What do consider more exceptional in sports,longevity or a few exceptional prowess ?

[BookerL]

Hi all
A record holder for longevity in elite level sport like Gordie Howe
Or a few exceptional seasons like Mark McGuire ?
Or others witch one has the most merits?
Cheers
BookerL

 

[joelcairo]

Definitely not McGwire...for all the obvious reasons, plus several others.

Hockey: Bobby Orr was brilliant but sadly did not play a lot of games. Same with Mario Lemieux. Both were undeniably great. Gretzky was also (obviously) great and was also surprisingly durable.

Then you have Gordie Howe: a true marvel who played until he was 52. In his "first" go-round he played 25 years and was in the TOP 5 IN SCORING FOR 20 CONSECUTIVE YEARS!!!!!!! That is a feat that will
never be matched. Then, after a few years of retirement, he returned for his "second" go-round and won yet another MVP award (admittedly, in the WHA, not the NHL, but there were some great players in the WHA also, as Bobby Hull can attest). In his final season, which he completed at the age of 52 and was back in the NHL, Gordie was still able to put up 15 goals and 26 assists - not great numbers by his standards but not bad for a 52 year old! And finally, it was often speculated that if Gordie had been a boxer he could have been the heavyweight champion of the world, a theory that Lou Fontinato, for one, would not argue with.

 

[Ballsamic]

Hi all
A record holder for longevity in elite level sport like Gordie Howe
Or a few exceptional seasons like Mark McGuire ?
Or others witch one has the most merits?
Cheers
BookerL

Thanks for this thread BookerL but you may have to close your thread after this. Just joking.

Ida Keeling, a 99 year old woman the 100 meter dash for a world record of 59.80 seconds at the Gay Games in Akron, Ohio

on Tuesday. She started competitive running at the age of 67. She started running, in part to cope with the deaths of two sons

killed in drug related homicides.

She is all of 4' 6" tall at a weight of 83 pounds.

She is a great-great- mother who lives in NYC. So there..............Gordie Howe

 

[BookerL]

Thanks for this thread BookerL but you may have to close your thread after this. Just joking.

Ida Keeling, a 99 year old woman the 100 meter dash for a world record of 59.80 seconds at the Gay Games in Akron, Ohio

on Tuesday. She started competitive running at the age of 67. She started running, in part to cope with the deaths of two sons

killed in drug related homicides.

She is all of 4' 6" tall at a weight of 83 pounds.

She is a great-great- mother who lives in NYC. So there..............Gordie Howe

Well interesting candidate but comes short of legendary Jack Rabbit Johansson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Smith-Johannsen
Herman "Jackrabbit" Smith-Johannsen, CM (June 15, 1875 – January 5, 1987) was a Norwegian-Canadian
http://laurentian.quebecheritageweb.com/article/herman-jackrabbit-smith-johannsen-1875-1987
Longevity in sports Jack Rabbit
Cheers
BookerL

 

[sinner]

I would give more merit to dominance over longevity. If you're slightly above average and you're healthy, you could hang around and accumulate some crazy stats. But if you're say dominant for a 8-10 year stretch, then you're the best of the best during that time.

 

[4Beliveau4]

Neither of these impress me, only winning does. Players and teams that lift trophies and hoist banners will always stand the test of time over individual accomplishments, no matter how impressive.

 

[BookerL]

Neither of these impress me, only winning does. Players and teams that lift trophies and hoist banners will always stand the test of time over individual accomplishments, no matter how impressive.

Hi all
It might be true for team sports but for singles competition answer might vary !

Cheers

BookerL