Who are your favorite athletes?

[jjkoestler]

My friend and I were discussing our all-time favorite athletes so I thought I'd pose the question to BF.net. Name your top 5 athletes of all time.

 

Here are mine in no particular order

1: Barry Sanders - Watching Barry as a kid made me a Lions fan (although I've been cursing him for it ever since). You could sprain an ankle just watching some of his highlights.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUVFZYYzHPU

 

2: Mike Tyson - Nothing like shelling out $50 for a 30 second fight. In his prime he would have beaten anyone (sorry Ali).

 

3: Paul Molitor - My favorite Brewer. One of my first Brewer memories was being at a game during his hitting streak.

 

4: Hank Aaron - He did it all with class in the face of adversity.

 

5: Roberto Clemente - An amazing ballplayer and an even better human being. Check out "Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero" by David Maraniss.

[MJLiverock]

No Particular order but only ranking guys I actually watched play and not just saw highlights of, i.e. guys I grew up watching.

 

1. Brett Favre - - made the game look fun and brought a lot of the pride back to the storied Packer franchise. The whole retirement saga was a drag but when he played for GB he was great to watch and I'll get over his late career prima donna antics with time.

 

2. Deion Sanders - - from the moment I first saw him play for Florida State I was in awe of his athletic ability. I played CB in football and loved watching him cover guys, take them out of the game, return kicks, punts, INT'. He talked a lot of trash but he backed it up and I loved it about him. I loved it when he dumped water of Tim McCarver in the World Series for calling him selfish for playing in the NFL and in the World Series - - especially since hit over .500 in the Series, as usual McCarver was being a doofus.

 

3. Robin Yount - - favorite Brewer growing up. I was never a Molitor guy for whatever reason, didn't dislike him didn't really care one way or the other about him. The '82 team is the first baseball team I can remember following and Yount was the MVP so I ended up liking him. I was a SS in Little League then so I always pretended I was him.

 

4. Michael Jordan - - Back when I followed the NBA I liked the Bucks with Moncrief and crew, never liked the Celtics or Lakers so when Jordan came along he just seemed electrifying. I just barely remember him college but I remember his rookie year and all the Slam Dunk competitions. Later when he played that game in the Finals with the flu he further cemented my love for his game. I remember well when he retired, one of my college room mates had a life size card board picture of him that we built a shrine around and I remember well working in the bar and watching his first game back from retirement.

 

5. Ken Griffey, Jr. - - thought he was the next Willie Mays, loved watching such a young guy play so well right away. He was only a couple years older than me and watching him in the playoffs vs. the Yankees in the 90's was great. I always thought he would be the one to break Aaron's record but the injuries took their toll.

[JimH5]

1. Harmon Killebrew. . .Quiet, dignified, repectful--and respected. When he died earlier this year, EVERYONE said nice things about the guy.

 

2. Lee Trevino. . .A very good golfer, with a funny self-effacing demeanor. His is a great story about overcoming economic and social disadvantage.

 

3. Buck O'Neil. . .I could watch his interviews every day, and they would bring a smile to my face every time.

 

4. Dennis Eckersley. . .Another great life story, a historically great end half of his career. . .and another guy who is a good storyteller.

 

5. Cecil Cooper. . .Yount & Molitor are both awesome guys, and both had vastly better careers--but to me, Cooper is the guy who I connected with during the great run of Brewers teams in the 70s and 80s.

 

 

And I concur on the Clemente book. It's terrific. And the reverence that so many Latin players have for him says so much about how he lived his life.

[RightFieldCoder]

No order:

 

1. Robin Yount

2. Deion Sanders

3. Brendan Shanahan

4. Steve Yzerman

5. Hank Aaron

[Patrick425]

I guess most of my favorite athletes are from my childhood. There were certain players in certain sports that I would try to pretend I was whenever I was playing that sport.

 

1) Molitor/Yount - I put them together because I just always think of one when I think of the other. If you were young and a Brewer Fan in the late 70s and throughout the 80's this is a no brainer.

