For the hell of it: Top ten atheletes I have seen play live in my lifetime.

No particular order with the possible exception of Williams.

1. Ted Williams (at very end of his career)
2. Mickey Mantle (Yankees visting Fenway multiple times back when I was a kid)
3. Bobby Orr (many times)
4. Bill Russell (many times)
5. Wilt Chamberlain (Old Philly Warriors playing Celts several times at Boston Garden in early 60s.)

The above group is a list of players who I saw play in person, all in Boston.

Players at I saw perform at other venues, mainly Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

6. Kareem Abdul Jabbar (when Utah Jazz played some home games in Las Vegas)
7. Jack Nicklaus at the LA Open at Riveria back in the mid 70s.
8. Magic Johnson (same as Jabbar, they both played in the game at Thomas and Mack in Vegas when Kareem set the all time NBA scoring record on April 5th. 1984)
9. Mean Joe Green, Super Bowl XIV against Rams in Rose Bowl Jan. 20th. 1980. Not to mention the other Steeler HOFers on that team.
10. Dan Fouts in San Diego while playing QB for the Chargers in mid 80s. Against the Cleveland Browns who had Ozzie Newsome at the time (he should be on this list). Browns won in overtime.


wil.

no order

1.tom brady
2.shaq
3.mike tyson
4.tiger woods
5.magic
6.elway
7.montana
8.rice
9.ronnie lott
10.jordan

4 of these were in the super bowl beatdown 9ers put on denver. I sat through the entire thing.

Since I`m 2 Centuries Older Than You Wil

I`ve seen guys you`ve only read about.
BB: 84 "Dream Tm" Pretty much says it all. Mikan, Schayes (sp), Cooz, Arizen, etc old NBA & "True" Lakers.
FB. Every Vike gm from 72 to 84 covers a lot. Bruce Smith RB, Giel, Janowicz, Ameche, Crow, OJ, Griffen.
MLB: Joe D, Micky very young, Willie here in Mpls, Teddy W in his prime best ever, Nolan, Guidry, Koufax, Drysdale, Palmer, Gibson. And of course Kirby & Rod many times.
Boxing only one counts the greatest fighter EVER Ali is # 2, # 1 Sugar the original. Also saw Pep # 3.
Don`t like NHL but a lady friend talked me into seeing the N Stars and Gretzky was here, actualy enjoyed it.
Best female I ever saw athlete that is, Lisa Leslie vs the Lynx, pretty good looking too. As Patton said, "God I do love it so"!!!

Silver7

I saw all the NBA guys except Mikan, I recall Paul Arizen, Dolph Schayes, Tom Gola, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Hot Rod Hundley, Bob Petit, Slater Martin, I forgot Oscar Robertson he should be in top group, Jack Twyman, Clif Hagen, Richie Guerin, Maurice Stokes, Gene Shue, Walt Bellamy, Wayne Embry, Willie Naulls and all of the Celtic greats of course like Sharman, Cousy, KC and Sam Jones, Satch Sanders, Tommy Heinsohn, Bailey Howell and more.

Hockey also, all the great Les Habitants, The Richard brothers, Boom Boom Geoffrion, Jean Beliveau, Doug Harvey, Ralph Backstrom, Jacques Plante, Claude Provost, JC Trembley, From Detroit the entire Production line of Sid Abel, Gordie Howe and Ted lindsay, also Alex Delvecchio, Terry Sawchuk, Norm Ullman, others, Andy Bathgate, The Big. M Frank Mahovlich and his brother Pete, Red Kelly and the rest of the Maple Leafs. The great Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Pirre Pilote, and the old Blackhawks, Rod Gilbert, Vic Hadfield, Jean Ratelle which was known as the GAG line (goal a game) Gump Worsley, then of course the Bruins like Teddy Green and Willie O'rea the first African American or African Canadien to play in the NHL and later all the great Big Bad Bruins like Johny Bucyk, Pie Mackesie, Phil Esposito, Wayne Cahman, Kenny Hodge, Derek Sanderson, Jerry Cheevers and dozens more from both sports.

AFL and later after the merger NFL I went to dozens of Patriot games. I won't go into the names except to say I saw Joe Namath in his prime one time around 1966, Kenny Stabler also.

Baseball, all American league teams livng in Boston then after the Braves had moved to Milwaukee but every player from around 1958 thru 1966 when I went in the service. I picked up again in 1971 when I came home from VietNam until the around 1978 when I moved to Las Vegas and from then on it was almost all TV ecept for a game in LA or San Diego now and then, plus the Utah Jazz games for a few years at Thomas and Mack.

I even saw the Celtics one year in the early 80s but it was an exibition game. The season package was ten games, 2 exibitions and 8 regular season games. The Jabbar game natrually to this day is still talked about in Las Vegas.


