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#1
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I searched to see if this idea had been done on Net 54 before, figuring that everything sports (or, more specifically, baseball) related has been discussed at one time or another. While the Mt. Rushmore of baseball, and baseball cards, immediately popped up, imagine my surprise when I did not find this particular idea expanded to all sports.
So, here's my question to you fine folks of Net 54: who would you put on your personal Mt. Rushmore to represent the very best of sports? This does not necessarily mean the greatest player in any particular sport, but men (or women) that achieved excellence in their sport, either as a player, or a coach (or, maybe both). Maybe these men and women never stepped on a field, but changed their sport (and their country) for the better with their vision. There are many ways we can take this. If baseball is in your blood, to the exclusion of all sports, you can choose four legends associated with the diamond. But, if you're like me, even though baseball will always be my first love, I am an enthusiastic fan of several sports. Including all sports in the selection process makes it infinitely more difficult, in my opinion, to choose only four. You can include professionals, as well as those that achieved their fame in the college ranks. Maybe a broadcaster, or a sports journalist might make your list. Do you make this a list of excellence from a performance standpoint, or do you choose men and women who led by example. Many great men and women have roamed the sidelines, their names synonymous with the word class. There have also been athletes who have made great sacrifices. This should be a very interesting discussion. When you select the four people you would honor, tell me why you choose them above the others you might have considered. Just have fun, and remember, there is no right or wrong answer.
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Building these sets: T206, 1953 Bowman Color, 1975 Topps. Great transactions with: piedmont150, Cardboard Junkie, z28jd, t206blogcom, tinkertoeverstochance, trobba, Texxxx, marcdelpercio, t206hound, zachs, tolstoi, IronHorse 2130, AndyG09, BBT206, jtschantz, lug-nut, leaflover, Abravefan11, mpemulis, btcarfagno, BlueSky, and Frankbmd. Last edited by the 'stache; 11-06-2015 at 04:00 AM. |
#2
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Eddie Lee Whitson, Kei Igawa, Carl Pavano, Hideki Irabu
They got PAID!!!! Last edited by iwantitiwinit; 11-06-2015 at 04:21 AM. |
#3
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ruth, gretzky, Jordan, Payton Manning
The first 3 were easy, the best ever in their sports, no one will ever be better. As for football, that was hard. not easy to pick the best from so many diff positions. Manning / Montana / Elway / marino / rice / taylor / munoz / there are so many diff players in so many diff eras, but I think when its all said and done mannings numbers will be the ones that look the most mount rushmoric.
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Successful transactions with: Drumback, Mart8081, Obcmac, Tonyo, markf31, gnaz01, rainier2004, EASE, Bobsbats, Craig M, TistaT202, Seiklis, Kenny Cole, T's please, Vic, marcdelpercio, poorlydrawncat, brianp-beme, mybuddyinc, Glchen, chernieto , old-baseball , Donscards, Centauri, AddieJoss, T2069bk,206fix, joe v, smokelessjoe, eggoman, botn, canjond Looking for T205's or anything Babe Ruth...email or PM me if you have any to sell. |
#4
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#5
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Ted Williams, Earvin Johnson, Muhammad Ali, Emmitt Smith
I picked those 4 because Ted is the best player to ever play baseball and the other 3 are all-time greats and my favorite players in their sport that I watched growing up. |
#6
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Ruth, Ali, Pele, Jordan.
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#7
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Babe Ruth- mythical
Usain Bolt- 9.58 and 19.19 in the 100M/200M may never be broken...we may look back and realize that he pushed the human body to its absolute limits. All this and he never really competed in his "best" event, the 400M. Tiger Woods- I know about Jack and his 18 majors, but this guy made golf what it is today. The sheer number of guys that are threats every single week on the tour is a direct result of Tiger's influence on the game. His dominance and ability to just embarrass fields is unreal. Michael Jordan- I'm a Lebron guy. I think Lebron is a better "player". He understands the game better, plays more positions, defends more guys, and went many years without the cast that Michael had. That being said, Jordan is a juggernaut. The legacy that he will leave on athletic footwear alone may be enough to put him on this mountain. |
#8
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Ruth, Thorpe, Jordan, Pele
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Collecting Pre-1920 HOF Postcards (single subject, not team postcards) @TreyCumby Last edited by chipperhank44; 11-06-2015 at 07:02 AM. Reason: Changed my mind, Pele over Ali |
#9
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You absolutely have to have Jackie Robinson. After that we can argue.
