These first few blogs are my preamble. I'm going to try and set the context for the content I will try and deliver in the future. What better way to get my feet under me than a to-do list?
1. Who is the greatest baseball player of all time?
Like many of Adam Dunn's at-bats, my answer to this question has three true outcomes. The most likely outcome is that I'll get slaughtered for whatever answer I give. I just know it. So, let me take this time to pre-respond to the hate: I know I never saw Mickey Mantle at his peak, but neither did you. Steroids were a part of baseball, and I did the best I could to build in considerations for juicing. I didn't consider pitchers because a.) they don't all hit and b.) I may have already answered that question by then, who knows.
That felt good. Anyway, my plan here is to actually roll this out in a few separate posts, starting with whatever method I cook up to compare players (much like the CMJI/RMJI), and the explanation that will need to come with that. I bet there'll be some surprise contenders, so I think I could squeeze out a 'Best of the Rest' blog. And then, yes, the pièce de résistance - I'll name that baseball player that, as supported by whatever evidence I choose to provide, deserves GOAThood. These two fellas have a real chance.
2. What if Peyton Manning was a Patriot?
This started as a late-night thought experiment, a burst of knowledge spilled upon unsuspecting friends and strangers over late night McDonalds. A think tank, if you will. I had been pondering the blinding success of the New England Patriots due to the handiwork of Tom Brady...or is it Bill Belichick...or maybe Rob Kraft...well, who really knows. As you may have read in my Scottie Pippen article, I think it's impossible to faithfully represent the relative effectiveness of one coaching staff or ownership group over another without just counting wins. There are no statistics that I know of to bridge that gap, so my attention turned to the dependent variable of the situation: the players themselves. Starting with this not at all blurry screenshot of a 100% believable tweet. Guys being dudes.
Tom Brady is a phenomenal quarterback. I will hear no TB12 slander, nor will I write any. He was instrumental in creating a dynasty the likes of which haven't been seen since MJ's Bulls, the Murderers' Row Yankees (To put the Pats' dominance in perspective: the Chicago Blackhawks, San Fransisco Giants, and Golden State Warriors each saw triple-championship runs from start to finish between New England's first and most recent titles.).What I will do, though, is tell the truth. He does not have the best arm strength or foot speed in the league, and he never did. But, he had pinpoint throwing precision, the good fortune of a nigh-impenetrable offensive line and outstanding short-medium range targets during his tenure in New England, not to mention (arguably) the most brilliant head coach in the history of the NFL. So, now that we're caught up, let's meet Tommy Terrific's contender: The Sheriff.
Peyton Manning was also a phenomenal quarterback - and he assembled a no-doubt Hall of Fame career of his own. It's common knowledge to fans of the game that he acted as his own offensive coordinator. His ability to pick apart defenses at all stages of his career was something to behold. But don't be fooled into thinking he's all brains and no brawn: that nerd could sling it. I think that he had one of the most powerful arms in the league at his peak, which made up for his limited mobility. Wait a minute, Tom Brady wasn't the fleetest of foot either, and I'm pretty sure Peyton Manning had a better arm. See where I'm going here?
3. Who is the best professional athlete of all time?
First of all, I have no idea if this is even possible - and it might not be. But imagine knowing an answer to such a question?
Before I continue, I think you should stand up and stretch. Take a minute. Have you been drinking enough water? Are your devices charged? Has the dog been fed? I'll wait.
Tracking player effectiveness is easy enough given a set group of common measures, but tracking different sports? I'm getting nauseous just thinking about thinking about it. At a minimum, I'll have to find out who the GOAT of every major sport is. That alone is going to get me killed sooner or later, but I suspect I'll enjoy digging my own grave. It's going to take removing biases, ignoring convention, and loads of math.
Now, certain facts are inescapable. If Wayne Gretzky never scored a goal, he would still have sole ownership of the record for most points in a career. He has more assists alone than any other players has goals and assists combined. I'd be shocked if he wasn't the GOAT according to my calculations. So shocked, in fact, that I might even use him as a logic test
to check my work.
These are just three of the questions that I've wondered about recently. Some will be added to this list, I might even have to scuttle some of these. I'm excited to give it a try. If I had to guess, I think you'll be seeing plenty of these guys. Try and find another picture so full of greatness, I dare you.
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