You know, it's really hard to have such a fun discussion like this over the internet. I mean, no pitchers of beer, no trash talking, just mere respectful dialogue.
Myles, I'm taking your discus thrower, Al Oerter, and your weightlifter, Vasily Alexeyev, off the list. Bolt gets de-bolted, and Laver (as much as I enjoyed his game), gets Samprased and Federered.
OK, so I keep, in no particular order:
1. Michael
2. Wilt
3. The Babe
4. Pele
5. Lance (unless it turns out he was steroiding)
(You know, when an athlete needs only 1 name, then that athlete already has a leg up.)
5 more to go.
The first three are easy:
6. Ali
7. Thorpe (who already was voted the # 1 male athlete of the first half of the 20th century)
8. Jim Brown
Then it gets more difficult. RogerD just posted that he'd include Mays. Great choice. If we're looking to the sport of baseball, then what about Aaron?
Or what about Dave Winfield? Seriously. Not only did he hit for power, he could run (finished in the top 8 in triples 3 times, and 4 times he stole more than 20 bases), and field (7 time Gold Glove winner). OK, if that's not enough, he was the starting forward at U of Minnesota, which won the Big 10 championship, and was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks. Not enought? He was drafted in 1973 by the Minnesota Vikings. No other person has ever been drafted in all three major professional sports (excluding hockey).
Me, though, I'm not picking Winfield. Psyche! I'm picking:
9. Jackie Robinson
What he did in pro baseball, under the conditions he did it in, well, 'nuff said. Oh, it doesn't hurt to bolster his inclusion on the list that at UCLA two times he led the Pac-10 in scoring, was an all-american running back, and won a NCAA championship in the long jump.
Last one.
I'm really tempted to go with Bo Jackson. I am not sure. I'm equivocating. But *Bo knows*. (Remeber that?) What he did on the football field was just sick. I mean the dude won the Heisman, arguably ran the fastest 40 yard sprint in the history of football, and was an incredible combination of power and speed. But that wasn't enough. He was a capable pro baseball player, hitting 32 HR and 105 RBI in his best season, who, after prosthetic hip surgery, still hit for power. He is the only person named an all star in 2 major professional sports.
But I'm not taking Bo. I'm taking:
10. Gordie Howe
Score, pass, skate, fight, he could and did do it all. And he did it until age 52. Named an all star 29 times. 7 time MVP. Unbelievable.