Any hockey player who can play two decades in the NHL and tally over 500 career goals and 1,300 career points is a legend in his own right; yet while such was the case with Mark Recchi and Luc Robitaille, both wingers were perpetually underrated throughout their Hall of Fame careers, overshadowed by other legends and never quite considered among the very upper-echelon players in the league at any given point. However, there is something to be said for consistent, if understated excellence, so let us take a moment to appreciate the duo and at the same time, ponder the question:
Growing up as teenagers in Los Angeles during the late 1970s, Eric Davis and Darryl Strawberry were two of the nation’s best high school baseball players and dreamed of playing in the major leagues one day. That dream came true and both ascended to become two of the most dynamic players in baseball during the 1980s, but also dealt with injuries and/or personal demons that would later derail their careers before making comebacks in the 1990s. Given the almost eerie similarities between their prodigious talent and career paths, it seems natural to make the comparison and ponder:
Since the inaugural NFL Draft in 1936, roughly 40% of #1 overall picks have been quarterbacks; this should not be surprising as for a basement-dwelling team, a franchise quarterback is perhaps the most important piece to turning around the team’s fortunes. Thus, for the New England Patriots in the early 1990s and the Cincinnati Bengals a decade later, they took signal-callers Drew Bledsoe and Carson Palmer, respectively, with the top picks in the draft. Though neither turned out to be a Hall of Famer like Terry Bradshaw, John Elway, or Peyton Manning (fellow #1 overall pick quarterbacks), both were prototypical big-bodied, strong-armed pocket passers who had long and productive NFL careers – given their similar draft status, playing style, and career accomplishments, it is a natural comparison to ask:
Due to the focus on multi-positional players, small-ball lineups, and three-point shooting in the modern NBA game, the traditional back-to-the-basket power forward has become a bit of an anachronism. However, if you turn back the clock by a decade or two, traditional power forwards who could average a double-double were still considered a valuable commodity – at the position, Elton Brand and Zach Randolph were two of the most consistently productive players in the game, nightly 20-and-10 players who were cornerstone pieces for their respective teams. For those who look back upon this more rugged era of basketball with nostalgia, let us reminisce on bygone days and ask:
Disclaimer: I am well aware that Andy Pettitte was alleged to have used steroids in the Mitchell Report and later admitted to it in his testimony to Congress. With all of this background in mind, this head-to-head between Andy Pettitte and CC Sabathia is meant to compare them based solely on their career numbers and achievements without judgment on Pettitte’s steroid use during his career.
Historically, lefties are over-represented in baseball for strategic reasons: left-handed hitters generally have the advantage in matchups vs. right-handed pitchers and thus, left-handed pitchers are a prized commodity because they can neutralize that perceived advantage. From Warren Spahn to Sandy Koufax to Randy Johnson to Clayton Kershaw, great left-handed pitchers are nevertheless far harder to come by than their right-handed counterparts due to their relative dearth overall in society (lefties are ~10% of the total population). As such, Andy Pettitte and CC Sabathia were two of the most valuable pitchers of their era in the 2000s and 2010s – not only were they coveted for being southpaws, but both players also accumulated 250+ career victories apiece; between these two great left-handed starting pitchers, the question is:
