I remember back when I was younger, my favorite sports figure (and will always be) Nolan Ryan. When I used to play ball, I always tried to imitate him on the mound, everything from his exact pitching delivery to that grunt he would give when he fired that heater to the plate. I remember going to bed at night and hoping the next morning somehow I would able to throw as hard as him.

It was so awesome getting to see him on TV get his 6th and 7th no-no, his 5,000 strikeout and his 300th win during a time when I was playing little league ball. Only thing I regret is that I never got the chance to see him play live :(

Who was your most influential/favorite player growing up??

good question i had the pleasure of seeing michael jordan and dan marino play their whole career. i saw mike from the time he was at unc before he become nba super star jordan . and i knew tht he was going to be huge. i just wished i bought nike stock back then.lol and living in fla i got the chance to see air marino from begininng to end and had season tixs for a good portion of danny's career. so i guess i would have to lean toward marino and i cant wait til canton ..................

Hey, I'm a South Florida guy, no question it has to be Dan the man.

Was and still is Wayne Gretzky, hence the 99 in the name. :thumb:

When I was a kid it was Jose Canseco, as funny as that may sound. But for the past 10 years or so its been Mariano Rivera.:thumb:

Thats a tough question.
I was always a very big Darren Daulton fan. But Mike Schmidt has to be it for me.

Michael Jordan and Frank Thomas

Hey, I'm a South Florida guy, no question it has to be Dan the man.
ABSOLUTLEY....Marino!!! Thurmon Munson, Gary Carter, Terry Bradshaw, Mark Martin, Bill Elliott....a lot of them!!!

don mattingly, tony dorsett, and rowdy roddy piper(if that counts).

Barry Sanders, Joe Dumars, Steve Yzerman

Reggie Jackson was the shit for me. Was told stories about him from my dad and starting following him since I was 8 or 9. Roger Staubach, Drew Pearson and Nolan were others. Saw Nolan pitch a half a dozen times I guess. Watched Reggie play at least five or six times. Good idea for a thread. Out.

Reggie Jackson was the shit for me. Was told stories about him from my dad and starting following him since I was 8 or 9. Roger Staubach, Drew Pearson and Nolan were others. Saw Nolan pitch a half a dozen times I guess. Watched Reggie play at least five or six times. Good idea for a thread. Out.

as a 19 year old i feel fortunate that i was able to see nolan ryan pitch ....though mainly just so i can say i saw him cause i really dont remember it, but it was at my first baseball game. Rangers vs. Tigers at Tiger Stadium in 1992

i guess for me my favorite player was Mo Vaughn until he left the sox....then it was Nomar....and Pedro.....those guys were just amazing to watch and even though they're both on other teams now I still can't help but root for them. even after all the crap Pedro has said about the sox since he left.....its probably easier for me to let that all slide because they won it all. But Pedro was one of a kind for sure. and I'm going to see the Cubs vs. Astros this year just to see Nomar play.

Michael Jordan and Frank Thomas

I don't and i never did like jordan ....but thomas is a class act and i hope he can put a couple more good years together and hopefully make a run for the hall. Its a shame he was denied an MVP award by steriod boy Giambi. Thomas was runner up in 01 in what shouldve been his 3rd MVP.....and who's gonna deny a 3 time MVP from the Hall of Fame? as it is he'll have to finish strong. Hopefully he does

When I was a kid it was Jose Canseco, as funny as that may sound. But for the past 10 years or so its been Mariano Rivera.:thumb:

what are your thoughts on mariano's red sox struggles?

Chuck Foreman and Walter Payton.

Jerry Rice.

Will Clark, Dwight Evans, George Brett, Robby Thompson, Eric Dickerson, Henry Ellard

Bo Jackson

Baseball: Bill "Spaceman" Lee, Steve Carlton, Mike Schmidt, Greg "Bull" Luzinski
Football: Jim Zorn, Ken Stabler for a bit, Tony McGee
Basketball: Julius "Dr. J." Erving
Hockey: Phil Esposito, Bobby Clarke

Nolan Ryan, Robin Yount, Cecil Cooper (just to impersonate his pre-pitch warm up is cool).
Dr.J and Kareem
Willie Gault and Lynn Swann
John McEnroe: I didn't like tennis, but I loved smashing the rackets.:D

Baseball: Cal Ripken..the streak is unreal, and he played the right way!
Ryne Sandberg...7 seasons without a throwing error!!

Basketball: Rex Chapman...Kentucky boy, and a white guy that could DUNK!

