Who's Better...Present Day Players and Teams or the Past?

[The Derski]

Players today will be better because of improved nutrition and strength training,and better equipment, its unfair to try to make comparisons. I think you have to judge players against their peers then try to figure how players would compare had the played in different eras.

This.

 

[wazzu31]

Easy. You see any Bo Jacksons, Deion Sanders, MJs, Lawrence Taylors, Nolan Ryan type athletes today?


I don't see a running back in the last 10 years even close to Bo. Or a DB like Deion. Not to mention both played 2 sports and you don't see that today.

Outside of Bo, you see all these athletes nowadays easily. Nolan Ryan would be average today, Primetime would be a nice corner and returner. Jack would be a top golfer but not dominant.

The two sports one is just about Bo, Primetime only play MLB because of football, he would be a glorified pinch runner..Bo is a once in a lifetime athlete with size, strength, speed, hand eye coordination and arm strength.

 

[Rockinkuwait]

Outside of Bo, you see all these athletes nowadays easily. Nolan Ryan would be average today, Primetime would be a nice corner and returner. Jack would be a top golfer but not dominant.

The two sports one is just about Bo, Primetime only play MLB because of football, he would be a glorified pinch runner..Bo is a once in a lifetime athlete with size, strength, speed, hand eye coordination and arm strength.

Yeah have to agree.. I remember prime Patrick Willis. Guy was a freak of nature. Or Calvin Johnson. Cam Newton even.. Today's tight ends, guys like Watt who can run a 4.8 at nearly 300 lbs and that strength... Big men like Ngata or Poe that can move like they do.

 

[SonnyCID]

There is maybe no position in football that has improved more in the past 20 years than receiver, partly because of rule changes, but also because of increased athleticism at the position. Deion would not be the same guy if he was asked to cover a guy like Brown, Marshall, Bryant, Fitz or Johnson almost every week.

 

[TheStarOne]

There are athletes who make you wonder if you aren't watching a little bit of God.

The guys who were in the NBA slam dunk contest this year.......MJ and Dominique never came close.
Tiger woods in his prime at Pebble Beach in the U.S. Open........Tiger at the Masters winning by a bazillion
Tiger's Chip Shot at The Masters at 16.....that was god like, no matter what kind of equipment
Secretariat......at the Belmont
Bob Beamon......The Jump
Larry Bird's ability to make plays.....
And then there is Usain Bolt.......6 foot 5 inches tall...207 pounds......and oh by the way.....fastest human ever.
Muhammad Ali in his prime.......anybody better?
In baseball now, you got guys who are throwing off speed pitches at 88 mph

but as far as TEAMS go, because of free agency, player movement, and drafts........It's tough to find SUPER OR COMPLETE TEAMS in any sport anymore. Players are more concerned about their own brand and future contracts, then they are, their team. Tim Duncan may be the exception. And the Spurs might be an exception.

 

[Schmoopy1000]

Outside of Bo, you see all these athletes nowadays easily. Nolan Ryan would be average today, Primetime would be a nice corner and returner. Jack would be a top golfer but not dominant.

The two sports one is just about Bo, Primetime only play MLB because of football, he would be a glorified pinch runner..Bo is a once in a lifetime athlete with size, strength, speed, hand eye coordination and arm strength.

I disagree about Nolan Ryan. He could pitch over 100mph & pitch well over 100 pitches a game every game without injuries. That guy was a freak of nature, without sports science. He would have been bad ass in any era.

 

[TheStarOne]

How Bout a tennis tournament, new equipment, everybody in their prime......
Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Novak Djokovick, Roger Federer

NFL
60s Packers, 70s Steelers, 80s 49ers, 90s COWBOYS, 2000 Patriots, undefeated Dolphins

Baseball
27 Yankees, 70s Oakland A's, 76 Reds, 70 Orioles,1907 Chicago Cubs

Formula 1
Ayrton Senna, Juan Fangio, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Alain Prost,Jackie Stewart

Golf..Yikes
Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Bobby Jones,Arnold Palmer, Byron Nelson, Seve Ballesteros

etc etc,

 

[Southieinnc]

As far as golf, the competition today is loaded. Jack had a few guys at the top that could play with him, but what he did was pretty impressive. Would he do it today? I don't think so

golf is not a sport.....

 

[gohusk]

golf is not a sport.....

If you don't take it seriously it's a game. And that's fine. I play with guys just looking to have fun and drink a few beers and they have a great time. If you're worried about your play then it's one of the toughest sports there is.

