I was listening to Colin Cowherd on ESPN radio this morning and he asked a certain question that I would like to pose to the blog members (not the people that advertise for severe halitosis and pain killers without a prescription). What players in all of the major leagues of play can never be matched That is they are just absolutely amazing that you can never have another player like them. These are players that we actually go to see just for that player because they are that incredible and don't know what they will do next. Like for instance, Lebron James is viewed as the next Michael Jordan. However, someone like MJ can never been repeated. Here are my two from each league that I view are those that will never come around again.
Baseball: Barry Bonds (although i hope comes down with ebola, this is a no brainer and even without the juice, he still is probably the greatest baseball player of our time and perhaps all time); Big Train Walter Johnson (I wasn't alive to see him play but there is definately a vib with saying pitchers could be the next Walter Johnson, This is just incredible stats for him, 1913: 1.14 ERA, 36-7, 346 IP, 243 Ks, 0.76 WHIP)
Hockey: Gretkzy is the easy one, this man's records will NEVER be touched, he has 700 more assists than the next guy and 100 more goals, and 1000 more points than Mark Messier who is 80 years old; Mario Lemeiux, just an absolute fluid player on the ice who you would never know what he would do next...would pull shit out of his ass that you never quite understood.
Football: Barry Sanders: although some of you know I would like to be the surrogate father to Barry Sanders son, Barry is just absolutely amazing, no other player will come close to what he did on the football field, nobody ever had the feet that Barry did. I think Emmitt Smith said it best that if Barry stayed in the game a few more years longer he would easily have gotten the record from Sweetness. Emmit averaged 4.16 yards a carry, Sweetness averaged 4.35 and Barry averaged 4.98. Another player I would see ever again is Brett Favre...with the pussification of the NFL, I don't think that you will see players that just take their vicodin and get back into the game.
Basketball: MJ (given), and there are quite a few others.
What players do you think that we tend to compare players now to but nobody can ever match up to them??
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For starters, Barry Bonds has nothing on Babe Ruth. The Bambino was, is and always will be the best baseball player that ever lived. Not only for the transcendant and indelible imprint he left on the game of baseball and American culture but because he hit at a time that wasn't hitter-friendly. He was doing it in ballparks that weren't this tiny. He was doing it before steroids, before protein shakes and before truly modern sports medicine. He was hitting with a 40 ounce bat for god's sake. After the Bambino, I say there'll never be another Willie Mays. He was the consumate 5-tool player and he did his best work during the height of the pitching-friendly 60s.
In basketball, it's got to be MJ and Magic Johnson. I don't think we're ever going to see a 6'9" point guard with that kind of handle, that kind of flair and that kind of charisma again. I love Larry Bird but we've got lots of guys in the NBA that are more talented than him (not as smart, as clutch or as saavy, but certainly more skilled). It's amazing to me that we've never rushed to dub someone the "next Magic" -- probably because unlike MJ, that's a mold that was thrown away after he was born. I love MJ but there'll always be another high-flier. There'll never be another guy like Magic.
Football's gotta be Barry Sanders because he was a flash. He came, he saw, he conquered on a horrible team for a decade. We don't realize how good he was because it's been so long since we saw him. The NFL doesn't do enough marketing when it comes to him. There's no reason why we should still see video footage of Walter Payton but not have highlight shows dedicated to Barry running against the Vikes and Bears at old Pontiac Superdome. NFL player #2 would have to be Jerry Rice. As much as I think he's making an ass of himself by not retiring (or shaving the last few strands of hair on his head), there will never be another WR like him. Randy Moss is on his way to matching Rice statistically but will never match his impact on the field. Rice is the best ever at his position and will always be the standard against future WR's will be measured against.
Hockey -- After Gretzky, who cares? Great One is to the NHL what Babe was to baseball. He's the only damn reason hockey is still alive. It would've folded 20 years ago if he weren't around. Finding a #2 wouldn't even be worth it.
I agree on the Bambino...he basically made baseball what it is today and can't see another man playing like him.
I was going to put down Magic and Bird, but I think that we overlook Magic because he had the Jerry Rice mentality in his last years. Magic got a point where he was fat, on his retrovirals and should have just retired. Another reason Magic is looked down upon was his show "The Magic Hour" or whatever it was called. That was a point where he wanted to be the next Arsenio Hall of late night TV.
The NFL definately needs to make more films on Barry Sanders. He was the human highlight reel and I would watch tapes of his antics over and over and over again. The only times I have seen Barry recently is that he is in the commercial for NFL Sunday Ticket on Direct TV.
In the NFL, there are two men who share a common thread. They would be 1 and 2 ALL TIME for yards per carry, if not for injuries that both occurred in the 1991 calendar year. They are Bo Jackson and Randall Cunningham. Before their injuries, these guys were just off the charts. Bo averaged 5.4 yards and Cunningham was averaging 7.07 yards per carry before his knee injury. I want to also say right now, that Vick is on my list of people you'd have to go see. Vick is averging 7.4 yards per carry! The thing is, Cunningham also could pass well, whereas Vick's passing game just isn't there yet. The amazing thing about Bo is that he had an 88, a 90, and a 91-yard run.
I like Barry as much as the next guy, he moves were incrediable. However there has not been nor will there ever be a running back to match the speed, skill, power and statistics of Jim Brown. He average over 5.22 yards a carry . Over a 100 yards a game. He led the league 8 times in rushing yards. Only a handful of running back last 8 seasons let alone lead the league. If you look at the videos you see him running around, over and through defensive linemen. Barry and Sweatness were great running backs but none are the equal of Jim Brown.
I agree about Jim Brown, however any player who wants to form his own vigilante group to fight gang violence in LA doesn't deserve greatness. Also, he shares the same last name as the worst GM in the history of NFL football, another strike against him. And finally, he shares the last name with cross state rivals to my Bungals and Art Modell's favorite team.
Actually, I believe Barry Sanders said that Jim Brown was better than him.
As far as Bo Jackson goes, all I can remember is that he was amazing in Super Tecmo Bowl.
I'm not sure but I think this was supposed to be about players you just want to watch and not about the best players overall. In many cases, those are one in the same, but in the case of Jim Brown, I don't know if he would be more exciting to watch than Barry Sanders. Jim Brown is the best RB of all time, hands down, but I think Barry was probably the most exciting football player to watch of all time. That's why we're even letting guys like Randall Cunningham into this conversation. Randall wasn't ever the best anything but he was a joy to watch.
I'm an old fashion Midwestern which means I like my beer cold, my music loud and my running backs PUNISHING. Sure its exciting to dance around and make people miss but there's nothing like watching a player plow through an opponent. Anyone that thinks otherwise should watch Brown's highlights where his stiff arm bent in an opponent's face mask. Now thats entertainment.
I was thinking more along the lines of what players there just isn't an equal to or when you watch them, you think to yourself "Wow, I can now say that I have fulfilled a dream of seeing that player". I think that Barry was the most exciting player in football and made you think "what is he going to do next". If only I could run backwards about 20 yards, make all defenders miss and then gain positive 15 yards on Madden, I would be a happy person. When there are defenses that are conceived to stop a single player, then that player can definately be viewed as a once in a lifetime person.
I too was going for "most exciting." Jim Brown is still the best running back of all time, I just wanted to say that I would love to go see Bo in his prime. And Randall. And Vick (if he learns how to pass). But Randall & Vick are nowhere near the best passers in the game, and I'm not even going to dare to get into that conversation.
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