The Atlanta Braves of the 1990s and early 2000s were one of the great baseball dynasties in recent memory, winning 14 consecutive division titles from 1991 to 2005 (though only one World Series title). These great teams were led by Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox, All-Star and Hall of Fame hitters such as Chipper Jones, Fred McGriff, and David Justice, but perhaps most importantly, a trio of Hall of Fame pitchers in Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz. Among the Big Three, Maddux is generally regarded as the alpha dog and one of the greatest pitchers ever, but Glavine and Smoltz were no slouches either, with both winning 20+ games on numerous occasions and taking home NL Cy Young honors at least once. Between these two star Atlanta pitchers, the question is:
Since the early 2000s, the NFL has continued to evolve towards becoming more and more of a passing league, which in turn has led to ever-increasing stats for quarterbacks and wide receivers alike. While Hall of Fame wide receivers like Randy Moss and Terrell Owens are recognized as among the cream of the crop of this generation, this recent group of pass-catchers is deep and comes in all shapes and sizes. Standing out among the crowded field are two prolific, yet very different players in the tall and powerful Andre Johnson and the small but shifty Steve Smith. The careers of these two All-Pro and Pro Bowl wide receivers essentially overlapped and in any given season, you could find one or the other (or both) at or near the top of the receiving board – with all of this in mind, let us ask the question:
1941 was an iconic year in baseball history, highlighted by the great individual accomplishments of Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees and Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox. Between the two, the Yankee Clipper’s record-setting 56-game hitting streak and the Splendid Splinter’s .406 season batting average have stood the test of time – nearly 80 years later, DiMaggio still has the longest hitting streak in baseball history and Williams remains the last man to hit .400 over a full season. These two Hall of Famers and baseball icons have been forever linked by their overlapping careers (they were arguably the two best players of their generation) and the fierce rivalry between the Yankees and the Red Sox, which leads to the inevitable question:
Note: Updated for Kevin Garnett’s 2020 Hall of Fame selection.
Throughout most of the NBA’s history, seven-foot centers and forwards have traditionally played close to the basket and focused on scoring and rebounding in the paint. In the mid to late-1990s, however, the first wave of “unicorn” players began to emerge in the shape of versatile seven-footers who could dribble, pass, and shoot with the skills of a guard (yes, that included making three-pointers). Two of these early unicorns were high schooler Kevin Garnett and German-born Dirk Nowitzki, who went from being raw, but talented teenagers to franchise faces and league MVPs. With both players having retired in recent years, the landscape of the NBA has changed dramatically since when they first entered the league – now, positionless seven-footers such as Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Kristaps Porzingis are becoming increasingly valuable for their unique skill sets. As we look back upon a couple of the prototypes of the modern basketball player, a natural question arises:
From Richards to Conachers to Sutters to Stastnys to Sedins to Staals, there has been no shortage of prolific siblings that have played in the NHL. Among these many sets of brothers, though, Phil and Tony Esposito may be the most unique – not only are both of them members of the Hockey Hall of Fame (a rare enough feat in itself), but they also played very different positions in center and goalie, respectively; in some ways, it is surprising that there are not more skater-goalie sibling combinations in hockey, since as kids growing up, it would be natural for one brother to be shooting the puck on another. Given this unique set of circumstances, while it is not the most straightforward to compare them against each other, nevertheless, the question should be asked:
On June 15, 2016, Ichiro Suzuki tallied two hits against the San Diego Padres to reach 2,979 for his MLB career; coupled with his 1,278 hits in Japan, that gave him 4,257 total professional hits, thus surpassing Pete Rose’s total of 4,256 professional hits (all accumulated in MLB). Though most baseball fans and pundits still consider Rose the all-time hits king due to the differences between American and Japanese professional baseball, this milestone nevertheless highlighted the incredible hitting prowess and consistency and longevity of two of baseball’s legendary hitters. Despite the differences in era, ethnicity, and personality, the two men are bonded by their shared affinity for gathering hits and tenacious, unrelenting style of play, leading to the natural comparisons and thus, the question:
Note: Updated for Troy Polamalu’s 2020 Hall of Fame selection.
Since the original Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens in 1996, the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North has become one of the fiercest divisional rivalries in the NFL. While individual players have come and gone, the themes of this intense rivalry have remained essentially the same since inception – power running games and hard-hitting defenses. Perhaps no two players better embodied this rivalry than All-Pro safeties Troy Polamalu of the Steelers and Ed Reed of the Ravens. Both were linchpins of their respective defenses for a decade and achieved the heights of personal and team success (Pro Bowl, All-Pro, Defensive Player of the Year, Super Bowl) – given how closely their careers overlapped and how often they played against each other, this leads to inevitable comparisons and the overarching question:
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