You can plant a keg on 2nd base and call it slosh ball and make it a game. That doesn't mean that baseball isn't a sport.

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

It all comes down to match-ups.... Teams all have their own chemistry and match-up advantages and disadvantages... You just never know unless the teams battle it out... It's fun to speculate, but that's all it will ever be ... Which leads me to this speculation.... 90's Bulls would a beat this Golden State team... Warriors are a fun team to watch, but Michael Jordan is a basketball god, he woulda found a way ...

 

[SonnyCID]

NBA is where the biggest talent disparity is from now and 30 years ago. Yes, that was the superstar era, but that was really because almost every team had one, maybe two transcendent players. Which was great for the league, and accomplished by draft pick manipulation from the top down. Today, the role players and bench players are much better, making the superstars look more mortal than they looked 2-3 decades ago.

 

[Irish7478]

golf is not a sport.....

Golf is not a sport in the same way that tennis is not a sport or gymnastics, or swimming, or any track and field events. It's basically a semantics issue.

 

[Breed]

There are greats of the past in every sport who would be stars today... Wilt & Jim Brown are 2 I'm convinced would be. Wilt wouldn't score 50 per game but he'd dominate. Many people don't realize what a tremendous athlete he was.

What would happen today if Jim Brown threw a couple look out blocks for a QB like he did for Frank Ryan back in his day?

 

[TheStarOne]

golf is not a sport.....

That is laughable.......Golf takes more mental capabilities and toughness, than any sport I've ever played. And it is a combination of controlled power and touch. Those who say golf is not a sport have probably never played it, or played it poorly. Golf is all about the individual. That is a plus and minus. It's all about you. You can't depend on another teammate when you're having a good day or bad day. There are no vacations in golf, like in baseball, football or basketball. You're hitting a shot about every 4 minutes. And there is no place to hide on a bad day. No teammate to pick you up. I've played all the sports except hockey. And golf is the toughest sport I've ever played.

 

[Nosferatu]

Baseball's best
C - Bench
1B - Gehrig
2B - Hornsby
SS - Wagner
3B - Schmidt
LF - Williams/Bonds
CF - Mays/Cobb
RF - Ruth
SP - Walter Johnson

These are the players most would consider the best of all time at their position. Only Bonds has played a game since 1990. This is one of the reasons baseball is and has always been my favorite sport, it's a game of skill, it's not just about running faster or jumping higher.

 

[Wazmankg]

What would happen today if Jim Brown threw a couple look out blocks for a QB like he did for Frank Ryan back in his day?

Nothing. Just like today when an RB misses a block. So Brown wasn't a good blocker for his QB ? That's the criticism ? Taking Brown out of the play and removing him as a threat by holding him back to block was pretty stupid anyway.

 

[Southieinnc]

Golf is not a sport in the same way that tennis is not a sport or gymnastics, or swimming, or any track and field events. It's basically a semantics issue.

maybe - but I still like saying it!!!!!

 

[Southieinnc]

That is laughable.......Golf takes more mental capabilities and toughness, than any sport I've ever played. And it is a combination of controlled power and touch. Those who say golf is not a sport have probably never played it, or played it poorly. Golf is all about the individual. That is a plus and minus. It's all about you. You can't depend on another teammate when you're having a good day or bad day. There are no vacations in golf, like in baseball, football or basketball. You're hitting a shot about every 4 minutes. And there is no place to hide on a bad day. No teammate to pick you up. I've played all the sports except hockey. And golf is the toughest sport I've ever played.

Another golf high-speed action shot!!!!!

 

[cowboycolors]

Baseball's best
C - Bench
1B - Gehrig
2B - Hornsby
SS - Wagner
3B - Schmidt
LF - Williams/Bonds
CF - Mays/Cobb
RF - Ruth
SP - Walter Johnson

These are the players most would consider the best of all time at their position. Only Bonds has played a game since 1990. This is one of the reasons baseball is and has always been my favorite sport, it's a game of skill, it's not just about running faster or jumping higher.

wow what a list I take Williams over Bonds
play Cobb in RF or switch him and Williams it would not matter except to Cobb's ego
and play the Babe as DH American league rules

but on a awesome list

throw in Nolan Ryan, Bob Feller, Bob Gibson, Tom Seaver, and Randy Johnson

with Steve Carlton and Sandy Koufax along with Babe Ruth in the bull pen and wow what a squad

to many folks forget Ruth was a helluva pitcher also

 

[Irish7478]

maybe - but I still like saying it!!!!!

It's like saying that Brady was involved in deflategate, no one can prove he was or wasn't, but some people like to say it.