Sports Fans....

tao_jones · Post by **tao_jones** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 2:39 pm

I am currently reading Michael Jordan's book "Driven to Succeed." Very good book but it made me realize one thing. Outside of Gretzky I cant think of one athlete that dominated their team sport in the modern era like Jordan did. It made me want to go out and try to find the "Come Fly with Me" movies from the 90s.

Izzo · Post by **Izzo** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 2:43 pm

tao_jones wrote:I am currently reading Michael Jordan's book "Driven to Succeed." Very good book but it made me realize one thing. Outside of Gretzky I cant think of one athlete that dominated their sport like Jordan did. It made me want to go out and try to find the "Come Fly with Me" movies from the 90s.

Edwin Moses ----- he dominated like no other.

Immortal · Post by **Immortal** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 2:44 pm

Pete Sampras

Michael Schumacher

tao_jones · Post by **tao_jones** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 2:56 pm

Izzo,

Any person who won every 400m race that he entered for 10 years I definitly give a lot of credit but he only raced in one event.

Immy,

Sampras was an awesome tennis player - He definitly on the list of best athletes ever.
Racing is not a sport.

koldchillah · Post by **koldchillah** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 3:09 pm

Michael Jordan was the epitomy of sports domination, however I do respect that other sports have had some dominating figures of their own so I try not to make too much of a apples/oranges comparison, but yeah.. Mike's the man!

edit: I think I actually still have one of those "Come Fly with Me" videos on VHS back at my parents house.. lol

Immortal · Post by **Immortal** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 3:11 pm

Racing is not a sport?! Blahsphemy! Next thing u say is that golf is not a sport or curling.

Speaking of golf, how about tiger woods?

tao_jones · Post by **tao_jones** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 3:20 pm

Immortal wrote:Racing is not a sport?! Blahsphemy! Next thing u say is that golf is not a sport or curling.

Speaking of golf, how about tiger woods?

Tiger Woods must first pass Jack Nicholas before he is the best golf player.

In my world racing is set aside from sports in its own category.

Prey521 · Post by **Prey521** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 3:24 pm

I doubt that there will ever be an athlete that can dominate like MJ, he's a machine.

minir · Post by **minir** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 3:25 pm

Hi tao_jones

To name a few
----

Bill Jean King

Martina Navratilova

Ali

Gordie Howe

Steffi Graf

Lance Armstrong

--

regards

minir

Lefty · Post by **Lefty** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 3:28 pm

Stacy Keibler > *

Edit, OK seriously
1. Michael Jordan
2. Babe Ruth
3. Muhammad Ali
4. Jim Brown
5. Wayne Gretzky

are prolly the best.

tao_jones · Post by **tao_jones** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 3:36 pm

minir wrote:Hi tao_jones
To name a few
----
Bill Jean King
Martina Navratilova
Ali
Gordie Howe
Steffi Graf
Lance Armstrong
--
regards
minir

Damn fine list...only Ali and Armstrong come close to what MJ did as far as domination.

tao_jones · Post by **tao_jones** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 3:40 pm

Prey521 wrote:I doubt that there will ever be an athlete that can dominate like MJ, he's a machine.

If hadnt retired it would have been 8 straight NBA titles.

Prey521 · Post by **Prey521** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 3:42 pm

tao_jones wrote:Damn fine list...only Ali and Armstrong come close to what MJ did as far as domination.

Word......

Jim · Post by **Jim** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 3:43 pm

Off the top of my head, I'll add:

Pelé, Lance Armstrong and Muhammad Ali (seconding Minir here), Gordie Howe, Takeru Kobayashi, Babe Ruth/Mickey Mantle/any of the dominant Yankees. I think Tiger Woods will be up there one day, but he's still too early in his career to get there.

Izzo · Post by **Izzo** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 3:44 pm

Jim wrote:Off the top of my head, I'll add:

Pelé, Lance Armstrong and Muhammad Ali (seconding Minir here), Gordie Howe, Takeru Kobayashi, Babe Ruth/Mickey Mantle/any of the dominant Yankees. I think Tiger Woods will be up there one day, but he's still too early in his career to get there.

