Your can 'Unretire' 3 athletes

[EasyGoer89]

Pick out 3 living athletes (or 5) and you get to wave a wand and Unretire them and they come back as they were in their prime (for arguments sake they're still as great competitive as they were) and go back into their sport of choice.

I'd say MJ is an obvious pick for NBA, I'll go w Nicklaus in golf, I'd bring back Bo in the NFL to finish on his own terms and give me 1 and 1a of Connors/McEnroe in tennis.

[no breathalyzer]

Canseco .. ped's or not guy was so much fun to watch.. my favorite player growing up

[_______]

I think if you brought any athlete from the past into the present, you'd be disappointed at their level of play.

Everyone now is is better conditioned, better trained. In football they are all bigger and faster.

Bo Jackson retired 2 years before Lawrence Taylor's first NFL game. Taylor broke the mold. Take a look at the average size of a linebacker in 1990 and what one is today.

And they're faster.

[proximity]

american pharoah, frank shamrock, and bob sanders.

[lamboguy]

mickie mantle

sandy koufax

john havlicek and wilt chaimberlan tied for third

[Delta Cone]

Bo Jackson retired 2 years before Lawrence Taylor's first NFL game. Taylor broke the mold. Take a look at the average size of a linebacker in 1990 and what one is today.

And they're faster.

You must have been thinking of someone else:

Lawrence Taylor played in the NFL from 1981-1993.

Bo Jackson played in the NFL from 1987-1990.

[EasyGoer89]

I think if you brought any athlete from the past into the present, you'd be disappointed at their level of play.

Everyone now is is better conditioned, better trained. In football they are all bigger and faster.

Bo Jackson retired 2 years before Lawrence Taylor's first NFL game. Taylor broke the mold. Take a look at the average size of a linebacker in 1990 and what one is today.

And they're faster.

That's why I put a caveat (for arguments sake they are as good as they were)

[Robert Fischer]

gimmie Musberger, Romo, and Tiger Woods ;)




serious list:

ted williams

secretariat

magic johnson


No era-adjustment necessary. Just stick 'em in the time machine.

Williams - I think he'd be right up at the top in onbase% batting avg. Etc.
Would be a shock of seeing the physicality and speed that a league full of olympic level athletes and specialists brings, but his mental/technical mastery would make that a matter of adapting, rather than losing out to brute force. While his numbers and style would be more like Mike Trout than Ichiro, I think that his technical skills would stand out in a similar fashion to Ichiro.

Secretariat- We'd all like to see him in the modern game, and Arrogate is a worthy foe.

Magic - Prime Magic was a joy to watch. Selfish pick here. I think the speed and strength of the game would hurt him slightly. He may have to get on the stuff they give LeBron, and move to point-forward. He'd have to extend his range, and shoot more 3's (was able to do so later in career, probably could do so competently). Great sense of timing. Was a great entertainer.

[ElKabong]

The OP mentioned Living athletes, so.....

Jim Brown
Tommy John, post surgery (not sure he could survive today's hitters)
Luis Aparichio
Gale Sayers
Yvan Cournoyer

Also... A healthy tiger woods..... The current Group of golfers aren't intimidated by anybody, it would be fun to see a 30 yo tiger on the current day tour

[woodbinepmi]

Roger Staubach, Maurice Richard and Lure.

[Inner Dirt]

I think if you brought any athlete from the past into the present, you'd be disappointed at their level of play.

Everyone now is is better conditioned, better trained. In football they are all bigger and faster.

Bo Jackson retired 2 years before Lawrence Taylor's first NFL game. Taylor broke the mold. Take a look at the average size of a linebacker in 1990 and what one is today.

And they're faster.

Better trained, nonsense if you only go back 40 years when I played football in High School and College. There wasn't a muscle worked now you could not work then. Go to any high end football equipment website that includes training equipment, the same stuff existed in one way or another in 1975. The body building supplements that are common today were around then, now they just have fancier names. The big difference is medicine legal and illegal the cheaters staying ahead of the testers. The legal advances are through surgery and rehab. Follow the history of any NFL player that has suspicious looking muscles you will find the period where he gained a different look overnight. I was just a lowly D-3 linebacker because of lack of a football I.Q. The numbers I put up clean in the 70's would rank pretty well at the combine today for that position although small at 6' 220. If you gave the guys from the 70's the same drugs they would be right with the guys today.

[johnhannibalsmith]

Scott Stevens, Yastrzemski, Left Bank (I know this is a violation).

[cj]

Any of the best tennis players from any other era than this one wouldn't win more than a few games against today's players.

