In last week's Ladder Challenge it was John Havlicek defeating Rocky Marciano with 57% of the vote to keep his #9 spot on the Ladder. This week the 3-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady (#4) tries to take a step closer to the #1 spot by taking on 3-time NBA champion Larry Bird (#3). As difficult as it is to vote against the greatest Patriot of them all, Bird's success spanning a slightly longer time period gives him a little bit of an edge in my book. So who has your support in this week's Ladder Challenge? (and remember, most votes in the comments section is the tie-breaker, so be sure to voice your opinion!)
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23 comments:
LARRY BIRD
Currently Ranked: 3
Challenge Record: 0-0-1
Beat: Nobody
Lost: Nobody
Tied: Ted Williams
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*Played entire 13-year career (1979-92) with the Celtics.
*Won 3 NBA Championships (1981, 1984, 1986)
*Named NBA Finals MVP twice (1984, 1986).
*Named NBA MVP 3-times (1984-86).
*Finished in top 5 of MVP voting 8 times.
*1980 Rookie of the Year.
*1st Team All-Rookie Team (1980).
*12 time NBA All Star selection.
*1982 All Star MVP.
*3 time winner of 3-point shootout (1986-88).
*Named 1st Team All-NBA 9 times (1980-88).
*Named 2nd Team All-NBA in 1990.
*Named 2nd Team All-Defensive Team 3 times (1982-84).
*Led NBA in: Free Throw % (4 times), 3-pointers Made (twice) and minutes per game (twice).
*Career regular season averages: 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.7 steals.
*Career playoff averages: 23.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.8 steals.
*Had 69 career triple-doubles (59 regular season, 10 playoff).
*Franchise all-time records for: Points per Game (24.3), Steals (1,556) and Steals per Game (1.7).
*Also ranks in Celtics all-time Top 10 in: Points (2), Field Goals (2), Field Goal Attmepts (2), 3-pt Field Goals (2), Free Throw % (3), 3-pt Field Goal Attempts (3), Assists (3), Blocks (3), Minutes (4), Free Throws (4), Rebounds (4), Rebounds per Game (4), Minutes per Game (5), Assists per Game (6), Games (7), Free Throw Attempts (7).
*Franchise single-season records for: Field Goals Made and Points per Game.
*Franchise records for points in a game (60).
*His steal and pass to DJ to win Game 5 of Eastern Finals vs Detroit in 1987 is one of the greatest plays in NBA history.
*Named to NBA’s 50 Anniversary Team.
*Elected to Basketball Hall of Fame (1998).
*His #33 is retired by the Celtics.
TOM BRADY
Currently Ranked: 4
Challenge Record: 0-1-0
Beat: Nobody
Lost: Bobby Orr
Tied: Nobody
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*Has played entire 9-year career (2000-08) with the Patriots.
*Won 3 Super Bowls (2001, 2003, 2004).
*Won 2 Super Bowl MVP Awards (2001, 2003).
*Selected to 4 Pro Bowls.
*Named All Pro 2 times.
*2007 NFL MVP.
*2007 NFL Player of the Year.
*2007 NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
*2007 AP Male Athlete of the Year.
*2-time Sporting News Sportsman of the Year (2004, 2007).
*Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year (2005).
*Led Pats to only 16-0 season in NFL history (2007).
*Career totals: 86-24 record; 2301-3653 (63.0%), 26,446 yards, 197 TD, 86 INT, 92.9 QB Rating.
*Career playoff totals: 14-3 record; 372-595 (62.5%), 3,954 yards, 26 TD, 12 INT, 88.0 QB Rating.
*Led league in: Passing Yards and Passing TD twice each.
*Led league in: QB Rating, Passing Yards per Game, Passing Yards per Attempt, Completion %, and TD % once each.
*Franchise all-time records (for QB) for: Wins (87), Completion % (63.0), TD Passes (197) and QB Rating (92.9).
*Also ranks in Patriots all-time TOp 10 (for QB) in: Completions (2), Attempts (2), Passing Yards (3) and Games (3).
*Franchise Single-Season records: Wins (16, 2007), Completion % (68.9, 2007), Yards (4,806, 2007), TD Passes (50, 2007), TD % (8.7, 2007), QB Rating (117.2, 2007).
