A few possibly inflammatory comments:
Cassius "Muhammad" Clay was an awful human being, whose boxing skills were "over the top." Draft dodger, horrific braggart, prolific sperm donor, dumb as a rock. Every self-aggrandizing Black jackass you've ever seen spiking a ball (or whatever) in the sports arena is a cultural descendant of Clay/Ali. Win with humility, lose with grace. That remains the gold standard, and Clay/Ali personally killed it. But in his prime, no other boxer could have beat him. I watched him for several years when no one ever landed a solid punch against him.
Wilt was the most dominant player who ever played basketball. He accomplished a mountain of feats, and yet he INTENTIONALLY restrained himself. He refused to bully his way to the basket (like Shaq) even though he would have been unstoppable had he chosen to do so. He chose to use a finesse game in order to make it fair for everyone else. Think about this: Bench pressed almost 600 pounds; high-jumped over six feet; averaged 50 points for an entire season; averaged more than 48 minutes per game in his prime.
NO ONE compares with Babe Ruth. Best pitcher in baseball, followed by best hitter in baseball (average AND power). Revolutionized the game, single-handedly. Played with a 45+ ounce bat. Can you even imagine what he could have accomplished had he had competent coaching and had he taken care of himself?
Jimmy Brown was the best running back ever. Had a combination of power, speed, quickness, and durability that cannot be comprehended in today's game. Like Wilt, he cut his career short in order to pursue other things, but those who saw him play will never forget how dominant he was, against defenses that were specifically tailored to stop (and brutalize) him - and he still averaged 6 yards per carry.
Pete Sampras was the most entertaining pure tennis player ever. His serve and volley style of play coupled with an incomparable game from the baseline made him one of a kind. A perfect gentleman, on and off the court, he is the Gold Standard for top athletes in any sport.
The most telling thing about Tiger Woods is one fact: In his entire career, he only lost one tournament when he was leading on Sunday morning. That's fifty-some wins when he led going into the final round. EVERY OTHER PLAYER plays conservatively when they lead on Sunday morning, hoping to just hold on and not lose the lead. Whether it's Rory or Rahm, or Mickelson, or whoever, half the time they lose when they start Sunday with a lead. Tiger played the same on Sunday as he did on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and that alone makes him unique. Kinda like Babe Ruth, who didn't shorten his swing with two strikes.
Cassius "Muhammad" Clay was an awful human being, whose boxing skills were "over the top." Draft dodger, horrific braggart, prolific sperm donor, dumb as a rock. Every self-aggrandizing Black jackass you've ever seen spiking a ball (or whatever) in the sports arena is a cultural descendant of Clay/Ali. Win with humility, lose with grace. That remains the gold standard, and Clay/Ali personally killed it. But in his prime, no other boxer could have beat him. I watched him for several years when no one ever landed a solid punch against him.
Wilt was the most dominant player who ever played basketball. He accomplished a mountain of feats, and yet he INTENTIONALLY restrained himself. He refused to bully his way to the basket (like Shaq) even though he would have been unstoppable had he chosen to do so. He chose to use a finesse game in order to make it fair for everyone else. Think about this: Bench pressed almost 600 pounds; high-jumped over six feet; averaged 50 points for an entire season; averaged more than 48 minutes per game in his prime.
NO ONE compares with Babe Ruth. Best pitcher in baseball, followed by best hitter in baseball (average AND power). Revolutionized the game, single-handedly. Played with a 45+ ounce bat. Can you even imagine what he could have accomplished had he had competent coaching and had he taken care of himself?
Jimmy Brown was the best running back ever. Had a combination of power, speed, quickness, and durability that cannot be comprehended in today's game. Like Wilt, he cut his career short in order to pursue other things, but those who saw him play will never forget how dominant he was, against defenses that were specifically tailored to stop (and brutalize) him - and he still averaged 6 yards per carry.
Pete Sampras was the most entertaining pure tennis player ever. His serve and volley style of play coupled with an incomparable game from the baseline made him one of a kind. A perfect gentleman, on and off the court, he is the Gold Standard for top athletes in any sport.
The most telling thing about Tiger Woods is one fact: In his entire career, he only lost one tournament when he was leading on Sunday morning. That's fifty-some wins when he led going into the final round. EVERY OTHER PLAYER plays conservatively when they lead on Sunday morning, hoping to just hold on and not lose the lead. Whether it's Rory or Rahm, or Mickelson, or whoever, half the time they lose when they start Sunday with a lead. Tiger played the same on Sunday as he did on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and that alone makes him unique. Kinda like Babe Ruth, who didn't shorten his swing with two strikes.
