tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666203496716906686.post7591354786300798308..comments2009-07-23T05:11:59.105-04:00Comments on Buzz's Monkey Butler: On the Death of the Generational AthleteEdwin Jarvishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01167721241948953870noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666203496716906686.post-32333546728514983302008-06-13T11:11:00.000-04:002008-06-13T11:11:00.000-04:00Also, Mattingly? He had five "great" years in the...Also, <I>Mattingly</I>? He had five "great" years in the '80s, so I hardly would consider him an "elite level" athlete.<BR/><BR/>If he would have played for the Mariners you hardly would have heard of him.<BR/><BR/>Another retort: I agree with you that a 2008 Dream Team would probably beat a 1992 Dream Team, but not because the 2008 guys are better basketball players; rather, they're better <I>athletes</I>. Kind of like Duke playing UNLV back in the day...oh wait...Duke did end up beating UNLV that one year...so maybe '92 would beat '08. Who knows, right? That's what arguments are for!Edwin Jarvishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01167721241948953870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666203496716906686.post-33995689329283348682008-06-13T11:07:00.000-04:002008-06-13T11:07:00.000-04:00I never said that Kobe was better than LeBron. I ...I never said that Kobe was better than LeBron. I also never said that LeBron would never be better than Kobe (or MJ). I just said that it wasn't likely to happen. My point was that with all of the distractions nowadays and with all of the opportunities afforded professional athletes, we will likely never see the likes of an MJ again.<BR/><BR/>Why, you ask?<BR/><BR/>Because kids nowadays don't give a damn about being the best at their sport. They're too busy texting or playing video games or what have you instead of learning the fundamentals of baseball, such as "the pitcher covers first on a ball hit to the right side of the infield." The raw athletic ability and talent will ALWAYS be there; but, frankly, the mental aspect of it will not.<BR/><BR/>You may get to see a Kobe or LeBron every once in a while, but my point is that they won't live up to their potential due to the way they were brought up combined with the other outlets that are available for their pursuit.<BR/><BR/>Guys with Kobe's talent won't be shooting 1000 jumpers a day in the offseason in the future because they just won't care that much about being great. They'll get by on their talent, for sure; but they won't reach the level of an MJ.Edwin Jarvishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01167721241948953870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666203496716906686.post-74543403624401744562008-06-13T01:23:00.000-04:002008-06-13T01:23:00.000-04:00Sir, I am appalled by this post. Put aside your L...Sir, I am appalled by this post. Put aside your Laker bias, and answer me this, how old is Kobe, how old is Lebron? How many championships has Kobe won with Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom? Ok, how many did he win with Shaq? Ok, how many would Jordan win with Ben Wallace and Boobie Gibson? Seriously, Lebron is like 23, and to say he is disinterested in taking the Celtics to 7 (which btw will whip your Lakers), or to go to the NBA finals just last year. Geez, give the kid a break, he essentially has me as a point guard and you as a center.<BR/><BR/>But, to get back to at least the title of your post, if not the actual content. Generational athletes come along more often than generations, only perspective comes into play. We're kids of the 80's, name players: Malone, Jordan, Magic, Bird, Zeke, Olajuwon, Ewing, Barkley, Mchale, Parrish, Perkins, Worthy, Payton, Montana, Rice, LT, Orel, Mattingly, etc. etc. etc.<BR/><BR/>Now, compare that list, with accomplishments included to this one: Kobe, Duncan, Parker, Lebron, Shaq, Nash, Ginobli, A Rod, Jeter, Emmitt Smith, Brady, Manning, Strahan, Pujols, Bonds, etc. etc. etc.<BR/><BR/>All are extremely talented athletes, many with championship credentials. I think when you speak of the generational athlete in this time of NBA playoffs, you speak mainly of the NBA. I would agree the star has lost its luster, and this is not to say the athletes are any less talented than todays athletes. In fact, put the Dream Team against USA Basketball today, and the Dream Team gets waxed. That's not a knock on those guys, just a nod to how the world has caught up. Point being, we base our opinions on personal experiences, and we had it good. But who is to say that kids 20 years from now won't be talking abou Gilbert Arenas and Dwight Howard as if they were Bird and Magic. Generational athletes are a matter of opinion, and generation, and sir, you just showed yorus.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com