Lefty Love

One of the best scenes in the movie The Princess Bride is the left-handed sword fight where Inigo tells Westley "I am not left-handed" and Westley responds with "I am not left-handed either," after which they continue the fight right-handed.  Like Westley and Inigo, I am not left-handed.  But my dad and one of my sisters are.

Anyway, yesterday was International Left-handers Day, so I figured I'd take the opportunity to celebrate.  Baseball, of course, has always had its share of dominant left-handed pitchers.  In fact, some of the greatest pitchers of all-time are lefties.  The left-handed quarterback, meanwhile, has become a bit of a dying breed.  There isn't one current left-handed QB on any NFL roster, while the best-known lefty QBs of recent vintage (Tim Tebow), who never made it in the NFL, is playing Double-A baseball.

But that doesn't mean the lefty QBs don't deserve love.  Here are my top five left-handed quarterbacks of all-time:

5. Jim Zorn: He was the first-ever starting quarterback for the expansion Seattle Seahawks in 1976 and won AFC Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.  Zorn was the Seahawks' starter for eight seasons and eventually became head coach of the Redskins.

4. Michael Vick: Because of the legal troubles that derailed his career, it's easy to forget how good Michael Vick was when he broke into the NFL.  But, he was the No. 1 overall pick in 2001 and made three Pro Bowls with the Falcons before going to another with the Eagles after he resumed his career.

3. Boomer Esiason: Three lefty QBs have played in the Super Bowl.  Boomer is one.  He was the MVP in 1988, when the Bengals nearly upset the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIII.  Of course, Boomer's kept himself plenty busy since then.  He's got his radio show on WFAN, does The NFL Today on CBS and Monday Night Football on radio.

2. Ken Stabler: The first lefty to start and win a Super Bowl, "The Snake" led the Raiders to a victory over the Vikings in Super Bowl XI.  He was the MVP in 1974, a member of the 1970s All-Decade Team, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2016.

1. Steve Young: After all those years backing up Joe Montana, Steve Young finally got his chance to start in 1991, and that turned out alright for the 49ers.  Two MVPs, a Super Bowl title (and MVP), a slew of NFL records, and a Hall of Fame selection in 2005.

Now on to the pitchers.  There are a ton that have plaques in Cooperstown, so this list includes all Hall of Famers.  Which doesn't mean it was any easier to narrow it down.

5. Whitey Ford: There have been so many great left-handed pitchers to wear Yankee pinstripes, that I could've done a Top 5 with just them.  But I'll stick with the guy widely acknowledged as the best pitcher in franchise history for baseball's most decorated franchise.  A 10-time All*Star and six-time World Series champion, he's MLB's all-time leader in winning percentage for a starting pitcher.

4. Steve Carlton: Positions 2-4 are definitely open to debate, but I'm putting Carlton at No. 4.  Four Cy Youngs, 10 All*Star Games, two World Series titles, including a memorable one with the 1980 Phillies.  Oh yeah, he also had a ton of strikeouts (fourth most all-time) and is the second-winningest left-hander ever.

3. Warren Spahn: "Spahn and Sain and Pray for Rain."  That was the mantra of the Milwaukee Braves in the 1950s.  And it won them a World Series in 1957, when Spahn won the Cy Young (which was still a combined award for both leagues then).  His 363 wins aren't just the most by a lefty by a wide margin (Carlton is second with 329), they're the most by any pitcher in the live-ball era and sixth-most all-time.

2. Randy Johnson: Why did I put the Big Unit at No. 2, ahead of Spahn and Carlton?  Because of his intimidating combination of strikeouts and dominance.  Two no-hitters, including a perfect game at age 40; four straight Cy Youngs; that insane 2001 World Series, where he was co-MVP.  Oh, and did I mention, the 4,875 strikeouts?

1. Sandy Koufax: Probably not much argument with this one.  Just imagine how much more ridiculous Koufax's career would've been had he not retired at 30?  As it is, what he accomplished is pretty extraordinary:  four no-hitters (including a perfect game), three Cy Youngs and an MVP, seven All*Star Games, four World Series titles.

And now for the current guys, one of whom is another Dodgers lefty who's drawn plenty of comparisons to Koufax.  Who are the other four, though?

5. Aroldis Chapman: It's my list and there's no rule that I could only pick starters, so Chapman gets the nod over David Price for the 5-spot.  He's been one of the most dominant closers in the game since his 2010 debut.  It's really kinda ridiculous how this guy throws 102 over and over again like it's nothing.

4. Madison Bumgarner: Five years ago, he would've been a clear No. 1 on this list.  But things have been a bit of a struggle for Bumgarner since he single-handedly won the 2014 World Series.  Nevertheless, when healthy, he's one of the most dominant starters in the game.

3. Jon Lester: A two-time World Series champion in Boston, he won a third title on the Cubs' curse-breaking 2016 squad.  He was also MVP of the NLCS that year.  Lester is, without a doubt, one of the top starters in all of baseball.  And he's the ace of a Cubs team that looks poised for another long postseason run.

2. Chris Sale: This was an easy one.  Sale's the top pitcher on the best team in baseball and the AL Cy Young front-runner.  He's also started three straight All*Star Games.  It's safe to say the Red Sox have gotten everything they've asked for and more since he came over from the White Sox.

1. Clayton Kershaw: Duh!  Not just the best lefty in the game.  The best pitcher in the game period.  It's been that way for the past few seasons.  And really Max Scherzer is the only other pitcher who you could even make the argument for.  His postseason record aside, Kershaw has been building a Hall of Fame resume in LA (although, to be fair, he was great in Games 1 & 7 of the World Series last year).  Three Cy Youngs and an MVP so far with who knows what else to come?

So, what do you think?  Was anybody left off one of my lists (pun intended)?