When two players are drafted first and second overall in a given year, their careers are inexorably linked and will be forever compared and contrasted to each other (think Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin in the 2004 NHL Draft, or in a different sport, Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf in the 1998 NFL Draft). Such was the case in 1971, when two Quebec junior hockey superstars, Guy Lafleur and Marcel Dionne, were selected with the first two picks in that year’s NHL draft – both picks worked out, as each player went on to have a legendary Hall of Fame career, thus inevitably bringing up the question:
At the 2016 All-Star Game, MLB renamed the AL and NL batting title trophies after Rod Carew and Tony Gwynn, respectively, an apt tribute given each player’s hitting prowess – after all, only six players in baseball history have won seven or more batting titles: Ty Cobb (12x), Honus Wagner (8x), Gwynn (8x), Carew (7x), Stan Musial (7x), and Rogers Hornsby (7x). As baseball has evolved more and more into a game of the “three true outcomes” (home run, walk, or strikeout), Carew and Gwynn were unique in that neither was a power hitter, but instead, consistent .300+ contact hitters who each amassed 3,000+ career hits over nearly two decades. Given their similar games and the fact that they will be forever immortalized together as batting champion namesakes, it is only natural to ask:
As members of the NFL 100 team, Joe Montana and Johnny Unitas are rightfully recognized as two of the best to ever play the quarterback position; in fact, until Tom Brady came along, the mantle of greatest quarterback ever usually centered around these two names. From Unitas being the first great modern quarterback with the Baltimore Colts in the 1960s to Montana’s Super Bowl brilliance with the San Francisco 49ers in the 1980s, each player won MVPs and championships while leaving an indelible mark on the game of football. With a century of professional football behind us, now is an opportune time to consider the question:
When it comes to the most dominant pitchers in MLB history, two names that often come to mind are Sandy Koufax and Pedro Martinez. With a lethal combination of movement and overpowering stuff, each pitcher was nearly unhittable in his prime, racking up the strikeouts, wins, and Cy Youngs – in fact, their respective five-year peaks are some of the most dominant pitching performances the game of baseball has ever seen. Despite their careers being separated by 40 years, the striking similarities between these legendary Hall of Fame hurlers leads us to ask:
Though they may often be the smallest players on the court, great point guards can control the flow and have an outsized impact on the outcome of a basketball game. Along these lines, during the 1980s and 1990s, the diminutive floor generals John Stockton and Isiah Thomas each stood only a shade above six feet tall and weighed barely 170 to 180 pounds, yet were among the biggest and brightest stars in the Association; while the former was more of a pass-first point guard and the latter was a more dynamic scorer, each led their respective teams to unprecedented success. As we look back on this rugged era of NBA play and compare and contrast the careers of both players, we ask the question:
