It may go down as the most memorable line in the history of television. For 30 years Ed McMahon would grab the microphone at the start of "The Tonight Show" and enthusiastically proclaim, "H-e-e-e-ere's Johnny!" just before Johnny Carson appeared on stage.

So when the 86-year-old McMahon died early Tuesday morning, there was little dispute that the entertainment world had just lost the greatest second banana in its history.

But what about the best second bananas of sports? Who have been the top sidekicks in athletics history?

Even McMahon once drew on sports to describe his role with Carson, noting, "It's like a pitcher who has a favorite catcher. The pitcher gets a little help from the catcher, but the pitcher's got to throw the ball well. Johnny Carson had to throw the ball, but I could give him a little help."

This is not to nominate former Atlanta Braves catcher Eddie Perez, who was once Greg Maddux's favorite catcher, even if he was rarely manager Bobby Cox's top choice for receiver.

But to shift sports a bit, if you were to label Tiger Woods the Carson of golf, McMahon would be Tiger caddie Steve Williams, always faithfully toting the bags.

Admittedly, being a famous second banana in the sports world is almost an oxymoron. For instance, most of us might choose Scottie Pippen as the best sidekick ever for his time as Michael Jordan's running mate on the Chicago Bulls. Then again, Pippen was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. When you've been chosen one of the top 50 players ever, it's kind of tough to be a second banana.

Of course, McMahon never asked out of a "Carnac" skit because he wasn't the center of attention in the same way Pippen refused to be a decoy in the final seconds of a Bulls-New York Knicks playoff game in 1994. Obviously, Pippen never appreciated the concept of giving a little help.

A friend of mine says former Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith could be viewed as the Ed McMahon of the NFL, his argument being that Smith was second banana to Big D quarterback Troy Aikman.

But I would argue that Aikman, Smith and wideout Michael Irvin were more like the Three Stooges in comedy, or the three Bee Gees, equally important in their own way to the total product.

If there was a true sidekick in football it may have been Miami Dolphins running back Jim Kiick, who shared the backfield with more famous fullback Larry Csonka.

The two were known as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid during their undefeated run in 1972. Moreover, Kiick could play in pain, a necessity for a duo's lesser light. He once took the field with a broken toe, broken finger, hip pointer and badly bruised elbow. No word if he shouted "Here's Larry!" when lead-blocking for Csonka.

Naturally, coaching best lends itself to sidekicks. Good as Michael Jordan was with Pippen in winning six NBA titles, then-Bulls coach Phil Jackson was helped greatly by the presence of Tex Winter and his triangle offense.

In baseball, who could forget Don Zimmer's time on the New York Yankees bench next to manager Joe Torre? Nicknamed "Popeye" during his playing career for his eerie facial resemblance to the cartoon character, the Zim Master once got into a brawl with Boston pitcher Pedro Martinez during the 2003 American League championship series, then wore an army helmet with "ZIM" painted on its side after getting hit by a foul ball.

Closer to home in the major leagues, former Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone would certainly qualify for sports' best second banana, if only for his rocking back and forth and chewing-gum addiction while seated next to Cox.

There's also a case to be made for George W. Bush, the former minority owner of the Texas Rangers. At least a few people believe he was the White House's greatest sidekick ever for former Vice President Dick Cheney. (Just kidding.)

But for at least a few of us in the Scenic City, the best second banana in sports will always be the late, great Bill Gleason, former assistant basketball coach at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to both Murray Arnold and Mack McCarthy.

Much like McMahon, Gleason almost always had a smile on his face and a quip on his lips. Also much like McMahon, he was happy to be an assistant, content to answer only when asked.

Though Gleason was never as old as he looked, Arnold called him Methuselah. Others nicknamed him Yoda, a tribute to the worn but wise Star Wars character.

"If Ed McMahon had been a coach, he would have been Bill Gleason," former UTC assistant L.J. Kilby said Tuesday. "Kids loved him. His knowledge of the game was second to none. And he knew everyone in the business, from Al McGuire down."

Kilby recalled his favorite Gleason observation.

"I was about to go on a recruiting trip," he said. "Bill pulled me aside and said, 'If you'll get us some better players, we won't have to coach 'em so much.'"

It was Gleason's way of giving a little help.