Who are the best players that you have seen live in a game?

[AustinMike]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

Remembering your first game may be a problem,

You know what they say, "You always remember your first."

Baseball:
First game - Mickey Mantle, although technically I didn't see him play. I saw him walk around in the dugout. It was a Sunday day game and he had the day off. So, actually playing-wise, I'd have to say Reggie Jackson. He even hit a homerun in the game (I don't remember him hitting it let alone playing, but I do have the box score from the game and it says he did) [ok, so maybe you don't remember everything about your first]. The most memorable play was Rocky Colavito throwing Campy Campaneris out at home plate with an incredible throw from left field. That I do remember and will take to the grave with me ... along with the fact that Mantle didn't play.

Any game - would have to be Ryan. I'd drive down to Houston and then up to Arlington to see him pitch.

Other sports:
Do they even matter??!?

[Peter_Spaeth]

11 pitchers in that game, looks like one of today's games.

[MVSNYC]

Ripken Jr, Griffey Jr, Jeter, ARod...come to mind.

[darwinbulldog]

The first baseball game I went to was a high school game. It would have been Will Clark, but he had graduated a year or two earlier, so really nobody special there. I later saw Roger Clemens pitch, so he's certainly the best I've witnessed first-hand.

I think I saw Chris Jackson (later Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf) in the first basketball game I went to (LSU/Georgetown), so he would have been the best in that game. And I don't recall ever having gone to an NBA game, so I haven't seen any of the all-time greats. Best I've seen in person might be Mike Bibby, although as college players (how I saw them) I'd say Chris Jackson was a little better.

First football game I saw was probably one I played in as a seven-year-old or something like that. Best player I've seen since then was maybe Ricky Williams. I was at about half of his college games. Or Rickey Jackson for the Saints back in the late 80s/early 90s.

For hockey I've only been to semipro and don't recall any of the players' names. Whoever was the best New Mexico Scorpions player about 15 years ago I guess.