re: Best athlete you've ever competed against?

Pick an Olympic gold medal swimmer from 96-04 not named Phelps. He was a tad young by the time I was shutting it down.

Housh

I played against my good friend and later Eye Doctor Tommy Casanova (St. Michael's of Crowley and then Notre Dame) from 1963=1968). He had an 0-9 record against us in basketball over the years, but a 4-0 record vs. us in football. He and his dad even operated on my nose after my face got crushed in an rice mill elevator accident in 1972. Also played against Ron (we called him Ronnie back then in 1967) Guidry. Beat him 1-0 in American Legion Baseball in Gueydan, but he got us back 3-1 in Lafayette later that year. He played for Shell Royal back then and threw darts. Way before he learned his slider.

Mike Evans posterized me during a pickup game at the Galveston YMCA once. My biggest athletic accomplishment..

2x All Star closer BJ Ryan hit a homer off me in middle school. I say hit, more like smoked.

I caused a fumble from Notre Dame and 49ers WR Arnaz Battle freshman football.

Eli Manning...in eighth grade.

Randy Livingston
Andre Brown
Dedric Jones
Russell Minnick

I've played basketball against:

Richard Jefferson
Marcus Banks (UNLV player and lottery pick)
Kirk Snyder (lottery pick, played for the New Orleans Hornets)
Demetrius Hunter (played at Georgetown and UNLV)

None of the games went very well for me. One of the first plays, their PG threw a lob from half court that I thought would go over the backboard. Jefferson went up and dunked it, and I sort of realized I was in trouble.

Kirk Snyder was the one I played the most b/c I was on the practice squad and matched up with him a fair amount. He was literally better at every aspect of basketball than I was. The only times I could do much is if he left me open.

had an at bat or two against both Nick Long and Edwin Jackson in high school. They played on the same team and Long was actually drafted ahead of Edwin in 2001. both dudes threw smoke at the HS level.

Devery Henderson