Bonds, Ali & Wilt vs. Sports Myth
Chamberlain,The NBA Has the Best Athletes, Other Fallacies of Sport
Bonds is The Greatest Hitter of His Time, Ali Couldn't Punch, and Other Great Sports Myths
In sports bars, cafeterias and college dorms, we debate the large issues of sports -- who was overrated, who could have beaten whom, who has been overlooked for the Hall of Fame, and so on. However, a lot of what is argued is based on myth.
Wilt Chamberlain Built His Stats Against Inferior Competition
A 50 point scoring average. A 100 point game. 55 rebounds in a contest. These astronomical numbers are often met with derision by fans who insist, "All the other centers back then were 6'6". Even when "The Big Dipper" was active, there were sportswriters and spectators who opined, "He's taller, he should be better."
Well, nothing can be further than the truth. When Wilt Chamberlain was in his prime, half of the big men he faced regularly were later named among the top 50 NBA players of all time.
Bear in mind that when Chamberlain was 25-28 years old, there were only 11 NBA teams, and no ABA. Those with little knowledge of the pre-1970 NBA will disregard the big men he opposed. Yet, Bill Russell, Walt Bellamy, Nate Thurmond, Willis Reed and Zelmo Beatty were stars in their own right.
Should a forward come over to help, Chamberlain would encounter Hall of Famers Bob Pettit, Jerry Lucas and Dolph Schayes. Later on, young players such as Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes, Lew Alcindor and Dave Cowens filled out the schedule.
When were all these nights off for Chamberlain? Who were the cream puffs?
Certainly not 260-pound bulwark Wayne Embry, an immovable pivot wider than Unseld. Not iron man Johnny Kerr, a tremendous passer at 6'9", 230.
If Russell was the greatest defensive player ever (and he was), in regular season games, Chamberlain averaged 25.7 points and 28 rebounds to Russell's 14.9 points and 24.7 rebounds. And rebounding is where Russell supposedly owned the advantage. Sometimes he did- but the single-game NBA record for rebounds is 55- a record Wilt set in a game against Russell. Not exactly an example of preying on the weak.
"Yeah, but Wilt lost all the big ones to Russell," some might say.
It was a team sport even then- did Russell defeat Chamberlain's team in those playoff games single-handedly? Not so much- Hall of Famers Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Tommy Heinsohn, Sam and K.C. Jones and John Havlicek contributed. The two seasons Wilt was surrounded by the best talent (with the 1967 Sixers and the 1972 Lakers), his clubs posted the best records in the history of the game up to that time, 67-14 and 69-13 (the latter including the famed 33-game winning streak). Some loser.
Besides, height does not automatically translate to basketball dominance. Look at the careers of Chuck Nevitt, Manute Bol and Shawn Bradley. Also, Rik Smits was taller than his foes, yet never won a scoring or rebounding crown. The 7'4" Ralph Sampson, a three-time college player-of-the-year, never even played in an NCAA championship. Bad tall players are gangly with limited effectiveness, more coordinated ones like Ralph draw a lot of defensive attention. Wilt was both agile and strong enough to score at will against double- and triple-teams, which few players, other than Michael Jordan, have been able to do since.
In truth, most giants are awkard and relatively slow afoot. What are there, maybe three star centers in the NBA now? Chamberlain's speed and coordination are more the exception than the rule. In any case, the Philly Goliath did not amass his glowing stats against a slew of midgets.
Muhammad Ali Couldn't Punch, He ‘Outpointed’ All His Foes
Not sure where this one got started. In Muhammad Ali's career before his title was stripped, he stopped 22 of his first 28 opponents, many by standard, not technical knockouts. He was the first to floor Sonny Liston. He stopped Cleveland Williams. During his comeback, he KO'd iron-jawed Oscar Bonavena, something Joe Frazier's left hook was unable to do.
Even at 32, it was Ali, not Frazier, who toppled the seemingly invincible George Foreman. Where Foreman had stopped both Frazier and Ken Norton, Ali triumphed over George in Zaire. But Frazier and Norton were supposed to be "stronger" than Ali.
Ali’s knockouts of Liston, Zora Folley, Bonavena and Foreman, among others, are memorable. The blow that felled Liston was no more a phantom punch than the one that sent Folley to the canvas -- Ali's underrated chopping right.
When Ali hadn't even reached his physical peak, and was still Cassius Clay, he was known for his knockouts- and the fact that he predicted what round they would take place. He stopped 14 of his first 17 opponents- an impressive ratio if it were say, Tommy Hearns or Roy Jones that had done it. Most fell before the fans were well-settled into their seats. The myth that Ali flurried, floated and frustrated all his opponents with patty cake punches is just that. He put many fighters to sleep, including some of the best, and a few no one had floored. Where do you think he earned the right to boast as Cassius Clay, "They all will fall in the round I call?"
