The All-Time Greatest Mitchells (Sans George)

By Vinnie Iyer
Now that “the Mitchell Report” is forever tied to the history of Major League Baseball, it’s time to reflect on our top five favorite Mitchells in the history of all team sports:
1. Kevin Mitchell. Let’s just say I wouldn’t be surprised if it was called the Mitchell Report in honor of his past home run exploits. His career as an outfielder with nine teams, starting with the Mets, was peppered with mysterious injuries and attitude issues both on and off the field, but what stands out of course, is his memorable 1989 season with Will Clark and the Giants. Mitchell finished with 47 home runs and 125 RBIs, flirted with Roger Maris’ 61 pace, won the NL MVP award and led San Francisco to the World Series, in which they got swept by the Bay rival A’s in four games. It gets more interesting, Mitchell, known for his pretty bulky physique at the same time Jose Canseco had grown into a dominant player for Oakland, had only two other 30-homer seasons and didn’t have one other 100-RBI season. But, boy was he fun to watch in ‘89. Remember that one-hand barehanded catch in Busch Stadium?
2. Mitch(ell) Richmond. In the best-ever nickname for a talented sports trio, he was once the middle initial in “Run TMC”, the Golden State Warriors’ high-flying late ‘80s/early ‘90s fun-and-gun combination of Tim (Hardaway), Mitch (Richmond) and Chris (Mullin) under coach Don Nelson. But in nearby Sacramento, Richmond is remembered for his eight seasons as a well-liked King. And did you know that he also was named MVP of the 1995 NBA All-Star game and was part of the third “Dream Team” that won a gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics? What a sweet shot he had, especially for you folks who played old-school NBA Live.
3. Mitch(ell) Williams. “The Wild Thing” timed his 1989 emergence as the Cubs’ hard-throwing but loose-control lefty closer perfectly. In April of that year, “Major League”, starring Charlie Sheen as Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn as the Indians’ eccentric fireballing fireman, was a hit movie, and Williams embraced the wackiness of Sheen’s character by wearing No. 99 and nearly flying off the mound with every pitch. Williams was effective enough to earn 36 saves as the fan favorite of the ‘89 NL East-winning Chicago team. He also was involved in a deal that sent Jamie Moyer and Rafael Palmeiro from the Cubs to the Texas Rangers. And oh yeah, Joe Carter hit a pretty big walkoff home run against Williams the Phillie:

4. Brian Mitchell. In the current NFL, it seems like there is a punt or kickoff return for a touchdown every week. Although Devin Hester is well on his way to becoming the greatest return specialist we’ve ever seen, it will be hard for any one of them to match the longevity, durability and overall productivity of Mitchell. Staying in the NFC East with the Redskins, Eagles and Giants over 14 seasons, he racked up 23,330 total yardage, good for second all-time in the NFL. In his years, kickoff and punt coverage wasn’t as atrocious it is now, and he still managed 13 career special teams TDs.
5. Mitch(ell) Mustain. Bobby Petrino probably wishes he could work with him, but Mustain, once a prized home-grown Razorbacks recruit, transferred to be far away from Arkansas as the latest QB-in-waiting for the USC Trojans. I still get him confused with Megadeth lead singer Dave Mustaine, but the hair is a giveaway. Of course, you would be upset and leave your home-state college too if you lost a starting job to someone named Casey Dick.
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Vinnie Iyer is a columnist for Sporting News. He enjoys mid-80’s glam metal and is the (un)official office happy hour planner. ↵