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My website: https://edwardwclayton.wixsite.com/my-site |
#10
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Bill Potter T206 Beater Collection currently at 51/524 |
#11
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Babe Ruth, Jim Thorpe, Bobby Jones, George Vezina Pre-World War II
Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Jim Brown, Ted Williams Post-World War II |
#12
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Great topic Bill!
My four are, in no particular order: Jackie Robinson, Oscar Robertson, Jim Thorpe, and Gordie Howe. Each player stands on their own merit, and has their place in history in their respective sport. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in MLB. Oscar Robertson is the only player in the NBA to average a triple double for a season, and has a trophy named after him given to the top college player by the US Basketball Writers Association. Jim Thorpe has been recognized as the greatest athlete of the 20th Century. He won 2 gold medals in the olympics ( pentathlon and decathlon ) and played professional football, baseball, and basketball. Gordie Howe is the " Babe Ruth " of hockey.
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My new found obsession the t206! |
#13
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lol brady is a great player, on many great teams with probably the best or top 3 best coach ever. Manning put up numbers on some bad teams overall, the guy I think is the best QB ever - its too bad he didn't have a better team around him. And im a giant fan
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Successful transactions with: Drumback, Mart8081, Obcmac, Tonyo, markf31, gnaz01, rainier2004, EASE, Bobsbats, Craig M, TistaT202, Seiklis, Kenny Cole, T's please, Vic, marcdelpercio, poorlydrawncat, brianp-beme, mybuddyinc, Glchen, chernieto , old-baseball , Donscards, Centauri, AddieJoss, T2069bk,206fix, joe v, smokelessjoe, eggoman, botn, canjond Looking for T205's or anything Babe Ruth...email or PM me if you have any to sell. |
#14
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Coach!? I don't think you've heard of Brady... ![]() Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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HOFAutoRookies.com Last edited by HOF Auto Rookies; 11-07-2015 at 08:31 AM. |
#15
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http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2013...ne-dones-fault Last edited by Peter_Spaeth; 11-07-2015 at 08:46 AM. |
#16
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I knew someone would push back against Peyton Manning. However, there is a difference between being the most successful player and being the greatest.
The award winning columnist, Bob Kravitz, formerly of the Indianapolis Star, used to get local hate mail for writing his opinion that Brady was the G.O.A.T. of the NFL, and not Peyton Manning. However, he had to write a retraction piece after the Colts followed up a 14-2 season in 2009 with a 2-14 season only two years later. The difference was that, in 2011, Manning received surgery for his career-shortening neck injury at the hands of the headhunting defensive coordinator Greg Williams, and what a difference it made for the Colts, who were still thought to be a decent team. Kravitz then wrote, in his column, an apology to Manning, implying that Peyton's greatness had covered up so many team deficiencies, that he had to be the greatest QB ever, after all, and not Brady, whose Patriots sill managed to make the playoffs without him on the roster for a full season. |
#17
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In no particular order:
Katie Ledecky Jim Thorpe Pele Dan Gable |
#18
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Cold Hard Football Facts nicely summarizes why Hutson, not Rice, is the best receiver to ever play the game.
__________________
Building these sets: T206, 1953 Bowman Color, 1975 Topps. Great transactions with: piedmont150, Cardboard Junkie, z28jd, t206blogcom, tinkertoeverstochance, trobba, Texxxx, marcdelpercio, t206hound, zachs, tolstoi, IronHorse 2130, AndyG09, BBT206, jtschantz, lug-nut, leaflover, Abravefan11, mpemulis, btcarfagno, BlueSky, and Frankbmd. Last edited by the 'stache; 11-06-2015 at 09:49 AM. |
#19
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I would argue Jim Brown was much more dominant than just about anyone at any single sport with the exception of perhaps Babe Ruth.
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#20
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I'm limiting my picks to team sports, and American sports, so no Pele:
Babe Ruth, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan (easy choices), and Jerry Rice. |
#21
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However, Dick Schaap once called Brown the greatest Lacrosse player ever too. Last edited by jbhofmann; 11-06-2015 at 10:04 AM. |
#22
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8 titles in 9 years, and I believe he still is the all time leader in yards per carry.