Barry Bonds is the Best Hitter Since Ted Williams
Do Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols know about this? It's easy to get caught up in the hype. Four years ago, few wanted to really pitch to Barry Bonds, and ESPN cut to his every at bat as if the fate of the world rested on it. But baseball is the sport most concerned with numbers, and numbers don't lie. For the first 10 seasons of his career, Bonds never hit 50 homers, as A-Rod and Ken Griffey, Jr. did. In 1997, Bonds batted .291 with 40 homers and 101 RBI. Griffey hit .304 with 56 homers and 147 RBI
In '98, Bonds posted a .303 average with 37 homers and 122 RBI, while Sammy Sosa hit .308 with 66 homers and 158 RBI, while in 1999- Bonds .262, 34 hrs., 83 RBI (his teammate Jeff Kent had better numbers). Sosa: .288, 63 homers, 141 RBI.
Sosa had broken Roger Maris' old home run record two years running. Why wasn't he being compared to Ted Williams? Home runs onto Chicago streets and rooftops must not be as dramatic and those fished out of San Francisco waters.
Fans and analysts have mentioned Bonds in the same breath as Babe Ruth, although Ruth was out-homering entire teams. When the Babe retired with 714 home runs, the next closest player had less than 500.
In the year 2000, Sammy had 50 homers to Bonds' 49, a .320 average compared to Bonds' .306. Sosa also drove in 138 runs, while Bonds only plated 106. The object of baseball is to score the most runs. How is Bonds a new Williams? Teddy Ballgame batted .406 in 1941 when he was young, and .388 in 1957 when he was older, slow, and had lost five and a half seasons to two wars. Williams is the greatest batter in the history of the game, a student of pitchers and their deliveries, batting, and the first proponent of the lightweight bat and the uppercut swing. He wrote books on batting, and at his last All-Star Game appearance, the finest batters of the 2000's crowded his wheelchair as physicists would Einstein. The Splendid Splinter (missed seasons and all) led the A.L. in batting six times, and retired with a .344 average. Bonds' lifetime average is, um, .299.
For those that fawn over Bonds' statistics because for a few years he drew a lot of walks, Ruth didn't become a household name and fill ballparks all over American because of bases on balls. Bonds walks mean fewer at bats, so his averages should therefore be higher than Sosa's, Pujols', or Manny Ramirez's.
No one but the best pitchers have ever pitched to the best batters- Ted Williams faced the Boudreau Shift, Willie Mays and Frank Robinson were thrown at, Willie McCovey received intentional passes, and guys threw in and tight to Harmon Killebrew. Other sluggers saw balls in the dirt where they couldn't reach 'em. The feared hitter is not a new concept- the '27 Yankees, 1931 Athletics, '37 Tigers, '49 Red Sox, '57 Reds, '61 Yanks, '65 Twins, '70 Reds, and '89 A's and '98 Yankees had entire lineups that were feared.
When Barry broke the home run mark with 73 in 2001, he won the National League's MVP award. Sosa was jobbed, having hit 64 homers, batted an identical .328 to Bonds, and won the RBI duel 160 to 137. Sosa had been driving in a run a game for three years.
Going back to 1999, American Leaguer Manny Ramirez knocked in 165 runs in only 147 games. Maybe ESPN should have had permanent cameras in Fenway Park.
Pujols, other than Sosa, is the worst victim of the hype of McCovey's Cove. Like Griffey and A-Rod, he posted astronomical stats at a younger age than did Bonds. Head-to-head, he's held his own.
In 2003, Barry batted .341, with 45 homers and 90 RBI, while Pujols batted .359 with 43 homers and 34 more RBI than Bonds. In '04, it was .362, 45 and 101 for Bonds, and .331, 46 and 123 for Pujols. Bonds only hit a combined 31 homers in 144 games the last two seasons. What is it about Bonds the last several years that makes him any better a hitter than Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, or the healthy Ken Griffey, Jr. of the Seattle years? The record 73 homers? Remember, during that period, Luis Gonzalez hit 57 one season, and Brady Anderson 50- so the 73 must be regarded in context.
Why does Bonds draw more attention for having one season over 60 homers than Sosa for having done it three times in four years? Why not credit A-Rod and Griffey for amassing their offensive stats while playing shortstop and centerfield respectively -- positions far more demanding on the legs and joints than Bonds' leisurely post in left field? Barry plays Ramirez's position, and we know about Manny's glove.
Most dangerous hitter since The Babe? Because teams won't pitch to him? Is it Pujols' fault that the Cards have other hitters who can hurt you? Some say "Sosa had more runners to drive in." Okay, name all the sluggers on Sosa's Cub teams?
Bonds' postseason numbers include averages of .167, .148, .176, and .222, he'll never be mistaken for Mickey Mantle or Reggie Jackson there. His lifetime "big game" stats are a .245 average with 9 homers in 151 at bats. That projects to 27 homers in a regular season. What good are all the "Sports Center" replays from McCovey's Cove when it has been outfielders such as DiMaggio, Mays, Aaron, Brock, Jackson, Clemente and Henderson that have helped their teams get to multiple World Series? Other than on the stat sheet, what good is a base on balls?
Ted Williams was Jordan. He was Rice. He was Tiger. He was Gretzky.
