Longtime Chicago radio man George Ofman took to his Chicago Now blog to present his "Top Ten Most Respected Cubs Of The Decade."

Here they are, along with his rationale (and what I think he really meant):

Greg Maddux: Nothing needs to be said here except hall of fame. ... White guy!

Joe Girardi: His handling of the death of Darryl Kile spoke volumes of the leadership qualities this man has. Started with the Cubs in '89 and returned to play 3 more seasons in the 2000s. He could wind up being the next manager of the Cubs. ... White guy!

Kerry Wood: Grew into the role of elder statesman and team leader. Fans grew to really like and respect him despite all his injury woes. He's a Cub for life. ... White guy!

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Ryan Dempster: The devotion to his profession is very admirable. Puts everything into what he has and is extremely popular with fans and media. Very caring person with a fabulous sense of humor. A guy you simply gravitate to. ... White guy!

Kevin Tapani: Many fans might not think of him in this respect but he was a solid team guy. Spent two of his 6 seasons here in the 2000s and makes this list because he was a highly respected team player. ... White guy!

Mark Grace: Goes without saying even though he left here after the 2000 season. Right in the class with Dawson and Sandberg. A true Cub. ... White guy!

Todd Walker: Controversial and outspoken and I think the fans and media really respected him for that. Tough nosed player that really wanted to win a world sieres with the Cubs. ... White guy!

Ryan Theriot: Very popular with the fans and has quickly established himself as one of the more dignifed players in the league. This guy is a real winner on and off the field. ... White guy!

Jon Lieber: Went 20 and 6 for the Cubs in 2001. Quiet and seemingly unassuming, Lieber commanded respect by virtue of his habits. Very solid guy. ... White guy!

Derrek Lee: Class act through and through. Even when fans were down on him, handled adversity like a true team leader. Contract up at end of year. Will Cubs re-sign him? ... Whi -- what? He's black? Well, his name sounds white. White guy!

To be fair to Ofman, he was linking these 10 players to the ideals epitomized by Andre Dawson and summed up his criteria this way:

I covered Dawson for those 6 years and to this day, I have come across only a few baseball players here who were as dignified, revered and respected as he was. ... All of these gentlemen exude class and showed the kind of respect for the fans and media seldom seen anywhere.

Respect for the fans and the media? It's clear from this list that you won't make your way on to the All Respect Team if English isn't your first language.

Sammy Sosa? Nope, even though he put on a show each and every day for each and every fan each and every year he put on a Cub uniform (and surely nobody on the above list cheated, right? Right??). He didn't play the media's game in the end. He's out.

Kosuke Fukudome? Ha.

Aramis Ramirez? Please, he's only the best Cubs third baseman in two generations and does nothing to rock the boat. But he doesn't fill Ofman's tape recorder.

How about, say, Jacque Jones? Well, it's hard to make the All Respect Team when you're receiving racially tinged hate mail for perceived poor performance.

Cubs fans and the media who shape their perceptions may want to take a look at Ofman's list, which is probably quite accurate, and ask what it says about them.