For those old enough, who are the best players/athletes/etc., you've watched in the 80's in all sports?
80's Sports.
- Thread starter lurkeraspect84
- Start date
OT in my own thread. Big shoulder pads, short shorts and bubble gum that came in pouches like chewing baccer.
I’d add Bo Jackson and Jerry Rice for the 80s as well. Barry Sanders was tale-end so I guess we’ll count him for the 90s.
I struggled with Jackson, he was dominate when he was healthy. Rice is a good one as well.
I’m not even sure he was a top 100 OF of the 1980’s. He was more Nick Esasky than he was Rickey Henderson. Even in his best season (1989) he wasn’t elite. Very solid and good but never an elite ball player.
He should have stuck to football year round.
Ok, you're right. I should have checked the #s first. In 1989 he hit around 250( respectable), hit 32 HR (very respectable), and stole almost 30 bases (ok). No where near Henderson, but not far off either. According to baseball reference, Rickey never hit 32 HR, which surprised me. Rickey, a few times hit over 300... and stole over 100 bases 3 times.
He was pretty far off. Rickey Henderson is a borderline top 25 player of all time. His average OPS and WAR per year are better than Bo Jackson’s best seasons. His career OBP is nearly 100 points higher as well. And this is even including Henderson’s last 8 year or so where he was a shell of himself.
Jackson was solid but he struck out a ton, was a defensive liability and wasn’t very good at getting on base. And when he did get on base he wasn’t a great base runner. He was fast but he got picked off often and thrown out on steal attempts more than what’s acceptable for a guy like him. If he gave the sport 100% his ceiling was as good as anybody’s but you can say the same about his football career.
Bo Jackson is one of those things where the legend and stories make him out to be greater than anything we actually witnessed.
Bird, the white guy from Indiana, and Magic, the black guy from Michigan. They saved the nba.
Laughing Sorry, but I love you had to include their race.
Bird and Magic would have sufficed. I understand your point, but still funny to read.
Anyway both were great. and Jordan only played half the decade.
NBA - Bird/Magic
MLB - Rickey Henderson
NFL - Joe Montana
NHL - Wayne Gretzky
MLB - Rickey Henderson
NFL - Joe Montana
NHL - Wayne Gretzky
Keith Jackson was great. HOWEVER...the best in the biz for me was the duo of Ron Franklin and Mike Gottfried. Damn those two were perfect together.
If you heard Ron Franklin’s distinctive voice on the opener, you knew it was a big time Saturday night football game.
Also, just the game itself was better in the late 80s and 90s. Much less stoppages, you could actually hit the quarterback and receivers, and guys could celebrate and have fun. Much better product.
Yeah I know, but they both went where they were perfect fits too.
I can't find it now, but just the other day I saw a video of how rough the NBA was in the 80's.
Thanks. Great points. I take it you're a Royals fan? George Brett was on Rickeys level... not the same type of hitter, but both are legends of the game.
I forgot about Brett. Dude had a fire and was as intense as anyone.
Also, Tony Gwynn needs to be mentioned.
I’m definitely a Texas Rangers fan over the Royals. It doesn’t always work that way though. I like the Chiefs over the Cowboys. I’d probably rank my pro teams like this;
1) Texas Rangers
2) OKC Thunder (grew up in OKC)
3) Kansas City Chiefs
I’ll still root for the other local teams in sports but those 3 above would be the teams I like the most.
My favorite when I was a kid was Rod Carew... all elite hitters. Gwynn might have been the best.
But the game of basketball wasn’t intended to be violent. For me, the Bad Boys swung too far on the pendulum toward physical. I like a balance between finesse, up and down the court action, and tough, hard nosed play.
Football is supposed to be violent. Its very nature is aggressive and brutal. The product we are getting on the gridiron now isn’t football.
1980s (Early-Mid-Late)
Tennis: Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendel, Matts Wilander, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg; Pete Sampras, Michael Chang, Andre Aggasi.
(It was interesting how the racket changed from wood to what we have now!)
Women's Tennis: Martina Navralitova, Chris Everret, Tracey Austin,
Gabriella Sabatini, Steffie Graff, Monica Selles
Tennis: Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendel, Matts Wilander, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg; Pete Sampras, Michael Chang, Andre Aggasi.
(It was interesting how the racket changed from wood to what we have now!)
Women's Tennis: Martina Navralitova, Chris Everret, Tracey Austin,
Gabriella Sabatini, Steffie Graff, Monica Selles
Eric Davis was a beast and then he wasnt. When he was on for that period holy crap was he awesome.
Disagree. He's the only player, in baseball/football, to be named an All-star. If not for the hip injury, that dude may have ended up in the HOF in one of the sports---If not both. Before his injury, his baseball career was starting to take off. From 1987-90, he hit 105 HR's, with 300 RBI's, while improving his BA every year: 1987 he hit .235. In 1990, his last injury free year, he hit .272. He was an All-Star in 1989, and should have been one again in 1990. Then the hip injury, and was down hill after that.
