One Player You Wish You Could've Seen in His Prime

[Irish#1]

I am going to a sport I don't think has been mentioned, and I am sure a lot of people don't consider these guys athletes. But it is absolutely brutal to drive a race car for 3-4 hours, especially in the 60's. I would have loved to see the late Jimmy Clark drive! He came over from Europe and dominated Indy in '65. He was smooth and devastatingly fast and yet drove like a gentlemen. Reminds me of what BK wants out of his players.

I was in my teens and got to see Clark qualify and race at Indy. Even with AJ & Mario and a few others still in their primes, Clark was my favorite. Loved his British Racing Green car.

Eric Dickerson

Got to see Dickerson play when he was with the Colts. The guy was huge. He was taller than most of the guys in the huddle.

Also got to see Dr. J in his ABA days. He and McGinnis going toe to toe was great. Back then the ABA played more of an open style game like the NBA plays today.

Right after the NBA merged with the remaining ABA teams, the leagues top scorers were mostly from the ABA.

 

[Folsteam_Ahead]

it's a tough call, but i'm going with bill russell. that guy is the greatest champion in modern sports. the players i passed on for russell are all of the baseball greats like ruth, robinson, mays, dimaggio, williams, mantle, gehrig, musial, aaron, koufax, bob gibson, cy young, etc. it'd be a dream to see those players back when baseball was the still in its love affair with american sports culture. the vibe just isn't the same these days...i assume.

 

[Irish Houstonian]

I've always wondered if Earl Manigault ("The Goat") was as good a legend claims. It'd be nice to confirm. Everyone else you at least have some video footage and/or statistics.

 

[ACamp1900]

Ty Cobb would be super interesting

 

[Corry]

Hulk Hogan

 

[twig21]

I was in my teens and got to see Clark qualify and race at Indy. Even with AJ & Mario and a few others still in their primes, Clark was my favorite. Loved his British Racing Green car.



Got to see Dickerson play when he was with the Colts. The guy was huge. He was taller than most of the guys in the huddle.

Also got to see Dr. J in his ABA days. He and McGinnis going toe to toe was great. Back then the ABA played more of an open style game like the NBA plays today.

Right after the NBA merged with the remaining ABA teams, the leagues top scorers were mostly from the ABA.

Wow! I am so jealous you got to see the Flying Scot in person. My late father who was from Indiana would tell great stories of how Jimmy and Colin Chapman revolutionized auto racing with the rear engine Lotus. The green #82 was the most beautiful racing car ever. In Jimmy's first race in the states at Milwaukee he lapped the entire field except AJ. When asked why, he said he was worried about payback. He was obviously a smart driver as well.

 

[irishtrain]

ACamp made me think of this in a different thread.

Who is the one player you wish you could've seen in person in the 3 major sports (football, basketball, baseball)?

Let's make it interesting...can't list Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, and Jim Brown

NBA - Pete Maravich
MLB - Mickey Mantle
NFL - Gale Sayers

ACamp I hear ya, I'm old enough to say I saw Sayers, 'the best I ever saw. iIalways marvel at the mention of all time running backs and he's mentioned like 4/5/6 or sometimes left out of the conversation. This man invented the term electric, smooth gracefull and what a burst. I think he once said he cut on his heels as it was his way to be more precise in his moves. When Halas introduced him at his Hall of Fame ceremony he said may I present Gale Sayer-'his likeness will never be seen again'.

 

[Pachuco]

The Big O

 

[NDFan4Life]

NBA - Bob Cousy, George Mikan, Elgin Baylor
MLB - Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb, Joe DiMaggio
NFL - Red Grange, Jim Thorpe, Sid Luckman

 

[GreenSox04]

MLB-Ted Williams
NHL- Gordie Howe
NBA- Bill Russel
NFL- Barry Sanders

 

[Irish2155]

<------just happy my guy was pre-juice, wore 21 all my years on a diamond. Was a time my most favorite athletes were "Rocket"s...and that was nice.

