Tag Archives: decade of dominance

H2H 43: Mike Piazza vs. Ivan Rodriguez – Who was Better?

Throughout baseball history, there have been great catchers in every era in different shapes and forms, from Mickey Cochrane to Bill Dickey to Yogi Berra to Johnny Bench to Carlton Fisk to Gary Carter, etc.  In the 1990s and 2000s, MLB’s catching landscape was dominated by two figures, Mike Piazza in the NL and Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez in the AL. As different as the two were, Piazza being the big slugger with at-best average defensive skills and Rodriguez being the all-around hitter and Gold Glover backstop, each was a dominant player at the position for well over a decade and has been immortalized in the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Given their overlapping and highly accomplished careers, it is only natural to ask:

Who was better – Mike Piazza or Ivan Rodriguez?

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H2H 42: Paul Pierce vs. Dwyane Wade – Who was Better?

Note: Updated for Paul Pierce’s 2021 Hall of Fame selection.

In April 2019, in his capacity as an analyst on ESPN’s NBA Countdown and much to the chagrin of his co-hosts, Paul Pierce boldly proclaimed that he had a better NBA career than Dwyane Wade.  Reaction from all corners was swift and merciless, as many pundits and fans ridiculed his statements and Heat fans chanted “Paul Pierce sucks!” at a Miami home game.  Despite the relatively one-sided response to Pierce’s assertion, let us take a closer look at this head-to-head comparison and analytically and objectively answer the question:

Who was better – Paul Pierce or Dwyane Wade?

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H2H 41: Ed Belfour vs. Roberto Luongo – Who was Better?

When you look at the NHL’s all-time wins leaderboard for goalies, the first two names come as no surprise – Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy, two of the greatest goalies in league history.  Go down to the third and fourth spots, however, and you may be a little surprised by the names – Roberto Luongo and Ed Belfour (as of the end of the 2018-2019 season). Though both were excellent goalies for nearly two decades, most fans would not consider them among the greatest (i.e. top 5-10) goalies in NHL history and in fact, Luongo never even won a Vezina Trophy!  Nevertheless, wins are wins and only two goalies in NHL history had more wins than these two, which begs the question:

Who was better – Ed Belfour or Roberto Luongo?

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H2H 40: Jerome Bettis vs. Franco Harris – Who was Better?

With six Super Bowl titles (as of the end of the 2018 season), the Pittsburgh Steelers are tied with the New England Patriots for the most Super Bowl wins in NFL history.  From the four-time champions of the 1970s to the more recent championship teams, the Steelers have been characterized by strong quarterback play (Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger), a ferocious defense (the Steel Curtain of the 1970s and the Troy Polamalu-led 21st century defense), and a powerful rushing game.  The key catalysts for Pittsburgh’s vaunted rushing attack throughout the years have been Hall of Fame running backs Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis, who rank #1 and #2, respectively, on the team’s all-time rushing list. As such, it is only natural to debate who is the greatest running back in Steelers history by asking:

Who was better – Jerome Bettis or Franco Harris?

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H2H 39: Carlos Beltran vs. Larry Walker – Who was Better?

Note: Updated for Larry Walker’s 2020 Hall of Fame selection.

Every major league baseball team is constantly on the lookout for the next great five-tool player (speed, power, hitting for average, fielding, arm strength), with the best example in today’s game being Mike Trout.  In recent memory, two of the best five-tool talents of the 1990s and 2000s were Carlos Beltran and Larry Walker, who between the two of them, had nearly 5,000 hits, 800 home runs, 3,000 runs scored, 3,000 runs batted in, and 500 stolen bases, and were honored with All-Star selections, Gold Gloves, Silver Sluggers, batting titles, and MVPs.  Though each player’s respective Hall of Fame credentials have been (and in Beltran’s case, will be) debated among Cooperstown voters, between the two of them, the question is:

Who was better – Carlos Beltran or Larry Walker?

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H2H 38: Jacques Plante vs. Terry Sawchuk – Who was Better?

