The Greatest Athlete of All-time

[Slap Shot]

Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

I probably averaged .325 as a baseball player (through American Legion ball), but rarely have I had a round in which I reached 6 greens in regulation.

btw - not necessarily intened has a serious counter to your Ruth argument just sayin.

 

[Old Pio]

Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

I probably averaged .325 as a baseball player (through American Legion ball), but rarely have I had a round in which I reached 6 greens in regulation.

btw - not necessarily intened has a serious counter to your Ruth argument just sayin.

What was your ERA? Babe's was 2.28.

 

[Slap Shot]

Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

What was your ERA? Babe's was 2.28.

True story. In LL I never pitched but as we approached the playoffs (I was fortunately selected to represent our area for teams that compete for the LLWS) the coach of the team (not my regular season coach) liked the arm I demonstrated from the outfield and wanted to see if I could pitch. I had a wicked curve for a kid that age and as a result of my trying out was slated to pitch a game if we made it to the next round. Alas we lost and the only oppourtunity I had to pitch in Babe Ruth ball didn't merit another look (although goddamit I could hook that ball). Suffice it to say my career ERA is probably north of 10.

 

[Old Pio]

Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

True story. In LL I never pitched but as we approached the playoffs (I was fortunately selected to represent our area for teams that compete for the LLWS) the coach of the team (not my regular season coach) liked the arm I demonstrated from the outfield and wanted to see if I could pitch. I had a wicked curve for a kid that age and as a result of my trying out was slated to pitch a game if we made it to the next round. Alas we lost and the only oppourtunity I had to pitch in Babe Ruth ball didn't merit another look (although goddamit I could hook that ball). Suffice it to say my career ERA is probably north of 10.

I don't know why Danny Almonte just popped into my head, but he did. We spent about three days at work after that story broke concocting news "leads" like: "Danny Almonte's son is taking leave from the Navy to come home and testify that his dad is 12." You may not be old enough to recall that in the 70's, some father from Boulder conspired to fix the Soapbox derby. He installed an electro-magnet in his kid's car. The idea was when the metal gates holding the cars back at the top of the hill dropped, it would sling shot the car off the starting line. I don't recall all the details, but there was a battery system controlled by the driver. The kid had to vacate his "title."

Parents can screw up anything.

 

[MinnesotaNorthStar]

Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

I'd imagine making a save on a tipped Chara slap shot is up there in the difficulty category as well. As is the touch required to swish a shot from 3 point range, or throw a 50 yard pass down the sideline.

 

[Old Pio]

Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

I'd imagine making a save on a tipped Chara slap shot is up there in the difficulty category as well. As is the touch required to swish a shot from 3 point range, or throw a 50 yard pass down the sideline.

All difficult accomplishments, to be sure. But in baseball, guys who are successful at the plate only 25% of the time can have long profitable and even HOF careers. Guys who are successful 30% of the time are multi-tillionaires. And a guy who's successful 40% of the time (last one about 70 years ago) is put on the athletic equivalent of Mt. Rushmore.

 

[bronconick]

Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

Pheippides- Distance runner

Dude created the marathon after killing Persians all day.

 

[joecct]

Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

Pheippides- Distance runner

Dude created the marathon after killing Persians all day.

Plus he founded a shoe company!

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

Sometimes one wonders how "athletic" golf is, when you have these great "golden oldie" success stories like Greg Norman at the 2008 British Open, Tom Watson at the 2009 British Open (nearly 60 at the time?), and now Fred Couples in the 2nd-round lead at the Masters at age 52.

I think it is great that these guys can play so well for so long (Nicklaus was 46 when he won the 1986 Masters, no?), and I certainly don't mean to imply people in their 50s can't still perform very well athletically.


However, neither can I imagine someone in their 40s or 50s being competitive with people in their 20s and 30s, straight up, in most "athletic" competitions that involve speed, strength, endurance, relfexes, even precise hand-eye coordination.

Jamie Moyer says "Hi".

 

[FreshFish]

Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

Jamie Moyer says "Hi".

agreed, baseball is not exactly the most "athletic" of sports either....

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

OK, I have the final lists done. I have taken suggestions, added some, didn't add others for various reasons. Also deleted a few weaker picks that were on the list before. I'm sure that some people will think that I left some people off that deserve to be there, but the list can't have everyone on it, and everyone has a different opinion about everyone on the list. Besides, arguing who is #151 or #152 is pretty pointless when we're looking for #1. At this point, votes in the polls section are all that will matter. I will begin posting polls today, but it will be a long process, we'll see how busy I am at work, I may or may not get it all done today.