 

[ShawneeIrish]

MLB - Joe Dimaggio or Willie Mays
NFL - Barry Sanders
NBA - Oscar Robertson
Soccer - Diego Maradona

 

[Irish#1]

The Big O

Product of the great HS basketball played in Indiana. Only player in NBA history to average a triple double for a season.

 

[palinurus]

CFB -- The Gipper. Lest you think I am just biased, he was #22 on ESPN's list of 25 best CFB players of all time. Still holds some ND records. Honorable mention: Red Grange, Bronko Nagurski, and Glenn (not Big Baby) Davis.

Boxing -- Joe Louis. From what I've read about the subject, and it's a decent bit, he was the best. Add to it what he meant to national pride and race relations and you have one the monumentally great American athletes ever. Without Louis, there may well not have been a Jackie Robinson. Robinson himself recognized this. Honorable mention: Sugar Ray Robinson and Rocky Marciano; also Jack Dempsey and Jack Johnson.

Baseball -- Since Ruth is out -- he's a no brainer for me, since he's the greatest American athlete ever -- I'd say Gehrig, I guess. Honorable mention: Walter Johnson, Bob Feller, Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson.

Pro football: Thorpe. Honorable mention: Don Hutson and Sammy Baugh.

CFB Coach: Rockne. Honorable mention: Frank Leahy.

 

[Rudy89]

NFL-Joe Montana
NBA-Larry Bird
MLB-Stan Musial
CFB- I just wish I couldve seen ND when we truly were the team in CFB. I was young for 93 when we shouldve won the title but out last title was the year before I was born and I wish I couldve seen us during the years when people talked about us
the way they do now about Auburn, FSU, Bama, Oregon, OU, OSU, etc
Pro-Wrestling (Its entertainment but im including it because I like this more than I do Baseball and Basketball)- I wish I couldve seen Flair and the fourse horsement in their prime also wouldve have loved to have seen Piper and Hogan back in the 80's as well

 

[Bogtrotter07]

You know a couple of you have come up with some good ones. And a while back we were talking about some guys that could have been.

I have a guy that I saw, and I saw him excel at two sports. But his career was cut short, probably by his own personality limitations, but he was in my opinion the original "bitch on wheels." This guy played on the University of Toledo Rockets football team, (after he had been kicked off the UT basketball team), and he even brought the brass band, too. This guy marched in the Rocket Band as a tuba player! Probably the baddest tuba player ever. But this guy scarred every one. Back in the day when Darby reputations were made by who you fought, my ex brother-in-law fought him to at least a draw. The two guys ended up liking each other, which is how I became such a fan.

John started out in the ABA and made the transition to the NBA. He was rather heavy handed and earned the nickname, "the heavyweight champion of the ABA." This guy could throw! And when he was on top of his game he was an devastating forward, and a hell of a receiver for a season during the 35-0. So what do you say? The guy could have made a name in boxing, basketball or football.

He is an incredible all around talent that didn't have whatever piece it took to fit in socially, or in a game situation. But had he . . .

I would love to see this guy have solved whatever he needed to, and have just competed.

It is understood by many that he fought as a mercenary in Africa, and as a result my have been executed by a firing squad, and buried anonymously in an unmarked grave.

 

[dshans]

Pro-Wrestling (Its entertainment but im including it because I like this more than I do Baseball and Basketball)- I wish I couldve seen Flair and the fourse horsement in their prime also wouldve have loved to have seen Piper and Hogan back in the 80's as well

Well, if you're going to throw professional "wrestling" into the mix, I'll go with Haystacks Calhoun:

<a href="http://s437.photobucket.com/user/dshans/media/Haystacks_zps2d02e226.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq93/dshans/Haystacks_zps2d02e226.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Haystacks_zps2d02e226.jpg"/></a>

 

[Bogtrotter07]

I would have loved to go drinking with Andre the Giant!

 

[Irish2155]

Product of the great HS basketball played in Indiana. Only player in NBA history to average a triple double for a season.

Crispus Attucks HS, segregation. Was a big deal when he took that team to a state title from what I've read/heard. Would have been really nice to see him play.