2) John McEnroe - Made tennis interesting to watch

3) Roger Staubach - Had a poster of him in my bedroom. I was a closet Cowboys fan as a child (always a Packers fan - but they really stunk back then)

4) John Elway - I was also a Bronco fan and Elway sure was fun to watch.

5) Vida Blue - Not sure why. Loved the high leg kick and he just seem so intimidating on the mound. I was always trying to copy his pitching form.

6) Rod Carew - I remember sticking wads of gum in my mouth and playing 1st base in the summer rec league pretending I was Carew. Unfortunately I was not a lefty.

 

Then there was Reggie Jackson. This was the definition for me of the kind of guy you "love to hate". Regardless of how much of a jerk he was (I think he pretty much invented the "hit a HR and watch it fly" stance), I don't know if there was any other player that me and my friends would try to copy more than Reggie when we were goofing around and playing baseball at the park. I have fond memories of booing Reggie at County Stadium, but at the same time, having an inner respect for him.

[GAME05]

this thread prompted me to watch a few Barry Sanders youtube highlight reels. i've never seen another human be able to go from 0 to 60 as immediately as he could. gotta love the clips where a defensive lineman was just standing there thinking the play was done, only to have Sanders run right past him.

 

I've always had a heart for those players who never exactly had the superb talent (relatively speaking) but just worked their tails off to be contributers to a team.

 

i don't know if it surprises me or not that every player mentioned so far was always just plain a good person beyond their athletic ability. guess it's hard to ever root against a guy like Mike Cameron who spends every minute of his off time visiting sick kids or donating to charity.

[The Mexican Weez]

Good Topic, I am going to put a different spin on it and put my five favorite from my favorite sports teams and the bonus extra

1) Brewers - Hank Aaron, yeah he was before my time and then there was Robin and Molitor, but just the way he handled himself. I have mucho respecto for him
2) Packers - Gilbert Brown, Sterling and Robert Brooks are close seconds, but the gravedigger was always one of my favorites.
3) Bucks - Sidney Moncreif, who by the way is now an assistant coach! Loved him growing up during the heydays of the '80s
4) Badgers - Ron Dayne, went to school with him for my last two years though I never crossed paths with him, but I just loved the Great Dayne
5) Non-favorite team - I gotta go with Larry Fitzgerald right now, others would be Michael Jordan (the greatest), Kevin Greene (even before he became a coach) and Barry Sanders (as others have said),

[razzzorsharp]

I really don't have any now but back in the day...

 

1) Dan Marino

2) Andy Van Slyke

3) Ernest Riles

4) Payne Stewart

5) John Starks

[TGJforPrez]

1) Sterling Sharpe - I remember going to Packers camp in the early 90's as a young kid and everyone saying there was no way to get Sterling's autograph. Well I waited around and some guy had painted a huge picture of him. Sterling was pretty jacked after the guy gave it to him and signed for me and one other kid afterward.

 

2) Dominique Wilkins - I was not a Bucks fan and wanted to be different from everyone else (i.e., Larry, Magic, MJ), so I just loved the Hawks and the Human Highlight Film. It helped that the Hawks were always on TBS back in the day.

 

3) Paul Molitor - My Dad was Yount guy, but the Ignitor was definitely my favorite Brewer

 

4) Barry Sanders - Even as a die hard Packer fan, I just loved to watch this guy run. I'll never forget watching him go nuts against the Bears on Thanksgiving!

 

5) Bo Jackson - The things he could do on the diamond and football field were just amazing. His throw home from the wall to get Harold Reynolds is still the greatest jaw dropping play I can remember. It didn't hurt that he was the greatest video game athlete of all time either (Thank you Tecmo Super Bowl) http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bs-1hPkLKeQ

 

6) Andre Agassi - Was a big tennis fan and he was the most flamboyant and fun to watch.