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#23
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Bonds... A Roid... Lance Armstrong... Rosie Ruiz....on the backside of Rushmore...
Last edited by BengoughingForAwhile; 11-06-2015 at 11:18 AM. |
#24
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Ruth, Jordan, Brady,Gretzky .
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#25
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Reporter : Have you been doing a lot of heavy intervals?
Ruiz : Someone else asked me about that, and I'm not sure what intervals are? What are they? Reporter : Intervals are track work outs designed to make your speed improve dramatically, and if you've went from a 2:55 to a 2:31 one would expect that you've done a lot of speed work. Is someone coaching or advising you? Ruiz : Um, no I advise myself. Reporter : Congratulations. Rosie Ruiz the "mystery woman" we missed her at all our check points. |
#26
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A quick comparison to bradyin 2008 they went 11-5 with brady out for the season and mat cassell in at QB. That team was solid and with a great coach. Manning was the whole team more often than not
__________________
Successful transactions with: Drumback, Mart8081, Obcmac, Tonyo, markf31, gnaz01, rainier2004, EASE, Bobsbats, Craig M, TistaT202, Seiklis, Kenny Cole, T's please, Vic, marcdelpercio, poorlydrawncat, brianp-beme, mybuddyinc, Glchen, chernieto , old-baseball , Donscards, Centauri, AddieJoss, T2069bk,206fix, joe v, smokelessjoe, eggoman, botn, canjond Looking for T205's or anything Babe Ruth...email or PM me if you have any to sell. |
#27
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If you don't start with Ruth/Jordan, you're just being argumentative. I think I would fill out with Thorpe and then probably Jackie Robinson. I have some reservations about Jackie as he is clearly not among the greatest athletes, but is one of the most influential people in American history...and often gets less than his due because he was an athlete.
Others I strongly considered: Billie Jean King Wayne Gretzky Jim Brown Richard Petty Vince Lombari / Bear Bryant Mark Spitz |
#28
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Polar bear I did not ignore the pitching I just countered it with the fact he could not field or run bases . Making less of player in right field . The stats of what people made does not show what people really did . And that was go to work for there family because baseball was not considered a job . Or there was a family business that had to go in to . Most people did not allow there son to grow up and play baseball ( Lou Gehrig ) ( joe DiMaggio) were all told not to play imagine is the listened . And imagine how many did or didn't have a chos. After war world one there was a way lower population in America . There was not this a big pool of people to choose from . It came down to men that took it upon them self to play just a example let says you have to fill you teams out of a pool of guys that were just the guys that decided that had nothing better to do . Or in the 50s with a booming population of white , black , Spanish to choose from . And I'm sure little league teams were a lot better at bringing up kid to play ball . Mays would have most beat the HR if it wasn't for the Korean War . Then if you put him in Yankee stadium who know what he could have done . Yankee stadium was made for Ruth to hit home runs out of . And polar bear it's not arugeing it's a debate . And most players had to get a job in the off season lol wasn't the 1919 black sox incident caused the low pay ?
Last edited by Rookiemonster; 11-07-2015 at 08:27 AM. |
#29
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Why am I gushing about Rodgers? I'm trying to reinforce how hard it is to extrapolate a few numbers, and pick "the best" in any sport, especially football where there are only 16 games a season. Do I think Rodgers is the best passer in NFL history? It's hard to say, though he belongs in the conversation, as is a first ballot Hall of Famer if he retired today. But do I look at the career passer rating list, and say that Dan Marino is the 19th best quarterback to ever play the game? Is Joe Montana 10th best? Bart Starr is tied for 56th, and Johnny Unitas 77th best. While Manning has put up some huge numbers, I think the guys I just named, had they played in today's NFL, would have put up the same eye popping numbers, if not better.
__________________
Building these sets: T206, 1953 Bowman Color, 1975 Topps. Great transactions with: piedmont150, Cardboard Junkie, z28jd, t206blogcom, tinkertoeverstochance, trobba, Texxxx, marcdelpercio, t206hound, zachs, tolstoi, IronHorse 2130, AndyG09, BBT206, jtschantz, lug-nut, leaflover, Abravefan11, mpemulis, btcarfagno, BlueSky, and Frankbmd. |
#30
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Wait, I missed this before. Manning was the whole team more often than not??
