With the possible exception of the equator, everything begins somewhere.
-- Peter Robert Fleming
We give you the best sports rookies of 2003.
1. Theo Epstein
When the Red Sox offered Theo their GMship late last November, his father had just a few words of advice: "Take it and be daring."
Before the 2003 season, Epstein, 28, did just that, picking up Todd Walker, David Ortiz, Kevin Millar, Mike Timlin and analyst Bill James.
And the Red Sox came oh-so-close, thanks in part to Epstein fixing the bullpen by picking up Byung-Hyun Kim and Scott Williamson during the season. So, does Theo rest? Nope. He's out-Yankeeing the Yankees, picking up Curt Schilling at Thanksgiving and Keith Foulke at the winter meetings, and is still working the phones for a potential Alex Rodriguez blockbuster.
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| The Cavs are struggling but LeBron is averging over 19 points a game. |
2. LeBron James
King James is living up to the hype. 'Nuff said.
3. Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo is a double top rookie in 2003. Just a freshman back in the winter and early spring, he led Syracuse to a national title, and was named NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player. Then he moved on. Picked third in the NBA draft by the Nuggets, he leads the surprising Nuggets in scoring, averaging 18.5 ppg. He's also grabbing 6.4 rebounds and dishing 2.9 assists. Most important, he's a huge contributor to a 16-11 squad that's battling for first place.
4. Marvin Lewis
After years as one of the best assistant coaches in the NFL, Lewis lived up to two great challenges: 1) He turned the Bengals from a laughingstock into real contenders; and 2) he did it his way, taking charge in a way that no head coach working for Mike Brown ever has.
5. Dontrelle Willis
Just when baseball needs a healthy injection of fun and effectiveness, along comes the D-Train. Willis, who the Marlins called up from Double-A on May 9, went 9-1 in his first 10 decisions, and embodied the youthful exuberance of the Florida club. He put fannies in Pro Player seats long before the fair-weather fans showed up during Florida's World Series run.
After Willis got the National League top rookie honors, pitching coach Wayne Rosenthal said, "This caps off his whole year. He wins a World Series, goes to the All-Star Game and is now Rookie of the Year. Not bad for a kid who started off the year in Double-A."
6. Brandon Webb
Many thought Webb should have gotten the NL ROY nod. He went 10-9 with a 2.84 ERA (4th in the NL) and 172 Ks in only 180 IP (10th in the NL). Opposing batters hit only .212 against Webb, third in the NL. In other words, he wasn't just one of the top rookies, he was one of the top pitchers in the league.
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| Boldin slipped to the second round, but has been a bright spot for the dismal Cardinals. |
7. Anquan Boldin
Though he's been toiling away in the obscurity of Phoenix, Boldin has put in a spectacular rookie year. In his first pro game, he caught 10 passes for 217 yards and 2 TDs. Though he hasn't matched that debut performance, he's caught 96 passes for over 1,300 yards and 8 TDs in the first 15 games. He's broken Terry Glenn's record for most receptions by a rookie (90) and made the Pro Bowl.
8. Evans Rutto
We know what you're thinking -- who the heck is he? Rutto, a Kenyan, has been one of the best 10K runners in the world over the past four years, and is now, at 25, one of the best marathoners in the world. In his first race at the distance, at the Chicago Marathon in October, Rutto ran a 2:05:50, making him the fourth-fastest marathoner ever. His run was the fastest first-time marathon of all time, and puts him right up there with greats like Khalid Khannouchi and Haile Gebrselassie.
9. Hideki Matsui
We know all about the Matsui vs. Angel Berroa arguments -- you could make a good case that Berroa, the Royals shortstop who won the AL ROY honors, is a more valuable player, and perhaps he is. We know all about the arguments that Matsui isn't a "true rookie," because he played in the Japanese majors for so long. But we don't have to care about rules for the purposes of this list -- Matsui was an MLB rookie, and, to put it briefly, came through on the biggest stage under the heavy glare of the New York and Japanese media.
10. Laurence Maroney
Maroney, a freshman running back for the 9-3 Minnesota Gophers, ran for 990 yards (6th in the Big 10), and 9 TDs. His average of 6.73 yards per carry was the highest among the top-10 rushers. Maroney got 10 or fewer carries in six games, but still managed to pull out four 100+ performances. including a season-high 179 yards against Illinois.
Also receiving votes:
Ben Curtis
Angel Berroa
Cheryl Ford