 

[Grahambo]

Reading through this thread got me thinking, what singular moment in sports history would you want to have been at to witness first hand? Any sport. Any time. I'm talking front row. Best possible view.

 

[dshans]

I would have loved to go drinking with Andre the Giant!

You wouldn't wanted to have been under the table were he to have collapsed on the table ...

 

[koonja]

Reading through this thread got me thinking, what singular moment in sports history would you want to have been at to witness first hand? Any sport. Any time. I'm talking front row. Best possible view.

This deserves it's own thread IMO.

 

[irishog77]

Reading through this thread got me thinking, what singular moment in sports history would you want to have been at to witness first hand? Any sport. Any time. I'm talking front row. Best possible view.

There are many, but one that stood out to me as a fairly young person (so has resonated with me since) is Michael Johnson shatter the long-satnding 200m record and win the gold for America in Atlanta.

I still get chills thinking about that epic moment.

 

[gkIrish]

Reading through this thread got me thinking, what singular moment in sports history would you want to have been at to witness first hand? Any sport. Any time. I'm talking front row. Best possible view.

Fight of the Century (Ali v. Frazier in the Garden)

 

[DomerInHappyValley]

Reading through this thread got me thinking, what singular moment in sports history would you want to have been at to witness first hand? Any sport. Any time. I'm talking front row. Best possible view.

Wow so many
Thrilla in Manilla
Shot hear round the world
Ruth's called shot
Maris' 61st shot
ND's many games of the century
Win one for the gipper game
Clemens 20 strikeout game
Among many

 

[Pa Golden Tate Fan]

NHL Gordie Howe
NBA Wilt Chamberlain
NFL Joe Greene
MLB Brooks Robinson
Gold Arnold Palmer

 

[connect the dots]

You know a couple of you have come up with some good ones. And a while back we were talking about some guys that could have been.

I have a guy that I saw, and I saw him excel at two sports. But his career was cut short, probably by his own personality limitations, but he was in my opinion the original "bitch on wheels." This guy played on the University of Toledo Rockets football team, (after he had been kicked off the UT basketball team), and he even brought the brass band, too. This guy marched in the Rocket Band as a tuba player! Probably the baddest tuba player ever. But this guy scarred every one. Back in the day when Darby reputations were made by who you fought, my ex brother-in-law fought him to at least a draw. The two guys ended up liking each other, which is how I became such a fan.

John started out in the ABA and made the transition to the NBA. He was rather heavy handed and earned the nickname, "the heavyweight champion of the ABA." This guy could throw! And when he was on top of his game he was an devastating forward, and a hell of a receiver for a season during the 35-0. So what do you say? The guy could have made a name in boxing, basketball or football.

He is an incredible all around talent that didn't have whatever piece it took to fit in socially, or in a game situation. But had he . . .

I would love to see this guy have solved whatever he needed to, and have just competed.

It is understood by many that he fought as a mercenary in Africa, and as a result my have been executed by a firing squad, and buried anonymously in an unmarked grave.

It is my fondest hope, bogtrotter07, that your sorry ass is buried in an anonymous, unmarked grave. And that you will call from that grave, make straight the way of a drunken irishman, and his feeble efforts to say something of consequence.

 

[woolybug25]

It is my fondest hope, bogtrotter07, that your sorry ass is buried in an anonymous, unmarked grave. And that you will call from that grave, make straight the way of a drunken irishman, and his feeble efforts to say something of consequence.

What are you actually trying to say here? I would like you to elaborate, because the first sentence makes me want to smash your face in. Am I missing some type of joke here?

 

[gkIrish]

What are you actually trying to say here? I would like you to elaborate, because the first sentence makes me want to smash your face in. Am I missing some type of joke here?

Yeah I'm struggling to find a reason not to neg-rep. I'll wait for an explanation though.

 

[kmoose]

Reading through this thread got me thinking, what singular moment in sports history would you want to have been at to witness first hand? Any sport. Any time. I'm talking front row. Best possible view.

Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Take that, Hitler, you suminabeech!