OT - Favorite 'could have been' athletes
Inspired by today, August 2, being Grady Sizemore's 38th birthday.
Before injures took their toll and forced him to miss extended action, he was one of the best outfielders in baseball and a player who seemed like he was on his way to compiling an interesting Hall of Fame case.
Who are some other sports figures y'all were a fan of like this, whether it be because of injuries or other circumstances?
Go Blue!
August 2nd, 2020 at 11:40 AM ^
Antonio Bass
August 2nd, 2020 at 11:49 AM ^
Immediately who I thought of as well
August 2nd, 2020 at 12:00 PM ^
What could have been. How differently Carr might have been thought of
August 2nd, 2020 at 12:15 PM ^
Yep, my first thought. Dude could have been really, really special.
I'd also add Forcier, and maybe consider Denard had RR worked out his defensive issues. What could have been...
Maurice Searight
Yep, my first thought too. Would have loved to see him running a RR offense.
August 2nd, 2020 at 11:40 AM ^
I was really thinking Jake Butt could be an elite TE in the league, but unfortunately, his knee issues are getting the best of him. Granted he is barely holding onto to a roster spot in Denver - so there is a small chance he could make an impact.
August 2nd, 2020 at 12:16 PM ^
Well they kept him instead of Heuerman
August 2nd, 2020 at 11:43 AM ^
Kelly Baraka
August 2nd, 2020 at 11:44 AM ^
Does Griffey, Jr. count? Still a hall of famer, but if he had stayed healthy in Cincinnati, he may have hit 800+ home runs.
August 2nd, 2020 at 12:01 PM ^
Yep, I think he counts!
When you look at how much time he missed during his Cincinnati Reds tenure, it's wild to think about the career numbers he could've accumulated.
August 2nd, 2020 at 12:05 PM ^
There’s no maybe about it. He would’ve easily hit 800.
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/zips-time-warp-ken-griffey-jr/
Very unlikely he gets to 800. 700, however, would've been possible.
August 2nd, 2020 at 11:44 AM ^
Names that immediately come to mind for me:
Bernard King
Roy Tarpley
Billy Simms
Bo Jackson
As was the case with Griffey Jr., at least with all these guys we got a view of them at their peak (or close). Antonio Bass and some others got injured before they were fully operational.
August 2nd, 2020 at 11:08 PM ^
+1 for Bo Jackson. Might have been a multi-time All-Star and Pro Bowler. Wish more players would try to do that now -- Neon Deion is the only other one from my lifetime, that I can remember -- but I understand why they don't.
Not nearly on Bo's level in terms of generational talent level, but I wonder about Shaun Livingston sometimes. He seemed destined for greatness coming out of high school and he was improving year-on-year until his leg snapped in half. That he ended up having a long and respectable NBA career, winning a few titles along the way, is a testament to his talent and capacity for hard work.
August 2nd, 2020 at 11:48 AM ^
Devin Gardner ☹
August 2nd, 2020 at 11:58 AM ^
Highly underrated answer.
August 3rd, 2020 at 12:03 PM ^
Devin Gardner was a beast in NCAA 14
August 2nd, 2020 at 11:51 AM ^
Barry Sanders. Put him on the 90s cowboys teams instead of Emmitt Smith.
August 2nd, 2020 at 11:53 AM ^
He wouldn't know what to do with a hole though
August 2nd, 2020 at 12:12 PM ^
Hey-o. I’ll see myself out.
August 2nd, 2020 at 11:55 AM ^
Dwight Gooden.
August 2nd, 2020 at 12:00 PM ^
Abou Diaby had so much talent, he just could never stay healthy for Arsenal. He could have been so so good.
Honorable mention goes to Samuel Umtiti. Was in the conversation for top centerbacks in the world until he busted his knee. Now he's a shell of his former self. Such a bummer.
On the US side of soccer, it has to be Freddy Adu. The hype surrounding him was ridiculous, and honestly unfair for a young teen.
August 2nd, 2020 at 12:01 PM ^
Uncle Rico
That pass easily went over them mountains.
Yeah, if coach woulda just put me in for the fourth quarter...
August 2nd, 2020 at 12:02 PM ^
Obvious sacrilege aside, seeing an NBA vet Greg Oden (with knees) paired with up and coming Lillard in Portland would've been interesting.
Greg oden has lamarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy. If his knees hold up it’s a wrap right there even without dam lillard
August 2nd, 2020 at 12:03 PM ^
Since Devin Gardener was already mentioned... maybe Drake Johnson or Grant Newsome? Felt so bad for those kids.
Just like with Bass and Carr, how much does Harbaugh’s career change if Newsome doesn’t get hurt. And for that matter Speight’s?
