The Unbreakables.

er, i mean the greatest records.

Good catch on the Joe D miss, that was a brain fart.Id like to think that Marvin can catch Jerry but I have a hard time conviencing myself of that. I actually tried to make that arguement last night but just couldnt do it. Yeah pretty much all the pitching records are safe with the way modern (last 15 yrs) play

Here is the thing. All records are breakable. Everyone thought it was impossible to catch Lou Gerhig for most consecutive games played. Cal did it. Everyone thought it was impossible to break babes record for HRs. Aaron did it. Same thing with HRs with Maris. Bonds, McGwire and Sosa all passed it. Records are meant to be broken. Some are impossible. Some might not happen soon. Someone will score more then 100 points in a game. Records that are 1 single performance are easier to break then ones that last over a season. Ones that last over a season are harder to break then Career. All you have to do to break a single game record is be hot for one day. FOr a season record, you just need to be hot for one year. And for the career its just have to be good. Most records can and will be broken. The only ones that are "unbreakable" are the ones that are mathamatically impossible to get too. Not enough starts are made a year to get 30 wins let alone 40. Really good pitchers hardly make 500 starts in a career let alone have that many wins.

If not Marvin, someone will with the way the game has evolved into a pas first league.

No I agree with you 100%. I love to see records fall so dont think Im so purest or anything like that. But our goal with the list was to find those records that are becoming mathmatically impossible to catch, due to the either a lack or starts ie the pitching records, or they are growing increasingly difficult to break because of the nature of the game and the way the game has shifted. This is more apparent in baseball than any other sport.

Marvin has 13,000+ career yards...even if he averages 1,500 yard per season over the next 5 he'll still be pretty short...its a tall order and he's only getting older...there's a reason that no one argues with jerry rice was the greatest receiver ever...

Here is the thing about baseball and all sports. Things go in cycles. For example, stealing bases has become an obsoltete thing now adays. However, in another 20 years, the game might change back and place a premium on speed and base stealing and manufacturing runs. To say that Rickeys record wont fall or that Joe D wont either is rediculous. They will fall. At some point they will fall. Not necessarily in our lifetime, but someone will go on a run and get these. A little harder one to break is most points in a season in HOckey. Gretzey got 218 I think. He is the only one ever to get over 200 points and he did it twice. Hell, the bad teams in hockey now adays dont score 200 points as a team.

Agreed. I thought Harrison had a ways to go but when you break it down like that, no way he plays long enough to catch Rice. Maybe Calvin Johnson does...

That's a good point Ed and I've said it before... Cy Young's 511 is unbreakable the way baseball stands now...it would take a major change in era (probably multiple eras) or a rule change for a pitcher to break that record...more likely the pitch count would have to disappear and that doesn't seem likely any time soon

Five years is an exageration. And it might not be Marvin but someone will break Jerrys at some point. And no one is arguing that he isnt hte best receiver of all time. Or that he might be the best football player ever. However, there will always be someone who will be the next greatest receiver. You cant be the best forver, someone is going to pass you.

All it takes is a guy not to get hurt and be good enough to make a run at it. Hell, I think Miggie is almost at over 1000 in a row right now. It will fall. People said Lou Gehrigws wouldnt fall and Cal shattered it. It takes time and luck but it is not unbreakable.

Pete rose's will and Jeter looks to have a shot at it. Cal's record is breakable but it'll take a youngin' to start now to break it...You gotta be good and durable...that's hard to do...playing hurt is one thing...a lot of players do this...but you also need to avoid 15 or so years of freak injuries (broken bones, torn tendons, etc)

Fair enough on the consecutive games point. Yea, I was thinking Jeter when I made the comment about Pete Rose's record.

Yeah for some reason Cals reecord never stood out ot me as something that amazing I can see it being broken

Not something amazing? You try going to wrk for 13 years straight without taking a day off for being sick or just to have a day off. That is including weekends and all that. That kind of dependability and resistance to the annoying things like blisters or being tired or a soar arm or what not is amazing. It wasnt an amazing feet of talent or stregth or skill. IT was an amazing performance of perserverance and determination and professionalism and desire and all that.

Let me say this first Im not a big baseball fan, so I dont understand the intracacies of the game. That includes Cals streak. I know it is impressive and I was impressed. But Ill take Favre's NFL start streak any day a tenth as long and 1000 times more impressive.

Many people will disagree BigPPup, myself included...To me, this side of the 1993 world series, cal breaking that record his my favorite baseball moment...

Favres is amazing. No doubt about it. Especially for a QB. And no one is trying to put one over the other. You cant. If you compress it down, they are about hte same. Its amazing that Favre hasnt been hurt bad enough to miss a game. However, he does have the week to heal up from small injuries. Cal played 6 games a week. Baseball doesnt really have the major injuries like football. No proken legs or blown out knees as much. However to go 13+ years ( I know I am wrong on the number of years) and miss no games due to pulled hammy or groin or tired arm or anything like that is amazing. Plus he played almost every inning of every game. The thing that a lot of people dont realize about Gerhig is that there are many an instances that he would be hitting 3rd in the lineup and get pulled after he got his atbat. He still played that game, but did he really?

Oh I know I am in the minority with my position, but like I said Im just not a true baseball fan. Never played it growing up, watch only on occasion now, so the numbers just dont have that same impact on me. Ive spent my life playing contact and collision sports, so I give a nod to a guy who goes through that. Much like Favre I do not take pain killers either (outside of a beer or 3) so I can imagine what he feels and I have the most respect for him.

