Questions to be answered by the next person to post in the thread

[alfdogg 0]

My first team would be the same as yours. On my second team, I'd keep the same backcourt, but go with Elgin Baylor at SF, Barkley at PF, and Wilt at C.

 

Also, I think it's a little harsh to say that Kareem has no case as the GOAT. I mean, he does have the all-time scoring record, which really hasn't been threatened since he set it 24 years ago, third all-time in rebounds and blocks, six MVP's, eighteen All-Star appearances, fifteen All-NBA selections...I think all that at least deserves consideration, and I certainly wouldn't put him any lower than third amongst centers.

 

If Tracy McGrady retired today, how do you think history should remember him? Is he a first-ballot HOFer, in your opinion?

[Gert T 0]

The 11 point final minute against the Spurs (?) and the ridiculous 2nd round comment when he was in Orlando. I do not think he is a first ballot HOF'er. He would have to play more years to compile more points and a playoff series win.

 

Which NBA player do you feel deserves to be in the HOF and is not?

 

 

[cabbageboy 0]

Yeah there's no way McGrady is a HOF right now, not with him never even making to the 2nd round. Of course there's plenty of time for him but he's not a surefire HOF guy now.

 

As far as guys who aren't in the HOF yet, are Stockton and Malone in? Or is it a bit soon? It's hard to think of that many really notable guys who aren't in.

 

Anyway, with my point about the 1980s vs. 1990s NBA....guys like Stockton and Malone, Jordan, etc. really hadn't hit their peak in the 80s. Teams like the Nuggets were entertaining I guess but they weren't a serious threat to do anything. Aside from a couple of mediocre Rockets teams (one with a losing record in fact!) nobody but the Lakers came out of the West at all in the 1980s.

 

Sticking with basketball, here's a question about college. Best college team ever? Single year, not a whole era. I recall some ESPN fantasy tourney where they had UNC from 1982 winning it and I thought that was such bullshit.

[TheOriginalOrangeGoblin 0]

Also, I think it's a little harsh to say that Kareem has no case as the GOAT. I mean, he does have the all-time scoring record, which really hasn't been threatened since he set it 24 years ago, third all-time in rebounds and blocks, six MVP's, eighteen All-Star appearances, fifteen All-NBA selections...I think all that at least deserves consideration, and I certainly wouldn't put him any lower than third amongst centers.

I'm curious, in your opinion, whose above and whose below him out of the usual guys in consideration (Russell, Wilt, Hakeem, Shaq)?

[alfdogg 0]

I'd go Russell, Wilt, Kareem, Hakeem, and Shaq, in that order. Kareem, on top of being a key piece of the Laker dynasty, also led the Bucks, a third-year expansion team, to 66 wins and a title in his second season. And he had very little around him aside from a declining Oscar Robertson. I think he was a better defensive player than Shaq, as well, and Hakeem was a much defensive player and arguably a more well-rounded offensive player, as well.

[TheOriginalOrangeGoblin 0]

I'd go Russell, Wilt, Kareem, Hakeem, and Shaq, in that order. Kareem, on top of being a key piece of the Laker dynasty, also led the Bucks, a third-year expansion team, to 66 wins and a title in his second season. And he had very little around him aside from a declining Oscar Robertson. I think he was a better defensive player than Shaq, as well, and Hakeem was a much defensive player and arguably a more well-rounded offensive player, as well.

Interesting. I think a case could be made for Shaq and Kareem (with either guy being above the other) but I think Hakeem is clearly above Kareem. Olajuwan was unstoppable in his prime to the point that he destroyed every other great centre of his era offensively (Robinson, Ewing, Shaq - although not in his prime etc.) and could change any game with his defence.

 

Here's a question asked on ESPN recently: best NBA player to never win MVP?

[alfdogg 0]

First guy to come to mind was John Stockton. After some research, you've also got West & Baylor, Elvin Hayes, Clyde Drexler, & Patrick Ewing. It's really close, but I think I'll go with Jerry West.

 

Re: HOF: Adrian Dantley is the first guy that comes to mind. All he really has working against him is that he never won a title, and he'd have that too had he not been run out of Detroit in 1989.

 

Re: Best college team: I'll say UCLA, 1972. 30-0, with an average victory margin of 30.3 points.

 

Who would you rather have seen win a SB: Dan Marino or Barry Sanders?

[Gert T 0]

I say Barry because he seemed more likeable than Marino.

 

 

With the amount of Division I basketball teams on the rise, is it time for the NCAA to expand the tournament to 72 teams or even 128 teams as some are suggesting?

