Yesterday was March 2nd, and according to the crack research staff at JPQ, it marked the 49th anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain scoring 100 individual points in an NBA game. While Wilt was surely prolific both on and off the court, the 100 point game has become a thing of legend throughout the years. Even though the league has seen some great players pass through the gym in the last 49 years, nobody has seriously challenged Wilt’s 100 point game – although Kobe did drop 81 against Toronto back in ’06. In fact, with the size and speed of the players, and advent of the shot clock, one could argue that Wilt’s record may just be unbreakable. That got us to thinking, what are some of the unbreakable individual records of all time in sports, and what are the odds that somebody can actually break through and re-write history. Here now is an exlcusive JPQ eyewitness news investigation:
Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game hitting streak
The argument against: Since Joe D set the record back in 1941 only Pete Rose has gotten over the 40 game mark. The only real threat of late has been Jimmy Rollins, who reached 38 games back in 2006. With the presumed end of the so called “steroid era” we have seen pitching dominate the league in the past 3 years, which won’t make matters easier.
Conclusion: 15% chance the record falls. Everybody gets on a roll, and if the right guy gets hot at the right time, maybe, there is a chance, but it seems like a longshot. Most likely candidate to go after this record? Hard to guess, but we’ll go with Joe Mauer.
Johnny Vander Meer’s consecutive no-hitters
The argument against: Since Vander Meer’s epic 2 night performance back in June of 1938, there has been a boatload of no hitters, but nobody has gotten 2 in a row. Oh, and to break the record, you would need to pitch 3!
Conclusion: less than 1%. We just don’t see it happening, especially in today’s baseball of pitch counts and “Joba rules”. You would need a supremely gifted pitcher, and a rogue manager, to pull this feat off.
Brett Favre’s 297 consecutive starts
The argument against: Football is a violent, no holds barred, take your head off kind of game. According to the NFLPA, the average NFL career is 3 ½ years, and Favre managed to play for 20. Not to mention the win now mentality that dominates the NFL landscape, thus making it tougher to stick with a player through a rough patch.
Conclusion: 35% chance the record falls. First off, a consecutive start doesn’t entail you played the whole game, which gives some wiggle room. Not mention the propensity to protect QB’s at all cost, coupled with the desire to eliminate helmet to helmet hitting –could help to extend a player’s career. Plus, do punters and place kickers count? I can certainly see one of those guys sticking around for years and logging a “start” every game.
Michael Phelps, 8 gold medals in 2008 Olympic Games
The argument: First, you have to participate in a sport that allows you to compete in 9 different events. Then, you have to dominate all 9. Plus, more than likely, you’ll be in some form of a team relay, which means you may have to rely on other people to come through for you. That really only leaves swimming and track and field as an option, and in both sports, the margin for error is so small that one mistake could cost you gold by fractions of second.
Conclusion: 15% chance the record falls. Phelps found the perfect storm of circumstances: events + dominance + luck = record. While not the easiest formula to follow, perhaps those circumstances can present themselves again someday.
In any event, we could go on all day with the records, but that would be no fun. What do you, the JPQ faithful, think? What record will stand the test of time? Hit the comments and tell us about it…
Original Story:
http://joshqpublic.com/2011/03/04/wil...
