'92 All Over Again?

In 1992, Pittsburgh fans could make a very legitimate argument that they had the three best players in each of their three pro sports.

Barry Bonds was MVP of the NL for the division winning Pirates.
Mario Lemieux was the best hockey player in the world for the Stanley Cup winning Penguins.
Barry Foster was a 1,700 yard workhorse and most dominant running back in the NFL for the playoff bound Steelers in Bill Cowher's first yer as coach.

In all objectivity, only Foster's status was debatable.

It's a trifecta that is rare and almost impossible to match, even for cities with 4 major pro sports teams.

So, we are now 17 years later in 2009. And from Pittsburgh's point of view, the Pirates are minor league while Pitt basketball has ascended to major and certainly championship caliber level.

And here we are again, does Pittsburgh have the three best players in its sports? Or is this a biased argument that only a homer would make?

In the NHL, while the Penguins are middling, Sidney Crosby is widely regarded as the league's best, yet Geno Malkin leads the league in scoring. You could pick either of those two and make a very compelling argument he is the best.

That a Super Bowl Champion Steeler is the league's best may be the toughest argument to convince outsiders. Yet, James Harrison was the Defensive Player of the Year,Troy Polamalu may be the most disruptive defensive player and young Ben has won his second Super Bowl and is the clutchest player in the league. I'll take Harrison for this year, the defensive player of the year on the league's best defense that led the team to their Super Bowl win.

Then we come to Pitt basketball, replacing the Buccos in this list. Over the last week, DeJuan Blair is making a statement that is impossible to ignore that he is the best player in college basketball. At the very least, he is the favorite to be the Player of the Year in the Big East on a team that has as good a shot to win the national title as any.

Bonds, Lemieux and Foster in 1992.
Crosby, Harrison and Blair in 2009.

Pretty fair players and all the best in their sports that year.