Kobayashi...lol

minir · Post by **minir** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 4:01 pm

tao_jones wrote:Damn fine list...only Ali and Armstrong come close to what MJ did as far as domination.

--

Hi tao_jones

I'd disagree with your assessment tao_jones. Some quick Stats on a few.
---

Martina Navrátilová

Her numerous conquests include 58 Grand Slam titles, 167 tournament wins in singles, 175 wins in doubles and the Grand Slam of tennis in 1983-84.

--

Gordie Howe

Howe played 33 pro seasons, one has a 17 year old with Omaha of the United States Hockey League, 25 years with the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL, six with the Houston Aeros and New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association, one season with the Hartford Whalers of the NHL and one game in 1997-98 with the Detroit Vipers of the IHL.

Gordie Howe set numerous hockey records that seemed unbreakable at the time. He was an effortless skater with deceptive speed, tremendous straight and a powerful shot. In his fourth NHL season, 1949-50, Howe began one of hockey's most amazing streaks. The the next 22 years, Howe scored over 20 goals a year. The Red Wings and Howe won the Stanley Cup in 1950 and the following year Howe was atop the league scoring, a feat he would repeat for the next three years. He would go on to win a total of six Art Ross trophies and also added six Hart Memorial Trophies as the league MVP. As 41 year old in 1968-69, he scored 44 goals and added 59 assists for a career high 103 points. At 43, Howe retired from the Red Wings in 1971 after injuries slowed him down. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame immediately.

Two years after his retirement, Gordie Howe could not resist the opportunity of playing with his sons as he signed along with Marty and Mark Howe with the Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association. He was an instant success in the WHA and tallyed 508 points in 419 WHA games. In 1979 he returned to the NHL with the Hartford Whalers when they moved from the WHA to the NHL. Howe played that season as a 51 year old, appearing in all 80 games and collecting 41 points. He made his final professional hockey appearance with the Detroit Vipers in 1997, making him the only player to have played in 6 different decades.

And was one of the toughest bastards to ever lace them up as well. He didn't need protection, the opponents did, from him.

--

Steffi Graf

Graf was the dominant women's tennis player of the early 1990s. Big and athletic, with a powerful serve, she won an amazing 22 major championships, including seven singles titles at Wimbledon. In 1988 she completed a rare Grand Slam, winning the U.S., Australian and French Opens and Wimbledon in one year. Graf retired in 1999.

--

and on it goes.

Try Jim Thorpe as probably the greatest Athlete of All Time. Football, Baseball, Track & Field. He excelled in them all.

Try Babe Ruth as Baseballs saviour and perennial All Star. No one was bigger than The Babe.

There are many more people as well who dominated in physical sports that are much more demanding than Basketball as well imho tao_jones.

--

regards

minir

waferdog · Post by **waferdog** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 4:08 pm

How about Aleksander Karelin? Undefeated for 13 years in the super-heavyweight division of amateur wrestling (in fact he didn't give up a single point in competition over a ten year span), multiple Olympic gold medals before unexpectedly losing to Rulon Gardner at the Sydney Olympics.

You can't dominate anymore than he did.

tao_jones · Post by **tao_jones** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 4:20 pm

Jim wrote:Off the top of my head, I'll add:

Pelé, Lance Armstrong and Muhammad Ali (seconding Minir here), Gordie Howe, Takeru Kobayashi, Babe Ruth/Mickey Mantle/any of the dominant Yankees. I think Tiger Woods will be up there one day, but he's still too early in his career to get there.

I will give you Babe Ruth but not Mickey Mantle and I am a huge Mantle fan.

Babe Ruth might have been the best all around baseball player to ever play the game. Kobayashi...competitive eating is a joke.

tao_jones · Post by **tao_jones** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 4:26 pm

Minir,

I will give you Gordie Howe. I think I am going to have to edit this to include team sports of the modern era.