*NFL Records: Most TD passes in a season (50, 2007), Highest TD/Interception differential (+42, 2007), Most consecutive post-season win for a QB (10), Most completions in a Super Bowl (32, SB XXXVIII), Most career Super Bowl completions (100), Highest playoff completion % for a single game (92.9%, 26/28, vs Jax in 2007).
Bird is Top 4 in Celtics history in points, rebounds and assists and Top 6 in those stats per game. We are talking the all-time history of the greatest franchise in NBA existence. That is amazing.
Add 3 titles, 3 MVPs and it is tough to go against Larry Legend.
No way I can downgrade Brady in any way here...the only difference for me is that his greatness has last 3 (or so) fewer years than Bird's. If he has 3+ more great years this will have to be revisited...but not until then for me.
Brady is the best Patriot of All-Time.
And is still not done collecting Championships, already equal to Bird's amount.
Owns not only records for team, but records for League.
I'm going to have to go with Brady here.
Talk about gut-wrenching decisions...
Gotta go with Bird on this one, and ONLY because we know what he's done because he's done doing it.
Let's hope Brady continues to produce, and does so for the Pats, but for all we know he could have a stretch of poor years or worse, a stretch of good years for another team! The thought of that boy in a Cowboys or Colts jersey makes my stomach turn...
True.
But I vote for him for the reasons highlighted by DK and Cope. If he's not done (maybe close to half done even), his career is not as "watered down." (Which is obviously tough to say considering who we're talking about, but that is the best way I can put it).
Of course both guys are NASTY!
*NFL Records: Most TD passes in a season (50, 2007), Highest TD/Interception differential (+42, 2007), Most consecutive post-season win for a QB (10), Most completions in a Super Bowl (32, SB XXXVIII), Most career Super Bowl completions (100), Highest playoff completion % for a single game (92.9%, 26/28, vs Jax in 2007).
Read that again.
What more records would you want as a QB?? (and the lifelong/careerlong ones I'm sure are coming his way too)
All that coupled with being the biggest element (along with BB) in ending the Boston/entire city's sports drought and sending us into the current decade of sports super domination... gotta stick with Brady this time!
Bird...beats him in being a person and not a dildo.
It annoys me that Brady is in cologne ads and on the gossip pages of the newspaper. It also bothers me that he never went to any games last year after he got hurt.
I love Bird's commercials with MJ when they are playing horse. "Off the floor, off the scoeboard, off the backboard...nothing but net." And his commercial with Magic was great too "OK Magic, show me what you got."
Would Larry ever be caught dead with a wimpy-ass lap dog?..NO freakin way.
I am going with Larry for his off court personality.
Long time reader, first time poster...
WJ makes a great point. All things being equal, those Stetson commercials are totally emasculating for Brady. Sorry Tom.
Larry gets my vote...even in his short shorts.
Thinking you guys are way off base on comparisons of off the court/field brady vs bird. If anything I thik Bird's the idiot-- Just b/c brady's not some hick, zero personality, kind of jerk, ignored the fact that he had a daughter for 18 years like Bird is...and just b/c he's taken substantial advantage of marketing opportunities/married arguably the hottest girl in the world---no need to hate on Brady. Why does marketing a high end cologne or watch worse than Bird doing adds for mcdonald's? If anything being a pimp for mcdonald's --a company contributing greatly to the increased percentage of fat lazy kids in this country and the decreased percentage of tress in south america--is worse than pimping a fancy cologne/watch/car that I can't afford anyway...
And who cares that Brady didn't go to any games (that you know of) after he got hurt. Football isn't like Basketball w/ KG on the bench cheering for the celts providing a potential emotional lift. I'm sure he was in plenty of regular contact w/ Cassel throughout the season and just b/c he didn't have pom poms on the sideline--who cares--remember he did have a torn ACL--not sure being in crutches standing on the sideline for 4 hours is a great idea. How can you question his commitment to the team in any way?
Tough to compare them right now given that Brady's got 4-6 years left in the tank, a least a few of those in his prime. If he wins one more superbowl and/or an MVP, throws for 4000+ yards for multiple years--I think it'd be hard to say he doesn't deserve the nod over Larry. Wait until his careers over and then compare. GO Pats!
