Top 100 Athletes of the 20th Century

[TheGreatGatsby]

Now way Mark McGwire belongs on the OP list.

He not only 'roided, he was only a middle-of-the-road 1B defensively.

I'm an Angels fan and I've enjoyed the defensive exploits of Trout, Hunter and Vlad in recent years. But defense never matters in baseball listology lol. A-Rod was a below averaged defender for most of his career.

 

[Synthaholic]

Yes he does, but he's not one of basketball's greatest athletes. I would put Karl Malone and Dominique Wilkins and Jordon and prolly 10 others ahead of Larry Legend, athlete-wise.

Now, basketball players? Shot makers? Game smarts? Larry is definitely top 5.

One can make an argument for top 5, 10. I personally don't think so, but still, hard to find many people who think he was better than Jordan.

That's b/c most people are idiots who buy the hype. Again, Bird beat Jordan 14 straight times.

In what? Blackjack?

 

[Synthaholic]

Now way Mark McGwire belongs on the OP list.

He not only 'roided, he was only a middle-of-the-road 1B defensively.

I agree that he was no athlete, and he cheated with steroids. And I always considered him a middle of the pack 1st baseman. But I happened to have a conversation with ex-Athletic ace Dave Stewart when he was scouting for the Blue Jays, and we were talking about the Bash Brothers. He had nothing good to say about Conseco, but he said that McGwire was a vastly underrated defensive first baseman. He rated him one of the best in the league, only behind Mattingly. I figured he knew what's what. And when you look it up, the only break in Mattingly's streak of 9 Gold Gloves is McGwire, in 1990.

 

[Synthaholic]

You know it's bs when they list Woods and not Palmer, when Woods is chasing Palmers records.

Woods has beaten every Palmer record

In baseball, the equipment is normal and the players are juiced.
In golf, the players are normal and the equipment is juiced.

I would like to see how well Tiger would do playing on Arnie's, Jack's, or especially Bobby Jones' equipment. Balls didn't go as far, were not as perfectly manufactured, irons weren't for shit (I have some of those out in the garage), and drivers were about 1/3 the head size, with a tiny sweet spot. Drivers today are cantaloupes on a stick and very forgiving.

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

I just like that Palmer shows up to the Masters and he's like f it. I don't care if I'm old. I'm going to shoot my 95. I earned it. LOL

 

[GWV5903]

One can make an argument for top 5, 10. I personally don't think so, but still, hard to find many people who think he was better than Jordan.

That's b/c most people are idiots who buy the hype. Again, Bird beat Jordan 14 straight times.

In what? Blackjack?

You forgot SP wasn't around when he was first drafted, Scotty made Jordon unstoppable...

Now Olajuwon out played all of the big men, he didn't have the support as early in his career...

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

That's b/c most people are idiots who buy the hype. Again, Bird beat Jordan 14 straight times.

In what? Blackjack?

You forgot SP wasn't around when he was first drafted, Scotty made Jordon unstoppable...

Now Olajuwon out played all of the big men, he didn't have the support as early in his career...

The Bulls were very beatable. Had they played in the 80's they'd be lucky to have come away with one championship.

 

[Papageorgio]

In what? Blackjack?

You forgot SP wasn't around when he was first drafted, Scotty made Jordon unstoppable...

Now Olajuwon out played all of the big men, he didn't have the support as early in his career...

The Bulls were very beatable. Had they played in the 80's they'd be lucky to have come away with one championship.

Jordan had Pippen,

Magic had Jabbar and Worthy.

Bird had McHale and Parrish.

The Celtics and the Lakers had a better supporting cast than Bird or Magic.

If you we're Bird, I would think he would have taken the Celtics or the Lakers supporting casts over the Bulls. The Bulls lacked depth many of their runs. The .celtics and Lakers had talent dying to play for them.

 

[rightwinger]

Nice to see Josh Gibson on the list at 98. But if Gibson is on the list, Satchell Paige should be in there. He is arguably the greatest pitcher of all time

 

[rightwinger]

Nolan Ryan is way too high at 67. He was not even the best pitcher of his era and never even won a Cy Young. Seaver, Carleton, Spahn, Gibson, Marichal all pitched in his era and dominated more than Ryan did

 

[Synthaholic]

Nolan Ryan is way too high at 67. He was not even the best pitcher of his era and never even won a Cy Young. Seaver, Carleton, Spahn, Gibson, Marichal all pitched in his era and dominated more than Ryan did

Yeah, I saw that. Ryan the pitcher is almost as overrated as Ryan the politician.

