# How many great athletes are an accident of interest? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 31, 2011, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-great-athletes-are-an-accident-of-interest/569614 "2011-01-31T06:07:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-great-athletes-are-an-accident-of-interest/569614/21 "2011-01-31T17:54:20Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > How many of the very greatest baseball players could equally have excelled at cricket? Looking at batters, probably only a small percentage could transfer successfully from baseball to cricket, and vice-versa. In baseball, the most important attributes are hand-eye co-ordination followed by strength. In cricket, technique and concentration are more important. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-great-athletes-are-an-accident-of-interest/569614/22 "2011-01-31T17:54:55Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I still think Kirk Gibson would have made a better NFL player than MLB player. Danny Ainge was a much better basketball player than baseball player. I don’t know if there is anyone who could have been an all star at multiple sports, Deion I don’t believe was all that great a baseball player nor was Bo Jackson, in my book. That’s biased however by the fact that we never really got to see how Bo or Deion could have done if they were given unlimited time to train for each sport. The seasons for North American team sports (and their preseason and even offseason prep time) are too long to allow someone to optimize their training and development for both. In the case of football/baseball, there is about a month or two per year in which you aren’t playing either sport, and they overlap from late July to October. Even if they could (in some alternate universe) devote full time training to both, the needs of each sport are different and can affect the other. That Bo & Deion did as well as they did in both their disciplines is astonishing enough. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-great-athletes-are-an-accident-of-interest/569614/23 "2011-01-31T17:55:49Z")
> [@Alka\_Seltzer](#): > > Looking at batters, probably only a small percentage could transfer successfully from baseball to cricket, and vice-versa. In baseball, the most important attributes are hand-eye co-ordination followed by strength. In cricket, technique and concentration are more important. I’d think the biggest difference going from baseball to cricket would be sheer endurance, though maybe that’s what you mean by “concentration”. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-great-athletes-are-an-accident-of-interest/569614/24 "2011-01-31T18:01:40Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > I’d think the biggest difference going from baseball to cricket would be sheer endurance, though maybe that’s what you mean by “concentration”. Batting all day can be physically exhausting, especially on the sub-continent in high temperatures and humidity. However, the players say it’s the mental side that is the difficult bit. If a batter loses concentration and plays the wrong shot they are likely to get out. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-great-athletes-are-an-accident-of-interest/569614/25 "2011-01-31T19:14:51Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > Dave Winfield and Charlie Ward were each drafted in four different sports. Ward won the Heisman but played in the NBA. Winfield was drafted both NBA and ABA teams. Deion Sanders played in the major leagues and NFL in the same day. I believe Dave Winfield was drafted in 3 different sports by 4 different teams in total, not four different sports. That said, he is the only one to have ever been drafted in three professional [sports](http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=degree/list_allaroundathletes). ESPN lists him as the 3 best all-around athlete ever. Charlie Ward was “only” drafted in two sports, basketball and football. The thread is kinda apropos considering Herschel Walker just won his 2nd MMA fight this past Saturday at the age of 48. He was an all-time great football player, a track star, an Olympic bobsledder, and (now) an MMA fighter. Pretty impressive. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-great-athletes-are-an-accident-of-interest/569614/26 "2011-01-31T19:26:29Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > The thread is kinda apropos considering Herschel Walker just won his 2nd MMA fight this past Saturday at the age of 48. He was an all-time great football player, a track star, an Olympic bobsledder, and (now) an MMA fighter. Pretty impressive. Ah, you just beat me out. I was about to post Herschel… but, you know what? I think, even in the circle of great athletes, he may be an outlier. What he has done is absolutely unbelievable. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-great-athletes-are-an-accident-of-interest/569614/27 "2011-01-31T20:58:16Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I don’t know if there is anyone who could have been an all star at multiple sports, Deion I don’t believe was all that great a baseball player nor was Bo Jackson, in my book. Bo Jackson was an all star in multiple sports. In fact, he was the 1989 All-Star Game MVP. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-great-athletes-are-an-accident-of-interest/569614/28 "2011-01-31T21:27:49Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > Bo Jackson was an all star in multiple sports. In fact, he was the 1989 All-Star Game MVP. Yeah, Bo definitely had the tools to be dominant in either sport, had he focused on one exclusively. As it was, he was considered a star running back, even though he only played about half of each season with the Raiders, and didn’t ever go to training camp (because his Raiders contract allowed him to wait to join the Raiders until after the Royals’ season ended). His career average-per-carry was 5.4 yards; only three running backs (Marion Motley, Jamaal Charles, Spec Sanders) have had an average at least that high. As an outfielder, he had great power, speed, and a strong arm, though I think he was a little raw as a baseball player, and his overall numbers were never outstanding (his slugging percentage of .474 would only rank him around #215 all time, if he’d had enough at-bats). It would have been interesting to see what would have happened if he focused full-time on baseball, and was able to harness his physical gifts. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-great-athletes-are-an-accident-of-interest/569614/29 "2011-02-01T00:13:43Z")
Jackie Robinson lettered in baseball, basketball, football, and track at UCLA. He won the NCAA title in the long jump. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-great-athletes-are-an-accident-of-interest/569614/30 "2011-02-01T00:20:00Z")