[whodoyoulike]

MJ - basketball

Randy Jones - baseball

Lance Alworth - football

Never saw MJ live.

[Secondbest]

Babe Ruth

Wilt Chamberlain

Laurence Taylor

Bobby Orr

Secretariat

[Secondbest]

Babe Ruth

Wilt Chamberlain

Laurence Taylor

Bobby Orr

Secretariat

I missed the living part.

[rastajenk]

Freddy Couples! :jump:

[Marshall Bennett]

Baseball pitchers : Nolan Ryan, Fergie Jenkins, J.R. Richard, Bob Gibson
batters : Mickey Mantle, Willie McCovey, Rod Carew, Dave Kingman

Football offense : Gale Sayers, Eric Dickerson, O.J. Simpson, Johnny Unitas
defense : Dick Butkus, Jack Lambert, LeeRoy Jordan, Joe Greene

Basketball : Michael Jordan, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Jerry West

Boxing : Muhammad Ali, Rocky Marciano, Joe Louis, Sonny Liston, Lennox Lewis, George Foreman

Horses : Secretariat, Buckpasser, Damascus, John Henry

[Jess Hawsen Arown]

I think if you brought any athlete from the past into the present, you'd be disappointed at their level of play.

And they're faster.

Better conditioned and stronger? Yup. Faster? Many of them. Better skilled? Not a chance. Basketball, today, is a joke. The incompetence you see on the court is mind boggling. Defense is today is...?

Oldtimers laugh at the 5-man pitching rotations and the endless Tommy John surgeries. No way the infield shift would have worked. Hitters back then would have shredded them.

I will say that hockey players seem more skilled. But passing and shooting is easier with the curved sticks.

This is not to denigrate stars like Lebron and Mike Trout, Kershaw, etc., lotsa outstanding players today, but there used to be many more skilled players.

[Marshall Bennett]

Pitchers were at least well rested 40 -50 years ago. Was nothing to see a starting pitcher accumulate 300+ innings and 20 or more complete games.
No need for short or middle inning specialist. Entire staff, at least on the better teams stayed fresh. There was no free agency and contracts were quite simple therefore players worked harder at playing their best.

[reckless]

Eddie Giacomin

Earl Monroe

Tom Seaver

Just three of my favorite athletes. They were each great or near great from my time as a young sports fan growing up in NYC.

[Greyfox]

I think if you brought any athlete from the past into the present, you'd be disappointed at their level of play.

Everyone now is is better conditioned, better trained. In football they are all bigger and faster.


That is a bit of an overgeneralization.

Muhammad Ali would still kick ass today.

[RichieP]

NBA - Pistol Pete
NHL - Guy Lafleur
MLB - Bob Gibson
PGA - Sam Snead
Futbol - Pele

[jk3521]

Any pitcher from the past who pitched complete games, Seaver, Carlton, Ryan. Geez, I miss those guys . I've had enough of these "6 inning wonders" in baseball today.

[JustRalph]

mickie mantle

sandy koufax

john havlicek and wilt chaimberlan tied for third

Love these picks:ThmbUp:

Hondo would be a little slow compared to today but I'd love to see him.

Larry Bird

Pete Rose and Bob Gibson.

If you'd give me 4th and 5th

Jim Thorpe and Jesse Owens * I know, deceased.

[EasyGoer89]

:2:That is a bit of an overgeneralization.

Muhammad Ali would still kick ass today.

I think in boxing the yesteryear fighters would probably have very little problem beating the guys of today who want to enact 'sweet science' and not actually fight. Boxers have gotten less tough.

[Inner Dirt]

Better conditioned and stronger? Yup. Faster? Many of them. Better skilled? Not a chance. Basketball, today, is a joke. The incompetence you see on the court is mind boggling. Defense is today is...?


I actually think the women's game has evolved quite a bit skill wise, 20-30 years ago they appeared obviously a lot slower and even clumsy compared to men. Probably watched a lot more women's basketball than most guys, had an older friend who would spend winters in California and he had multiple satellites he brought along before most people had them. He watched every college basketball game men or women's he could get his eyes on, sometimes as many as 4 at a time.

[Marshall Bennett]

Until Martina came along and those that followed her style, women's tennis was about as boring as any sport could get. Women's golf is all about pretty ladies and fashion. Women excel in fast-pitch softball and are quite good, but there is no professional level. I can barely watch men's basketball, let alone the women. Too short and to little contact. I suppose women's golf and tennis is all I watch, but mainly to look at the girls. :)

[Greyfox]

. I suppose women's golf and tennis is all I watch, but mainly to look at the girls. :)

Once a week hackers such as myself can probably learn more from L.P.G.A. players than the men's PGA.
To see some five foot nothing 110 lb gal knock the ball 50 yards farther than I can is a real treat to watch.
They don't seem to be swinging that violently either trying to knock the skin off of the ball. Yet they truly excel.