[Teatoe993]

• Kimi Räikkönen - He burst on the Formula 1 scene with little experience behind the wheel of a race car but he was already scoring points in a mid-level Sauber. When he moved to McLaren he was the fastest man in F1. He would have won 2 or 3 championships with them if the cars didn't break down constantly. In his first year in a Ferrari he finally got his World Championship beating out two others who had faster cars. He has never been a fan favorite because his quiet personality. He's a typical Finn. After his championship he got sick of dealing with the press and the fans. All he wants to do is go fast. Nothing else matters. Now that he has more money than god he's doing whatever he wants to do whether it's rallying in WRC, drinking vodka, snowmobiling or giving Nascar a try. When he was motivated, nobody could touch his speed. He loved and dominated "drivers tracks" like Spa and Suzuka.

 

• Pavel Bure - He was the most electrifying player I have ever seen on the ice. Never have I seen anyone skate so fast. His career crumbled with constant injuries after he was traded away by the Canucks.

 

• Rickie Weeks - I've been following his career since he was drafted. Even when he was playing with Beloit you knew he was gonna be a stud. It took a little later than I expected for him to shine in the majors but it is no doubt he is the catalyst for the team. He's a quiet guy and always seems focused and never lets anything get him down. Wish he would get rid of those dreads though. They are slowing him down on the basepaths.

 

• Sterling Sharpe - This is the man who made Brett Favre's career. Sterling caught anything remotely thrown his way no matter how inaccurate his QB was. Dude was great gaining yards after the catch. And he always had a great smile on his face. He would have been up there with Jerry Rice had he stayed healthy.

 

• Max Papis - He's had a decent career as a driver. He was a failure in F1. He only had a couple victories in Champ Car. But I will never forget the most determined drive I have ever seen. In the last hour of the 1996 24 hours of Daytona, Max took over a Ferrari that was currently running 2 laps down from the leading car. This Ferrari was damaged and worn from racing through the night. Everyone was just limping their cars along hoping to make it to the finish. But not Max. Mad Max gave the drive of his life that morning putting in one fastest lap after another, reeling in that lead car. He would have won the race if he had another 15 minutes but instead he finished 2nd place but on the same lap as the winner. Nobody remembers who won that race, but most sports car fans remember the legendary drive by Mad Max Papis. Nowadays he's playing around in Nascar trucks and some endurance races.

[saget]

Ben Sheets

Michael Jordan

Chipper Jones

Muhammad Ali

Brett Hull

 

Sheets is far and away my favorite player ever. Ohhhh how I love him.

[greeg35]

Non-Wisconsin:

1) Frank Thomas

2) Karl Malone

3) Derrick Thomas

4) John Stockton

5) Christian Okoye

Wisconsin:

1) Prince Fielder

2) Aaron Rodgers

3) Andrew Bogut

4a) Glenn Robinson

4b) Ben Sheets

5) Cecil Cooper

dang, forgot Glenn Robinson...thanks yoshii!

[yoshii8]

1. Magic Johnson

2. Lothar Matthaus

3. Glenn Robinson

4. Brett Favre

5. Zinidene Zidane

6. Prince Fielder

[nate82]

My favorite players by sport:

NFL:

1. Brian Urlacher (if he was in MLB they would say he plays the game the right way, whatever that is supposed to mean)

2. Aaron Rodgers (not a big Packers fan but I love his swagger)

3. Deion Sanders

4. Emmit Smith (would be to classy even for the St. Louis Cardinals)

5. Sterling and Shannon Sharpe

MLB:

1. Jim Gantner

2. Paul Molitor

3. Robin Yount

4. Frank Thomas

5. Ben Sheets

NHL:

1. Alex Ovechkin

2. Scott Stevens

3. Martin Brodeur

4. Eric Lindros

5. Wayne Gretzky

NBA:

1. Ray Allen

2. Sam Cassell (The reason why the Bucks went so far in the playoffs)

3. Dwayne Wade

4. Glenn Robinson

5. Dirk Nowitzki

[logan82]

Rickie Weeks

Been Sheets

Jerry Rice

[Menotti80]

Tiger '97 - '08

Wade (during the final 4 run and the last few years)

Ronaldo

Favre (until '10)

Clay Matthews

[Funketown]

3. Buck O'Neil. . .I could watch his interviews every day, and they would bring a smile to my face every time.

I finally got around to watching Ken Burns' Baseball I feel the same way. He just seemed like a great guy, and an unwavering optimist even in the darkest of hours.

