Greatest Numbers in Sports

There are a lot of uncertainties in the world of sports, but one certainty is that sports are all about numbers. If somebody came up and asked me how many career home runs Hank Aaron hit I’d instantly say 755. If they came up and asked me how many career race wins Richard Petty had I’d instantly say 200. Numbers are simply engrained into sports.

ESPN recently had a SportsNation poll of the greatest single-game or single-season numbers in sports history.

Here is a list of those numbers in chronological order from oldest to most recent:

.406- Ted Williams’ batting average (last player to bat .400 in a season), 1941
56- Joe DiMaggio’s hit streak, 1941
61- Roger Maris’ home runs, 1961
31-13-11- Oscar Robertson’s points/rebound/assist average, 1961-62
100- Wilt Chamberlain’s single-game point total, 1962
1.12- Bob Gibson’s ERA, 1968
92- Wayne Gretzky’s single-season goals record, 1981-82
2,105- Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record, 1984
5,084- Dan Marino’s single-season passing record, 1984
73- Barry Bonds’ single-season home run record, 2001
31- LaDanian Tomlinson’s single-season rushing touchdowns record, 2006
296- Adrian Peterson’s single-game rushing record, 2007
50- Tom Brady’s single-season passing touchdowns record, 2007
9.58- Usain Bolt’s record time in the 100 meters, 2009
59- Lowest round score on PGA Tour; occurred five times; most recently by Paul Goydos & Stuart Appleby, 2009

SportsNation fans listed these numbers as the top 5:

1. .406- Ted Williams
2. 100- Wilt Chamberlain
3. 56- Joe DiMaggio
4. 1.12- Bob Gibson
5. 9.58- Usain Bolt

My Top 5:

1. 100- Wilt Chamberlain … I don’t think anybody will ever do this again.
2. .406- Ted Williams … I also don’t think anybody will ever do this again.
3. 1.12- Bob Gibson … Once again, I don’t think anybody will ever do this again.
4. 56- Joe DiMaggio … Certainly possible, but the closest anybody has ever gotten was within 12 games.
5. 61- Roger Maris … 61 single-season home runs is still the record in my mind … Bonds’ 73 means absolutely nothing.

There are six numbers that I would like to see added to the list though:

130- Rickey Henderson’s single-season stolen base record, 1982
20- Record for strikeouts in a game; held by Roger Clemens (twice) & Kerry Wood (1998)
15- Number of strokes Tiger Woods beat the field by in the 2000 U.S. Open
14- Number of laps Ned Jarrett won a NASCAR race by at Charlotte, 1965
12- Most RBIs in a single-game held by Jim Bottomley (1924) & Mark Whiten (1992)
7- Most sacks in a single-game by Derrick Thomas, 1990

What do you think is the greatest number in sports?

10 Most Anticipated Returns in Sports

Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic today were discussing LeBron James' return to Cleveland next year when the Miami Heat play them on December 2. They were talking about the most anticipated returns in sports history.

Here are my 10.

1) 2 of these events haven't happened yet 2) this is a quickly thrown together list, so if I miss one please let me know

