The nostalgia, history, and tradition surrounding sports is always something I enjoy reading or learning about. It makes me appreciate the game and the many greats that have established what it is today. As a result, here is a list of ten records in sports that I don't think will ever be broken.
10.) Brett Favre’s consecutive starts
Say what you want about Mr. Favre, but he was a gamer on the
gridiron come Sundays. The Green Bay legend started 321 consecutive games
(including playoffs) behind center. To put this into perspective in today’s
game; one would have to play 20 straight seasons [excluding playoffs] without missing a
single start to come close to breaking this record. The current active streak
belongs to Eli Manning, who sits at 151 consecutive starts. Although
impressive, Manning’s streak isn't even half of Favre’s. He would have to continue playing 10 more
seasons without surrendering a single start. Already at age 33, I don’t see
that happening. Favre’s streak will be hard to beat, let alone match!
9.) Miami Dolphins Perfect Season
This may be a little biased considering the Phins are my
favorite team, but this is one that stands alone. Miami completed a perfect
17-0 campaign in the 1972 season and it has never been repeated since. The
closest successor came when the New England Patriots were 18-0 heading into Super Bowl XLII as heavy favorites against the New York Giants. The G-Men ended up winning
17-14 (thanks to a little help from the '72 ghosts on that David Tyree catch) and the record was safe for yet another year. With talks of expanding playoffs, expanding
regular season games to 18, the issue of resting starters due to risk of injury,
and the immense pressure involved with such a task, I just don’t see another
team completing this feat. Hopefully I’m right!
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| #21 Jim Kiick, #39 Larry Csonka, #22 Mercury Morris |
8.) Isner-Mahut Marathon
I couldn't leave this one from my list, especially since
this is one that I witnessed! Being a huge fan of Wimbledon (and tennis in
general), and being a tennis player myself, I remember watching this match as
it was 25-24 or something in the 5th set. All of the sudden, the
power went out at my house due to a storm. I couldn't believe it! I scrambled
around trying to find another way to witness this remarkable feat. Good thing
the match would last another day, to allow me to watch the conclusion. This unbelievable tennis match was spread out over 3 days and lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes
(think of all the things you could do in that amount of time)! The final line
of the five-set marathon: Isner def. Mahut 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7-9), 7-6(7-3), 70-68*. I think it’s safe to say that
this will never be touched.
Side note: The 2nd longest match in grand slam
history – Fabrice Santoro def. Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 3-6, 16-14
at the French Open in 6 hours and 33 minutes (spanned 2 days). If put into
perspective, just over half the length of the Isner-Mahut match.
*For those unfamiliar with tennis, there is no fifth set tie-break at grand slam tournaments other than the U.S. Open. Instead, the final set is played until a player wins the set by two games.
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| Isner (on the left) elated while Mahut, not so much. |
7.) Don Shula Career Wins
Don Shula had the ‘luxury’ of coaching for 33 seasons in the
NFL as a head coach! All he did during his tenure: collect the most wins in the
history of the NFL. He collected 347 wins (winning percentage of .667), leading
some great teams during his tenure. With the majority of his coaching days in Miami (26 years), he left quite the legacy, including the only undefeated
team in the history of the league (in 1972), as mentioned above. Today, the
current active leader is Bill Belichick, who has 192. His winning percentage
currently sits at .704, which would mean he would have to coach for 14 more
seasons (while still maintaining his .704 rate each year), just to catch Shula.
However, once Brady finally leaves (oh what a glorious day that’ll be!), I
can’t see Belichick staying at this rate, or even sticking around considering
he’s currently 62 years old. The one thing that could hinder this record in the
future is the possible expansion to an 18-game schedule. Even if that happens however, I don’t see
anyone breaking this record! Go Phins!
