The 10: Best entertainers in Phoenix sports

This past week the entertainment world lost three of its stars with the passing of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. In honor of these three Hollywood hard hitters this week’s ten focuses on the top entertainers in Phoenix sports history. The list is based as much on performance in their sport as entertainment value outside of it.

1. Charles Barkley
Barkley was an obvious and easy choice for number one on our list. His dominating performances on the court and his antics off it entertained fans in the Valley for years. His charismatic “I don’t care what you think” attitude always lent itself to a great quote to the media. Whether he was leading the Suns to the playoffs, telling parents that he wasn’t a role model or reassuring them of it by throwing a man through a window always found a way to gain attention.

2. Curt Schilling
Schilling dished out fastballs at speeds in excess of ninety miles and hour and entertaining quotes to the media just as fast. He dominated on the mound and in the media during his time in Phoenix. Although Randy Johnson was, in most peoples eyes, the better of the two pitchers Schilling always found the headlines and peaked the fans interest with his blend of personality and skills. A perfect example of Schilling’s entertainment prowess was during the 2001 World Series. He not only won a game and put up a 1.69 ERA but he provided one of the great quotes of all time. When asked about the mystique and aura of the New York Yankees Curt Schilling said “Those are dancers in a nightclub. Those are not things we concern ourselves with on the ball field.” Classic.

3. Jeremy Roenick
JR had a flare for the dramatic on the ice and a propensity for the outlandish with the press. Roenick gave Phoenix fans numerous moments to remember including playing in a game 7 of a playoff series just games after he had completely shattered his jaw. In both his stints with the time his looks excited the female fans and his antics gave fans and sports radio hosts talking and that is why he finds himself as number three on our list.

4. Shaquille O’Neal
Although he was only here for a brief time the fans in Phoenix were treated to a renaissance on the court and some of his best self promotion off of it. Between an All Star game MVP award, his Random Acts of Shaqness and his wild and crazy tweets O’Neal entertained the fans, or maybe annoyed them, even though he never won a championship.

5. Denny Green
From day one former Cardinals head coach Denny Green dressed in his red sports jacket and surrounded by charts showing his winning percentage entertained fans. Although his teams never won on the field they had some of the most catastrophic loses in team history (see the Bears Cardinals Monday night during his tenure). While his teams were memorable for the wrong reasons Green was memorable for his reactions and quotes. He wasn’t who the Cardinals thought he was and they let him off the hook but in his odd brand of coaching provided fans with something to look forward to.

6. Larry Fitzgerald
Although Larry Fitzgerald is fairly mild mannered off the field his electric play on the field and his eccentric style off of it earns him a spot on our list. Anyone who saw him play in last season’s playoffs can’t deny that he is one hundred percent an entertainer. His acrobatic catches and display of scheer will excited a fan base that had been dormant and lead the Cardinals to it’s first Super Bowl in franchise history.

7.Ced Ceballos
CC, Cedric Ceballos’ high flying dunks won him an NBA dunk contest and electrified fans of the Valley of the Sun. During his career the Suns front office paid him to entertain fans on the court and now they pay them to entertain them off of it. Ceballos is the in game entertainment host for all Phoenix Suns home games making him a logical choice for number seven on our list.

8. Mike Fetters
Relief pitchers rarely see more than one inning of work in a game but that was all Mike Fetters needed to capture the imaginations and hearts of fans in Phoenix. Fetters signature head snap move and his round figure made every appearance of his one worth watching.

9. Mark Grace
Gracie entertained fans on the field with his timely hitting and his solid defensive play. Possibly the most memorable moment was when he imitated the man in our number eight slot when he was asked to pitch late in a blow out loss. Grace now entertains the fans with his own brand of unique of color commentary for the Diamondbacks and Nationally for Fox.

10. Dan Majerle

Whether it was making last second three pointers in the playoffs, doing color commentary for the Suns, owning his own bar or having the local female fan contingency fawning all over him Dan Majerle has always entertained Phoenix. That combination of different talents earned him the number 10 spot on our list.

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Tags: Cedric Ceballos, Charles Barkley, Dan Majerle, Denny Green, Larry Fitzgerald, Mark Grace, Mike Fetters, Shaquille O'Neal