Posted on 07/23/2005 8:59:04 AM PDT by The Other Harry
There are many.
My #1 would be Lance Armstrong. He is truly remarkable.
Next would be a motorcycle racer named Kenny Roberts. Many of you have probably never heard of him. He could send chills down my spine. I watched him win races he should have lost. I could write books about what I saw him do.
Then there is Joe Montana. I remember where I was when he and Dwight Clark did “The Catch”. I knew they were going lose. Joe and Dwight didn’t know that. They thought they were going to win. And so they did.
He is indeed, but I would not say he is the best ever. I would have to go with Michael Jordan.
I watched him win races he should have lost.
Never heard of him, I'm sure he is amazing, but consider that he does it with the aid of the motorcycle, it is not his own man-power that moves him, it is an engine.
As far as football goes, I don't know about Montana. He was skilled, not necessarily athletic. Some of these guys in the triathlon and decathlon are truly incredible. They would be up there, though I don't know any names.
Not trying to contradict you or anything, just giving MHO
Lance is a better athelete. Micheal was a better talent. As for a motorcyclist, that is mostly a talent, although I am sure you have to be in great shape, but not nearly as much so as a top flight runner, bicyclist, or basketball player.
perhaps. But it's not every guy who can jump from the free-throw line, do a 360, put the ball through his legs, and then dunk. Then again, I guess that is mostly talent.
> Never heard of him, I'm sure he is amazing, but consider
> that he does it with the aid of the motorcycle, it is
> not his own man-power that moves him, it is an engine.
Not really.
Kenny rode for Yamaha, which was the best for road racing at that time. I watched him go off at Leguna Seca in a swarm of other motorcycles, total silence, and then he came down off the hill all by himself.
More impressively, I watched him beat Fast Freddie Spencer at the San Jose Mile race. Freddie rode for Harley, which was better for these kinds of races.
They were nose-to nose the whole way. Kenny should have lost, but he didn't.
My, he was good.
I think he owns a Yam dealership in Fresno, CA. You could do worse.
I suppose it depends at how you want to define athelete. If you are looking at endurance, it is hard to beat what Lance has acomplished. Riding a bike up a mountain for 100 miles in like 4 hours is just unimaginable. Micheal obviously can outjump Lance, but then again there have been basketball players who can jump higher than Micheal.
Probably "endurance under handicap" could be a good criterion, even under a self-inflicted handicap. There was Alexander Alekhine who used to play multiple simultaneous chess games [at his grandmaster level] while seriously drunk.
Lance is the best athlete going right now, but I think overall it would have to be Jesse Owens.
Michael Jordan made more of an impact to his sport than Lance did however. Lance has done a lot, but the NBA became a multi-billion dollar sport when Jordan/Bird/Magic/Isiah/Shaq came along....
Tiger
Well, I think it is safe to say we understand what your critera was.
Lance Armstrong is the best in terms of endurance and cardiovascular. But there are many athletes who are more athletic than him, Michael Jordan being one.
Jim Thorpe, hands down. Won Pentathalon and Decathalon single handed Stockholm 1912. Played Pro Baseball for the Giants under John McGraw and played semi pro football for years.
Roberts was featured in several portions of "On Any Sunday" Originally made for Yamaha and starring Mert Lawill, H.D. #1 plate 1971, Malcolm Smith, winner of several International Six Day Trials competitions and Steve McQueen.
> Roberts was featured in several portions of "On Any
> Sunday" Originally made for Yamaha and starring Mert
> Lawill, H.D. #1 plate 1971, Malcolm Smith, winner of
> several International Six Day Trials competitions and
> Steve McQueen.
You obviously know what you're talking about.
I never saw Lawill race, but I think the AMA retired the #1 plate after him. Roberts was always #2. I didn't understand this, but that was the way it was.
McQueen was no slouch. I also once watched him race at Laguna Seca. I think it was open wheels. He didn't win, but he did very well. I think he came in about 6th. Not bad for an actor.
I also think he did most of his own stunts, including the motorcycle jump in "The Great Escape".
He got a bit weird toward the end, but he was a basically a good guy. I admired him.
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