- 26 Feb 2003
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So I started thinking about how in professional sports there are always a few truly exceptional individuals who tend to stand out from the rest of the pack so to speak. Those individuals who through dedication to their art, sheer innate talent, unearthly training regimens, etc. etc. have risen above the rest to dominate their sport single-handedly.
They have become living legends, benchmarks from which all other competitors are weighed and measured against. Mind you, i'm not talking about current "flavor's of the month" (who's hot atm) but rather those unique athletes who have consistently proven time and again they are at the apex of their sport. That being said... who are your picks and for what sports? Here are my choices:
Basketball:
1) Michael Jordan (in his prime: 'nuff said!)
2) Julius Erving (The Doctor is in the house...)
Baseball:
I don't follow this sport so I can't make any selections.
Football:
Same as baseball...
Hockey:
1) Wayne Gretzky ("The Great One")
2) Gordie Howe ("Mr. Hockey")
Golf:
1) Tiger Woods (the man is a fountain of talent whose only real competition is himself on a bad day...)
2) Jack Nicklaus ("The Golden Bear" in his prime)
Tour de France:
1) Lance Armstrong (the man is a machine...)
Tennis: (perhaps the most difficult category for me to select from)
Men:
1) Pete Sampras tied with Ivan Lendl (in their primes respectively)
2) Boris Becker (in his prime: = power coupled with speed)
Women:
1) Steffi Graf (in her prime, one of the most dominant women's players of all-time imho)
2) Martina Navritolova (throughout her career-she's that good)
Boxing: (another tough category to call)
1) Joe Louis tied with Muhammed Ali (Cassisus Clay)
2) George Foreman tied with Rocky Marciano (in their primes respectively)
Sumo :
1) Asashoryu (He IS the future of Sumo, power+speed+technique=total package)
2) Akebono: (In his prime, he was a formidable powerhouse and very dominating in the ring)
3) Takanohana
WSOP (World Series of Poker):
1) Johnny Chan (The Master... consistently ranked as one of the world's best players for many years)
Surfing:
1) Buzzy Trent (Serious old-skool here... He is quoted for saying "You don't go hunting elephant with a BB gun. If you're going to hunt big waves, take a big gun.") Makaha and the North Shore, Waikiki, Waimaea, Tijuana, Malibu... he did it all.
I'm sure there are plenty of other sports/athletes out there also worth mentioning. Let's hear your selections!
They have become living legends, benchmarks from which all other competitors are weighed and measured against. Mind you, i'm not talking about current "flavor's of the month" (who's hot atm) but rather those unique athletes who have consistently proven time and again they are at the apex of their sport. That being said... who are your picks and for what sports? Here are my choices:
Basketball:
1) Michael Jordan (in his prime: 'nuff said!)
2) Julius Erving (The Doctor is in the house...)
Baseball:
I don't follow this sport so I can't make any selections.
Football:
Same as baseball...
Hockey:
1) Wayne Gretzky ("The Great One")
2) Gordie Howe ("Mr. Hockey")
Golf:
1) Tiger Woods (the man is a fountain of talent whose only real competition is himself on a bad day...)
2) Jack Nicklaus ("The Golden Bear" in his prime)
Tour de France:
1) Lance Armstrong (the man is a machine...)
Tennis: (perhaps the most difficult category for me to select from)
Men:
1) Pete Sampras tied with Ivan Lendl (in their primes respectively)
2) Boris Becker (in his prime: = power coupled with speed)
Women:
1) Steffi Graf (in her prime, one of the most dominant women's players of all-time imho)
2) Martina Navritolova (throughout her career-she's that good)
Boxing: (another tough category to call)
1) Joe Louis tied with Muhammed Ali (Cassisus Clay)
2) George Foreman tied with Rocky Marciano (in their primes respectively)
Sumo :
1) Asashoryu (He IS the future of Sumo, power+speed+technique=total package)
2) Akebono: (In his prime, he was a formidable powerhouse and very dominating in the ring)
3) Takanohana
WSOP (World Series of Poker):
1) Johnny Chan (The Master... consistently ranked as one of the world's best players for many years)
Surfing:
1) Buzzy Trent (Serious old-skool here... He is quoted for saying "You don't go hunting elephant with a BB gun. If you're going to hunt big waves, take a big gun.") Makaha and the North Shore, Waikiki, Waimaea, Tijuana, Malibu... he did it all.
I'm sure there are plenty of other sports/athletes out there also worth mentioning. Let's hear your selections!