1. Wayne Gretzky back to Edmonton as a LA King

2. LeBron James back to Cleveland as a Miami Heat (future)

3. Shaquille O'Neal back to Los Angeles as a Miami Heat

4. Brett Favre back to Green Bay as a Minnesota Viking

5. Roger Clemens back to Boston as a Yankee

6. Donovan McNabb back to Philadelphia as a Redskin (future)

7. Michael Jordan back to Chicago as a Wizard

8. Manny Ramirez back to Boston as a Dodger

9. Terrell Owens back to Philadelphia as a Cowboy

10. Tom Glavine back to Atlanta as a Met

Honorable Mention: Nick Saban back to LSU as coach of Alabama

Greatest Athletes by Numbers

#99

1. Wayne Gretzky (Hockey)
2. George Mikan (Basketball)
3. Jason Taylor (Football)

#98

1. Tony Siragusa (Football)
2. Jessie Armstead (Football)
3. Casey Hampton (Football)

#97

1. Simeon Rice (Football)
2. Jeremy Roenick (Hockey)
3. Cornelius Bennett (Football)

#96

1. Pavel Bure (Hockey)
2. Cortez Kennedy (Football)
3. Bill Voiselle (Baseball)

#95

1. Richard Dent (Football)
2. Sam Adams (Football)
3. Greg Lloyd (Football)

#94

1. Charles Haley (Football)
2. Demarcus Ware (Football)
3. Dana Stubblefield (Football)

#93

1. Doug Gilmore (Hockey)
2. John Randle (Football)
3. Richard Seymour (Football)

#92

1. Reggie White (Football)
2. Michael Strahan (Football)
3. Ted Washington (Football)

#91

1. Dennis Rodman (Basketball)
2. Sergei Fedorov (Hockey)
3. Kevin Greene (Football)

#90

1. Bob Kurland (Basketball)
2. Neil Smith (Football)
3. Jevon Kearse (Football)

#89

1. Mike Ditka (Football)
2. Gino Marchetti (Football)
3. Fred Dryer (Football)

#88

1. Marvin Harrison (Football)
2. Michael Irvin (Football)
3. Alan Page (Football)

#87

1. Dave Casper (Football)
2. Dwight Clark (Football)
3. Sidney Crosby (Hockey)

#86

1. Hines Ward (Football)
2. Buck Buchanan (Football)
3. Dante Lavelli (Football)

#85

1. Jack Youngblood (Football)
2. Nick Buoniconti (Football)
3. Mark Duper (Football)

#84

1. Shannon Sharpe (Football)
2. Randy Moss (Football)
3. Stirling Sharpe (Football)

#83

1. Ted Hendricks (Football)
2. Andre Reed (Football)
3. Mark Clayton (Football)

#82

1. Raymond Berry (Football)
2. Ozzie Newsome (Football)
3. John Stallworth (Football)

#81

1. Tim Brown (Football)
2. Terrell Owens (Football)
3. Dick Lane (Football)

#80

1. Jerry Rice (Football)
2. Kellen Winslow (Football)
3. Steve Largent (Football)

#79

1. Harvey Martin (Football)
2. Roosevelt Brown (Football)
3. Bob St. Claire (Football)

#78

1. Bruce Smith (Football)
2. Anthony Munoz (Football)
3. Jackie Slater (Football)

#77

1. Red Grange (Football)
2. Ray Bourque (Hockey)
3. Willie Roaf (Football)

#76

1. Lou Groza (Football)
2. Orlando Pace (Football)
3. Marion Motley (Football)

#75

1. Deacon Jones (Football)
2. Howie Long (Football)
3. Joe Greene (Football)

#74

1. Merlin Olsen (Football)
2. Bob Lilly (Football)
3. Bruce Matthews (Football)

#73

1. John Hannah (Football)
2. Ron Yary (Football)
3. Joe Klecko (Football)

#72

1. Carlton Fisk (Baseball)
2. Dan Dierdorf (Football)
3. Ed Jones (Football)

#71

1. Alex Karras (Football)
2. Tony Boselli (Football)
3. George Connor (Football)

#70

1. Sam Huff (Football)
2. Jim Marshall (Football)
3. Art Donovan (Football)

#69

1. Mark Schlereth (Football)
2. Tim Krumrie (Football)
3. Jared Allen (Football)

#68

1. Jaromir Jagr (Hockey)
2. Will Shields (Football)
3. Kevin Mawae (Football)

#67

1. Bob Kuechenberg (Football)
2. Ed White (Football)
3. Russell Maryland (Football)

#66

1. Mario Lemieux (Hockey)
2. Ray Nitschke (Football)
3. Alan Faneca (Football)

#65

1. Elvin Bethea (Football)
2. Tom Mack (Football)
3. Gary Zimmerman (Football)

#64

1. Randall McDaniel (Football)
2. Jerry Kramer (Football)
3. Jack Reynolds (Football)

#63

1. Willie Lanier (Football)
2. Gene Upshaw (Football)
3. Lee Roy Selmon (Football)

#62

1. Jim Langer (Football)
2. Guy McIntyre (Football)
3. Scot Shields (Baseball)

#61

1. Bill George (Football)
2. Curley Culp (Football)
3. Josh Beckett (Baseball)

#60

1. Chuck Bednarik (Football)
2. Otto Graham (Football)
3. Scott Schoenweis (Baseball)

#59

1. Jack Ham (Football)
2. Seth Joyner (Football)
3. Todd Jones (Baseball)

#58

1. Jack Lambert (Football)
2. Derrick Thomas (Football)
3. Jonathan Papelbon (Baseball)

#57

1. Dwight Stephensen (Football)
2. Johan Santana (Baseball)
3. Clay Matthews (Football)

#56

1. Lawrence Taylor (Football)
2. Andre Tippett (Football)
3. Chris Doleman (Football)

#55

1. