Best All time

[mart8081]

I like the choice of Merckx but would add:

Donald Bradman - Australian Test Match cricketer. Finished his test career with an average of 99.94 runs per innings. The next highest is 60.97 runs per innings (Pollock of South Africa).

40 runs per innings is the broadly used marker of a good test batsmen - I would guess it is roughly comparable to a .300 batting average in baseball. 50 runs per innings equates to .320, 60 runs per innings to .340. Therefore, 99.94 runs per innings using this scale would result in batting .420 in baseball - for your entire career.

[tachyonbb]

As documented earlier, to me Eddy Merckx was the most dominant in his sport over the longest time.


2nd to me is Bill Russell. 2 NCAA championships. 11 times NBA champion. He did what had to be done to win. Rebound, shoot, lead the fast break, whatever the team needed, he did.

[Touch'EmAll]

Do not forget Satchell Paige - he was THE guy for a LONG time in negro leagues.

We don't really know how great he was, statistically. But I would hazzard a guess at insanely dominant!

[Touch'EmAll]

I grew up about half hour from Anaheim Stadium in the 1970's, and my family liked to go to Angels games. We saw Ryan on many occasions. I look back, wow, what a lucky childhood.

Anyway, EVERY time he pitched there was always pregame crowd chatter about, "will he throw another no-hitter tonight?" The pregame crowd just oozed anticipation. I was there, I lived it, it is ingrained in my soul. Ryan was still young, in his prime, and, on certain nights, as dominant as it gets. Maybe not the statistically best pure pitcher, but absolutely YES, perhaps the most dominant.

[EvilKing00]

pretty good list and vote so far, looks to be Ruth and Gretzky pulling away.

[JBird]

had to vote for Jordan on this. just remembering how he could take over a game. basketball is hard tho because to dominate you have to have great team mates. but as a knicks fan i hated when we played the bulls. except for Starks dunk over jordan on the baseline. but in that respect its what Lebron is doing now. he can straight up take a game over. even if its not scoring he plays defense hard.
Tiger Woods definitely should be in consideration for this list tho. he was simply untouchable for a solid what 13 or so years?
Heres a quote from Wikipedia to show his dominace (and not just because is stays dominant in the quote look at the weeks at #1)
"He first reached the number one position in the world rankings in June 1997. Through the 2000s, Woods was the dominant force in golf, spending 264 weeks from August 1999 to September 2004 and 281 weeks from June 2005 to October 2010 as world number one."