Many great people have incredible skill in different physical and mental fields. Examples: Michael Jordan and Garth Brooks were both amazing baseball players in addition to what they’re known for. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-great-athletes-are-an-accident-of-interest/569614/31 "2011-02-01T00:38:43Z")
Tim Lincecum is a ridiculously athletic, “good at everything he tries” guy despite the fact that he seems so skinny and looks like he should be skateboarding outside PacBell Park rather than pitching at an All Star level inside of it. But I don’t know if he played anything other than baseball growing up. ---
**Author:** ![Intelligently\_Designed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intelligently_designed/32/20957_2.png) [@Intelligently\_Designed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intelligently_Designed)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-great-athletes-are-an-accident-of-interest/569614/32 "2011-02-01T00:50:53Z")
[Lionel Conacher](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Conacher) excelled at football, baseball, hockey, lacrosse, wrestling and boxing. Then he tackled another sport: politics. [Jim Thorpe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Thorpe) won Olympic gold in the pentathlon and the decathlon and played football and baseball. [Tom Glavine](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Glavine) was drafted by both the Atlanta Braves (baseball) and Los Angeles Kings (hockey). ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-great-athletes-are-an-accident-of-interest/569614/33 "2011-02-01T00:55:44Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > I’d think the biggest difference going from baseball to cricket would be sheer endurance, though maybe that’s what you mean by “concentration”. > [@Alka\_Seltzer](#): > > Batting all day can be physically exhausting, especially on the sub-continent in high temperatures and humidity. However, the players say it’s the mental side that is the difficult bit. If a batter loses concentration and plays the wrong shot they are likely to get out. Yeah, I can see what you’re saying, but another meaning of concentration, that of simply being able to focus in 100% on what you’re about to be doing, strikes me as a crucial (maybe THE crucial) skill for baseball players. Something like “sustained concentration”? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-great-athletes-are-an-accident-of-interest/569614/34 "2011-02-01T01:49:51Z")
Jackie Robinson only played 1 year of baseball at UCLA and he hit just .092. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-great-athletes-are-an-accident-of-interest/569614/35 "2011-02-01T01:52:06Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > Bo Jackson was an all star in multiple sports. In fact, he was the 1989 All-Star Game MVP. You’re still talking about a guy who had 4 decent years in MLB and a lifetime BA of .250. I bet if his name wasn’t Bo Jackson he doesn’t even get invited to the All Star game in 1989. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-great-athletes-are-an-accident-of-interest/569614/36 "2011-02-01T02:37:56Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I still think Kirk Gibson would have made a better NFL player than MLB player. Danny Ainge was a much better basketball player than baseball player. I don’t know if there is anyone who could have been an all star at multiple sports, Deion I don’t believe was all that great a baseball player nor was Bo Jackson, in my book. Sanders probably would have been a damned good ballplayer had he (a) concentrated on it and (b) stayed healthy, largely, of course, by not playing football, which goes back to (a). ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-great-athletes-are-an-accident-of-interest/569614/37 "2011-02-01T02:43:16Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > You’re still talking about a guy who had 4 decent years in MLB and a lifetime BA of .250. I bet if his name wasn’t Bo Jackson he doesn’t even get invited to the All Star game in 1989. Possibly not, though he did have a pretty darned good [first half of the year in 1989](http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.cgi?id=jacksbo01&year=1989&t=b) (21 HRs, 23 SB, 59 RBI, .829 OPS), and finished in 10th place for AL MVP voting that year. But, in general, I agree…as a baseball player, he was known for his potential, and specific incredible plays (long HRs, defensive plays), rather than his overall stats (and certainly not for his career longevity). ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-great-athletes-are-an-accident-of-interest/569614/38 "2011-02-01T06:20:10Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I bet if his name wasn’t Bo Jackson he doesn’t even get invited to the All Star game in 1989. A quick glance at the stats indicates that he led AL outfielders in HR that year (4th overall). Throw in 26 SB for good measure and you have yourself an all-star. ---
**Author:** ![Jules\_Andre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jules_andre/32/9334_2.png) [@Jules\_Andre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jules_Andre)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-great-athletes-are-an-accident-of-interest/569614/39 "2011-02-01T07:07:06Z")
Michael Jordan improved significantly in his time with baseball. Near the end of his run playing baseball, he’d developed into a fairly quality player and wasn’t at all the liability he was when he started (and understandably so). While everyone seems to be sticking with two sport athletes and the like, I’d think that Greg Maddux would have been good at absolutely anything he’d try to do, in or out of sports, solely because of the way his mind works. From what I’ve heard and read about him, his mind just worked at a different level than most folks’. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-great-athletes-are-an-accident-of-interest/569614/40 "2011-02-01T10:21:23Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Yeah, I can see what you’re saying, but another meaning of concentration, that of simply being able to focus in 100% on what you’re about to be doing, strikes me as a crucial (maybe THE crucial) skill for baseball players. Something like “sustained concentration”? Yes, sustained concentration. Most people can focus for a few minutes, not so many can do it for hours. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-great-athletes-are-an-accident-of-interest/569614.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-great-athletes-are-an-accident-of-interest/569614.md?page=3)