Offline
Anyone else watch that? Oh man it was great... I'd forgotten what a complete and utter badass that dude was...
Offline
With the caveat I never saw Jim Brown, the three best running backs I've ever seen are O.J. Simpson, Bo Jackson and Marcus Dupree.
Offline
I'm with you on two. I never saw Dupree myself. Barry Sanders comes in my list instead. I never saw Jim Brown either. Barry Sanders however I saw a lot of, and I've never seen anyone that elusive in my life (before or after). Dude was just sick..
There was just a lot of things about Bo I'd totally forgotten about like the 4.12 combine 40 he ran... That he was drafted by the Bucs and told them no, and why he did that (according to him anyway, and it might be true, but since it was his call, his opinion is the only one that matters there). How trivial looking the career killing tackle by that Cincinnati linebacker was.... etc
But to imagine a Bo Jackson who never suffered that injury, got it treated in time to fix the cartiledge and keep his hip.... Give him 10 seasons in both sports.... There was really just no telling what that man was capable of.
Offline
Dupree was the subject of another 30 for 30 that was really well done, as most of them are. If he hadn't blown out his knee, he could have been as good as anyone who ever played. The clips of him in high school were outrageous. I don't know if you ever played or saw the old electric football games that were around when I was a kid, but the figurine that was supposed to be the quarterback was about three times the size of the figurines of the other players. That's what Dupree looked like shredding high school defenses.
The only time I've ever looked forward to the end of baseball season was when Bo played for the Raiders. He'd play his last game for the Royals and less than a week later he'd be playing in an NFL football game. No week off in between. He'd practice with the Raiders for the first time on Wednesday, and then be the best player on the field on Sunday. Marcus Allen is a Hall of Fame running back, and statistically he's the best running back who has ever played for the Raiders. But when Jackson was available, Allen was either a blocking back for him, or sitting on the bench.
Offline
Yeah they highlighted that well on the 30 for 30... The fact that Bo Jackson would be playing within a week of leaving the baseball season. No OTA, no camps, no preseason, no first string snaps, no .....
As a 14 year old, I really didn't understand that significance. When they brought it up in that show though last night... I was like... Whoa... Holy shit...
And seriously, that throw to nail Reynolds at home in Seattle might be the best throw ever made in baseball... That shit is seriously unreal.
Offline
Followup...
I think that's the other thing that I didn't realize... He didn't just have the baseball tools... He was a GOD at four of them. Arm? Legendary. Speed? Unequalled. Power? Epic. Average? Not amazing, but .260-.280 isn't a failure in the big leagues when you're hitting for power. Fielding? Range like you've never seen.
And then he's running a 4.12 40 yard combine and strong enough to be powering through Bosworth... He might as well have worn a cape while he did it, because that is some super hero shit right there.... I never liked the Raiders, but I don't know how anyone could not stand in awe of Bo Jackson....
Another baseball game I watched personally on TV but they didn't show... He's on first, and playing against my Oakland A's. McGwire is on first. Left hander is pitching, and he starts the motion and kicks the leg, Bo takes off, the pitcher comes out of the pitch and Bo is dead meat. Strung out halfway. Pitcher starts towards him and Bo hauls ass for first until the pitcher throws over to McGwire, and then he turns and bolts to second. McGwire catches and goes to tag him, but he's not there... He's already over halfway to second. McGwire's throw can't beat him. Stolen Base.... I've watched for 20 years after.... Still never seen that duplicated without an error occurring to make it possible. Just unreal.
Offline
"Another baseball game I watched personally on TV but they didn't show... He's on first, and playing against my Oakland A's. McGwire is on first. Left hander is pitching, and he starts the motion and kicks the leg, Bo takes off, the pitcher comes out of the pitch and Bo is dead meat. Strung out halfway. Pitcher starts towards him and Bo hauls ass for first until the pitcher throws over to McGwire, and then he turns and bolts to second. McGwire catches and goes to tag him, but he's not there... He's already over halfway to second. McGwire's throw can't beat him. Stolen Base.... I've watched for 20 years after.... Still never seen that duplicated without an error occurring to make it possible. Just unreal."
I've never heard that story, but that's what made him so special. He'd do things no one else could do.
Maybe this is my Raiders' bias kicking in, but he was a very good baseball player, but he should have stuck with football.
His NFL career lasted 38 games, barely more than two seasons. If he had been a 16-game player for a decade, the Pro Football Hall of Fame would have had to dedicate an entire wing to him.
Offline
And one other thing. He touched the ball ~550 times in his NFL career, and never fumbled once. Ever.
Offline
Good stuff.
That's all I got.