bobw

and why.....

I limit this to professional athletes because of the pay issue and how it effects the player....ie, many professionals are in it for the money, not the love of the game......

mine... Walter Payton.
He never said a bad word to or about anyone. In fact when he got tackled, he would always say "nice hit" the the tackler instead of dancing around and taunting the guy like you see today.
He always played harder than anyone on the field and never worried about himself ahead of the team. He played like a 260lbs fullback (back in the day when every team had one of those) and barely weighed 200. The extreme in versatility....he ran, caught passes, threw numerous passes, even played qb in a pinch as well as kicking and punting !

Payton never head for the sideline unless he had to stop the clock.... his goal was to hit the tackler harder than the tackler hit him.

Damnyankee

Payton was awesome....No doubt! My fav has got to be Barry Sanders. He was always fun to watch, I remeber when Rod Woodson blew out his knee on one of Barry's jukes while never even touching him.....Awesome. He was also a guy that never wanted the attention, cared less about records, never got in trouble, and best of all, just handed the ball to the ref after a TD. Total class act! Anyway, he did leave too soon, but, after all, that was Barry for ya!

gov135

Brook "Jake" Jacoby, Third Baseman, 1983-1992
Jacoby was sent over to the Cleveland Indians in a trade the Atlanta Braves are still smarting about. A fading Len Barker went to Atlanta for Jacoby, Brett Butler, and another prospect.

Why is Jacoby my choice for this category? Brook spent five years in the minor leagues. He was not an overnight sensation - nor was he a major star- though he twice made the all-star team. Instead, Jacoby was exceedingly quiet, a wonderful fielder and an above-average hitter.

Growing up, I found Jacoby's quotes in the paper to be terrific. He had the perspective of a guy who spent five years in the minors, quiet, classy, respectful, and very happy to be playing in the big leagues. He was a bit of a throwback, playing nearly every day. He's one of the guys you know would have played for nothing.

I've had trouble keeping track of his career after his retirement. He has been involved from anything from minor league coach to winter league coach. But I'm pleased that he is in a position to instruct minor leaguers: If some of what made him an exceptional player and person rubs off on them, we'll all be better for it.

MikeyChalupa

Nolan Ryan. I explained why in another thread, but he pitched for over 20 years with class and dominated batters, earned their respect. You never heard a player badmouth Nolan Ryan, just talk about how overpowering his fastball was.

It was a thrill to watch him pitch.

-Mikey

Sion

criteria: player excelled in his sport; had class; had style.


football: Jack "Splat/Dracula in Cleats" Lambert - greatest linebacker ever. period.

hockey: Mario "Le Magnifique" Lemieux - greatest natural talent on ice.

basketball: Earvin "Magic" Johnson - most electrifying hoopster to ever play. you NEVER knew what was going to happen when Magic was on the court.

baseball: Willie "Pops" Stargel - coolest warmup swing (ie the windmill).

__________________
He's the best, of course, of all the worst.
Some wrong been done, he done it first. -fz

I jus' want ta thank you...falettinme...be mice elf...agin...

paddyjoe

Cal Ripkin Jr.

This is the guy that all athletes should model themselves after. His stats and records speak for themselves, AND, in this era he played every game for the same club. Just that fact alone is remakable. If he's not a first ballot unanamous hall of fame choice, the person that didn't vote for him should have to explain why.

GTI03

Barry Bonds.

Indisputably the best player of his generation. Dominates his league like nobody for 40 years. Complete player--hitting, running, defense.

Works harder than anybody else to stay in shape; he decided at age 28 or so that he had to change his conditioning program to keep up with age, and so he did (trains with the same guy that trains Jerry Rice). This work ethic has combined with his raw physical gifts to play deep into his thirties at a level matched only by a couple in history.

While his much-touted "attitude" has irritated and alienated reporters for 20 years, I've never seen an interview with him that went down the usual pro athlete's cliche road; he's always been interesting, thoughtful, and quick-witted. Listening to him talk about baseball and hitting is a fantastic experience; he analyzes his craft incredibly eloquently.

He's been a family man for a decade, and has clear and long-standing ties to the community. He's been doing charity work for the last ten years or so--ever since he moved to San Francisco.

Lunchbox7

Kostya Tzu. He is the best boxer in the world. The only boxer to hold all three world championship belts simultaneously. So he has every right to go around telling everyone how great he is but he doesnt. He is heaps humble about his accomplishments. He will come out of a fight with a guy who he just pulverised and say something like "He got some good hits in and I got some good hits in but I just came out on top". He could get a lot more money if he shot off his mouth more but he doesnt and I respect that. He is a humble hero.

Purely on sporting accomplishments you cant go past Sir Don Bradman. He is soo far ahead of anyone else in the history of the world its not funny. Considering the worlds best batsmen average mid 50's, maybe even low 60's, consistently and then the Don has 99.94 is amazing. A few years ago there was this study that compared the gods in each sport. So you have a comparrison between Micheal Jordan, Wayne Gretsky, and Pele etc in terms of sporting accomplishment. The Don came out ahead by a mile. Every single one of the top batsmen in the world acknowledges his godlike superiority. How often can you say that about a person?

greydenn

Steve Yzerman

I do not consider him the most talented athlete, but here is a guy who has starred with one team since 1983. He has also been Detroit's captain since 1987. Changed his game to become one of the best two way players of all time. Always played hurt...never bitched. What more can you ask?

Is there anybody from Detroit who doesn't get shivers seeing the photo of Yzerman lifting the Stanley Cup over his head for the first time?

BigGov

Currently playing, Brett Farve. Down to earth, and still has the strongest arm in the NFL. Also actually has fun playing the game. He didn't go out as a free agent and try to gain some more money, he stuck with Green Bay signing a "lifetime" contract while still having to deal with the inept receivers he has there.

Past athlete, Barry Sanders. Just flat out the most amazing player to watch. He could flat out do things no one else could. He was also humble and didn't ever make a huge celebration that was every bigger and more elaborate than the play itself. In fact, I can't remember ever seeing a Barry Sanders celebration.

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One day an Englishman, a Scotsman, and an Irishman walked into a pub together. They each bought a pint of Guinness. Just as they were about to enjoy their creamy beverage, three flies landed in each of their pints. The Englishman pushed his beer away in disgust. The Scotsman fished the fly out of his beer and continued drinking it, as if nothing had happened. The Irishman, too, picked the fly out of his drink but then held it out over the beer and yelled "SPIT IT OUT, SPIT IT OUT, YOU BASTARD!"

djtestudo

There is no way that I could have said this better myself

__________________
"Final thought: I just rented Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine. Frankly, it was the worst sports movie I've ever seen."
--Peter Schmuck, The (Baltimore) Sun

filtherton

Bruce Lee, no question in my mind. The man revolutionized martial arts philosophy and for my money could have probably took out anybody in a martial arts contest.

spectre

Same here for all of the above reasons.

__________________
"Fuck these chains
No goddamn slave
I will be different" ~ Machine Head

yankeefatboy

Thurman Munson, captain of the NY Yankees who didn't put up with Reggie's crap or Billy's either.