Dear Stetson wearing WCC, I am guessing that you have a few pics of him, not playing football hanging on your wall somewhere.
Brady is not going to win father of the year honors any time soon.
I never said Brady had to sit on the sidelines for 4 hours. He could have sat with Bob Kraft in the luxury box or something. And what do you mean "that you know of"? If Brady had been anywhere near the stadium during any game it would have been all over the local media and probably national media too.
I think Brady is living a different lifestyle than that of a hungry NFL QB looking for a Super Bowl ring. Football seems to be taking a back seat to his jet set lifestyle to me. I don't think he has the hunger to be as great as he once was. He might pretend he does, and say he does, but deep down where he really needs it, it is gone. It is somewhere poolside, or in Costa Rica, or at a Tux and scarf event...it isn't inside a football uniform. Brady won't be the player he was. I hope I am wrong, but I don't think so.
Nobody ever questioned Larry's drive, but I am guessing in upcoming seasons people will question Brady's. Maybe not this one, but soon.
I don't see the correlation between Brady taking vacation and doing other enjoyable things that 99% of the people in the world would do w/ the millions of dollars he's earned and him not having the 'drive' to succeed. Do you not think all other pro-bowl quarterbacks/superbowl champion quaterbacks don't enjoy themselves in the off season? Is he supposed to be in the gym all day every day, drinking raw egg yolks and going to bed at 7pm? b/c he's more famous than most every other football player and happens to be married to someone more famous than he is, you're going to see much more of him--I wouldn't say he actively seeks out the spotlight on a regular basis, or is out at clubs at 4 in the morning being an idiot.
Just b/c he doesn't earn the great parking spot at training camp any more doesn't mean that he's not working as hard/will work as hard as he ever has. Not sure what in his track record would lead you to believe otherwise. Do you think he's going to come into camp out of shape of something?
PS--there's NO comparison btween dbag larry bird relationship w/ his estranged daughter (i.e pretending she didn't exist for 18 years)and Tom Brady's w/ his son...don't make bird out to be a saint.
The reason Bird didn't speak with his daughter for so long I am fairly certain is because he was too busy becoming the greatest basketball player he could be each and every day of his life....and too busy shooting awesome commercials.
Like this one:
Bad Sound Great Video
or this one
Academy Awards
and my favorite
WCC still wears these with his Stetson cologne
That first commercial is for the Scotch and Sirloin--I used to LOVE that place--on the top floor of that building across 93 from the garden--good memories of that place w/ the old man before B's games....great stuff.
I go with Larry Bird. He changed the entire sport (with Magic) and brought it to a new era.
The "LA-RRY" chants at the Garden still ring in my ear.
Plus, Bird threw many touchdown bombs to Parish
"Lobster!"
so good. The silence from the crowd after Parish is so good.
Definitely in my top 5 favorite Larry Bird commercials...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90fRlMQTdSs
Bird gets love everywhere. No one gives Brady any....
Brady has more haters than anyone. If here, we hate, then there is absolutely no reason for him to stick around other than Bill Belichick.
I too (along with WCC) have no reason (all the rest of you must have just conjured one up) to believe he has "lost a step" or "doesn't have the same drive."
He hasn't played in a year (except the half a game I was pretty confident in him wrapping up had he not gone down).
Before that he went 16 - 0 in the regular season, another feat never done before, never repeated. He lost that Super Bowl, the one glaring misstep on his report card... Beyond that, one would have to get very creative to find some aspect of his career that wasn't perfect.
He was absent, and downplayed the injury as part of BB's greater scheme to make people forget about Brady and focus on stopping the rest of the League's superstars.
Guaranteed he could play today if that is when the season began.
Lost a step..... hasn't played... ?!
Like I said, if he doesn't get respect here, why should he stay and not high-tail it for the Cowboys or Colts.
I'm sure the same lot of you complaining about the lack of play yet to come from him, will be whining and complaining that he's leaving.
Get over yourselves.
Since his First Super Bowl Win (and the Pats) - Brady has said when asked which is your "favorite" Super Bowl [of ones he participated in] :
"The next one."
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