I don't know that there is any way to define "great"... I realize its apples to oranges, but Bo Jackson is by open lengths the "greatest" human athlete I have ever seen... but does that make him a "great" baseball player or an all-time "great" NFL player? When you compare Bo to Emmitt Smith, Terrell Davis, LDT, etc., on numbers alone he doesn't compare, but I think most people would say I'll take a healthy Bo over any of those "All-time Greats". Does that make Bo "Great"? I think so. I think there are three types of Greatness... your "compliers"- the Emmitt Smiths and the Cigars of the world, who are consistently outstanding performers, but don't necessarily give you the "holy sh*t, did I just see that" performance; your "freaks"- the Bo Jacksons and [insert equine athlete of your choice] of the world, that either due to injury or unforeseen circumstances don't get to produce for extended periods of time, but leave the indelible impression on you from those few dramatic and overly impressive performances; and the rarest of all, the ones who are both... the Secretariats, the Bids, the Jordans and the Tigers, of the world, who are "Great" no matter the definition.
|