As for football? I mean, he joins the Raiders in Week 8 of the 1987 season, and proceeds to rush for 554 yards, in 7 games---AFTER playing an entire baseball season. THink about that. He plays 120 MLB games. Reports to the Raiders in Week 8---Then rushes for 554 yards, over 7 games, on just 81 attempts. An average of damn near 7 yards per carry. Thats stupid. I mean, who does that? Now, again, same as baseball---he's starting to come into his own. In 1989, he rushes for 950 yards----in just 10 games. Then, in 1990, his only Pro-Bowl season, he gets hurt. Had rushed for 700 yards.
We didn't miss anything, as fans. We just didn't get to see enough. He didn't just play two sports, he was among the best of those two sports. To play 120 baseball games, then go join an NFL team 8 weeks into their season, and rush for almost 600 yards, is ****ing insane.
IMO, Bo Jackson might possibly be the best athlete I've ever seen. ANd had the hip injury never occurred, it would have fun seeing what he would have done.
He was a monster. From 1986-1990, he averaged 30 HR's and 40 SB. Injuries again derailed what probably would have easily been a HOF career. I mean, in 1987, he hit 37 HR's, and stole 50 bases....
In 129 games. Missed 33 games, yet still had those numbers. Crazy.
In 1990 he suffered a lacerated kidney diving for a foul ball in the WS. Was just never really the same after that.
He did some great things, no doubt. But he wasn’t going to be a HOF baseball player. He was maybe a top 50 player at his peak. He should of stuck to football. I’m glad he didn’t though.
I remember watching the game Bo Jackson got the injury against the Bengals. I immediately felt sorrow. I had the "you don't diddley" shirt, and this iconic poster on my wall at home. (I had all the good posters).
TS, I bought that poster (took me a bit to find it), while out of town at a art gallery that was showing my work. When I got home, I was hanging it up, MTV's Kurt Loder came on the air to tell about how Kurt Cobain just killed himself.
TS, I bought that poster (took me a bit to find it), while out of town at a art gallery that was showing my work. When I got home, I was hanging it up, MTV's Kurt Loder came on the air to tell about how Kurt Cobain just killed himself.
IMO, the 1980's was the best decade ever, for sports.
In the 70's, the NBA was failing. Public interest was minimal. Then----Well these two dudes come along: Magic and Bird. The rest is history. They were then followed by some other dude named "Jordan". NBA has been a monster ever since.
NFL was marred by two strikes. Then Joe Montana and the 49ers arrive. 49er/Cowboy playoff battles were epic, i.e. "The Catch".
NHL was meh. Then some teenage dude came along---Wayne Gretzky, and forever changed the sport.
Baseball in the 80's was marred by a coacaine scandal, Pete Rose banishment, missed called in the 1985 WS, and the earthquake on the 89 series. But, as in the other above mentioned sports, young stars came to the rescue. Dudes like Griffey, Jr, McGwire, Bonds, etc, etc.. Along with some unforgettable postseason moments: Kirk Gibson HR is the standout moment. Nine different teams won a WS. After being dominated by the likes of the Reds, Yankees, Dodgers, etc, etc...baseball began finding greater life, with the balance of other teams.
March Madness as we know it today, is the "child" of 1980's CBB. We had NC State's mighty upset of Houston....Villanova beating Georgetown. Cinderella was born. And thus, so was March Madness.
The 1980's , IMO, was the platform of what we see today.
In the 70's, the NBA was failing. Public interest was minimal. Then----Well these two dudes come along: Magic and Bird. The rest is history. They were then followed by some other dude named "Jordan". NBA has been a monster ever since.
NFL was marred by two strikes. Then Joe Montana and the 49ers arrive. 49er/Cowboy playoff battles were epic, i.e. "The Catch".
NHL was meh. Then some teenage dude came along---Wayne Gretzky, and forever changed the sport.
Baseball in the 80's was marred by a coacaine scandal, Pete Rose banishment, missed called in the 1985 WS, and the earthquake on the 89 series. But, as in the other above mentioned sports, young stars came to the rescue. Dudes like Griffey, Jr, McGwire, Bonds, etc, etc.. Along with some unforgettable postseason moments: Kirk Gibson HR is the standout moment. Nine different teams won a WS. After being dominated by the likes of the Reds, Yankees, Dodgers, etc, etc...baseball began finding greater life, with the balance of other teams.
March Madness as we know it today, is the "child" of 1980's CBB. We had NC State's mighty upset of Houston....Villanova beating Georgetown. Cinderella was born. And thus, so was March Madness.
The 1980's , IMO, was the platform of what we see today.
I can agree that the HOF is probably a stretch. But even then, when healthy, he was among baseball's best.
You can argue Tony Gwynn in MLB but there's a lot of them to be considered. NFL I think I would go with Joe Montana.
Similar threads