I saw some great fights in Vegas mostly at Ceasars but never Ali. Sugar Ray Leonard, Hitman Hearns, Wilfredo Benetiz, Roberto Duran, Carlos Palomino, Danny Little Red Lopez, Marvin Hagler and more.


I was 10 years old in 1958 and that is about when I start remembering going to games. I should add I saw the late great Ernie Davis play for Syracuse against Boston College in the early 60s. I went to a lot of Boston College games as a kid through the "Big Brother" program, my Big Brother was a BC grad. We went to many BC hockey, football and basketball games back then.


wil..

Ali
Woods
Schmidt
Mays
Gretzky
Brown
Nolan Ryan
Gibson
Secretariat
Chamberlain

Viejo,

Impressive list. Are you still on 'vacation' ?

Went to Fenway last night with JoeyFitz....first time in Boston and was impressed...

Viejo Dinosaur

Somthing tells me you are at one of my favorite spots on the planet,, Newport R.I. I have been going there since I was a kid. First beach (also called Weston Beach) and 2nd beach for great waves, sand and sun (except for the red tide season).

The Black Pearl was a favorite eatery on the harbour back then for me after I got out of the service. Still is - I was ther about two years ago, wish I knew Joey back then. Great chowder at The Black Pearl.



wil..

There is a player that was absolutely GREAT in his particular sport...........and one that many have seen in person play(including Wilheim).

Will be interesting to see if anyone puts this player in their top ten.

He definetly would make my top ten and doubt if I'm the only one one on this board that would include him on such a list...........as great as this guy was, certainly underrated in my opinion and sometimes forgotten.

Hint-Its not Dwight Evans or Brett Favre, however Favre would be in my top ten list.

Fish

Carl Yazstremski. I left him off in honor of Ted Williams. Not sure why.


wil.

wilheim said:

Somthing tells me you are at one of my favorite spots on the planet,, Newport R.I. I have been going there since I was a kid. First beach (also called Easton Beach) and 2nd beach for great waves, sand and sun (except for the red tide season).

The Black Pearl was a favorite eatery on the harbour back then for me after I got out of the service. Still is - I was ther about two years ago, wish I knew Joey back then. Great chowder at The Black Pearl.



wil..

Click to expand...

Going to the Black Pearl for lunch....Yaz has also got to be included, I have seen so many athletes...I'm sure I've left a few off, including Jordan and O. Robertson...

Fishhead said:

There is a player that was absolutely GREAT in his particular sport...........and one that many have seen in person play(including Wilheim).

Will be interesting to see if anyone puts this player in their top ten.

He definetly would make my top ten and doubt if I'm the only one one on this board that would include him on such a list...........as great as this guy was, certainly underrated in my opinion and sometimes forgotten.

Hint-Its not Dwight Evans or Brett Favre, however Favre would be in my top ten list.

Click to expand...

Pistol Pete....

wilheim said:

Carl Yazstremski. I left him off in honor of Ted Williams. Not sure why.


wil.

Click to expand...

Not who I was thinking of........

It is a baseball player though and one who I believe is the best I've ever seen in person in this particular sport(never seen Bonds, Williams, Mays, F. Robinson in person).

Not who I was thinking of........

Click to expand...

Has to be an American leaguer for me to see him...Wade Boggs..


National league - Mike Schmidt, Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan.


wil.

Not who I was thinking of........

Click to expand...

Ken Griffey Jr.

wilheim said:

Has to be an American leaguer for me to see him...Wade Boggs..


National league - Mike Schmidt, Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan.


wil.

Click to expand...

Because I have to head out shortly, will state the player.


Rickey Henderson

1. Tiger Woods
2. Michael Jordan
3.Jack Nicklaus
4. Yaz
5. David Robinson
6. Kady Malloy
7. George Brett
8. Brandi Chastain
9. Mia Hamm
10. Roger Clemens ( Prior to being a roider, he was pretty good on his own. He is a giant douche though. In fact enough of one that he probably posts at EOG......zing)

Makes sense, I have seen him play a few times over his epically long career. I think he passed a major stolen base milestone at Fenway somewhere along the line but not sure which, maybe his 1,000th SB.


wil..

Ricky Henderson oddity - one of many.

On July 29, 1989, Henderson stole 5 bases against the Seattle Mariners' left-handed Randy Johnson, his career high, and one shy of the single-game MLB record held by Eddie Collins from back in 1912 (twice he did it). Unusually, Henderson was 0–0 in the game (he had four walks).

5 stolen bases in a single game without an official at bat - try that someday.


wil.

VIEJO DINOSAUR said:

Ali
Woods
Schmidt
Mays
Gretzky
Brown
Nolan Ryan
Gibson
Secretariat
Chamberlain

Click to expand...

no jordan ?