 

 

[Mike wanna be 0]

It's time to cut a bubble team and go back to 64, not expand the tourney. What good is expanding the field to get more teams in if you're going to have 20s, 19s, 18s and 17 seeds...when even the 16 seeds couldn't ever get past any of the ones? All it'll do is make the tournament drag longer for no reason.

 

Old stadiums like Fenway & Wrigley: Is it time to just build a new stadium, or are these treasures that need to be preserved no matter how much the game changes around them? (Conversely, would you be OK with the Sox/Cubs moving to a new stadium if the old stadium were not torn down?)

[Vern Gagne 0]

I think the tourney will expand to 68 teams. With three play-in games being added. Allowing three more at-large teams.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Old stadiums like Fenway & Wrigley: Is it time to just build a new stadium, or are these treasures that need to be preserved no matter how much the game changes around them? (Conversely, would you be OK with the Sox/Cubs moving to a new stadium if the old stadium were not torn down?)

 

This doesn't entirely answer the question, but hang on them as long as they aren't falling apart. Fenway and Wrigley are indeed treasures, and it's not like, say, the Pittsburgh Penguins clamouring for a new digs to get all the cash and benefits - obviously the Cubbies and Bosox are pretty healthy, financially.

 

To keep things light: What's the most unusual concession food or drink you've ever had a live sporting event?

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

Probably fried okra at a high school football game. Every homecoming weekend, there were always some food carts and grills in the parking lot selling stuff to passersby.

 

Deep down at your core, are you a football guy or a baseball guy? It's possible to like both, sure, but you have to like one more than the other. Those who claim to like them equally are kidding themselves, I think. If you like hockey or golf more, fine, but there has to be some sort of heirarchy.

 

[TheOriginalOrangeGoblin 0]

Football all the way. Baseball's not in my top 4.

 

And I would have rather seen Sanders win it since Marino atleast had chances. Barry got stuck in a black hole called Detroit and didn't even get a chance at it.

 

Here's another NBA one:

 

Best NBA team that never made the NBA finals (ie. the Kings in the early 2000's etc.)?

[J.B. Buzzkill 0]

EDIT: ^^

 

Pacers before 2000. Broke everyone in Indy's hearts.

 

If the NFL expanded to LA, what would you name the team?

 

 

[Vern Gagne 0]

The Milwaukee Bucks of the 80s.

 

Los Angeles Phoenix. It's stupid but different.

 

 

Best Super Bowl performance from a player on a losing team?

[Jorge Gorgeous 0]

The Milwaukee Bucks of the 80s.

 

Los Angeles Phoenix. It's stupid but different.

 

 

Best Super Bowl performance from a player on a losing team?

 

Chuck Howley has a good claim. MVP of Super Bowl V, on the losing team. Intercepted two passes, recovered a fumble.

 

Which professional athlete who isn't a boxer would make the best boxer? Why? Maybe pick a few for the different weight classes.

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

Todd Bertuzzi. He has proven knockout power. Traditionally, athletes that try to crossover to boxing don't do especially well, and certainly don't contend for anything serious. A puncher's chance is the most confidence I can give anyone, and Bertuzzi rocked Steve Moore's ass hard, even if was the filthiest sucker punch I've ever seen. A punch is a punch.

 

Who is going to win Superbowl 47?

[J.B. Buzzkill 0]

Who is going to win Superbowl 47?

 

The Buffalo Toronto Bills. Take it to the bank.

 

Will anyone ever have the stones to attempt an option-style offense in the NFL?

 

 

[lomasmoney 0]

No, the quarterback and running backs would literally probably get killed. People don't understand that the increased speed in college effectively killed the traditional option attack, and the spread option can be contained, slowed down, by teams with great defensive speed. Now taking this logic to the NFL where everyone at every position defensively is way faster, then I would say no, especially since most pro style qb's are not fast enough to run that kind of offense anyway

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

About the boxing, Georges Laroque. Never lost a fight in the NHL, he actually trains boxing *on skates* for that reason. He's fought the best of the best too, as far as NHL goons. He's also a super athlete. A friend's brother went to high school with him, and said he would be able to dunk a basketball with his hockey gear on his back.

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

Why would a pro team try some goofball offense like that? That's automatically unbalancing your own offense. Doesn't work. The two worst things a team can be in the NFL are: 1. Inconsistent. 2. Unbalanced on either side of the ball.

 

Sure, the Patriots can whip it around everywhere, but they do run the ball effectively. It's just dwarfed by the success of their passing attack.

 

What's the worst instance of an athlete getting hit in the balls and rolling around in agony?