Between 1999 and 2005, Manning had one of the dominant running backs in the NFL in the back in Edgerrin James. James ran for 1,553 yards in 1999, 1,709 yards in 2000 (leading the NFL both seasons), 1,259 yards in 2003, 1,548 yards in 2004, and 1,506 yards in 2005. He ran for 9,226 yards and 64 touchdowns in seven seasons, and would have easily cracked 10k yards if he had not missed 12 games in 2001 and 2002. He's probably a Hall of Famer, with 12,246 yards rushing, 80 TDs, 3,364 yards receiving and 11 TD. Then there were his receivers. He had Marvin Harrison, a future Hall of Famer, for nearly his entire time in Indy. Between 1998 and 2008, Harrison caught 965 passes for 12,878 yards and 114 TD catches. Harrison made the Pro Bowl eight times, and was first team NFL All-Pro three times. And, starting in 2001, he also had Reggie Wayne. From 2004-2010, Wayne was a superstar for Manning, too. From 2001-2010, Wayne caught 787 passes for 10,748 yards and 69 TD. The duo combined for 2,172 receptions, 28,925 yards and 208 TD catches. Between them, they made 14 Pro Bowls, and were 4 times NFL All-Pro. Three Hall of Famers Manning had on offense with him for the vast majority of his career. How many Hall of Famers were on offense for Brett Favre? Any? Sterling Sharpe would have been, but he was forced to retire in 1994, Favre's third season. He had some really good players-Robert Brooks had a huge season, and a second 1,000 yard season after blowing out his knee. Antonio Freeman made a Pro Bowl, and had a few 1,000 yard seasons. He had Donald Driver for the second half of his career. None of those guys are going to Canton. What about running backs? The best he had was Ahman Green, who became a star in Favre's ninth season. Before that, he had Edgar Bennett and a couple of good seasons from Dorsey Levens (one Pro Bowl appearance). None of these guys are all timers. Yet Favre won three MVP Awards, won a Super Bowl for the Packers, and broke most every passing record. Did Manning do more to make his team better than Favre? Food for thought.
__________________
Building these sets: T206, 1953 Bowman Color, 1975 Topps. Great transactions with: piedmont150, Cardboard Junkie, z28jd, t206blogcom, tinkertoeverstochance, trobba, Texxxx, marcdelpercio, t206hound, zachs, tolstoi, IronHorse 2130, AndyG09, BBT206, jtschantz, lug-nut, leaflover, Abravefan11, mpemulis, btcarfagno, BlueSky, and Frankbmd. |
#31
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Ruth
jordan gretzky tiger ali |
#32
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Babe Ruth
Michael Jordan Johnny Unitas Muhammad Ali The first two are pretty obvious. Johnny U and the 58 nfl championship game was the transcendent event in football's rise to the #1 sport. Ali is the one athlete who transcends beyond sport itself. Last edited by rats60; 11-06-2015 at 05:15 AM. |
#33
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Ruth, Ali, Jordan, Jesse Owens.
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H Murphy Collection https://www.flickr.com/photos/154296763@N05/ |
#34
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Ruth, Jordan, Brady, Gretzky
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk |
#35
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Babe Ruth, Wilt Chamberlain, Jim Thorpe, & Vince Lombardi. The football choice is the toughest one, so I went with the greatest coach in the game. There were so many great players. Jim Thorpe was I feel overall the greatest athlete. Ruth & Chamberlain changed the game in their sports. Honorable mention to Bobby Orr, Ali, & Jordan. They are great players that changed their sport as well.
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#36
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How about Greg Brock, Todd Van Poppel, Ben McDonald, and Brien Taylor?
Get it? We're carving busts of athletes into a mountain. Busts! ![]()
__________________
Thanks, Jason Collecting interests and want lists at https://jasoncards.wordpress.com/201...nd-want-lists/ |
#37
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#38
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Ruth did not face any good pitchers he face the same guys over and over . The only pitcher he faced was lefty grove . The pitchers he face were worn down over worked and were not the best of the best . Because it was only whites in baseball .