You could make the case for Maddux being on the list. You don't become the all-time leader in Gold Gloves (18) without great reflexes and athletic ability. Of course, where you end up after you've thrown a pitch also has a lot to do with that, so I may be overstating the importance. But you still have to catch the ball.

My all-time R/L pitchers are both Braves: Maddux and Spahn. Most people today are familiar with Greg's brilliance, but don't realize that Spahn had 13 20-win seasons for a mediocre franchise. Spahn is the answer I give when people excuse Ryan's poor record due to the mediocre clubs he played for.

 

[Oddball]

No Bo Jackson?

The guy who could've made the HoF in two sports, were it not for a career-ending hip injury?

 

[rightwinger]

Nolan Ryan is way too high at 67. He was not even the best pitcher of his era and never even won a Cy Young. Seaver, Carleton, Spahn, Gibson, Marichal all pitched in his era and dominated more than Ryan did

Yeah, I saw that. Ryan the pitcher is almost as overrated as Ryan the politician.

You could make the case for Maddux being on the list. You don't become the all-time leader in Gold Gloves (18) without great reflexes and athletic ability. Of course, where you end up after you've thrown a pitch also has a lot to do with that, so I may be overstating the importance. But you still have to catch the ball.

My all-time R/L pitchers are both Braves: Maddux and Spahn. Most people today are familiar with Greg's brilliance, but don't realize that Spahn had 13 20-win seasons for a mediocre franchise. Spahn is the answer I give when people excuse Ryan's poor record due to the mediocre clubs he played for.

Warren Spahn in 1963, 42 years old

23-7 , 2.60 ERA, 22 CG, 7 Shutouts

Better than any year Nolan Ryan ever had

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

You forgot SP wasn't around when he was first drafted, Scotty made Jordon unstoppable...

Now Olajuwon out played all of the big men, he didn't have the support as early in his career...

The Bulls were very beatable. Had they played in the 80's they'd be lucky to have come away with one championship.

Jordan had Pippen,

Magic had Jabbar and Worthy.

Bird had McHale and Parrish.

The Celtics and the Lakers had a better supporting cast than Bird or Magic.

If you we're Bird, I would think he would have taken the Celtics or the Lakers supporting casts over the Bulls. The Bulls lacked depth many of their runs. The .celtics and Lakers had talent dying to play for them.

Yea__ when Horace Horse Grant and Bill Cartwright are your 3rd and 4th best players.....Even the little two guards Scott and Ainge would have shredded Paxson.

And even the Pistons only lost to the Bulls as age and injury set-in.

You have to be a real BB guy to know this; but teams like the 86 Rockets went 12 freaking deep. IMO - the best team to not win a championship. The early 80s Sixers went 10 deep. Their back 5 could've kept up with the Bulls. It's no wonder that the great C's only went 2 of 4 against them in and 1 of 3 early on. The Sixers even swept the Lakers in 83.

Then you get to the end of the 80's, even teams like the Jazz and Mavericks were better than those Bulls teams.

Unfortunately, we live in a nit wit culture (and for those that didn't see it, you can't exactly blame them full on); that just count rings and think that's the be all and end all.

 

[Papageorgio]

The Bulls were very beatable. Had they played in the 80's they'd be lucky to have come away with one championship.

Jordan had Pippen,

Magic had Jabbar and Worthy.

Bird had McHale and Parrish.

The Celtics and the Lakers had a better supporting cast than Bird or Magic.

If you we're Bird, I would think he would have taken the Celtics or the Lakers supporting casts over the Bulls. The Bulls lacked depth many of their runs. The .celtics and Lakers had talent dying to play for them.

Yea__ when Horace Horse Grant and Bill Cartwright are your 3rd and 4th best players.....Even the little two guards Scott and Ainge would have shredded Paxson.

And even the Pistons only lost to the Bulls as age and injury set-in.