[Guest Vitamin X]

I don't know if this is the WORST instance, but this couldn't have been too fun:

 

In simplest terms, what's the biggest change/evolution we've seen in baseball over the past decade that casual followers may not be entirely aware of? I ask because I really didn't follow baseball all that much until this past season when the Rockies put on a great finish to the season (even if the Series could have been a lot more enjoyable...). So, I've been way out of the loop for a while.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

VX is correct. What other sport instances, even boxing/mma etc., would potentially be worse? A hockey puck could be up there, as its fastest shot is about the same speed as the fastest baseball pitch - either way, I'd rather take a body part to the junk than an object.

 

Here's one that's not a hypothetical but can become one: The FBR open just set the single-day golf attendance record at 170,800. Is that the highest North American attendance for a sporting event? For the second half of the question, the total for the week is expected to be about 600,000 cumulative. Should that count towards the record if it's over four days? It is considered an 'event', but should that make, say, the NBA playoffs an 'event'?

 

By the way, check out the aforementioned FBR today, it's on CBS for about another hour(especially if you're not a golf fan). The 16th hole, from an entertainment aspect, is incredibly unique, and really really a sight to see.

[J.B. Buzzkill 0]

Here's one that's not a hypothetical but can become one: The FBR open just set the single-day golf attendance record at 170,800. Is that the highest North American attendance for a sporting event?

 

W/O looking anything up, I highly doubt that. Indianapolis Motor Speedway can hold damn near 400,000 people, so I'm sure quite a few Indy 500s (before Tony George completely killed open wheel racing in the US) smoke that pretty easily.

 

If you could add another track to the NASCAR schedule, which would it be?

[Red Baron 0]

I'd throw in a road course but I can not name a small track for the NASCAR fans.

 

Does the NFL have an attendance problem, or will it if nothing changes to bring the fan to the game?

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

Did you read something I haven't? I can't imagine the NFL having ANY kind of difficulty filling seats. I don't go very often based on the complexity of the sport, and since I don't have enough scratch to get season tickets to the Colts or Bears (not to mention the fact that the RCA Dome is a 90 Minute drive, and Soldier is about 2.5-3 hours from here), sitting in the nosebleed section is no way to watch football. I've been there. Sure, it was fun, but I'll be damned if I could see what was going on at the line of scrimmage.

 

Now baseball, I LOVE going to watch the Cubs, and the Ft. Wayne Wizards are a good time once in a while, but a baseball game live is a much different experience than a football game. The thing is, I watch a game on TV, and I swear a third of those seats are empty, unless it's the Cubs, Red Sox, or Yankees. I remember seeing a little bit of some Marlins bullshit, and that place looked worse than a WNBA game.

 

The ONLY thing that could keep fans from a football game would be absurd ticket prices for a bad team. No casual fan is going to drop a few hundred bucks to take the family to see the Rams get peppered by Tampa Bay or whoever. That said, the justification for high ticket prices is this: People still buy them.

 

 

That baseball to the dick..oh man. The worst instances I can think of are all in boxing. Recently, Ricky Hatton's ballshot on Kostya Tszyu. Hatton wound that fucker up like a fast-pitch softball. ouch.

 

 

Who will be the next professional athlete to get wrapped up in a performance enhancing drug scandal?

 

 

[King Kamala 0]

Just a wild guess but I'll say Alex Rodriguez. I know he's not the most reputable source but Jose Canseco claims he has stuff on him that's in his second book.

 

 

As for NFL attendance, I'm not sure what redbaron is getting at. With the exception of The Cardinals before they got their new stadium and maybe some of this year's Falcons games at The Georgia Dome, most NFL games I've watched (even ones featuring crappy teams at home), the stadiums appear to be full or nearly full.

 

 

What's the coolest thing you've seen at a minor league sporting event?

[KingPK 0]

 

Everyone in my section had the "What the fuck?" face going on.

 

How many Hall of Famers have you seen play live?

[Bored 0]

For baseball only, here's who I've seen and I'll let the question continue.

 

Reggie Jackson

George Brett

Nolan Ryan

Robin Yount

Carlton Fisk

Kirby Puckett

Dave Winfield

Ozzie Smith

Eddie Murray

Dennis Eckersley

Paul Molitor

Wade Boggs

Ryne Sandberg

Tony Gwynn

Cal Ripken

Goose Gossage

 

The players that have been inducted by the writer's since 1993 that I never saw live were Steve Carlton, Phil Niekro, Mike Schmidt, Don Sutton, Tony Perez, and Gary Carter.

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

I'm not too savvy on who is and isn't in. I've seen Ryne Sandberg, that much I'm certain about. Jim Kelly, too. Is Marino in, yet? Marshall Faulk, Peyton Manning, and Marvin Harrison will all certainly get in.

 

Who are the all-time five best white professional basketball players?