Willie Mays takes batting practice with the New York Giants on June 24, 1954. Mays could do everything involved in baseball — hit, hit with power, run, field and throw — at the highest level. (John Lent/AP)
Years ago, my brother Tom drove from Boston, Massachusetts, to Florida with his son T.J., who was 10 years old. This was long before cellphones, Google Maps and Spotify. They traveled 1,500 miles on Interstate 95 with just a car radio.
So early in the trip, Tom turned to T.J. and said, “Okay, all-time-greatest baseball team by position.” They talked baseball all the way to the Sunshine State.
With the coronavirus crisis, I sometimes feel like we are all stuck in a small car for a long ride. No school, no sports, no summer camps.
So let’s talk about the greatest players of all time in several sports.
Walter Johnson won 417 games for the Washington Senators from 1907 to 1927. (AP Photo)
We can start with baseball. Who was the greatest player of all time? Not the greatest hitter, but the greatest all-around player.
I say it was Willie Mays (1951 to 1973). There are five things you can do in baseball: hit, hit with power, run, field and throw. Mays, who hit 660 career home runs and was a fabulous center fielder, did them all at the highest level.
Greatest pitcher of all time? Walter Johnson won 417 games for the Washington Senators from 1907 to 1927. His record included 110 shutouts, meaning he didn’t give up a run in nine innings.
They said “The Big Train,” as he was called, threw a fastball almost 100 percent of the time. That must have been a terrific fastball.
A few weeks ago I wrote that I think LeBron James is the best all-around player in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Even better than Michael Jordan.
I probably should have also mentioned players such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (all-time NBA leading scorer), Wilt Chamberlain (all-time NBA leading rebounder) and stars such as Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant.
Who is the greatest all-time player in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA)? The league has been playing games since 1997.
I haven’t watched the WNBA as closely as the NBA, so I researched the careers of several great WNBA athletes. I added up all the good things the players did — points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks — and divided that total by the number of games they have played in their careers.
Lisa Leslie, shown here during the 2004 U.S. Olympics, is the most dominant center in WNBA history. (Douglas C. Pizac/AP)
Three players stood out. Diana Taurasi is the all-time-leading WNBA scorer and no slouch at passing and rebounding. For 15 seasons, Tamika Catchings was a terrific all-around forward for the Indiana Fever. At 6 feet 5 inches, Lisa Leslie was the most dominant center in the history of the WNBA.
What about the all-time greats in football, hockey, golf, tennis and other sports?
That can wait for another column. After all, we may be on this pandemic car ride for a long time.
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