I started thinking today about the Phoenix pro sports scene, and the amount of star power here in the Valley. We have 2 NBA MVPs, 2 Cy Young Award winner, 3 NBA Rookies of the Year, an NFL and Super Bowl MVP and a Heisman trophy winner all who now call Phoenix home. Just from a resume’ standpoint, few cities around the country can stack up to that.

I further thought about what makes a star, and what criteria I would use to determine who the true star athletes here in town. I came up with the following criteria:

Recognition factor (both locally and globally)

Popularity among fans

Overall star power (this might be considered notoriety in some cases)

Accomplishment while a Phoenix athlete

Then, I started considering all Phoenix athletes. Unfortunately, nobody from the Coyotes made the list, although if being a nice person was one of the criteria, Shane Doan would be number one. He’s the nicest professional athlete I’ve ever met, and it’s not even close for second place. He once congratulated me on getting a new job the day after he signed a 5-year contract worth nearly $23 million!

Here’s what I came up with:

1. Steve Nash - I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who doesn’t like or admire the skills of Steve Nash. He’s known the world over. Just ask newest Sun Goran Dragic, who’s absolutely giddy to be playing with someone he watched on Slovenian tv when he was younger. Nash has marketability, and he’s actually a very funny guy. He’s a revered figure, and gets the edge over #2 only due to the fact that he’s spent more time in Phoenix. His back-to-back MVPs doesn’t hurt his case, either.

2. Shaquille O’Neal - Globally, he’s the choice. He can’t go anywhere in the world without being recognized. Even Nash might be confused for singer James Blunt on occasion. He’s also almost universally loved among sports fans everywhere, discounting Los Angeles of course. Oh, and Miami. He also gets more support from Phoenix fans because of his perceived feud with Kobe Bryant. Suns’ fans hate Kobe, too. See- instant bond!

3. Amare Stoudemire - I’ll admit, Stat is not universally adored, even in Phoenix. But he’s got star power–a Rookie of the Year Award and an NBA First Team appearance on his resume’. If his naysayers feel he’s learned to play consistent defense, he might shoot up to the top of this list in a hurry. If the question was reworded to ask “who is the Phoenix athlete who is the most on top of his game at this stage of his career?”, Amare would rank in the top 2.

4. Brandon Webb - Webb is not only arguably the best pitcher in baseball right now, he is another player that every Diamondback fan loves. And what’s not to love? He is the frontrunner to win his second Cy Young Award this season for a team contending for a division title. In fact, I can’t think of a negative thing ever said to me about Brandon Webb.

5. Eric Byrnes - This is where it gets a little fuzzy for me. Byrnes probably would have been #2 on this list a year ago. Many fans were against the Diamondbacks giving him a new deal last August, and there’s a lot more in that category now due to Byrnes’ disastrous 2008 season that has been marred by injury. He does turn a lot of people off with his style of play (including Texas outfielder Milton Bradley), but he does play the game hard and is among the most accessible athletes you’ll ever meet.

Where is Randy Johnson? Johnson is an interesting omission. He is the most decorated athlete in Phoenix history. Four Cy Young Awards, 5 All-Star appearances, and a World Series Co-MVP award speak for themselves. But Johnson isn’t all that loved by Phoenix fans. Even during his first stint with the Diamondbacks, when the Big Unit was clearly in his prime, home attendance at the BOB wasn’t really affected when he took the mound. And a lot of Diamondback fans were turned off when Johnson orchestrated a trade to the Yankees after the 2004 season in pursuit of another World Series ring. And let’s not forget his reputation as being difficult with the media, which may be entirely blown out of proportion. These are all factors why RJ doesn’t make my list.

Matt Leinart, you ask? Leinart is off the charts on the star power scale. He’s the only Phoenix athlete to be linked romantically at one point to Paris Hilton. On second thought, that’s probably not true. We are talking about Paris Hilton here. Leinart gets minus points for the fact that he hasn’t accomplished anything in a Cardinal uniform, and because he played his college ball at hated USC. If Leinart has a good year in 2008, he could take over the top spot from Nash.

I’d love to hear your rationale on the subject…feel free to vote in the poll below, or just leave a comment.

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