6.) Wilt Chamberlain Points in a Game
Wilt Chamberlain was dominant back in the day. He showcased
this dominance when he scored 100 points in an NBA game. This was also completed in the days without
the 3-point line (not that Wilt would have shot 3's anyway)! The biggest threat came when Kobe Bryant tallied 81
against the Raptors. In today’s game, the only possible threat I see having a
chance would be Kevin Durant, due to his talented scoring ability. I feel like LeBron could definitely make a chase,
but he is very passive in his style of play. In all, if this were to happen today, it would mean that a player
would have to score over 90% of a team’s points in a game. I don’t see that
happening in today’s game. This one is in the books for history.
5.) Pete Rose Hits
It’s hard to believe this man isn't in the MLB Hall of Fame
(due to gambling). All he did in his illustrious career was record 4,256 hits! He
played 24 seasons which is unheard of nowadays.
The current active player with the most career hits is Derek Jeter, who
has 3,403, but he’s set to retire after this season. The longevity of the game
just isn't what it once was, as injuries and steroids are becoming more
prevalent in today’s game. Furthermore, the average career of an MLB player is
much less today than it was back then. Rose is a sure bet to hold this record
for the rest of time.
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| The Reds Hitting Machine Rose |
4.) Joe DiMaggio’s 56 Game Hitting Streak
Baseball holds a lot of unbreakable records, and this one
can certainly be added to the list. DiMaggio recorded a hit in 56 consecutive
games (well over a third of the season!). Again, today’s game is so different
from back then, with more pitchers (including situational pitching of lefties
vs. lefties and vice versa), more teams, and so on, that seeing this in the
modern era would be immaculate to say the least. The last recent threat was
Jimmy Rollins, who hit safely in 38 straight games in 2005-06. However, the
pressure and ability to complete this task (a record that has stood for 74 years!!)
would be astronomical. This one is in the books [as Squints says in Sandlot]
f-o-r-e-v-e-r.
3.) UCLA’s 88 Consecutive Wins and 7 Consecutive National Titles
The legend, John Wooden, lead the Bruins basketball team to an unparalleled
record of winning 88 straight games. That stretch was in between winning 7
consecutive national titles! In the modern era, there hasn't been a streak to
surpass 37 games and no team has won more than two consecutive titles. In today’s
game: Parity – Parity – Parity. The
modern game has become so diversified with the amount of teams and talent, that
pretty much any team can beat another on any given night. Let’s also not forget
about the 3-point line, which has completely transcended the game. This is one
record that will never be broken, let alone touched.
2.) Cy Young Wins
511! Five-hundred & eleven! That is the amount of wins
Cy Young collected as a pitcher in the Majors. Just how magnificent is this
record? Realistically, in today’s game, a pitcher would have to average 25 wins
for twenty straight seasons to reach 500! And they would still be short of the
record! Last season, only one pitcher - Max Scherzer - topped the 20-win
plateau with 21 wins. The last pitcher to reach the 25-win plateau was Bob
Welch, who collected 27 wins in 1990! So, there hasn't been a pitcher in the
last 24 years to reach that mark. Back then, pitchers would pitch just about
every other day or so. Nowadays, they test the rubber every 5th
game. It’s just not even possible to get enough starts to come close to
reaching this milestone. The current active win total is 212, held by Tim
Hudson, who – at age 38 -- will surely be retiring soon. This record is truly
one for the ages!
1.) Iron Man
In today’s game, it is an accomplishment if a ball player is
able to play in every game of the lengthy 162-game season. For Cal Ripken Jr.,
this was the norm, as he defied the odds of the game! Ripken played in 2,632 consecutive games! In order for one to accomplish this monstrous
task in today’s game, one would have to play 16+ seasons without missing a
single game (the average career of an MLB player is 5.6 years). With the
occasional off day given to keep players fresh, the numerous amount of
injuries, and the many other factors, there is no chance this record will ever
be touched! The last ‘threat’ came when Miguel Tejada played in 1,152
consecutive games from 2000-2007 (1,480 short). Prince Fielder had the longest
active streak at 547, before an injury ended his season and streak. There is no
chance this record will ever be broken and is sure to stand the test of time!
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