Jim Thorpe was the best overall athlete ever but, I am not talking about great all around athletes I am talking about people that dominated their sports. Thorpe was actually a very average baseball player.

minir · Post by **minir** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 4:28 pm

Hi tao_jones

A few more to add to your list. Dominant All. I was thinking some more and these entered my mind.
--

Juan-Manuel Fangio...Racing

Jim Brown...Football

Ross Powless or Moon Wooton...Lacrosse

Maurice The Rocket Richard...Hockey

Joe Louis "The Brown Bomber"...Boxing

Willie Shoemaker...Horse Racing

--

regards

minir

Dunster · Post by **Dunster** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 4:29 pm

I would argue that Eddie Merckx was even better than Lance Armstrong.

tao_jones · Post by **tao_jones** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 4:34 pm

waferdog wrote:How about Aleksander Karelin? Undefeated for 13 years in the super-heavyweight division of amateur wrestling (in fact he didn't give up a single point in competition over a ten year span), multiple Olympic gold medals before unexpectedly losing to Rulon Gardner at the Sydney Olympics.

You can't dominate anymore than he did.

Nothing against wrestling but outside of the olympics and college I dont think it is a "major" sport even though this guy is a total bad ass.

tao_jones · Post by **tao_jones** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 4:46 pm

Damn Minir...I am going to have to give you the title of sports guru!

Prey521 · Post by **Prey521** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 4:47 pm

Ron Jeremy and John Holmes! They DOMINATED!!!!

waferdog · Post by **waferdog** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 4:48 pm

tao_jones wrote:Nothing against wrestling but outside of the olympics and college I dont think it is a "major" sport even though this guy is a total bad ass.

I didn't see a mention limiting this to major sports, and if so, what is biking doing on here?

minir · Post by **minir** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 4:50 pm

tao_jones wrote:Damn Minir...I am going to have to give you the title of sports guru!

-

Hi tao_jones

Just Old is all.

I loved Sports and watched, read & heard about many of these people from boyhood. Been some great ones come & go.

--

regards

minir

tao_jones · Post by **tao_jones** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 4:53 pm

waferdog wrote:I didn't see a mention limiting this to major sports, and if so, what is biking doing on here?

I just edited it to add major sports. But I will say there are probably more people out there that watch the Tour de France than any wrestling event.

CableDude · Post by **CableDude** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 6:38 pm

Lefty wrote:Stacy Keibler > *

64bit · Post by **64bit** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 6:39 pm

I agree. Great book. My list though has Babe Ruth at the Top. No one before or since did what he did. It not just that he was the greatest baseball player of all time. He saturated everything he came in contact with from 1919 to 1934. He was bigger than the game in an era when the Game was king.
In the 70 years since Ruth no one has even come close to what he did.
I agree with both Pele and Jim Brown too. Pele and MJ are basically tied as far as im concerned. Then that wonderful human

Jim Brown.

Lefty · Post by **Lefty** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 8:05 pm

As far as BBall is concerned Dr. J ruled. There would beno Mike without Dr. J. preceeding him. Case closed.

Mad_Haggis · Post by **Mad_Haggis** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 10:37 pm

Who cares about Gretsky, Theres a movie commin out about the real Hero of Hockey,

http://www.tribute.ca/synopsis.asp?m_id=10959

Looks awsome!

Prey521 · Post by **Prey521** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 10:52 pm

Mad_Haggis wrote:Who cares about Gretsky, Theres a movie commin out about the real Hero of Hockey,

http://www.tribute.ca/synopsis.asp?m_id=10959

Looks awsome!

AAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! LMAO!!!

tao_jones · Post by **tao_jones** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 2:42 pm

Lefty wrote:As far as BBall is concerned Dr. J ruled. There would beno Mike without Dr. J. preceeding him. Case closed.

My top 5 All Time NBA players...

1. MJ
2. Chamberlin
3. Magic
4. Oscar Robertson
5. Kareem

the next 5 all value out about the same
6-10: Dr J. - Pistol Pete - Bird - Shaq - Olajuwon(SP)