re: Who is the one athlete you wish you were alive to see?

i was only 3 then and because my grandma would cheer magic when he was at the line, apparently i would do so whenever a black player took his free throws

Ted Williams

Damn you must be young.

Think about it, it's been 15 years since Brady won his first Superbowl, so there are kids going into High School who have not ever seen a Patriots losing season.

Yeah being born in the late 70s was close. That's kind of how I am with MJ. I was 10 when he hit the shot against the Jazz and I certainly remember watching it and knowing it was big, but I probably didn't fully appreciate it

Mantle. Plus seeing him in his prime would have the added benefit of witnessing a bunch of other legendary players I grew up hearing about.

quote:

---

. I was 10 when he hit the shot against the Jazz and I certainly remember watching it and knowing it was big, but I probably didn't fully appreciate it

---

i remember those games but not the shot. i remember those games as blue guys and red guys running around the court. but i was only 4 and 5

i would also probably put griffey when he was in seattle in that next tier

It probably depends on how much your family and friends were into it. My Dad is a huge bball fan and I had 2 older brothers who did remember Bird/Magic.

Probably also why I identify with Gen X more because I had all their hand me down toys and movies from the 80s

I was fairly young when Gretzky was owning the NHL. I would love to to see that now that I can better appreciate it.

Bobby jones ... Jack Jonson ... Joe Louis ... DiMaggio ... Ben hogan ...