-
Let Syria Play Out
May 7, 2013 | 6 comments
-
Happy Birthday, Willie
April 30, 2013 | 10 comments
-
George Jones RIP
April 26, 2013 | 7 comments
-
Two-by-Four Did It for the Mule
April 17, 2013 | 2 comments
-
Obama AWOL
April 17, 2013 | 8 comments
The Spectacle Blog
Add young Russell Wilson of the Seahawks to the list of athletes who didn’t make it in baseball but went on to be impact players in another sport.
Among others, former Skins/Raiders QB Jay Shroeder played minor league ball in the Blue Jays system before being a success in the NFL. Danny Ainge made it to the bigs with the Jays. He played one season there at third base, hitting .239 without power. Then went on to become a good guard on some great Celtics teams.
Of course there are the two-sport guys — Bo Jackson, Neon Deon, and Gene Conley from back in the day. But I can’t think of a player who didn’t make it in the NFL or NBA but then went on to star in MLB. There may be one, but a name doesn’t come to mind.
One of the world’s most gifted athletes, Michael Jordan, tried baseball after NBA sainthood (admittedly at an advanced age) and couldn’t do it. It’s tempting to draw conclusions about how slowly and grudgingly the Grand Old Game yields up its manifold skills compared to other sports.
View all comments (17) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Larry Thornberry
http://spectator.org/blog/2013/01/07/baseball-vs-the-rest
Follow us:
ADVERTISEMENT
SPONSORED LINKS
FLASHBACK TO: 1995
-
Pope Culture
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
-
Why the GOP Does Not, Like, Totally Suck
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
-
Dames at Sea
-
In the Absence of Guns
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
-
The Metaphysical Martini
-
Counting the Costs of Clintonism
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
-
Chuck McHagel
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
-
The Legacy of Old John and Mother Fresh-Roasted
-
It’s the Best Time of the Year
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
-
The Bush Crack-Up
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
Clip of the Day
ADVERTISEMENT
james wilson| 1.7.13 @ 11:16AM
Jim Thorpe.
Occam's Tool| 1.7.13 @ 11:37AM
Thorpe batted .252 in 6 seasons; thoroughly undistinguished major league career.
RJ| 1.7.13 @ 12:19PM
Someone recently told me about Larry French. He had a long career in the major leagues as a pitcher. When his pitching days were over, during WWII, he joined the Navy as a second career and rose to the rank of Captain. Pretty impressive.
RJ| 1.7.13 @ 12:24PM
Follow-up - I just checked wikipedia to confirm that pitcher, Mark Hendrickson played in the NBA prior to his baseball career.
Bob K| 1.7.13 @ 12:39PM
Gene Conley, mentioned above, also was a pitcher. He is the only professional athlete to be a member of a world championship team in 2 different sports: Milwaukee Braves in 1967 and 3 times with the Celtics. He was 91 and 96 over 11 years with 69 Complete Games and 13 Shutouts.
Bob K| 1.7.13 @ 12:42PM
Make that 1957-not 1967! Jeez!!!!
RJ| 1.7.13 @ 1:17PM
Pretty impressive to do so well in two sports and lucky to be on championship teams in both sports. On the other hand, Ernie Banks was a great baseball player for many years, but his Cubs never could get in the World Series. Perhaps that is the benefit of competing in individual sports rather than a team sport.
Albert Constantine Jr.| 1.7.13 @ 3:59PM
I imagine folks in Atlanta were scratching their head until the correction.
alaraneo| 1.7.13 @ 12:42PM
Brian Jordan played safety for the Falcons before giving it all up for a successful career as a MLB outfielder with the Cards (and Braves).
Butch| 1.7.13 @ 1:09PM
Both Brooks Robinson and Mickey Mantle were star running backs highly recruited by major colleges.
Crassus| 1.7.13 @ 3:03PM
So was Willie Wilson of the Kansas City Royals. I think he was high school football player of the year in New Jersey.
Butch| 1.7.13 @ 5:43PM
Donnie Kessinger was an All-American basketball player at Ole Miss before playing SS for the Cubs. He was All-State in four sports at Forrest City, AR.
Crassus| 1.7.13 @ 10:06PM
Speaking of Ole Miss, Jake Gibbs was an all-American QB for the Rebels in the early 60's. He later played for the Yankees as a catcher.
Terry G| 1.7.13 @ 6:11PM
Ron Reed played in the NBA and MLB. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Reed
Real American| 1.7.13 @ 6:58PM
Kirk Gibson was an All American Wide Receiver and drafted by the Cardinals football team.
Tom Glavine was drafted by the LA Kings of the NHL before becoming a soon to be Hall of Fame pitcher.
Tony Gwynn was drafted by the San Diego Clippers (NBA) and Padres on the same day.
Dave Winfield was drafted by the NFL, MLB, NBA and ABA.
Dick Groat, the 1960 NL MVP also played for the Fort Wayne Pistons in 1952. He had been a 2-time basketball All-American at Duke.
Former All Star Darin Erstad was a punter and kicker at Nebraska and won a National Title with them in 1994.
Bob Gibson, the pitcher, played on the Harlem Globetrotters for 2 years in the 1950s.
Jeff Samardzija was an all-american wide receiver at Notre Dame.
just to name a few.
RAM| 1.8.13 @ 11:20AM
Don't forget Jackie Robinson!
http://www.lasentinel.net/inde.....Itemid=200
Butch| 1.8.13 @ 8:19PM
And Alvin Dark was an all SEC quarterback (actually single wing tailback) for LSU back in the day.