Rob Funk
Well depends on criteria , in regards to Bonds, do I discard his career?
Saying greatest athlete in baseball is not a real good way to put it...and do I select someone based on one year or entire career?
"Best baseball player I ever saw that more than likely never used steroids"
answer- Roberto Clemente (best all around baseball player) But I only saw his career for a couple years and I was very young.
Deion Sanders playing in the World Series and Super Bowl, how freaking amazing is that?
Well depends on criteria , in regards to Bonds, do I discard his career?
Saying greatest athlete in baseball is not a real good way to put it...and do I select someone based on one year or entire career?
"Best baseball player I ever saw that more than likely never used steroids"
answer- Roberto Clemente (best all around baseball player) But I only saw his career for a couple years and I was very young.
Deion Sanders playing in the World Series and Super Bowl, how freaking amazing is that?
Bo Jackson (6)
Barry Sanders (2)
Wayne Gretzky (1)
Pedro Martinez (1)
Willie Mays (1)
Michael Jordan (1)
Regarding the steroids thing...........I know it taints things knowing that a guy did steroids, but I was just asking the simple question "Who is the best you ever saw" at that sport (and best overall)? Without speculating on who did drugs and who didn't (because I don't know), I just gave my answers based on who did the most amazing things I ever saw in their respective sport. Bonds did drugs, but he still did the most amazing things I ever saw in baseball.
Barry Sanders (2)
Wayne Gretzky (1)
Pedro Martinez (1)
Willie Mays (1)
Michael Jordan (1)
Regarding the steroids thing...........I know it taints things knowing that a guy did steroids, but I was just asking the simple question "Who is the best you ever saw" at that sport (and best overall)? Without speculating on who did drugs and who didn't (because I don't know), I just gave my answers based on who did the most amazing things I ever saw in their respective sport. Bonds did drugs, but he still did the most amazing things I ever saw in baseball.
Jim Thorpe or Jim Brown
Both dominated their respective sports by ridiculously wide margins and were multi sport stars.
Brown was a better lacrosse player than football player when compared against peers. Would have dominated many track events and been a top decathlete with Rafer Johnson
Thorpe was best at anything he did by a wide margin and the sports included football, baseball, manty track events that he was record holder at time in 1912 Olympics,
Yesterday, everyone was gaga over Flutie's drop kick PAT. Thorpe hit 5 in a row from 50 yards at age 55 as part of an exhibition before a Bears game in Chicago.
Both dominated their respective sports by ridiculously wide margins and were multi sport stars.
Brown was a better lacrosse player than football player when compared against peers. Would have dominated many track events and been a top decathlete with Rafer Johnson
Thorpe was best at anything he did by a wide margin and the sports included football, baseball, manty track events that he was record holder at time in 1912 Olympics,
Yesterday, everyone was gaga over Flutie's drop kick PAT. Thorpe hit 5 in a row from 50 yards at age 55 as part of an exhibition before a Bears game in Chicago.
Birdman -- I have certainly heard about Thorpe and his talents -- possibly the best athlete to ever live compared to competition at the time, but I never saw him perform. Were you around for his glory days, by chance??? How about Jim Brown.......did you see him???
Updated tally.........
Bo Jackson (6)
Barry Sanders (2)
Shaq Diesel (1)
Wayne Gretzky (1)
Pedro Martinez (1)
Willie Mays (1)
Michael Jordan (1)
Updated tally.........
Bo Jackson (6)
Barry Sanders (2)
Shaq Diesel (1)
Wayne Gretzky (1)
Pedro Martinez (1)
Willie Mays (1)
Michael Jordan (1)
After Original Post, read Topic--My bad
CalState:
Never saw Thorpe--much too young. Only saw Brown on TV last couple years of his career and of course through many highlights.
My basis was on the thousands of written stories ( newspapers and novels) that I've read by the great sportwriters from the turn of the century through the sixties before mass visual media reduced the demand for great print sports story telling of the action.
Though I have never seen any film from 1920's College Football, I feel I know that decade pretty well by the great writers of that era.
In regards to Thorpe, it's very possible his legendary status may have been due to embellishment of the facts by certain scribes of the time. However, I believe most, if not all, writers of that time were of highest integrity when such a value was strived by all-unlike today when the end justifies the means.
As far as greatest athlete I've witnessed last 30 years:
Michael Johnson's peformance at 1996 Olympics with his double in 200 & 400 meters. His performance in 200 simply breathtaking.
For conventional team sports: Bo knows
CalState:
Never saw Thorpe--much too young. Only saw Brown on TV last couple years of his career and of course through many highlights.
My basis was on the thousands of written stories ( newspapers and novels) that I've read by the great sportwriters from the turn of the century through the sixties before mass visual media reduced the demand for great print sports story telling of the action.
Though I have never seen any film from 1920's College Football, I feel I know that decade pretty well by the great writers of that era.
In regards to Thorpe, it's very possible his legendary status may have been due to embellishment of the facts by certain scribes of the time. However, I believe most, if not all, writers of that time were of highest integrity when such a value was strived by all-unlike today when the end justifies the means.
As far as greatest athlete I've witnessed last 30 years:
Michael Johnson's peformance at 1996 Olympics with his double in 200 & 400 meters. His performance in 200 simply breathtaking.
For conventional team sports: Bo knows
In track and field, 68 Olympics was pretty awesome with all the records being made at altitude in Mexico City. Also believe training methods really improved dramatically during the 60's culminating in a fantastic 12 day period in the late summer of 68.
Thus: Bob Beamon's record long jump that almost cleared the pit and lasted over 30 years.
Thus: Bob Beamon's record long jump that almost cleared the pit and lasted over 30 years.
