The designated hitter (DH) was first introduced to the AL in 1973, with Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees becoming the first official DH in MLB history. In the nearly half-century since then, the DH has been a source of much debate for baseball fans and has often served as a position for sluggers to transition to once they become fielding liabilities. Nevertheless, some of the most feared offensive players in recent baseball history have been primarily DHs, namely Edgar Martinez of the Seattle Mariners in the 1990s and David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox in the 2000s. With Martinez being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019 and Ortiz soon becoming eligible, the comparisons between these two star DHs naturally leads to the question:
Centers are usually the tallest players on the basketball court, seven-foot-tall behemoths who battle for the opening tipoff and spend most of their time scoring, rebounding, and defending close to the basket. Yet in the 1970s, two undersized centers dominated in the NBA’s Eastern Conference – 6’9” Dave Cowens of the Boston Celtics and 6’7” Wes Unseld of the Baltimore/Washington Bullets. Despite their relatively diminutive sizes, both players towered over the competition on the court as perennial All-Star and MVP candidates who each led their respective teams to titles. Looking back on this rugged era in the NBA’s history, let us compare the careers of these two contemporary rivals and ask:
When it comes to NFL franchise faces, quarterbacks are often the first players that come to mind, e.g. Tom Brady with the New England Patriots or Brett Favre with the Green Bay Packers. However, for the San Diego Chargers in the 1990s and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2000s, these teams were best epitomized by linebackers Junior Seau and Derrick Brooks, respectively. Each a native son, Seau and Brooks were both the heart and soul of their team for well over a decade; moreover, they were perennial Pro Bowl and All-Pro linebackers who can each stake a claim to being a top-five player in franchise history. Looking back on the long and storied careers of these two Hall of Fame linebackers naturally brings about the question:
Second base is somewhat of an overlooked position in baseball, literally sandwiched between the power hitting of first base and the defensive importance of shortstop. However, if you go back to the early 20th century, a number of the game’s elite players manned second base, including arguably the two greatest second basemen in MLB history in Eddie Collins and Rogers Hornsby. Though their respective playing styles were quite different – Collins was one of the game’s premier table-setters, while Hornsby is one of the purest hitters ever (along with the likes of Ty Cobb and Ted Williams) – each player’s impact was immense and a century later, both remain among the legends of the game. Thus, between these two goliaths of second base, it is only natural to ask:
Like a supernova, the brightest stars do not always shine the longest – such was the case with Mike Bossy and Pavel Bure, two of the most lethal goal scorers the NHL has ever seen. At their respective peaks, each winger could consistently net 50-60 goals a season, but injuries eventually took their toll and forced both of them to retire in their early 30s. Despite the premature retirements, each player left an indelible mark on the game of hockey and is top-five all-time in terms of per-game scoring – with both legends taking their rightful place in the Hockey Hall of Fame, let us look back on their scintillating goal-scoring careers and ask the question:
