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Post by msdemos on Mar 19, 2019 21:02:02 GMT
.....as in the case of Barry Sanders, an "early" retirement (or, any other reason?) ??  www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SandBa00.htm (Btw.....to anyone interested, click on this image and REALLY look closely at it....simply INCREDIBLE at how FOCUSED he is (look at those eyes!), how LOW he is, and how his body, somehow, seems to be going in about three different directions, ALL AT THE SAME TIME! I don't know.....I'm starting to TRULY believe this Sanders guy just MIGHT have had a VERY special career, if ONLY he had just stuck with it !!  ) SAVE FERRIS
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Post by Aj_June on Mar 19, 2019 21:16:10 GMT
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Post by klawrencio79 on Mar 19, 2019 21:18:28 GMT
See, I think Sanders is a bad example because he chose to retire at a younger age (and good for him) but he still made the HOF. So tough to say his career was "cut short."
Could Tiger Woods fit the bill? If that ridiculous scandal didn't happen, would we be sitting here and looking at the single most distinguished career any golfer has ever had?
Ricky Williams was one of the top players in the league when he retired, and he was a social misfit.
Doc Gooden and Darryl Strawberry. Gooden in particular.
Maurice Clarett
Lawrence Phillips
Mike Tyson
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Post by TheGoodMan19 on Mar 19, 2019 21:27:34 GMT
Injury - Sandy Koufax (and a million others)
Illness - Lou Gehrig
Death - Ray Chapman (only player killed in a baseball game)
Scandal - Joseph Jefferson Jackson, the Shoeless One
Retirement - Jim Brown
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Post by Geddy on Mar 19, 2019 21:32:16 GMT
Bobby Orr in ice hockey obviously.
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Post by hoskotafe3 on Mar 19, 2019 21:44:07 GMT
John Coleman: greatest full forward to ever play Australian Rules football. A knee injury that would be fixed with a simple surgery today ended his career at 26 after just 98 games and 537 goals.
Archie Jackson: Australian cricketer who died from Tuberculosis at just 23. Averaged 47 in 8 tests, many played when he was struggling with the fatal illness.
Nathan Ablett: was a key player in Geelong's 2007 premiership who retired st 21 after 32 games because "he lacked passion for the game." All I can say is if he's that good at something he has no passion for, then look out if he ever finds his passion.
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Post by hoskotafe3 on Mar 19, 2019 22:04:41 GMT
And oh snap! I have the winner(s)! Most obvious example of great careers cut short by scandal or political interference: the great South African cricketers of the 70s whose international careers were ended by SA being expelled from sports due to apartheid. Mike Proctor, Graeme Pollock, Barry Richards, Ali Bacher etc. All time greats whose careers were ended by outside forces.
I'll leave it to others to debate whether Gary Player should have suffered the same fate.
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Post by Aj_June on Mar 19, 2019 22:11:33 GMT
And oh snap! I have the winner(s)! Most obvious example of great careers cut short by scandal or political interference: the great South African cricketers of the 70s whose international careers were ended by SA being expelled from sports due to apartheid. Mike Proctor, Graeme Pollock, Barry Richards, Ali Bacher etc. All time greats whose careers were ended by outside forces. I'll leave it to others to debate whether Gary Player should have suffered the same fate. Can't contest that. Barry and Pollock both had awesome FC career and looked great at Test level.
Is Proctor the wrong footed guy or is it just a myth? Is wrong footed bowling action even possible?
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Post by Aj_June on Mar 19, 2019 22:58:51 GMT
Did a bit of research on Proctor. Appears as if he is wrong-footed. But seems not actually. Just awkward foot placement.  |
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Post by sdm3 on Mar 19, 2019 23:04:34 GMT
His professional career hadn't yet started, but Len Bias.
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Post by fjenkins on Mar 20, 2019 22:34:01 GMT
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Post by TheGoodMan19 on Mar 20, 2019 22:44:10 GMT
Duh, I never thought of him
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Post by fjenkins on Mar 20, 2019 22:58:57 GMT
Duh, I never thought of him
He was the first and probably the last legit shot at getting into both the NFL and MLB HOFs. Would have made it to NFL for sure, I think his career MLB stats would have been in the .280 480hr 1450 rbi range.
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flyerzzrul
Sophomore
@flyerzzrul
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Post by flyerzzrul on Mar 20, 2019 23:00:49 GMT
Ken Griffey Jr. I thought he could have been the one who legitimately broke Hank's HR record
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Post by hi224 on Mar 21, 2019 0:54:09 GMT
Len Bias was mentioned so how about Reggie Lewis, imagine how they could've disrupted the jordan era.
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Post by tristramshandy on Mar 21, 2019 2:17:33 GMT
JR Richard
Ryan Shazier
Greg Cook
Drazen Petrovic
Tony Conigliaro
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Post by twothousandonemark on Mar 21, 2019 2:23:12 GMT
Lore proves Bo was so strong that he broke his hip because he was too explosive for his own body on that final tackle.
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Post by hi224 on Mar 21, 2019 5:25:32 GMT
Ken Griffey Jr. I thought he could have been the one who legitimately broke Hank's HR record I remember being a huge fan as a kidvhad a jersey and a stuffed bear actually. |
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Post by Rey Kahuka on Mar 21, 2019 12:05:42 GMT
My first four thoughts were Bo, , Orr, Len Bias and Reggie Lewis but they've all been mentioned. (Can't believe it took that long for someone to mention Bo!)
*Digs deep into recesses of brain*
Andy Katzenmoyer
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Post by Aj_June on Mar 29, 2019 16:35:18 GMT
 Had a great career although it was cut short. 125 wickets in just 27 Tests.
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