 

[FreshFish]

Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

OK, I have the final lists done. I have taken suggestions, added some, didn't add others for various reasons. Also deleted a few weaker picks that were on the list before. I'm sure that some people will think that I left some people off that deserve to be there, but the list can't have everyone on it, and everyone has a different opinion about everyone on the list. Besides, arguing who is #151 or #152 is pretty pointless when we're looking for #1. At this point, votes in the polls section are all that will matter. I will begin posting polls today, but it will be a long process, we'll see how busy I am at work, I may or may not get it all done today.

Thanks very much for compiling. Much appreciated. Look forward to voting.

 

[SteveP]

Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

Jamie Moyer says "Hi".

And Dwayne Roloson does too!

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

The first one is up, I have dubbed it the New York region. I named each of the 8 for a city in the US, since I couldn't think of anything better.

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

The Los Angeles Region is now posted, for your viewing pleasure.

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

Denver Region is posted. I may try to get some more done tonight when I get home.

 

[Old Pio]

Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

agreed, baseball is not exactly the most "athletic" of sports either....

Well then, you shouldn't have any problems hitting major league pitching, right? I mean, it's so unathletic and all. Remind me again how Michael Jordan did in the MINORS.

 

[ericredaxe]

Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

OK, I have the final lists done. I have taken suggestions, added some, didn't add others for various reasons. Also deleted a few weaker picks that were on the list before. I'm sure that some people will think that I left some people off that deserve to be there, but the list can't have everyone on it, and everyone has a different opinion about everyone on the list. Besides, arguing who is #151 or #152 is pretty pointless when we're looking for #1. At this point, votes in the polls section are all that will matter. I will begin posting polls today, but it will be a long process, we'll see how busy I am at work, I may or may not get it all done today.

I might be too late to the party, but here are 2 guys that I think should definitely be on the list:

Rowing:

Steve Redgrave: Heavyweight rower from Great Britain. Considered Britain's greatest olympic athlete ever. Won gold at 5 consecutive olympic games from 1984 - 2000. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Redgrave

Eskild Ebbesen: Lightweight rower from Denmark. 3 olympic gold medals and a bronze, and a number of world championship gold medals, and will be competing again at this summer's games. Not a great wickipedia on him but google him and read around.

Keep in mind that in Rowing the events are structured such that you are pretty much only able to compete in one event per olympic games (unlike track and field or swimming), so to win 4 and 5 gold medals amounts to an incredible stretch of longevity and durability. In 1988 Redgrave actually rowed in 2 separate events (unheard of in rowing) and took the bronze in his second event, competing against people who were fresh from having not raced before.

 

[FreshFish]

Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

I mean, it's so unathletic and all.

There are a lot of physical skills that are quite difficult and tricky to master: hitting a baseball is very difficult and takes a certain skill, there is no doubt. Billiards and pool take a lot of skill; are billiard players athletes? Did you nominate any pool players? Chess takes tremendous physical stamina at the highest international levels; intense concentration for four hours straight is very difficult and chess takes a lot of skill, in Russia they consider it a sport. I actually suggested Gary Kasparov be included on the list, because I do think there is some athleticism involved in being a grand master chess player.

No need to be so touchy; no one is downgrading or denigrating those skills at all....it is merely a question of semantics. Can an animal be an athlete? There are three on the list, after all.

 

[Old Pio]

Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

There are a lot of physical skills that are quite difficult and tricky to master: hitting a baseball is very difficult and takes a certain skill, there is no doubt. Billiards and pool take a lot of skill; are billiard players athletes? Did you nominate any pool players? Chess takes tremendous physical stamina at the highest international levels; intense concentration for four hours straight is very difficult and chess takes a lot of skill, in Russia they consider it a sport. I actually suggested Gary Kasparov be included on the list, because I do think there is some athleticism involved in being a grand master chess player.

No need to be so touchy; no one is downgrading or denigrating those skills at all....it is merely a question of semantics. Can an animal be an athlete? There are three on the list, after all.

I'm not touchy. I just don't suffer fools gladly. Like fools who equate pool and chess with hitting major league pitching. Rudolph Wanderone, Bobby Fisher and Henry Aaron, all the same.