Mays faced the best pitchers of all time Koufax , Gibson , Spahn , drysdale Etc He played in the polo grounds . , seal stadium , candlestick the biggest and windiest park in the majors you can't say Ruth would have any better success . He faced racism . He have prime years to the Koreanwar efforts . Ruth could not field even a quarter the mays could . Run or steal bases I don't think there is any argument there that mays was the man . Bottom line mays was the best there was . Or at very least nothing to laugh at . |
#39
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Thanks, Jason Collecting interests and want lists at https://jasoncards.wordpress.com/201...nd-want-lists/ |
#40
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It's pointless to compare player eras. The best argument you have with that is Mays would have been as good a hitter as Ruth in the 1920's or Ruth would have lost 50 batting average points and 100 home runs playing in the 50's. Doubtful on both counts. (and by the way, you conveniently left out the fact that Ruth faced Johnson, the BEST pitcher in MLB history). Was Mays faster than Ruth? I'm sure he was. How much did that really matter though. Not much. Mays had 338 stolen bases, 120th place on the career list, right ahead of Joe Tinker. Mays wasn't exactly a superstar threat on the base paths. However, you're forgetting my main point about Ruth. Like I said, when Mays coughs up 100 wins as an MLB pitcher, we can discuss how he's a better overall player than Ruth. I'm not saying Mays wasn't a great player, even a top tier HOFer. I'm just saying that Mays, or anyone else, can't come close to Ruth as the best overall player in MLB history. Ruth was good at everything, not just chasing down fly balls in the outfield. |
#41
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Babe Ruth - was the best at what he did, hit home runs
Nolan Ryan - was the best at what he did, throw fastest and strikeouts Satchel Paige - My wild card, who really knows the wonders of Paige Michael Phelps - was the best at what he did - win Olympic Gold |
#42
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Ruth was not good at running bases or fielding if there was a gold glove award he would not have won 1 . Walter Johnson was already 31 years old in 1919 . And it is not pointless to compare eras . He only played against whites and it wasn't even the best white players because most didn't want to play ball because there was no money to be made . I think mays in the 20s in Yankee stadium would have Put the most ridiculous numbers ever . Even if mays was not the best he sure was close as we will ever get .
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#43
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Here's an interesting fact: In a span of 25 years, modern statisticians measured the distance of every MLB home run and discovered that there was only one instance in which a batter hit a homer that traveled 500 feet. In 1920, the first year that Ruth became a full-time batter for the Yanks, he hit a 500+ foot home run in EVERY single ball park he played in! There never has been and never will be another batter with more power than Ruth.
Last edited by robw1959; 11-07-2015 at 09:54 AM. |
#44
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You forgot The Boz
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#45
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One approach is to honor great players who were also great people. If I were taking my son to Mt Sportsmore, I'd want to be able to tell stories that showcased character rather than just athletic talent. Some candidates--
Jackie Robinson - racial justice Roberto Clemente - humanitarian LeBron James - sending thousands of kids to college and funding GEDs for their parents Bob Feller - First to enlist after Pearl Harbor Muhammad Ali - Protested unjust war I would rather my son see these guys as heroes than Jordan or Brady, guys I see who used their fame and wealth to buy toys and feed their egos.
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Thanks, Jason Collecting interests and want lists at https://jasoncards.wordpress.com/201...nd-want-lists/ |
#46
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Steve B |
#47
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Hard to agree that Jackie was not one of the greatest athletes. I assume the statement is based solely on his MLB stats. I think he was arguably at the ELITE level in football, basketball, track, baseball, and even tennis. He was probably the most gifted athlete of the 20th century. Keep in mind that he wasn't able to make his MLB debut until the age of 28 for reasons well beyond his control.
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Thanks, Jason Collecting interests and want lists at https://jasoncards.wordpress.com/201...nd-want-lists/ |
#48
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One thing that puzzles me about Ruth...I think it was in my 1955 Sports Illustrated with Alston on the cover that a bunch of old baseball men were asked to name the best baseball player ever. I remember Cobb chose Wagner, as did a couple other guys. A few guys chose Cobb. And I think only one guy chose Ruth.
I suppose you could argue these guys were purists who thought the home run ruined baseball, but it did make me wonder.
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Thanks, Jason Collecting interests and want lists at https://jasoncards.wordpress.com/201...nd-want-lists/ |
#49
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Or maybe because they were all better overall players than Ruth except in the HR/power dept and pitching category. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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HOFAutoRookies.com Last edited by HOF Auto Rookies; 11-07-2015 at 09:00 AM. |
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Other than that Mrs. Lincoln how was the play? Oh and he only hit .342. And led the league in walks nearly every year.
Last edited by Peter_Spaeth; 11-07-2015 at 09:33 AM. |
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