Top 10 "Top 10s": What-Could-Have-Beens

     Some people say it's never good to ask "What if?" questions because there will never be any real answers.  Sometimes, though, it is a little fun.  That's why I'm presenting my top 10 sports "What-Could-Have-Beens," sports figures whose relatively incomplete careers leaves questions behind.




  10.  Earl Manigault

     People said that upon NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's retirement, he was asked who was the greatest player he had played against.  His answer was said to have astounded everyone as he named Earl "Goat" Manigault, a man who never set foot in the NBA, as the guy.  Turns out, Manigault was indeed a heck of a street ball player.  Details of his exploits include such tales as once doing 36 consecutive reverse dunks to win a 60 dollar bet, dunking from the free throw line with two hands over two people during a game, and picking off dollar bills and quarters from the top of the backboard.  It was clear that the freakishly-athletic 6'2" baller was an exceptional prospect for the NBA.  Unfortunately, Manigault succumbed to a drug habit for years, effectively destroying any chance for a basketball career.  It does beg the question, though, if the "Goat," could have dominated the NBA the way he dominated the playground.

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Repeat Please!

     This year's Wrestlemania in Arizona looks to be another blockbuster pay-per-view event for the WWE, and it should, since it will feature Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels 2 ('Taker's Wrestlemania undefeated streak of 17 wins vs Michaels' career.)  This was a rematch over a year in the making and in the wrestling world, a year is an eternity.  This got me wistfully thinking about other matches that should've gotten a rematch, but didn't.


Portland Trail Blazers vs Chicago Bulls (early 90s NBA)

     The two teams met in the 1992 NBA Finals, with the Bulls, courtesy of astounding play and suddenly accurate three point shooting from Michael Jordan taking the championship.  Both teams were very loaded, with the Blazers having Terry Porter, Clyde Drexler, Jerome Kersey, Buck Williams, Cliff Robinson and Kevin Duckworth.  Meanwhile, the Bulls featured John Paxson, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, Bill Cartwright and B.J. Armstrong and the two teams were just evenly matched, that it seemed they would be headed for an intriguing rivalry for at least another 2 years.  Alas,it was not meant to be as the revamped Phoenix Suns emerged as Western champs the following year and then Jordan retired the 1st time after that.  Just the thought of the aerial battle between His Airness and the Glide is more than enough to be wistful about a rematch.


Mike Tyson vs James Douglas (Heavyweight Boxing)

      In what was easily the upset of the decade in boxing, "Buster" Douglas knocked out the until then indestructible "Iron" Mike Tyson, taking his undisputed heavyweight championship. Douglas was at his best, moving, jabbing and frustrating Tyson until the fearsome champ tired out.  Finally, he seized his opportunity in the 11th round, dropping Tyson for the first time in his career.  Despite this almost perfect night from Douglas, it was still a close fight, as Tyson also dropped Douglas with a smashing right in the 10th round.  That is why a rematch would've been tremendous for the boxing world.  Unfortunately, the loss was only the first of a string of bad developments for Tyson, who then was found guilty of rape, sent to jail and found himself bankrupt.  Douglas, meanwhile, enjoyed his championship too much, showing up bloated for his first title defense against Evander Holyfield and got knocked out of significance.  


Ryo Chonan vs Anderson Silva





     Silva, generally considered the best mixed martial artist in the world, pound for pound, has been undefeated in the UFC.  Before he got his aura of invincibility in the UFC, however, Silva lost four times.  One of those losses in the now defunct Pride Championship in Japan, was to Japanese Ryo Chonan who is currently in the UFC roster as well.  In what has to be one of the most spectacular finishes in MMA, Chonan unleashed a flying scissor takedown which led straight to a heel hook to defeat Silva.  It's almost a certainty that Silva would want to avenge that fight, but Pride has been bought out by the UFC and Chonan, while still in the UFC, has seen his career fade into oblivion.  A rematch may not draw as much interest, so it's unlikely a rematch will be set up.  

Dreams May Come

Over the past couple of months, a couple of "dream match ups," previously thought of as impossible, became realities. Manny Pacquiao and Oscar de la Hoya sealed the deal and will fight later this year, while American pros like Walter Ray WIlliams Jr. and Tommy Jones were finally able to bowl in the Bowling Men's World Championships. This got me to thinking about "dream sports match ups," and while some will be impossible to arrange, it was still nice to consider them. Here are just some of the "dream match ups" I thought out:

Basketball - Dream Team 1 (then) versus the rest of the world (now)

People keep talking about matching up the original Dream Team (Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird) with this year's Redeem Team (Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and Dwayne Wade), but I think the better way to compare them would be to see if the original Dream Team can still win the Olympic Medal with the much-improved international teams. People keep claiming that the U.S. simply could not dominate anymore because all the other countries have improved, and that claim would be answered if the original Dream Team could play in the Beijing Olympics. (Runner-Up: 1993 Chicago Bulls vs the 1994 Rockets)

Bowling - Walter Ray Williams Jr. versus Rafael "Paeng" Nepomuceno

Williams, with the most Professional Bowling titles in history, was finally able to compete in the World Championships in Thailand this year. However, Paeng shied away from joining the team this year. It would be great to see them on a one on one match on wooden and synthetic lanes, with different lane conditions. The greatest pro bowler vs the greatest amateur bowler in history. What's not to love? (Runner-Up: Dick Webber versus Pete Webber)

Basketball - Grand Slam Crispa Teams versus Grand Slam San Miguel Team versus Grand Slam Alaska Team

Each team boasts of the fact that no other team could beat them in a whole season. It would be great to see which team would beat which. A mini-tournament featuring the four teams would be sight to watch. Imagine the match ups of Johnny A vs Bernie Fabiosa or Hector Calma, Atoy Co vs Ricky Brown or Jojo Lastimosa and Philip Cezar vs Ramon Fernandez or Bong Hawkins. Araneta wouldn't be big enough to fit the amount of people who want to watch this one. (NCC National Team versus the 2007 PBA National Team)

Boxing - George Foreman versus Mike Tyson

This dream match between tremendously powerful sluggers would have been possible were it not for Mike Tyson's trouble-making ways. This won't be a pretty fight, but it sure would be a great one to watch. A knock out is almost guaranteed as neither would rely on sticking and jabbing or other pretty boy stuff like that. (Runner-up: Manny Pacquiao vs. Roberto Duran or Oscar de la Hoya vs. Marvin Hagler)

MMA - Anderson Silva versus Royce Gracie

Silva has been named MMA's best pound-for-pound fighter ,while Gracie has been widely-regarded as the sports greatest ever. The spider-like smooth moves of Silva, combined with his scary knock-out power, would be put to test against the tough, patient and crafty Gracie. Whether the fight ends with a knockout by Silva or a submission by Gracie, the fight will surely be a dandy. (Runner-up: Brock Lesnar versus Dan "the Beast" Severn or Ken Shamrock vs Frank Shamrock)

Pro Wrestling - The Rockers vs The Hardys

While pro wrestling can always bring the old guys back, this match up seems to be only possible as a dream match up since Marty Jannety is nowhere to be found. These two teams revolutionized the Tag Team genre and their high-flying antics would surely be entertaining, no matter how fake wrestling is. In fact, the only match better than this would be these four guys in a Tag Team Ladder Match. If only Vince McMahon read my blog... (Runner-up: Undertaker versus Rick Flair)

Of course, these are only dream match ups that I want to see. Place your comments if you have other dream match ups. I would love to read about them.