A Good Year for the Outlaw

While catching some sports talk out of Chicago Wednesday evening on my drive home, I happened across what was actually a live and thought provoking discussion on WGN’s evening sports show.

(NOTE TO “The Score”: The freakin’ Bears don’t play a meaningful game until September. I DON’T want to hear Bears talk right now. Well, ever, for that matter, but particularly not now. You have the NHL and NBA playoffs upon us, a fresh new baseball season with both teams coming off division championships, and you want to talk about the f’ing Bears?!?!? In April?!?!?! But I digress…)

The discussion on WGN Wednesday was “who is the most dominant team sport athlete of all time?” The producer, obviously a youthful soul with nary a clue, was adamant that it was Michael Jordan. He is wrong. Others mentioned Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Babe Ruth, Jim Brown, etc., even Jim Thorpe. All fine choices.

But there is only one answer to the question: Wilt Chamberlain.

The Stilt.

Simply the most dominant force in any team sport ever, he was so great that MAJOR rule changes were made JUST because of him. And one gets the feeling that Wilt would a) have excelled in any sport he tried and b) STILL be dominant if he was in his prime today, some 45 years after his peak. He was that good.

Bill Russell? Greatest teammate ever. Best winner. Wayne Gretzky? Most dominant offensive force ever. Michael Jordan? Best player ever under 6-7. Babe Ruth? Greatest home run hitter, no doubt. (Look at AB’s per homer, haters).

But the “most dominant” ever? The greatest physical speciman ever? Wilt Chamberlain. Period.

End of discussion.