Yes, that is what I had heard, about the knee injury. He also lost his spot on the starting roster to Sapp, who was on the D line, then switched to defensive end, then switched to defensive tackle, and rode that all the way to the Hall of Fame!
Who are Your Favorites?
- Thread starter kclj520
- Start date
Football favorite for me has to be Bruce Smith. I walked downstairs one day and my brother was cheering on the Raiders as they played the Bills. That was the first time I ever sat down and actually watched a game. Bills won 51-3 and very seldom have I missed a game since. Like most new fans I spent a few years being impressed by the skill position players but as my understanding of the game grew I realized it was the guys in the trenches that decided the majority of the games. After Jim Kelly retired (I couldn't stand the guy at the time but quickly came to appreciate his skill when he wasn't around) there were at least a couple of years where I would only watch the Bills game when the defence was on the field and would switch over to another game when the offense came on. Dark days that definitely makes me appreciate the present run of success that much more.
Lol fairly well I would think, the Rock makes more money than Ray Lewis, Warren and the University of Miami alone LoL!
Yeah, I saw an estimate that he has a $400 million fortune....I could almost scrape by on that......
The Bills have been a contender again, and while everyone remembers Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas from those days, Bruce Smith is another great Hall of Famer, one of the best defensive ends of all time! You alluded to the fact that very few people do remember those unsung heroes who make the plays....to go to 1 Super Bowl is an accomplishment, to go 4 straight years is really something special. Glad the Bills are having success recently, I hope it carries on into the seasons to come....young team with a lot of talent!
Wow…what a great thread. My favorites growing up were McGwire, Barry Sanders, Steve Yzerman, and Reggie Miller/Spud Webb (since I was a 5’7” basketball player at the time). It’s evolved, like a lot of you said. Right now, I don’t really have a favorite in any sport that I can pin down at the moment, but I really like Giannis if I had to pick one player from any sport.
@AndyDrummond thanks for the reply! I also really enjoyed watching McGwire and Canseco with the A's (Bash Brothers!), and remember Barry Sanders running all over Soldier Field when the Lions came to town (we never could contain him!!). I never followed hockey growing up (I do somewhat now) but everyone knows Steve, he was a Red Wings legend! Reggie was a great player who did so much for the Pacers, and Spud was a STUD! I hit 5'6" myself when I was about 18, so always felt a real affinity with Spud and Muggsy Bogues as well!
Blessings,
Kevin
There was a kid on my high school basketball team who was a huge fan of Reggie Miller. He wore his number, and even emulated this shot. Turns out he was a pretty good shot too.
I never really payed much attention to Mark McGwire until him and Sammy Sosa were battling it out every year to see who could hit the most homeruns. I remember watching McGwire hit a homerun in a game where it looked like he was just barely swinging the bat. If I didn't know any better I would've said the bat had to made out of styrofoam. That's how easy he made it look to swing.
Barry Sanders is probably still the best running back I've seen, as far as shiftiness and ability to find an open hole...and certainly the most entertaining to watch. That guy was an amazing player and I can't help but think about how great he would have been had he ever had the chance to play on a good team. The Lions, as best I can remember, never had a very good passing game when he was there so everyone loaded up to stop him...and they still couldn't get it done. He was just an amazing player, and incredibly fun to watch!
Yeah imagine Barry Sanders playing for the Niners in the late 80s or the Cowboys in the 90s, splitting time with Emmitt Smith? He would have won multiple Super Bowls, even more than those teams already did, they would have been just stacked then!!
That to me has always been interesting to think about....what if the great player on the bad team was elsewhere? Or even maybe healthy, in Mickey Mantle's case? Imagine Mickey with two good knees, and his lifestyle in order? Imagine the Babe with a personal trainer and access to weights and a dietician! I mean, the potential is limitless!
This nags at me all the time, too, except I regularly think about musicians. Think about what Stevie Ray Vaugn or Jimi Hendrix could have done with today's stomp boxes, amps, and equipment. They were making those sounds before there were machines that could do it for you. Hell, those machines were built with the sole purpose of making every day folks sound like those guys!
