Cassius Clay, aka Mohammed Ali, claimed to be the greatest, and you know what, he was. Ali was the greatest fighter ever. The greatest basketball player ever was Michael Jordan. Both are in the “greatest” category hands down.
Baseball is a little different story. I’m not sure that there is a consensus greatest, but I’ll go with Babe Ruth. If nothing else, who else was a top flight pitcher turned home run hitter who held the record for decades. No one else has a stadium that claims to be the house that someone else built.
Football? You tell me. Jim Brown, Johnny Unitas, Emmitt Smith, Tom Brady, Joe Montana…It’s a different scenario. When you have a team of eleven people (actually twenty-two since the two-platoon system came about), it’s tough to hand the title to one person.
In track and field, since 1964 I’ve held Bob Hayes in that position. I know that there have been world record holders in all sorts of events, and that the “Bullet’s” record has been broken several times. I guess it’s just the title “World’s Fastest Human” and the fact that Bullet Bob never had anyone to really push him, but in my mind he was the Mohammed Ali of the cinders (for you youngsters, that’s what tracks used to be made of).
Well, the crown has been usurped. After the 2012 Olympics, I have to confer that honor on Usain Bolt. I can honestly say that I have never seen another like him. He is 6’5” tall and looks to be sculpted out of granite. He has a gear that no one else has, nor has ever had. However, it’s not all simply talent. He just may have the most engaging personality since the great Mohammed Ali. The only thing missing is to see if he can catch a football while wearing a helmet with a star on the side. (Are you listening, Jerry?)
• Is it just me, or do you find yourself fretting over the Rangers when you look at all the injuries, the decimated pitching staff, the Josh Hamilton slump, the Michael Young slump and the Adrian Beltre power outage? When they lose two games in a row, do you worry that they won’t even make the playoffs? Then aren’t you amazed to check the standings only to find out that they have the best record in the American League and the second best in baseball; that they have a 9 ? game lead over LA and a 5 game lead over Oakland? How quickly we forget! Are we spoiled this quickly or what?
• It looks like the Democratic Party has “unchained Joe Biden.” They’re unleashing him on the republicans at next week’s convention in Tampa. Actually, I heard that they told him it was the democratic convention hoping that he wouldn’t show up the following week in North Carolina.
• Speaking of showing up, Roger “The Steroid Fueled Rocket” Clemens has shown up in a minor league uniform in Sugarland, Texas. At age 50, Roger is attempting a comeback. Four years after retiring in disgrace, Clemens wants a do over. Does he really think that as a potential AARP member he can still pitch at the major league level? Or, does he simply want to push back another five years his eligibility for the Hall of Fame? My guess is the latter. I think he hopes that in another five years, the voters will have less memory of the ‘roid debacle.
• It used to be that everyone wanted to know who would be the next Michael Jordan (it was a trick question since the answer was no one). Now every time a short white receiver comes out of college, they want to know if he will be the next Wes Welker. The current recipient of that question is Cole Beasley, the Cowboy rookie out of SMU. The answer is no. Beasley will be special in his own right. Will he be the “greatest”? Of course not, but my prediction is that he will be this decade’s version of Bill Bates: an undrafted fan favorite. Of course, that’s not carved in Usain Bolt (a reference to my granite simile). My crystal ball could have a crack in it.
Sports
Ron Morgan: The great ones
Some sports harder to gage than others
- Sports
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Lindblom loses 1st start, Rangers fall to A's 9-2
Josh Lindblom pitched out of trouble several times early in his debut as a major league starter. The Texas right-hander couldn't do it in the fifth inning. Seth Smith homered and scored three times, Bartolo Colon pitched seven strong innings for his first win in a month and the Oakland A's beat the Rangers 9-2 on Monday night.
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GC Softball: Mildred wins Game 2, but falls in series finale to Garrison
The Mildred Lady Eagles dropped their regional semifinal series to the Garrison Lady BulldogsSaturday in Lindale. After losing a heartbreaker on Friday night, the Eagles fought back to take Game 2, 2-1, but fell in the deciding game, 3-1.
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GC Baseball: Dawson earns sweep, series, with 4-3 win over Muenster
Four. It’s the number that will be on the dry erase board at Monday’s practice in Dawson, and it represents the number of wins the Bulldogs baseball team needs to get to Austin. The Bulldogs beat Muenster Saturday, 4-3, earning a sweep in the Region II-1A quarterfinals series.
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UPDATED: GC Baseball: Dawson holds off Muenster to take Game 1, 7-5 (Corrects Game 2 time)
Dawson raced out of the gates, then made an early lead stand up with a 7-5 win over Muenster in a Region II-1A quarterfinal series.
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GC Softball: Mildred falls to Garrison, 1-0, in Game 1
The Mildred Lady Eagles dropped Game 1 of their best-of-three series with the Garrison Lady Bulldogs, 1-0, in eight innings on Friday night in Lindale.
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MORGAN: IRS & Mack? Scrutiny abounds for Texas teams
There is a scandal brewing in Austin. No, it has nothing to do with Rick Perry and the rainy day fund or allowing guns on college campuses. It concerns Mack Brown’s boys at the University of Texas. Apparently, Mack has filed as a non-profit organization with the IRS. Unfortunately, he filed as a 501C under the name “The U‘T’ Party,” and the IRS has put them under intense scrutiny.
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GC Softball: Hubbard stymies Trenton, 3-0, to advance to II-1A finals
When Nakaila Banks led off with a single and scored soon after a sacrifice bunt and two errors, it looked like Hubbard might be looking at a big offensive night. It turned out to be anything but, and it also turned out to be more than enough. Olivia Curtis was splendid on the mound, striking out 13, and the Lady Jags dumped Trenton, 3-0, in the Region II-1A semifinals before a crowd of 250 in Crandall.
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NC Baseball: Top dogs? Conference has fared well in Grand Junction
The Navarro Bulldogs won’t back down when it comes to believing they’re as good any team that will be at the JUCO World Series. The rankings say so. Navarro is No. 1 on PerfectGame.com, a website devoted to amateur baseball. The Bulldogs are No. 4 in the latest NJCAA National Poll released this week.
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GC Softball: Finally Soaring: Eagles have history, injuries behind them
When Mildred fell in Game 1 to Salado two weeks ago, it may have been “here we go again” for the Eagles. For the second straight season, they had gone undeafeated in district, and expectations were high.
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GC Softball: Hubbard stocked with players, wins and unity
Anyone who has ever coached at any level knows when you have twice as many players as spots on the field or court, it can be a nightmare. In Hubbard, it’s working out just fine for the softball team.
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