Best use of talent in sports history

[Jack of Arcades]

Jamie Moyer is a lefty, which is a huge talent as it is.

[daca]

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David Beckham.

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Are you serious?

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Kinda yes. The amount of money he's made is certainly unique.

If we're only talking about on the field he's still a pretty good answer. England captain, part of some pretty good football teams even though he's very limited talentwise. What was the George Best qoute? "He cant kick with his left foot, he cant tackle, he cant pass a defender and he doesn't score many goals. Apart from that he's all right" or something like that?

[SuperUberBob]

Zach Thomas. Guy was supposed to be a total nobody in the NFL and wasn't supposed to do jack. Couldn't be more wrong.

[prohornblower]

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Jamie Moyer is a lefty, which is a huge talent as it is.

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Exactly. Moyer is a good answer, but come on, Maddux has accomplished way way more, and mostly as a righty with an 86 mph fastball.

If you were trying to break into MLB as a 6'0" righty with an 86mph fastball (and weren't a knuckleballer) you'd get laughed out of town.*

*Granted, when he broke in, he was above 90, but still he's accomplished a ton with not a lot of heat. Also, yes he's a great fielder and hitter, but I was speaking solely about his pitching and 330+ wins (WINS ZOMG!!!)

[PokerFink]

Maddux is an excellent athlete. He has, what, like 16 gold gloves and world-class caliber control. That comes from being an excellent athlete with great coordination.

[NT!]

muggsy bogues

[MiloDanglers]

charles barkley and allen iverson - both nba mvp's who were pretty short for their respective positions.

also would a guy like dennis rodman fit in this discussion?

[sandycove]

Under Burrito rules, it must be:

British Rower Sir Steve Redgrave.

Possibly the greatest Olympic athlete ever, regardless of sport. Five (!) successive Olympic gold medals. And a Bronze.

In his last Olympics in Sydney, he defeated sons of fathers he out-rowed the first time in Los Angeles.

He added 9 World Championships golds from 1986 to 1999 and at least 13 victories at the Henley Royal Regatta and one World Indoor Rowing Championship.

And he threw in a national championship on the British bobsled team, for good measure.

He did all this in spite of a severe learning disability (dyslexia), ulcerative colitis and diabetes, which would leave him, literally, breathless in competition.

He has completed at least three London Marathons recently, setting a record raising some £2 million for charity, all on his own. And he was a key member of the British national committee that is bringing the Olympics to London.

[wisehandpoker]

Anna Kournikova

[RobertJohn]

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How could the answer be anyone other than Larry Bird?

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