Records

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by packs

I agree totally. His record should be looked at the same way Cy Young's win totals are. Completely out of reach within the current game's structure and talent level.

Meh...so then what about today's records in the context of a half century from now? A player can only compete against the competition in his own era. It is easy to dump on every record not set by an active player as having occurred in an era of little talent. There were also only eight teams in the NBA when Chamberlain was setting those records. The star players on rosters weren't diluted like they are today.

[packs]

Well the game was certainly different then than it is now, which is why dead ball era statistics are often taken with a grain of salt when it comes to talking about baseball. I think the same could be said for basketball, and that was really my only point. In my opinion Kobe's game is more impressive.

[bbcardzman]

Let’s not leave out Stan Musial, who had 5 homers in a doubleheader on May 2, 1954. He went 4-for-4 in the first game with three homers, including the game-winner, a three-run shot off Jim Hearn, and 2-for-4 in the second game with two more homers (unfortunately the Cardinals lost that one).

Statistically speaking in his 22 year career, he was probably the greatest hitter ever. Musial retired with a .331 career batting average and is fourth on the all-time hits list. In 1948 he finished with a .376 average and 131 RBI. He was one home run shy off the Triple Crown with 39, but led the league in every significant batting category: hits (230), total bases (429), doubles (46), triples (18), runs (135), on-base percentage (.450), and slugging (.702) He also had four games where he had five hits that year.

Here’s a few more records:
Played in a record 24 consecutive All-Star Games and hit an All-Star record six home runs.
Set a National League record for most years (17) and most consecutive years (16) batting .300 or better (50 or more games).
His 22 years as a Cardinal, covering 3,026 games, established an N.L. record for most seasons with one club.
Established major league records for most seasons leading his league in doubles (eight) and in extra-base hits (seven).
Holds National League marks for most seasons leading the league in runs scored (five), in triples (five) and in fewest strikeouts (four).