In 1978, the winners of baseball’s annual MVP awards were Dave Parker and Jim Rice in the NL and AL, respectively, as each slugger hit above .300 with 30+ home runs, 100+ runs batted in, and 100+ runs scored. Overall, these two power-hitting outfielders were among the elite ballplayers of their era and each one retired with a .290+ career batting average, 2,400+ hits, 300+ home runs, 1,400+ runs batted in, and 1,200+ runs scored. However, while Rice was finally inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his 15th and final try, Parker never came close to reaching the 75% threshold during his time on the ballot; for supporters of Parker’s candidacy, they often point to the career of Rice as a benchmark given the close parallels between their careers – as such, let us compare these two feared sluggers of the 1970s and 1980s and ask:
Traditionally, point guards are the smallest players on the basketball court – short and relatively slight of build, yet fearless as floor generals, e.g. Isiah Thomas, John Stockton, Steve Nash, or Chris Paul. In recent times, though, the game has seen more and more “big” point guards dominating and controlling the court (think Magic Johnson, Jason Kidd, or more recently, Ben Simmons and Russell Westbrook); during the 2000s, two ballhandlers who fit this new mold of the physically dominant point guard were Baron Davis and Deron Williams – each measuring in at 6’3” and weighing 200+ pounds, the duo were among the league’s elite point guards in their prime with the ability to both score against smaller defenders and dish it out with the best of them. With each player having seen his brilliance come and gone, let us look back on their notable careers and ponder the question:
While the modern NFL game features a growing number of dual-threat quarterbacks (think Patrick Maholmes, Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, Cam Newton, Josh Allen, Kyler Murray, etc.), signal callers who can make plays with both their arm and their legs were not always in such high demand. Nevertheless, during the late 1990s and early 2000s, the league began to see an influx of multi-talented quarterbacks such as Kordell Stewart, Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb, and Steve McNair, just to name a few. In particular, McNabb and McNair, though never quite as flashy as some of their peers (e.g. Vick) each became consistent Pro Bowl quarterbacks capable of leading their respective teams to the Super Bowl. With similar and overlapping NFL careers, let us look back upon these pioneer dual-threat quarterbacks and ask the question:
1969 was a seminal season in MLB history – not only did the league lower the pitching mound from 15 to 10 inches after “The Year of the Pitcher” in 1968, but it was also the first season with divisions and an expanded postseason, thus culminating in an improbable World Series title for the New York Mets AKA “The Amazin’ Mets”. Two of the key baseball figures at the center of these monumental events were pitchers Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals and Tom Seaver of the Mets – the former had arguably the most dominant pitching season ever in 1968, while the latter led the “Miracle Mets” to their unexpected first championship. Both multiple Cy Young winners and eventual Hall of Famers, the duo were among the elite pitchers of the era and faced off against each other on numerous occasions in the NL, thus leading to the natural comparison:
One of hockey’s magical milestones is the 500-goal club and as of the end of the 2019-2020 season, there were a total of five American players in that elite company: Brett Hull (dual Canadian/American citizenship), Joe Mullen, Mike Modano, Jeremy Roenick, and Keith Tkachuk. While the first three members of this fraternity are Hall of Famers, Roenick and Tkachuk remain on the outside looking in despite 500+ career goals and 1,000+ career points apiece in the NHL. During their long and productive NHL careers, both were not only among the best offensive players of the 1990s, but were also known for their tough, hard-nosed (dirty?) play; as teammates on the Phoenix Coyotes as well as on Team USA, in comparing these all-time American greats, let us ask the question:
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