Along with catcher, shortstop is arguably one of the most important positions in baseball, so much so that teams are willing to sacrifice offense for superior defense. Thus, when a team comes across a unicorn shortstop that excels with both the bat and the glove, that player can serve as a franchise centerpiece; in fact, looking through the history of baseball, many of the game’s greatest shortstops have spent their entire careers with one franchise, e.g. Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs, Robin Yount of the Milwaukee Brewers, Barry Larkin of the Cincinnati Reds, Alan Trammell of the Detroit Tigers, etc. At the top of this list are Derek Jeter and Cal Ripken Jr. – both spent their entire careers spanning 20+ years with one team, compiled over 3,000 career hits, won World Series titles, and were inducted into the Hall of Fame, leading to the inevitable question:
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the St. Louis Rams featured perhaps the most lethal offense the NFL had ever seen up to that point – led by back-to-back MVPs in quarterback Kurt Warner and running back Marshall Faulk, “The Greatest Show on Turf” also featured a pair of outstanding wide receivers in Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. Both were consistent 1,000-yard receivers and equally dangerous in the passing game; in fact, over the course of their respective careers, each receiver accumulated 900+ receptions, 13,000+ receiving yards, and 70+ receiving touchdowns – given their similarly prolific numbers lining up together in the Rams’ offense, it is only natural to ask the question:
The late 1990s through early 2010s saw perhaps the greatest generation of Swedish hockey talent in the country’s history – led by the likes of goalie Henrik Lundqvist, defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom, and forwards Peter Forsberg and the Sedin twins, this culminated in a hockey gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. That historic team was captained by Mats Sundin, with Daniel Alfredsson and Lidstrom serving as alternate captains; speaking to each player’s skill and leadership, Sundin and Alfredsson both spent the majority of their NHL careers playing in Canada and serving as longtime captains for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators, respectively. Given each player’s parallel success in the NHL and on the international stage, this leads to the question:
Who was better – Daniel Alfredsson or Mats Sundin?
When you think of great individual rivalries in the NBA, two immediately come to mind – Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson in the 1980s (which was credited with reviving the league’s sagging popularity) and before that, the original great rivalry of Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell in the 1960s. As towering giants of the NBA’s early days (both literally and figuratively), Chamberlain and Russell dominated the game in extraordinary fashion, an ongoing head-to-head clash between the former’s individual brilliance and the latter’s championship greatness with the Boston Celtics. More than half a century after each player’s prime, the two legends continue to hold a revered place in the upper echelons of basketball immortality and the comparison remains timeless:
Who was better – Wilt Chamberlain or Bill Russell?
The history of MLB second basemen is an interesting one – while some of the greatest players of the early 20th century manned second base (e.g. Rogers Hornsby, Eddie Collins, Nap Lajoie, etc.), it has not traditionally been viewed as a position for sluggers nor does it have the defensive value of catcher, shortstop, or center field. Nevertheless, it has seen its share of MVP and Hall of Fame-caliber players over the years; in particular, two of the top slugging second basemen in recent memory have been Jeff Kent and Ryne Sandberg. Sandberg retired with the most career home runs by a second baseman, while Kent currently holds that distinction, thus prompting the question:
