Sports players you wish you could have watched?

[robj144]

Originally Posted by TBman

Although I started watching pro football in 1967 at the age of 12, I would have liked to have started earlier and been able to really appreciate YA Tittle, Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr, Jim Kelly, and many many others. Also the Lombardi Packer teams of the 60s too. I just caught the end of that reign.

Jim Kelly? You should have seen him.

Mine are Ted Williams, Oscar Robinson, Bill Russell, Bjorn Borg, Jim Brown, and Johnny Unitas.

I'm glad I've seen Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Michael Phelps, Tiger Woods, Aaron Rodgers, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Magic Johnson.

[endpin]

I remember being on the receiving end of one of those "bone crusher" handshakes from Ted Williams at a Sears publicity event as a kid.

He gave a lecture on his theory of hitting that he had formulated over the course of his long career.

[catdaddy]

Babe Ruth
Honus Wagner
Josh Gibson
Maurice Richard

[golfreggie]

Byron Nelson
Ben Hogan
Sam Snead
Willie Mays
Joe Dimaggio

[golfreggie]

Originally Posted by Silurian

Stanley Matthews
Pele
George Best
Juan Manuel Fangio
Jim Clark

I guess I am not the sports fan I thought I was! Pele is the only name here that I recognize

[Jim_G]

Originally Posted by AmericanEagle

Would you believe, I honestly have a photo of me and my brother with a young Bobby Orr, when in his prime.

My brother took his two boys to a minor league game up in Lowell a few years ago. Orr was up in the back row, nominally there to do scouting. Of course once he was spotted, a long line formed and he spent the entire game chatting and sign autographs. Bobby Orr was as big as it got for our generation. My brother said he was the nicest guy. I was glad to hear that. You don't hear anyone say that about Yaz.

I have a hard time coming up with names. Jackie Robinson, I guess. Jesse Owens in Berlin. As far as actual athletic prowess goes, the guys we're watching these days are much more stunning. They're bigger, stronger, more skilled. In some cases, artificially so, but oh well.

Maurice Richard would've been a sight to see.

[Cabarone]

A lot of great answers so far (of which Jesse Owens was the beat imho), but the first name that popped into my head was Sandy Koufax. Joe Caragiola once called him, "the greatest Jew since Moses"...

[TBman]

Originally Posted by robj144

Jim Kelly? You should have seen him.

Mine are Ted Williams, Oscar Robinson, Bill Russell, Bjorn Borg, Jim Brown, and Johnny Unitas.

I'm glad I've seen Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Michael Phelps, Tiger Woods, Aaron Rodgers, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Magic Johnson.

I meant to say Jim Brown and I was thinking Leroy Kelley as I wrote it, lol.

[Edgar Poe]

Originally Posted by golfreggie

Byron Nelson
Ben Hogan
Sam Snead
Willie Mays
Joe Dimaggio

Your list makes me feel old. I've seen them all.

Ed

[k_russell]

Honus Wagner

Shoeless Joe Jackson

Red Grange

Pele

Johnny Weissmuller

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by Shades of Blue

Barry Sanders. I was too young to appreciate him.

Sanders could run and was amazing. Shame the way he retired. Interesting note, he's the all time leader in negative yards (runs where he lost yardage).

Wasn't it Sanders that lost his shoe on one play and he kept running? How great is that.

[Shades of Blue]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Sanders could run and was amazing. Shame the way he retired. Interesting note, he's the all time leader in negative yards (runs where he lost yardage).



Wasn't it Sanders that lost his shoe on one play and he kept running? How great is that.

Being on the Lions didn’t help matters in the negative yardage dept lol

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by Shades of Blue

Being on the Lions didn’t help matters in the negative yardage dept lol

No it didn't. Shame Sanders didn't play for a team that could have gone deep in the playoffs.

Just read this on Barry's wikipedia page, the Lions have only won one playoff game since 1957, and that was when Barry was playing. Just confirmed that stat by looking at the Lion's playoff record.

[flaggerphil]

Babe Ruth
Stan Musial
Juan Manuel Fangio
Jim Clark
Jackie Stewart
Y.A. Tittle

[BahPa]

I've been fortunate to have lived in a big city where these guys came to play. Chicago had many places to see the guys mentioned ply their craft. One of the most memorable moments for me was to watch Ted Williams in the old Comisky Park get into a bat throwing funk at what he thought was a bad call.

He acted like a spoiled brat.