August 2nd, 2020 at 12:05 PM ^
Len Bias. Never played a NBA game.
August 2nd, 2020 at 12:07 PM ^
Charles Rogers
August 2nd, 2020 at 12:12 PM ^
Shane Morris
Kid came in here with sooooo much hype. I remember he, Derrick Green and Laquon Treadwell were all going to set the college football world on fire together. And with that big time OL recruiting haul that Hoke brought in from 2012-13, it was going to be the beginning of something special. All with Morris leading the way.
His career here could not have gone any differently from what we’d all envisioned. As well as what he envisioned for himself, I’m sure.
Instead, the kid left here having never thrown a TD pass, played for some god-awful teams, and will only be remembered for getting the hell beat out of him by a bush-league effort from the Minnesota defense.
The whole Shane Morris situation is just sad. I was happy to at least see him successful at CMU. Another high-ceiling QB wasted by Hoke.
An impactful recruiting misjudgement by Hoke.
FTFY
August 2nd, 2020 at 12:13 PM ^
The Bird, Mark Fidrych.
(Yes, I'm replying to my own comment. It's raining, there might be no school in September, and I'm cranky. Get off my lawn.)
Here's my favorite hypothetical about Fidrych. Let's say he doesn't get hurt, and he and Morris end up pitching together. 84 is still amazing, but you also have to like our chances in 87 also, and probably some other years too. But here's the thing about 87: with Fidrych on the team, the Smoltz-for-Doyle Alexander trade doesn't need to happen.
Then you have Morris - Fidrych - Smoltz together on the same staff for at least a few years, possibly a good number of years. That's three HOFers assuming Fidrych is the player he showed he could be.
Is it better than the Braves staff in the 90s, often cited as one of the best ever? Well, since that staff included Smoltz - and now it doesn't - maybe so. Maybe even better.
Sigh. What if...
August 2nd, 2020 at 12:17 PM ^
Rashan Gary.
And Peppers on offense, would've been curious to see what he would have done on the other side.
August 2nd, 2020 at 12:18 PM ^
Eric Lindros and Vladimir Konstantinov.
Vladdy would have been in the HOF had his career continued. Wonder if the Wings trade for Chelios in '99 if Vladdy were still active.
What about Jiri Fischer?
August 2nd, 2020 at 12:18 PM ^
Mark "The Bird" Fidrych.
If Fidrych had somehow stayed healthy after his unbelievable rookie season in 1976, he'd probably now be in baseball's HOF. He burned oh-so-brightly as a 21-yr old, going 19-9 while pitching 250.1 innings and leading the Majors in ERA (2.34) and ERA+ and leading the American League with 24 complete games in 29 starts. (edit: and he did this for a really bad Tigers team that went 55-78 that season when Fidrych wasn't the starting pitcher, a team that had gone 57-102 the previous season.)
But nearly as much as pitching talent, his unusual antics both on the mound and off made him the Rock Star of the Detroit Tigers and of sports fans across America.
He got injured the following spring training (correct me if I'm wrong) shagging fly balls, and then came up with a sore arm while working out while recovering, but still went 6-4, 2.89 ERA with 7 complete games in 11 starts in 1977, despite battling injuries all season long.
Fidrych was never the same after '77, and it's pretty damn certain his heavy workload at too young an age was the biggest reason. He retired from baseball at age 25 after repeatedly attempting comebacks in '78, '79, and '80.
August 2nd, 2020 at 12:22 PM ^
Ha beat me to it
Fidrych had a torn rotator cuff which was not diagnosed until 1985 by Dr. James Andrews. Fidrych had surgery to repair the rotator cuff but by then it was too late for him to come back to baseball. What could have been.
August 2nd, 2020 at 12:22 PM ^
Mark Fidrych and Megatron
Couple people already mentioned ... Bo Jackson, Antonio Bass and Grant Newsome.
my #1 is probably Barry Sanders. 2-3 more years and the NFL rushing record would have been untouchable ... and with that OL ... incredible
The only issue I'll take here is with the offensive line. While Barry's line was not great, they were not awful by any stretch.
And quite honestly, the way he ran, I'm not so sure about that. He pretty much did his own damn thing every run.
He just needed to stick around longer, but I cannot blame him for getting burnt out busting his ass for this shit organization.
Barry averaged 1527 yards per season with an average OL. Emmit Smith averaged 1320 with an entire OL that is in the HoF. That’s about what Jim Brown and Walter Payton averaged
Barry was the greatest of all time. I also don’t blame him for walking away.
Trust me, we aren't arguing about Barry being the all-timer; he is the best RB of all time.
For whatever reason, people think Barry had an absolute shit offensive line, when he really didn't. They were not great, but they had a couple great ones. It was average yes, but not the way people remember them.