You have to be a real BB guy to know this; but teams like the 86 Rockets went 12 freaking deep. IMO - the best team to not win a championship. The early 80s Sixers went 10 deep. Their back 5 could've kept up with the Bulls. It's no wonder that the great C's only went 2 of 4 against them in and 1 of 3 early on. The Sixers even swept the Lakers in 83.

Then you get to the end of the 80's, even teams like the Jazz and Mavericks were better than those Bulls teams.

Unfortunately, we live in a nit wit culture (and for those that didn't see it, you can't exactly blame them full on); that just count rings and think that's the be all and end all.

Right, I forgot I was talking to a Celtics fan, they think they know basketball.

I am a real "BB" fan and I still disagree with your biased assessment of Bird. He had a great supporting cast. I never thought Chicago was ever that deep. The Celtics and Lakers had some great role players.

 

[Papageorgio]

No Bo Jackson?

The guy who could've made the HoF in two sports, were it not for a career-ending hip injury?

His career might be to short to consider him one of the best 100.

 

[NoNukes]

ALi is so ovewrrateed is ts pathetic .................................

Hid behind rope-a-dope.

(and to think I was rooting forhim in Ali-Fazirer 1 on March 1971)

Rope a dope was brilliant, as was Ali.

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

Nolan Ryan is way too high at 67. He was not even the best pitcher of his era and never even won a Cy Young. Seaver, Carleton, Spahn, Gibson, Marichal all pitched in his era and dominated more than Ryan did

First off, throw Marichal out of the equation. He had a good 7 year span. That's it.

And his 2.89 ERA to Ryan's 3.19 overlooks that Ryan played against the higher scoring AL for much of his career. And Ryan was that close despite pitching for 11 more years! Plus, don't forget that Ryan was a power pitcher. If he wasn't feeling that well, he was going to pay a price on a given day b/c he didn't rely as much on the second and third option. But when Ryan was on; he was fucking on. That's why the guy had 7 no-hitters and like a million 1 and 2 hitters. It's also why the 5,719 people he struck out, obliterates the record.

As for not winning a Cy Young - Who the f cares. He's the same pitcher as Roger Clemens who won like 7 of them.

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

Jordan had Pippen,

Magic had Jabbar and Worthy.

Bird had McHale and Parrish.

The Celtics and the Lakers had a better supporting cast than Bird or Magic.

If you we're Bird, I would think he would have taken the Celtics or the Lakers supporting casts over the Bulls. The Bulls lacked depth many of their runs. The .celtics and Lakers had talent dying to play for them.

Yea__ when Horace Horse Grant and Bill Cartwright are your 3rd and 4th best players.....Even the little two guards Scott and Ainge would have shredded Paxson.

And even the Pistons only lost to the Bulls as age and injury set-in.

You have to be a real BB guy to know this; but teams like the 86 Rockets went 12 freaking deep. IMO - the best team to not win a championship. The early 80s Sixers went 10 deep. Their back 5 could've kept up with the Bulls. It's no wonder that the great C's only went 2 of 4 against them in and 1 of 3 early on. The Sixers even swept the Lakers in 83.

Then you get to the end of the 80's, even teams like the Jazz and Mavericks were better than those Bulls teams.

Unfortunately, we live in a nit wit culture (and for those that didn't see it, you can't exactly blame them full on); that just count rings and think that's the be all and end all.

Right, I forgot I was talking to a Celtics fan, they think they know basketball.

I am a real "BB" fan and I still disagree with your biased assessment of Bird. He had a great supporting cast. I never thought Chicago was ever that deep. The Celtics and Lakers had some great role players.

That's a copout. Everyone has biases dude. If I let my bias rule me, I would have claimed that Brett Favre (my favorite football player) was the greatest football player of all-time.


The truth of the matter is, that most people that say Jordan was the greatest are his "biggest fan" btw. You think they aren't biased? They idolize him. And some day, Jordan won't be the so-called consensus greatest b/c some other guy will have a group of "biggest fans" and the media will be all too happy to sell the latest and greatest.

 

[NoNukes]

I would have put Roberto Clemente higher than many of the other baseball players. Warren Spaun is listed higher than Clemente!!!!