Blog Archives
Major League Baseball: Most Total Bases All Time
Hank Aaron (and Friend) Collecting Four Bases with His 715th Home Run
Barry Bonds may have (“very suspiciously”) overtaken Hank Aaron on the all-time home run list, but Hammerin’ Hank still holds onto another very impressive power record, and one that might be unbreakable (without pharmaceutical aid).
Aaron has collected the most total bases in baseball history, and by a lot – over 700 more than second-place Stan “The Man” Musial.
Total bases literally adds up all the bases accumulated by the hitter via singles (one base), doubles (two bases), triples (three bases) and home runs (four bases). Aaron, Musial and Willie Mays are the only players with over 6,000 total bases to their credit.
It looks like the 5,000-total bases mark is an indicator of a player’s Hall-of-Fame worthiness.
Every one of the top 20 players with the most total bases below is in the Hall of Fame except Bonds (alleged steroid use), Rose (banned due to gambling), Alex Rodriguez (active, alleged steroid use), Rafael Palmeiro (alleged steroid use) and Ken Griffey, Jr. (eligible in 2015).
Pete Rose and Ty Cobb are the only players to record over 3,000 singles alone. That sure helped their total bases campaign, as neither were sluggers.
Follow @VinGetz| PLAYER | TOTAL BASES | BATS | SINGLES | DOUBLES (X2) | TRIPLES (X3) | HRS (X4) | |
| 1. | Hank Aaron | 6,856 | R | 2,294 | 624 | 98 | 755 |
| 2. | Stan Musial | 6,134 | L | 2,253 | 725 | 177 | 475 |
| 3. | Willie Mays | 6,066 | R | 1,960 | 523 | 140 | 660 |
| 4. | Barry Bonds | 5,976 | L | 1,495 | 601 | 77 | 762 |
| 5. | Ty Cobb | 5,854 | L | 3,053 | 724 | 295 | 117 |
| 6. | Babe Ruth | 5,793 | L | 1,517 | 506 | 136 | 714 |
| 7. | Pete Rose | 5,752 | B | 3,215 | 746 | 135 | 160 |
| 8. | Carl Yastrzemski | 5,539 | L | 2,262 | 646 | 59 | 452 |
| 9. | Alex Rodriguez | 5,414 | R | 1,712 | 512 | 30 | 647 |
| 10. | Eddie Murray | 5,397 | B | 2,156 | 560 | 35 | 504 |
| 11. | Rafael Palmeiro | 5,388 | L | 1,828 | 585 | 38 | 569 |
| 12. | Frank Robinson | 5,373 | R | 1,757 | 528 | 72 | 586 |
| 13. | Ken Griffey, Jr. |
5,271 | L | 1,589 | 524 | 38 | 630 |
| 14. | Dave Winfield | 5,221 | R | 2,017 | 540 | 88 | 465 |
| 15. | Cal Ripken | 5,168 | R | 2,106 | 603 | 44 | 431 |
| 16. | Tris Speaker | 5,101 | L | 2,383 | 792 | 222 | 117 |
| 17. | Lou Gehrig | 5,060 | L | 1,531 | 534 | 163 | 493 |
| 18. | George Brett | 5,044 | L | 2,035 | 665 | 137 | 317 |
| 19. | Mel Ott | 5,041 | L | 1,805 | 488 | 72 | 511 |
| 20. | Jimmie Foxx | 4,956 | R | 1,529 | 458 | 125 | 534 |
Thanks to baseball-reference.com.
Photo: espn.com
NBA Teams That Have Come Back from 3-1 to Win a Playoff Series
Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and the Houston Rockets Won the 1995 NBA Title (the Rockets’ Second in a Row)
Only eight teams in NBA Playoff history have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win their series. It has never happened in the NBA Finals or Western Conference Finals.
Three times, though, a team has done this – the ultimate in NBA postseason comebacks, as no team has ever come back from 3-0 (see here) – in the Eastern Conference Finals.
In 2013, the Brooklyn Nets had a shot at becoming the ninth team, but fell to the undermanned and underdog Chicago Bulls in Round 1. The Oklahoma City Thunder are now down 3-1 to the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Semis and the Bulls are themselves now down 3-1 to the Miami Heat i the Eastern Semis. Meanwhile, the New York Knicks are looking to avoid a 3-1 deficit. They are down 2-1 to the Indiana Pacers.
Of the eight teams to come back from 3-1, only two were underdogs according to seeding, and so won that seventh game on the road (noted with an asterisk).
The 1994-95 Houston Rockets, for example, who went on to win their second title in a row, had to get past the Suns in Phoenix in a 115-114 Game 7 first.
The 1967-68 Boston Celtics is the other team to win that Game 7 on the road. They went on to win their 10th title in 12 years.