 

For me, many of my favorites were my boyhood favorites:

 

NHL:

1) Pavel Bure: I became a Canucks fan when I was 4-5 years old, watching Pavel Bure with my older brother. Without a doubt one of the greatest pure talents the NHL has ever seen and will ever see. Insanely talented. If he hadn't been so injury prone, he would have scored 700+ goals.

2) Trevor Linden: Not nearly as talented as Bure, but he was the heart and soul of my childhood Canucks.

3) Kirk McLean: Same story. Google Kirk McLean and Trevor Linden and you'll find a classic photo.

(Current favorites: Ryan Kesler, Alex Ovechkin)

 

MLB:

1) Rickie Weeks: What else can I say that hasn't been said on this board?

2) Andrew McCutchen: I'm a sucker for a well-rounded ballplayer.

3) Jackie Robinson: Yeah, I said I just watched Ken Burns baseball. Great ballplayer with a great head on his shoulders. I think people forget how good he was in his short career.

 

Soccer:

1) Lionel Messi: Just an absurdly talented player. I wish I could dislike this guy, but he is just such a joy to watch.

2) Clint Dempsey: I tune into Fulham matches just to watch him play. Great to watch an American have that kind of success in the EPL.

3) Gareth Bale: Incredible athlete. Just a blast to watch.

[radman12484]

By Sport:

 

Baseball:

1. Matt Williams

2. Greg Vaughn

3. Justin Upton

4. Luis Gonzalez

5. Ryan Braun

 

Basketball:

1. Kobe Bryant

2. Ray Allen

3. Michael Jordan

4. Glenn Robinson

5. Brandon Jennings

 

Football:

1. Marshall Faulk

2. Peyton Manning

3. Bo Jackson

4. Marvin Harrison

5. Dwight Freeney

 

Wrestlers: (yup added this).

1. Shawn Michaels

2. Eddie Guerrero

3. Chris Jericho

4. CM Punk

5. Stone Cold

[lukevan]

1. Phil Mickelson - I cried when he won the Masters.

2. Aaron Rodgers - I cried when we won the Super Bowl.

3. Ryan Braun

4. Prince Fielder

5. Rickie Weeks

[davego]

Hollywood Hulk Hogan...4-life...

 

Pretty much anyone the played on the 1982 Brewers.

 

Others that come to mind, Wade Boggs, Bernie Kosar, Sterling, Brett, Ron Dayne and Terry Cummings.

[jjfanec]

1. Phil Mickelson - I cried when he won the Masters.

2. Aaron Rodgers - I cried when we won the Super Bowl.

3. Ryan Braun

4. Prince Fielder

5. Rickie Weeks

That top 3 would be my top 3 as well. Although I didnt cry when Phil won the Masters I did get really excited.

 

Sanders and Molitor would probably round out my top 5

[Dragonbait]

Gonna change my list a bit....

 

Fav's to use in Video games....

 

1. (I think it was) Tom Rathman. (Tecmo Super Bowl) Loved the 99 break tackles and having guys bounce off.

2. Tim Wakefield (Tony LaRussa baseball ((yeah... I know))) Only way I could beat my older brother was to throw the knuckle everytime

3. The starting 5 for the Blackhawks in NHLPA '93, Roenick, Larmer, Goulet, Chelios, Smith

4. The starting 5 for the Redwings in NHLPA '93, Yzerman, Federov, Ysebaert, Lidstrom, Chiasson (Add Probert cuz when he checked, he hurt people oftern (in game))

 

 

And fav's in real world....

Growing up I had posters of

 

Jerry Rice

Ryan Sandburg

 

Loved

Barry Sanders (though I was so happy the game the Pack held him at -3yds for the half/game?)

William Henderson (loved watching him run hurdles over linemen)

Ronnie Lott (one tough M.F.)