@shack: I think you should reread posts #23-27 in the RIP Jim Brown thread.
in post #23, my first, I endorsed Bo Jackson as the most athletic player in the history of team sports, quoting no one.
In post #25, you quoted part of post #23:
In post #26, I quoted #25, and gave you a Correct! I then talked about Bo Jackson's athleticism, and the extraordinary feats he performed without apparent effort. I said nothing about Jim Brown's athleticism; I only mentioned that the quality of his opposition was lower than in the modern era.
Popping in one's own dislocated hip joint is not evidence of outstanding performance in a team sport, but it is an extraordinary feat of athleticism.
Being the greatest athlete and being the greatest player in team sports are two different things. There is no mental aspect to athleticism, nor does it imply specialty skills needed to perform specific tasks. A great athlete can usually excel in several different sports, but they usually concentrate on one in particular. The skill set of a great player who is not gifted athletically limits alternatives.
Vince Young was an incredible athlete and possibly the most exiting College football player that I ever saw, but he sucked in the pro game because he lacked the mental skills necessary to solve NFL defensive schemes in real time. Wayne Gretzky is generally considered the greatest hockey player ever, and statistics back that up, but physically, he was a lesser specimen than a young Mario Lemieux or Eric Lindros, who had significant advantages over Wayne in size and strength. Many great baseball players are not great athletes; they can't necessarily run fast, and their ability to either throw or hit the ball is limited. They can, however do one or the other extremely well. David Ortiz and C C Sabathia are two good examples.
Bo Jackson still holds the record for fastest 40 yard dash at NFL combines, almost 40 years after the fact. He was also top tier in ability to hit a baseball for power, and throw one accurately. He was the total package physically, and he was born that way; he didn't become great through endless practice like Larry Bird, for example.
Everything I posted in that thread was about athleticism, ie: physical tools. I also spoke briefly about Wilt Chamberlain's athleticism. Wilt once defeated Jim Brown in a foot race, but I didn't post that previously.
After rereading your post #27, please explain why you believe your comments about me in that post are justified.