Up until towards the end of the NHL’s Original Six era, goaltenders were absolutely fearless in net and did not wear any type of masks to protect themselves from pucks flying at them.  That all started to change when after yet another facial injury, this time a broken nose, Hall of Fame goaltender Jacques Plante debuted the first goalie mask in NHL history, thus starting a revolution; today, masks are not only functional for their safety, but highly aesthetic in their design and one of a goalie’s most distinguishing features.  Yet Plante was not only a trailblazer in safety, he was also one of the greatest netminders ever to play the game – during an era that featured legendary skaters such as Gordie Howe and Maurice Richard, Plante and his peer Terry Sawchuk (who is well-known for NOT wearing a mask) stood tall in net as the dominant goalies of the time and retired with a slew of records.  With one being the all-time leader in Vezina Trophies and the other having the most career wins at retirement, it is fascinating to look back on this golden era of hockey and ask:

Who was better – Jacques Plante or Terry Sawchuk?

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H2H 37: Steve Carlton vs. Nolan Ryan – Who was Better?

In the long and storied history of professional baseball, while power pitchers have been an enduring archetype, very few fireballers have achieved both dominance and longevity.  In fact, there are currently only four pitchers in the 300+ win, 4,000+ strikeout club: Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, and Randy Johnson. While today’s fans may better remember the more recent Cy Young-winning ways of the right-handed Clemens and the southpaw Johnson, the duo of Carlton and Ryan was the original lefty/righty power pairing – given their careers essentially overlapped and the interesting contrasts between their games (besides righty and lefty, Cy Youngs vs. no-hitters, NL vs. primarily AL, etc.), this inevitably leads to the question:

Who was better – Steve Carlton or Nolan Ryan?

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H2H 36: Tony Gonzalez vs. Rob Gronkowski – Who was Better?

Note: Updated in 2023.

Throughout football history, the role of the tight end has evolved from a lumbering extra blocker on the offensive line to a dynamic, multi-faceted weapon with the ability to create mismatches on defense and dominate as a pass-catcher in the red zone while also contributing to the running game.  From the early days of tight ends like Mike Ditka and John Mackey to Ozzie Newsome and Shannon Sharpe, football fans have been witnesses to a tight end revolution over the past couple of decades, with two notable names in Tony Gonzalez and Rob Gronkowski at the vanguard of the “new age” tight end.  With Gronkowski’s recent retirement, a natural debate arises between Gonzalez’s long-term brilliance and Gronkowski’s epic zenith:

Who was better – Tony Gonzalez or Rob Gronkowski?

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H2H 35: Paul Kariya vs. Martin St. Louis – Who was Better?

In sports, while we are in awe of incredible physical talent, it is often the “little guys” that we find ourselves rooting for.  The NHL is no different and has had its share of undersized stars throughout its history, from Ted Lindsay in the 1950s and 1960s to Henri Richard in the 1960s and 1970s to Marcel Dionne in the 1970s and 1980s, and so on.  In more recent history, two of the more dominant diminutive players have been 5’10’’ Paul Kariya and 5’8’’ Martin St. Louis, who were known for both their electrifying skill and gentlemanly conduct on the ice (both won the Lady Byng Award on multiple occasions).  Between these two Hall of Fame mighty mites, the question is:

Who was better – Paul Kariya or Martin St. Louis?

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H2H 34: Oscar Robertson vs. Jerry West – Who was Better?

When you think about iconic NBA players of the 1960s and 1970s, a few players come to mind – the great Russell vs. Chamberlain rivalry (and the great Celtics teams and players in general), Oscar Robertson and his triple-double season, Jerry West gracing the NBA logo with his silhouette, just to name a few.  Much like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in the 1980s, the careers of Oscar Robertson and Jerry West were closely intertwined and highlighted by many of the same contrasts between the two players, e.g. black vs. white, East vs. West, etc. Today, both are remembered as among the all-time greats, with West’s silhouette gracing the NBA’s logo, but it is impossible not to compare the two players and ask:

Who was better – Oscar Robertson or Jerry West?

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