Football: Walter Payton...even though I am a huge Pack fan, this guy was all class. A great memory I have of him was when I was 5 yrs. old living in Platteville, I was the 30th kid in line out of 70 and he pointed to me and said " I'm signing until I get to that little kid with the red hat" I was stunned!
Best player I've ever seen

Jim Craig- 1980 US Gold Medal Olympic Hockey Team Goalie. Do you believe in Miracles...YES! The sole reason for me wanting to play hockey. I remember it like it was yesterday! Some day I hope to meet him... I actually met Vlatisov Tretiak the opposing legendary Russian goalie at a Washington Capitals game, very nice guy and quite an honor. He is one of the best goalies of all time. Fastest reflexes I have ever seen. But Jim Craig was still my idol growing up. I wish he would have done better in the NHL. 2nd to Jim Craig for me was Grant Fuhr goalie for the Edmonton Oilers, saw him play MANY times and was blown away every time.

I agree w/ the Cal Ripken for baseball... I grew up in the Wash. DC area and have been an O's fan all my life. He is a total class act and loved in the community.

Racing: Richard Petty
Baseball: Mike Schmidt
Football: Tie-Steve Largent and Randall Cunningham
Basketball: Michael Jordan

Icehockey: Teemu Selanne (of course), Antti Tormanen (who played in the Ottawa Senators for a while) and Mario Lemieux..
Basketball: the whole chicago bulls "superteam" although I did like Michael Jordan the most..
Soccer: Diego Armando Maradona, Jurgen Klinsmann, Karl Heinz Riedle and Thomas Hassler..

It was all about Ryno!!!!

The entire 1972 Miami Dolphin team! Oh and after that, it was Marino. I flew from Illinois to Miami once to see Dan in action before he retired!



http://img3.picsplace.to/img3/1542/team_photo_1972.jpg

Oh and Boxing back in the day....ALI!

Michael Jordan and Walter Payton

Larry Legend and Ray Bourque.

Michael Jordan
Hakeem Olajuwon
Nolan Ryan

Have to go with one of the underdogs - Jay Novacek.

Most underrated Cowboy to play the game. :thumb:

Have to go with one of the underdogs - Jay Novacek.

Most underrated Cowboy to play the game. :thumb:

Helluva nice guy to, I met him at a store opening and he signed a couple of footballs for me....very fan friendly guy.

Here's a couple of Australian ones:

Cricket: David Hookes (RIP):
Full Name: David William Hookes
Born: 3 May 1955, Mile End, Adelaide, South Australia
Died: 19 January 2004, The Alfred Hospital, Prahran, Melbourne, Victoria
Major Teams: Australia, South Australia.
Batting Style: Left Hand Bat
Other: Commentator, Coach
Test Debut: Australia v England at Melbourne, Only Test, 1976/77
Last Test: Australia v India at Melbourne, 2nd Test, 1985/86
ODI Debut: Australia v England at Manchester, Prudential Trophy, 1977
Last ODI: Australia v India at Brisbane, World Series Cup, 1985/86
Victoria's coach 2002-03 to 2003-04

Football: Graham Cornes:
312 games and 339 goals for Glenelg, 1967 - 1982
47 games for South Adelaide and 5 games for North Melbourne
Captain of Glenelg 1978, member of premiership team 1973
Three time best and fairest for Glenelg
21 games for South Australia, captain 1978, All Australian 1979, 1980
Simpson Medallist 1979, Tassie Medallist 1980
Coached South Adelaide, Glenelg and Adelaide for 12 years, premierships at Glenelg 1985, 1986
State of Origin coach, 8 years, All Australian coach 1987 - 1988
SANFL League Life Member

Here's a couple of Australian ones:

Cricket: David Hookes (RIP):
Full Name: David William Hookes
Born: 3 May 1955, Mile End, Adelaide, South Australia
Died: 19 January 2004, The Alfred Hospital, Prahran, Melbourne, Victoria
Major Teams: Australia, South Australia.
Batting Style: Left Hand Bat
Other: Commentator, Coach
Test Debut: Australia v England at Melbourne, Only Test, 1976/77
Last Test: Australia v India at Melbourne, 2nd Test, 1985/86
ODI Debut: Australia v England at Manchester, Prudential Trophy, 1977
Last ODI: Australia v India at Brisbane, World Series Cup, 1985/86
Victoria's coach 2002-03 to 2003-04

Football: Graham Cornes:
312 games and 339 goals for Glenelg, 1967 - 1982
47 games for South Adelaide and 5 games for North Melbourne
Captain of Glenelg 1978, member of premiership team 1973
Three time best and fairest for Glenelg
21 games for South Australia, captain 1978, All Australian 1979, 1980
Simpson Medallist 1979, Tassie Medallist 1980
Coached South Adelaide, Glenelg and Adelaide for 12 years, premierships at Glenelg 1985, 1986
State of Origin coach, 8 years, All Australian coach 1987 - 1988
SANFL League Life Member
85,86 are when I think back on football memories,2 of my most cherished.
85 especially with Glenelg and the Bombers both going top.
Yes,RIP Hookesy,he played cricket the way it should be played.

I was always Hookesy in the backyard cricket games.

