine the complete opposite, and you have Tim Kerr. The beauty of Kerr, a three-time All-Star who from 1983 to 1987 might have had the most dominating four-season stretch of any Flyer in history, was the serenity that existed in him while mayhem reigned around him (usually due to his presence). At 6-3, 235, he was a mountain of a man, particularly in his era. And his greatest asset was almost neanderthal in concept: Stand in front of the net, and wait for the puck. Except as Kerr parked himself in front, particularly on power plays, opponents threw every short of plastic explosives at him in futile attempts to stop him. You could build a bonfire visible from space with all the sticks snapped over his back (and yes, they were still wooden sticks back then). They would hook, crosscheck, slewfoot, punch, butt-end … to no avail. You couldn’t knock Kerr off his skates. His balance was amazing, and his ability to endure the punishment was epic. He scored 224 goals in that four season stretch. Of the 58 goals he had in 1985-86, an NHL-record 34 came on the power play. Two players have come within 10 goals of that record in the past decade; it’s as air-tight as DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak.

Kerr suffered a season-scrapping injury in 1987, came back the following season and threw up 48 more goals. But the pounding he took for his relentless decision to make the area three feet in front of the goalie his own took its toll. He didn’t play more than half a season over the next four years and retired when he was 33. However, it is impossible not to marvel at what Kerr did on the ice, for he had to know it would come at the expense of longevity.

Oh, one more thing: Tim Kerr was not a fighter. However, on the handful of occasions an opponent pushed him over his long threshold of patience and prompted him to drop the gloves, it was a scene from a gore film. No Flyer -- not Dave Brown, not Donald Brashear, not DAVE SCHULTZ -- could devastate a man with his fists like Tim Kerr. But Kerr knew he was more valuable as a mountain instead of a volcano. --Dennis Deitch

(15) Carlos Ruiz

Philadelphia loves to watch an unknown player emerge from doubt and/or mild obscurity to become a major contributor, and over the past three seasons, Carlos Ruiz has done just that. In 2007, he began to show he could work well with a pitching staff, aided by the mentoring of Jamie Moyer, and he also showed particular strength defensively. In 2008, with the Rod Barajas era over after just one injury-shortened season, Ruiz continued his development as a catcher and was a vital part of the Phillies’ World Series run. I’ll never forget watching him from the fifth row on the first base side in game 3. He had homered early in the game, but the moment that stands out was his dribbling, bases-loaded, walkoff infield single that somehow found enough daylight to score Eric Bruntlett despite Joe Maddon having seven fielders within the cutout. Game 3 was in the books, and Chooch’s status as a folk hero was cemented. He was the man calling some masterfully pitched games from behind the plate—a Panamanian with an almost entirely American-born staff (11 of 12)—and he also came up big at the dish under the brightest spotlight.

Over the past two seasons, particularly in 2010, Ruiz has continued growing as a catcher and is now considered one of the best in the game, even adding some offense. He caught Roy Halladay’s perfect game and his playoff no-hitter, and to hear Halladay tell it, Doc was just a guy doing as his catcher directed. His play on the final out of the no-hitter was a thing of athletic beauty, quickly getting out to a dribbler with the bat in the way, then firing it over the baserunner’s shoulder, just in time to make history. While some of the best-known prospects fizzle out when they get to the big leagues, if they make it at all, Ruiz spent eight seasons in the Phillies minor league system with most fans hardly knowing his name. Now you can’t go to a game without hearing it shouted by 40,000-plus. --Matt P.

Who should advance to the next round?online surveys

Results So Far:

East Bracket:

(1) Julius Erving (91.8%) over (16) Von Hayes (8.2%)
(8) SimonGagne (77.9%) over (9) Seth Joyner (22.1%)
(5) Eric Lindros (70.3%)over (12) Eric Allen (29.7%)
(4) Randall Cunningham (77.6%) over(13)Shane Victorino (23.4%)
(11) Cole Hamels (82.1%) over (6) MarkRecchi (17.9%)
(14) Tug McGraw (51.1%) over (3) Moses Malone(48.9%)
(7)Darren Daulton (74.0%) over (10) Andrew Toney (26.0%)
(2)ChaseUtley (93.5%) over (15) Andre Waters (6.5%)

Midwest Bracket:

(1) Mark Howe (60.2%) over (16) David Akers (39.8%)
(9) RodBrind'Amour (73.6%) over (8) Rick Tocchet (26.4%)
(5) Brian Westbrook(93.3%) over (12) Jayson Werth (6.7%)
(4) Mike Richards (85.1%)over(13) Trent Cole (14.9%)
(6) John LeClair (89.2%) over (11)ClydeSimmons (10.8%)
(3) Jimmy Rollins (75.8%) over (14) John Kruk(24.2%)
(7) Lenny Dykstra (51.9%) over (10) Dave Poulin (48.1%)
(2) Allen Iverson (83.1%) over (15) Jeremiah Trotter (16.9%)

West Bracket:

(1) Mike Schmidt (96.9%) over (16) Keith Byars (3.1%)
(9) Wilbert Montgomery (59.4%) over (8) Jeff Carter (40.6%)
(5) Ron Jaworski (83.5%) over (12) Bobby Abreu (16.5%)
(4) Ron Hextall (94.1%) over (13) Andre Iguodala (5.9%)
(6) Mike Quick (59.8%) over (11) Hugh Douglas (40.2%)
(3) Brian Dawkins (98.3%) over (14) Scott Rolen (1.7%)
(7) Maurice Cheeks (51.9%) over (10) Eric Desjardins (48.1%)

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