[Inner Dirt]

Until Martina came along and those that followed her style, women's tennis was about as boring as any sport could get. Women's golf is all about pretty ladies and fashion. Women excel in fast-pitch softball and are quite good, but there is no professional level. I can barely watch men's basketball, let alone the women. Too short and to little contact. I suppose women's golf and tennis is all I watch, but mainly to look at the girls. :)

Tennis and golf were sports I stopped watching as soon as I quit playing. Quit playing tennis in Jr High and quit playing golf in my late 30's because of back problems. Never competed in either one, just as a hobby.

[Inner Dirt]

Once a week hackers such as myself can probably learn more from L.P.G.A. players than the men's PGA.
To see some five foot nothing 110 lb gal knock the ball 50 yards farther than I can is a real treat to watch.
They don't seem to be swinging that violently either trying to knock the skin off of the ball. Yet they truly excel.

I could always hit the ball a long ways and straight, my problem was the short game. I got the same score whether I played off the regular men's tees or the championship tees 50 yards back. I would play a 7400 yard course in the same score as a 6400 yard one. My claim to fame was getting beat by an 86 year old man when I was in my early 20's at a pretty short course. Old geezer could not drive more than 150 while I hit 300+ at the time when metal drivers just came out. Problem was I could 3 putt from 20 feet and he canned a lot of those in one. I usually shot in the low to mid 80's, best score ever was a 77 on a par 74.

[jk3521]

I would revive the whole 1986 Worlds Champion New York Mets team and just watch them play forever !:ThmbUp:

[JustRalph]

I could always hit the ball a long ways and straight, my problem was the short game. I got the same score whether I played off the regular men's tees or the championship tees 50 yards back. I would play a 7400 yard course in the same score as a 6400 yard one. My claim to fame was getting beat by an 86 year old man when I was in my early 20's at a pretty short course. Old geezer could not drive more than 150 while I hit 300+ at the time when metal drivers just came out. Problem was I could 3 putt from 20 feet and he canned a lot of those in one. I usually shot in the low to mid 80's, best score ever was a 77 on a par 74.

Exact opposite for me. Couldn't stay in the fairway. Great game close in

[Inner Dirt]

Exact opposite for me. Couldn't stay in the fairway. Great game close in

I used to play with three brothers the youngest one who was in his early 20's probably played the adjoining fairway more than the one he was supposed to be on, he also seemed to not be able to count very well. Those guys were cheap and only wanted to play the city course that had few large trees or water hazards. Also lucky for errant long shots was the course was bordered by high chain link fences with netting as it was bordered by 4 lane roads and residential areas. The course was completely void of out of bounds markers.

[Jess Hawsen Arown]

Until Martina came along and those that followed her style, women's tennis was about as boring as any sport could get. Women's golf is all about pretty ladies and fashion. Women excel in fast-pitch softball and are quite good, but there is no professional level. I can barely watch men's basketball, let alone the women. Too short and to little contact. I suppose women's golf and tennis is all I watch, but mainly to look at the girls. :)

Except for the occasional great match, I find men's tennis unwatchable. At least in women's tennis you get more volleys. As for pretty ladies, that is a more recent phenomenon. It seemed to me that 'back in the day' tennis was for ladies who were not very attractive.

Women's basketball has improved 1,000 percent in the last 50 years. Men's basketball has gone in the opposite direction.

[Inner Dirt]

Except for the occasional great match, I find men's tennis unwatchable. At least in women's tennis you get more volleys. As for pretty ladies, that is a more recent phenomenon. It seemed to me that 'back in the day' tennis was for ladies who were not very attractive.

Women's basketball has improved 1,000 percent in the last 50 years. Men's basketball has gone in the opposite direction.

I think ESPN helped sparked the downfall of 40 minutes in college and 48 minutes in the pros of smart disciplined basketball. I think too many guys get caught up wanting to make highlight reel plays and fail at it. The coaches let the players get away with it. I also think the NBA needs to stop their can't be signed till a year out of High School rule, the one and dones cheapen the college game. It also wastes a year of scholarship for a kid who might want an education along with playing basketball.

[Bennie]

Back to the original post: would like to see Sweetness Walter Payton run again, the Greatest of all time box again and for my own pleasure Bruno Sammartino kick butt in the WWE universe again.