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With the death of Ali it got me to thinking once again about the term "greatest of all time." When I look back at my life it seems that I had the opportunity to root for players on all of my Boston teams that could be considered the GOAT of their sport.
I'll put the players in the order of most GOAT-like first.
NBA - Bill Russell. This one is an absolute no-brainer. He stands alone by a country mile as the greatest basketball player of all time. I'd post his incredible record of success at every level but it would probably give me carpal tunnel to type it all and headaches to people who would read it.
MLB (Hitting) - Ted Williams. Another one that I feel is a no-brainer, but because of the crappy teams he played on and the loaded Yankees he had to compete agaisnt for playoff action, he never had the chance to rack up some MLB titles. Too bad that Ted lost a few seasons to the armed forces and WWII.
MLB (Pitching) - Pedro Martinez. As I look through the important stats that define a pitcher, many of the names pop up in a few places (like Clemens, Koufax, Johnson, Gibson and others) but none of them are ranked high in as many categories as Pedro. He was the most dominant pitcher that I ever saw pitch, and I go back to the 50's.
NFL (QB) - Tom Brady. Although I think some people can try to make a case for Joe Montana over TB12, I think Brady has moved just slightly ahead of Joe. One more SB winning season and it will be another no-brainer.
NHL - Bobby Orr. If he didn't just play defense I can only imagine how much more he could have accomplished statistically. That and the early ending to his career makes him the toughest sell as GOAT, but he's definitely in the discussion.
When I look back and realize that I was within 10 miles of the Garden and Fenway, and less than 40 miles from Foxboro, and that I got to see all of those players and their contemporaries play in person, I feel truly blessed.
I'll put the players in the order of most GOAT-like first.
NBA - Bill Russell. This one is an absolute no-brainer. He stands alone by a country mile as the greatest basketball player of all time. I'd post his incredible record of success at every level but it would probably give me carpal tunnel to type it all and headaches to people who would read it.
MLB (Hitting) - Ted Williams. Another one that I feel is a no-brainer, but because of the crappy teams he played on and the loaded Yankees he had to compete agaisnt for playoff action, he never had the chance to rack up some MLB titles. Too bad that Ted lost a few seasons to the armed forces and WWII.
MLB (Pitching) - Pedro Martinez. As I look through the important stats that define a pitcher, many of the names pop up in a few places (like Clemens, Koufax, Johnson, Gibson and others) but none of them are ranked high in as many categories as Pedro. He was the most dominant pitcher that I ever saw pitch, and I go back to the 50's.
NFL (QB) - Tom Brady. Although I think some people can try to make a case for Joe Montana over TB12, I think Brady has moved just slightly ahead of Joe. One more SB winning season and it will be another no-brainer.
NHL - Bobby Orr. If he didn't just play defense I can only imagine how much more he could have accomplished statistically. That and the early ending to his career makes him the toughest sell as GOAT, but he's definitely in the discussion.
When I look back and realize that I was within 10 miles of the Garden and Fenway, and less than 40 miles from Foxboro, and that I got to see all of those players and their contemporaries play in person, I feel truly blessed.