Football: Roger Staubach, Earl Campbell

Baseball: Nolan Ryan, Johnny Bench

Basketball: Kareem, Magic, Dr J

Track and Field: Carl Lewis

Soccer: Pele

Evil Knievel!

http://img3.picsplace.to/img3/1552/evil.jpg

Billy Sims...Rick Leach..Anthony Carter....Stevie Y......Lance Parrish.....Rickey Henderson.......and Jose Canseco(don't laugh! I actually met him in Detroit and he was VERY cool)

Football - Bruce Smith #78
Baseball - Reggie Jackson (Mr. October) #44
Hockey - Dennis Potvin #5
Basketball - Dave DeBusschere #22
Tennis - Bjorn Borg

Larrry Bird - One of the greatest clutch guys of all time !


John Elway - Others can be argued , but If I had 1 game to win , I'd take Elway over all of them !

I had two guys that I absolutely loved.

Reggie White, and Michael Jack Schmidt.

I was just so a HUGE Phillies fan, and Mike is the best 3rd baseman I've ever seen play the game. Scott Rolen is up there too.

Oh yea, and being a Bills fan, Jim Kelly and Bruce Smith were just IT for me when it came to football. Also loved Don Bebe.

Dale Earnhardt

John Riggins

Bo F'ing Jackson (perhaps the most underrated sportsman ever)

Nolan Ryan

Nowadays, no one seems larger than life like those guys. Although I do love it when Jake Delhomme gets all fired up, or John Smoltz gives a guy "the whiff".

Excellent topic, btw. :thumb:

Joe Montana, Walter Peyton, Andre Dawson, Michael Jordan,

the 1978 Yankees.

Richard Petty, Johnny Unitas, Cal Ripken, Bill Russell and Ali.

Football - Tim Watson,Leon Baker,Tony McGuiness
Cricket - Steve Waugh,Dean Jones
Tennis - John McEnroe,Steffi Graf
Golf - Greg Norman
Soccer - Gary Lineker

Walter Payton. There was and never will be another like him.

Big heart, big personality, even bigger will to succeed--all while crushing his tackler helmet first. ;)

Met him once. He was friendly, persnable and a joy to talk with.

Have a tape called "Pure Payton" that chronicles his career. Someday soon I'm going to pop it in, sit my 6-year old boy down and say, "Pal, that's the best football player who ever lived."

Hockey - Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky, Steve Yzerman, Ted Lindsay, Patrick Roy, Terry Sawchuk, Guy Lafleur

Boxing - Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield, Oscar De La Hoya, Roy Jones Jr.

Walter Payton. There was and never will be another like him.

Big heart, big personality, even bigger will to succeed--all while crushing his tackler helmet first. ;)

Met him once. He was friendly, persnable and a joy to talk with.

Have a tape called "Pure Payton" that chronicles his career. Someday soon I'm going to pop it in, sit my 6-year old boy down and say, "Pal, that's the best football player who ever lived."

Even though I'm a Vikings fan, I won't disagree with you on that one. I loved watching him run. I was watching the game when he rushed for 275 Vs. the Vikings. It was quite a game, and I believe the Bears won by a 10-7 score. I was disappointed that the Vikings lost, but I knew that I had witnessed history in the making.

Hockey: Patrick Roy (Montreal Canadiens), Brett Hull (St. Louis Blues)

Baseball: Darren Daulton (Philadelphia Phillies), Pat Borders (Toronto Blue Jays), Frank Thomas (Chicago White Sox)

Football: Jerry Rice (SanFran 49ers), Brett Favre (Green Bay Packers)


Forgot to metion that the teams next to teh players names were the teams that they played for when I really payed attention to them.

Football: Walter Payton
Baseball: Andy Van Slyke*
Hockey: Mario Lemieux (all-time favorite from all sports)

* Most true Pirates fans of the early '90's already hated Bonds and didn't really care about Bobby Bonilla all that much, so Andy Van Slyke was really most fans favorite player almost by default.

Cricket: Mark Waugh, Steve Waugh, Dean Jones.

Tennis: Martina Hingis, John McEnroe.

Boxing: Muhammed Ali

Soccer: Roberto Baggio, Paul Gascoigne, Gianfranco Zola

Rugby League: Greg Alexander, Mal Meninga

Rugby Union: Michael Lynagh

:wtf:
Where's Wazza on that list?

:wtf:
Where's Wazza on that list?

LOL Don't get me started. :p

Cricket: Ian Chappell, Dennis Lillie

Tennis: Borg and McEnroe

Boxing: Marvellous Marvin Hagler

Soccer: George Best

Rugby League: Arthur Beetson, Kevin Hasting

AFL: Bruce Doole

Rugby Union: Simon Poidevin

O-kay. :D

Cricket: Steve Waugh, Dennis Lillee

Soccer: Craig Johnson, Robbie Hooker (our next-door neighbour who played for the Socceroos)

Rugby League: Greg Florimo, Gary Larson, Mario Fenech, Peter Jackson (RIP)

Rugby Union: David Campese, Nick Farr Jones