Mike, not only just the equipment, but to think of how their actual playing would have evolved had either of them lived longer. SRV was only 35 when he died, and Hendrix was a member of the infamous "27 Club." So sad. Amazing though like you said, the fact that all of the equipment now is modelled after their playing styles, imagine how far things will come in another generation or two of musicians!
Great thread to read through.
My favorite of all time is one not many people have, or even like, Carmelo Anthony. I was starting to play around Syracuse title run and watched a ton of college ball that year, always have loved a pure scorer. Thought that Lebron guy was stealing a lot of hype from this amazing player who led one of the best runs in NCAA history (imo) and drew the line in the sand… Carmelo is it.
Followed him and the Nuggets/Knicks religiously. Many highs and lows, still think the Nuggets were a few bone headed plays away from having a real chance vs the Lakers in the WCF.
Was pretty tough seeing the years he wasn’t in the league but have been thrilled watching him play well for Portland and the Lakers.
Baseball, diehard Padres fan. Painful fandom. Went to the World Series (losing) parade lol Steve Finley was always my favorite player growing up. Obviously loved Tony Gwynn as well. Nowadays just very happy to watch a competitive team and a fun one. Love Machado, Wil Myers, Grisham, Abrams and Tatis (duh.)
Football don’t really have a favorite, just enjoy fantasy football. Hockey I’m a huge Teemu Selanne fan.
My favorite of all time is one not many people have, or even like, Carmelo Anthony. I was starting to play around Syracuse title run and watched a ton of college ball that year, always have loved a pure scorer. Thought that Lebron guy was stealing a lot of hype from this amazing player who led one of the best runs in NCAA history (imo) and drew the line in the sand… Carmelo is it.
Followed him and the Nuggets/Knicks religiously. Many highs and lows, still think the Nuggets were a few bone headed plays away from having a real chance vs the Lakers in the WCF.
Was pretty tough seeing the years he wasn’t in the league but have been thrilled watching him play well for Portland and the Lakers.
Baseball, diehard Padres fan. Painful fandom. Went to the World Series (losing) parade lol Steve Finley was always my favorite player growing up. Obviously loved Tony Gwynn as well. Nowadays just very happy to watch a competitive team and a fun one. Love Machado, Wil Myers, Grisham, Abrams and Tatis (duh.)
Football don’t really have a favorite, just enjoy fantasy football. Hockey I’m a huge Teemu Selanne fan.
Really terrific cards, @RockysCardboard ! Carmelo was a great player, and it is cool to see his stuff, since I was not familiar with a lot of his cards. His signature is really consistent over the years too, which is also cool!
As far as the Padres, I am SO happy to know that they are having some more success with all of the talent that they have built up right now, good for you long-suffering fans too!
Blessings,
Kevin
@RockysCardboard, thanks for sharing! Carmelo is definitely an all-time great scorer.
I've, honestly, never even heard the name Steve Finley before. Embarrassing to say considering he is a 5 time gold glove winner. That was around the time I was in high school, though, and I cared a lot more about girls and high school sports than the guys on TV back then. I probably only would have ever seen the Padres play when/if they played the Rangers too, so there's that. It's hard to argue with Tony Gwynn, though. I think all fans of baseball have to be a fan of his unless they have some kind of deep-seated hatred for the Padres. I have another friend who is a lifelong Padres fan too. Things are definitely looking up for y'all these days...he's not shy about letting folks know about it on Facebook either! Ha!
I've, honestly, never even heard the name Steve Finley before. Embarrassing to say considering he is a 5 time gold glove winner. That was around the time I was in high school, though, and I cared a lot more about girls and high school sports than the guys on TV back then. I probably only would have ever seen the Padres play when/if they played the Rangers too, so there's that. It's hard to argue with Tony Gwynn, though. I think all fans of baseball have to be a fan of his unless they have some kind of deep-seated hatred for the Padres. I have another friend who is a lifelong Padres fan too. Things are definitely looking up for y'all these days...he's not shy about letting folks know about it on Facebook either! Ha!
Boy that aint no kidding, things are REALLY looking up in San Diego! I will say, Tony Gwynn may well be one of the most underrated players of all time. He just hit and hit and hit in the 80s and 90s!