You realize that Farve at one point was addicted to vicadin right? That is a painkiller amd as a result he is in the NFLs substance abuse program. There was one point where he wasnt allowed to drink becuase of it.

I know he was addicted which is why he cant take any now. Thats why I brought it up. I am the same way, and it is why I do not take any painkillers and it causes me to have the respect I do for him.

Is it a bad thing that I became immune to Vicadin after two days?

Ruth hit 60 in less games...thoughts?

There's a book called "The Year Ruth hit 103 Homeruns" or something like that. The author goes into detail about how baseball parks are different these days and seasons are longer. So by today's standards, Ruth would've set the single season mark at 103. I thought it was quite interesting.

McGwire, Bonds and Sosa all hit 60 in even less games.

Where's tyrone to talk about steroids on this one...

Did someone mention STEROIDS? :)

Great. Drag Tyrone into this. Can someone explain to me why Ia ma soccer kid?

Yea, that looks pretty impossible. A pitcher would have to strikeout 250+ people a season without missing a season for 22-23 seasons.

Someone will pass it. Johnson is right up there with cleamons and got a late jump interms of starting point in his career. Records like that will fall. At some point that is. Everyone looks for the guy playing now that will break it. The guy that breaks it very well might be in diapers or not even born yet.

The only way Ryan's record gets broken is if Johnson starts doing what Clemens has done for the past few years and one of them goes for at least 5 more seasons.

OR some unborn or 13 year old gets to the majors and is just a freak on the mound and averages 250 ks a year. Everyone makes hte assumption that these records are going to be broken by someone playing today. People, the likely hood of that happening is very slim. Records will fall by people that arent born yet and you have to deal with it. Stop trying to project for people that are old and if they hold on and all that stuff. Just enjoy their careers and when it falls say how great they are.

That is a rediculous argument. So what. If hte season was trimmed down to 154 games, then he would still have not gotten a hit in the first 11. If you remove an 11 game stretch from Ruths record, you could make the argument that he hit it in 143 games. Stop thosestupid comparisons.

If you wanted to say you dont acknowledge the record because of steriods, I would say it is your perogative. That is fine. To try and justify it by saying that if you remove an 11 game stretch to try and prove a point is silly. If you remove an 11 game stretch from all of them when they went into a slump your argument becomes mute. You cant have it both ways. You cant say that you want to apply a certian criteria to one player and not apply that criteria to others. The record stands at 73 weither you like it. If you dont want to ackowledge it dont. Just dont try to rationalize it through numbers or silly criteria. Just say my record is 61

Thank you very much for the thumbs up. I meant no disrespect. I just think people should either argue rationally or irrationally. Dont try and mix the two. It does pain me to see these records go by the wayside. There is a certian amount of nostalgia about these and you almost feel like these records falling is like turning off a night lite at night.

Well said. I can second that emotion. On a different note I actually feel worse about McGwire breaking the record than Bonds. Just because Barry lies to our faces and admits he is an asshole, and we expect that from us. He will slap you in the face and say yeah he slapped you. McGwire used us. He blatently lied and soaked up the role as America's hero and the savoir of the national pasttime. Then ran like a theif in the night when he knew the heat was on.

This is not intended to sound like I am a McGwire apologist. I am not. However, technically speaking Andro is not a steroid. It is a steroid precursor but it is still a product that can be bought over the counter and taken without a doctors prescription.

The rest of hte statement I have no issues with. Your right. Selig and owners are all responsible for hte monster they craeted and only after it got out of the barn did they realize that they might have an issue.

I like you Niteowl. Dont take this the wrong way but its nice to have a geezer to talk about hte old days with. I am a youngen and was never fortunate to get to see all the greats. You are about my pops age and when we talk ball all I hear about is spahn and saine and pray for rain, joe adcock and Aaron.

Once again people. We are confusing unbreakable and breakable in a long time. Will it be broken? Without a doubt. Kobe might have a chance and so will Lebron. Both are young when they started and score a lot of points. And now a question, are you sure playtoff scoring is actually taken into consideration. I dont know this for sure but I thought it was a seperate category. Kind of like homers in the playoffs arent taken into consideration for hte overall homerun count.

i ran the numbers for Kobe Bryant in Bill James Favorite Toy and it predicts Kobe has a 42.9% chance of breaking Kareem's record if he plays just over 7 more years at which point he will be 35 years old.

Did he really? Man he looked older then that. Doesnt matter though. You are making assumptions here that Lebron wil only play till he is 32 or Kobe till he is 35. What if both play the same number of years that Kareem did. That would add 3 years to Kobe and an addition 6 years to Lebron. That is a lot of years. I will bet $1.47 that one of those two will break that record.

All I am saying is that it isnt that far out of reach. It will happen.

ditto my record for most comments in an article. Unless another great NFL game happens that I'm blogging, or am on while it happens

And if you believe that story I have an ocean front condo in Kansas City I want to sell you...

Thank you. I knew I was off. IT was 2611 I think total games in a row. And Like i said. I was pulling an arbitrary number out of my rectum. Thanks for the update though.

Yes, I read that article by David Schoenfield also. Granted yes, that will never happen again, most likely anyway. I think we are talking about real records and not minor isolated occurances here. In fact it is more of an answer to a trivia question then a record. And for the answer to that trivia quesiton, Fernando Tatis did it for the St. Louis Cardinals I believe. Or was it the spos? I cant remember