The 1980-81 Boston Celtics are the third (and last) team on the list below that went on the win the NBA Finals.
The 1996-97 New York Knicks should have won their Semifinals series against the Miami Heat, but a melee in Game 5 led to five staggered suspensions for New York in Games 6 and 7. For the full story, check out the 15 Biggest Disappointments in NY Knicks History.
Follow @VinGetz| WINNER (SEED) | LOSER (SEED) | YEAR | ROUND | GAME 7 SCORE | |
| 1. | Phoenix Suns (2) | Los Angeles Lakers (7) | 2006 | Eastern 1 | 121-90 |
| 2. | Detroit Pistons (1) | Orlando Magic (8) | 2003 | Eastern 1 | 108-93 |
| 3. | Miami Heat (2) | New York Knicks (3) | 1997 | Eastern Semis | 101-90 |
| 4. | Houston Rockets (6) | Phoenix Suns (3) | 1995 | Western Semis | 115-114* |
| 5. | Boston Celtics (1) | Philadelphia 76ers (2) | 1981 | Eastern Finals | 91-90 |
| 6. | Washington Bullets (1) | San Antonio Spurs (2) | 1979 | Eastern Finals | 107-105 |
| 7. | Los Angeles Lakers (2) | Phoenix Suns (3) | 1970 | Western Semis | 129-94 |
| 8. | Boston Celtics (2) | Philadelphia 76ers (1) | 1968 | Eastern Finals | 100-96* |
Thanks to sports.yahoo.com.
Photo: wagesofwins.com
The 20 Greatest Female Athletes of All Time
Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Greatest Female Athlete of All Time.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Let’s take a look at the greatest female athletes of all time today, according to Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report and ESPN.
The rankings vary quite a bit. There are so many great athletes to choose from, and unlike the men whose greatest athletes usually represent just a handful of sports, the ladies’ greatest span 13 different games.
The ESPN rankings celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Title IX, so it’s a bit of a different look, making room for some of the better female athletes in recent times.
With more and more focus placed on women’s sports, the future looks bright. Hopefully we’ll enjoy the play of even greater women athletes as time rolls on.
Follow @VinGetz| SPORTS ILLUSTRATED | BLEACHER REPORT | ESPN (PAST 40 YEARS) | ||||
| 1. | Jackie Joyner-Kersee | TF | Jackie Joyner-Kersee | TF | Mia Hamm | WF |
| 2. | Babe Didrikson Zaharias | G | Babe Didrikson Zaharias | G | Martina Navratilova | T |
| 3. | Billie Jean King | T | Martina Navratilova | T | Jackie Joyner-Kersee | TF |
| 4. | Sonja Henie | FS | Florence Griffith Joyner | TF | Annika Sorenstam | G |
| 5. | Martina Navratilova | T | Mia Hamm | WF | Lisa Leslie | BB |
| 6. | Chris Evert | T | Annika Sorenstam | G | Bonnie Blair | SS |
| 7. | Bonnie Blair | SS | Bonnie Blair | SS | Chris Evert | T |
| 8. | Wilma Rudolph | TF | Tracy Caulkins | SW | Nadia Comaneci | GY |
| 9. | Nadia Comaneci | GY | Steffi Graf | T | Steffi Graf | T |
| 10. | Tracy Caulkins | SW | Billie Jean King | T | Serena Williams | T |
| 11. | Florence Griffith Joyner | TF | Lisa Leslie | BB | Billie Jean King | T |
| 12. | Mia Hamm | WF | Joan Benoit Samuelson | DR | Florence Griffith Joyner | TF |
| 13. | Nancy Lopez | Golf | Chris Evert | T | Cheryl Miller | BB |
| 14. | Steffi Graf | T | Cheryl Miller | BB | Katarina Witt | FS |
| 15. | Cheryl Miller | BB | Sheryl Swoopes | BB | Janet Evans | SW |
| 16. | Margaret Court | T | Ann Meyers | BB | Sheryl Swoopes | BB |
| 17. | Mary T. Meagher | SW | Julie Krone | J | Ann Meyers | BB |
| 18. | Olga Korbut | GY | Serena Williams | T | Lisa Fernandez | SB |
| 19. | Peggy Fleming | FS | Teresa Edwards | BB | Lindsey Vonn | AS |
| 20. | Joan Benoit Samuelson | DR | Dara Torres | SW | Michelle Kwan | FS |
KEY
| TF = Track & Field |
| T = Tennis |
| FS = Figure Skating |
| SS = Speed Skating |
| GY = Gymnastics |
| SW = Swimming |
| BB = Basketball |
| WF = World Football |
| DR = Distance Running |
| G = Golf |
| J = Jockeying |
| SB = Softball |
| AS = Alpine Skiing |
Photo: csmonitor.com
