Sports thread...What If's

[grusse]

We don't get very many sports threads here so I'll start one&see where it goes.

Got to thinking about various what-if scenarios in sports

back in 1981, what if Steve Rogers hadn't given up the HR to Rick Monday?Expos face the spawn-of-satan Yankees in WS?we'll never know.

still with the Expos,what if there had not been the work-stoppage in 1994.the 'Spos had the best record in MLB at the time.
if they were ever gonna do it that would've been the time.the team was dismantled before they could take another run at it.

If Dave Braley had not bought the Lions in the late 90's?Mr.Braley has reportedly helped almost every CFL team at various times.
Without his assistance I wonder if the CFL would exist today?

if Peter Pocklington had the resources to keep THAT team together?I believe they'd've won 2-3 more Cups&at least be contenders
thru the mid-90's,maybe establishing themselves as the best dynasty ever.(btw, this from a Habs fan,lol)

if Nathan Lafayette's shot had gone IN off the post?sudden death O/T&who knows?
sadly,I think that even if the Canucks had won that game(and had won in'11)the morons,NOT FANS,but idiots,would've rioted anyway.

these are just a few instances that came to me,there are doubtless many more.

I'd welcome discussion,disagreement&more instances of what-if.

 

[grusse]

What if;

the Canucks actually gave up the $22 million and 5 first rounders for Gretzky - how many Gretzky to Bure - he scores would you have heard?
Babe Ruth had 1984 more plate appearances (to match Bonds) - who would be the true home run king?

I have vague memories of Canucks going after Gretzky,but I'm hazy on a time-frame.Was it mid-90's when Gretzky was
enroute from LA-NY,with a brief stopover in St.Lou?
The mind boggles to think what #99 passing to #10(or #96 for that matter)would've produced

that juice-monkey bonds doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as Babe Ruth,imo.

what-if barry had never cheated?he'd've had decent stats....and a normal size head.

 

[grusse]

I should add,before the pc mob start screaming cuz I used the words "monkey" and "bonds" in the same sentence....
I'd describe ANY steroid user,eg mcgwire,caminiti,canseco, i.e. white guys,too, as "juice-monkeys"

 

[SFMIKE]

What if the Mariners could play the Astros all 162 games?

 

[bcneil]

What if Lance Armstrong died of testicular cancer?

What if Bo Jackson never got injured?

 

[blazejowski]

What if instead of hitting the flag pole on 15 Friday he had spun it back close to the hole and made a birdie to take the lead instead of the eventual 8 with the 2 shot penalty. Would he have his sixth green jacket this week ??? But I guess that's the beauty with golf we all can think of how the round could have been different if it wasn't for a few bad holes.

Shit, EVERY shot I make when I golf goes under the heading of "what could have been if...."

 

[BallzDeep]

what if... things stay as they are Habs play the Leafs in the first round of the playoffs after sitting out the last 10.

 

[bcneil]

RE: Ruth vs Bonds: Ruth played in an era where blacks weren't allowed to play and Bonds cheated. Hank Aaron should still be considered the homerun king.

What if social media was as good as it is today back in the Michael Jordan era. Would we have found out Jordan was guilty of gambling and thus most likely killing the NBA?

Can you name 5 black starting pitchers today?

 

[badbadboy]

What if Joe Montana never missed a few seasons due to injuries and finished his career with the 49ers?

Few more Super Bowl rings?

 

[PlayfulAlex]

Can you name 5 black starting pitchers today?

I'm slightly off topic here, but I really enjoyed this movie...

 

[Jethro Bodine]

What if Jethro wouldn't have been just a bit bigger and faster as a safety in college. Could have been drafted by the NFL, went on to play 14 seasons, make 10 Pro Bowls, win 3 Super Bowls, and currently be a big fat, rich, retired pro athlete making it rain in Vegas every 2nd weekend.

 

[grusse]

What if........

Cus D'Amoto didn't die and was able to keep Mike Tyson on course. How much even greater could Tyson have been?

also on Iron Mike...what if he never met Desiree Washington&didn't go to jail for 3 years.he was 26going in,29 coming out,
argably a fighter's best years.

Also Muhammad Ali,barred from boxing mid 1967-mid1970,age 25-28.Great as he was,he very likely could've been even greater.

 

[grusse]

What if Joe Montana never missed a few seasons due to injuries and finished his career with the 49ers?

Few more Super Bowl rings?

agreed.

and, what if knee surgery in the 70's was as advanced as today?how many Norris trophies does Bobby Orr win?

I think careers cut short due to injury would fill a thread of its own.

 

[bcneil]

What if Bure was still playing.....Selanne is

 

[wilde]

What if the Habs drafted Dennis Savard instead of Doug Wickenheiser.

Then the Habs would not have traded a young Chris Chelios for an old Dennis Savard.

 

[grusse]

What if the Habs drafted Dennis Savard instead of Doug Wickenheiser.

Then the Habs would not have traded a young Chris Chelios for an old Dennis Savard.

I remember the angst in Montreal when that happened in 1980.
I wonder if Savard would've done as well with the Habs,and the accompanying pressure-to-produce NOW,as he did
in Chicago?

also with the draft...what if the Canucks had won the spin of the wheel in 1970...and drafted Gilbert Perrault?

 

[AA_Train]

What if Steve Bartman hadn't caught that ball in the NLCS in 2003? Maybe the Cubs would have broken the curse.

 

[badbadboy]

Also Muhammad Ali,barred from boxing mid 1967-mid1970,age 25-28.Great as he was,he very likely could've been even greater.

I was thinking about posting about Ali but IMHO his best fights were after he was released from prison ie his loss to Joe Fraser then the Thrilla in Manilla and Rumble in the Jungle with George Foreman. He should have probably retired after that fight but went on to show the inevitable aging of a once great boxer.

I highly recommend getting the DVD "Losing to Ali" with all the former fighters remembering their fights with Ali. Even Smokin Joe admitted that if the fight went on someone was gonna die that night in Manilla.

 

[grusse]

What if Steve Bartman hadn't caught that ball in the NLCS in 2003? Maybe the Cubs would have broken the curse.

yes, Bartman takes his place in Cubs' litany of curses along with the Billy Goat,Black Cat et al.

ESPN had a good documentary on this cpl yrs ago.

Thought of cpl more.....

what if....the RedSox owner had NOT sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees so that he could finance a play?
would Yankee Stadium,aka "the house that Ruth built" exist?


what if.....Nelson Skalbania had NOT sold Wayne Gretzky to Peter Pocklington in WHA's last season,1978-1979?
Gretzky had begun his pro career with the soon-to-be-defunct Indiana Racers before going to the Oil.
Gretzky would have ended up somewhere for the 1979-1980 season,but who knows where.
Doubtful the "City of Champions" would have as much to boast about,tho' they still could crow about the Esks 5 on the trot Grey Cups.

 

[grusse]

What if people stopped living in the past and using what could have been or what might have been with clear 20/20 vision.

But I'll play along:
What if Cassius Clay lost to Sonny Liston?

What if henderson didn't hop onto the ice and score for Canada in 1972

What if peter pocklington didn't win Wayne Gretzky's rights in a Poker game?

pocklington won Gretzky's rights in poker game?I was hazy on how he came to the Oil,a poker game,lol.I think I'm right in that Skalbania
was involved?

'72 summit series.Henderson slow to get out of the Soviet zone,turned out well tho' as he pots the winner.