In the early to mid-1980s, Los Angeles was home to two NFL franchises in the Raiders and the Rams, each of whom boasted star running backs in Marcus Allen and Eric Dickerson, respectively. During this golden era of football in Los Angeles, Allen and Dickerson were two of the most productive players in the game, setting single-season records for rushing yards (Dickerson in 1984; record still stands) and yards from scrimmage (Allen in 1985, breaking Dickerson’s mark from the prior year; since broken) in consecutive seasons. Though their career paths would eventually diverge and both teams would later relocate to different cities (the Raiders back to Oakland and now to Las Vegas, the Rams to St. Louis and now back to Los Angeles), the careers of Allen and Dickerson are nevertheless connected by their shared time in Hollywood and their status as two of the best running backs in NFL history, thus bringing about the question:
When you think of the archetype first baseman, probably the first image that comes to mind is that of a big and powerful middle-of-the-order slugger who smashes home runs and drives in runs with the best of them. Among the greatest first basemen in MLB history, two sluggers who perfectly fit this description are Harmon Killebrew of the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins and Willie McCovey of the San Francisco Giants. Their careers overlapped for over 15 season, one on the junior circuit and the other on the senior circuit, with each player hitting over 500 career home runs – in fact, in comparing their playing days, the statistics and achievements for Killebrew and McCovey are remarkably similar, leading to the inevitable question:
Who was better – Harmon Killebrew or Willie McCovey?
Though the American Basketball Association (ABA) only lasted for about a decade (1967-1976) before its remaining teams were merged into the NBA, the upstart league had its fair share of great players during its brief existence, such as George Gervin, Artis Gilmore, and Dan Issel, just to name a few. However, perhaps the two greatest players in ABA history were Rick Barry and Julius Erving AKA Dr. J – both not only dominated the ABA during their respective tenures, but were also superstars in the NBA and Hall of Famers who are among the greatest small forwards in basketball history. From Barry’s unique free throw shooting technique to Erving’s air-defying dunks, each player left an indelible mark on basketball history, thus leading to the question:
As perhaps the most valuable defensive position in baseball (outside of catcher), shortstops are required to be slick fielders with rocket arms, even at the expense of their offensive production. Among the long list of great shortstops in MLB history, two of the best ever defensively were Barry Larkin of the Cincinnati Reds and Ozzie Smith, most famously of the St. Louis Cardinals. Smith is arguably the greatest defensive player in baseball history (either him or Brooks Robinson, take your pick), while Larkin was excellent for many years with both the bat and the glove, thus leading to an interesting comparison/debate between the two Hall of Fame shortstops:
During the Original Six era and well before the advent of free agency, NHL stars played their entire careers with one team and were thus able to carve out indelible legacies. Two legendary players who fit this bill were Jean Beliveau of the Montreal Canadiens and Stan Mikita of the Chicago Blackhawks – each played for two decades plus and racked up well over 1,000 career points with numerous individual and team accolades. As relative contemporaries who faced off on countless occasions during the 1960s and are among their respective teams’ all-time greatest players, thus the question:
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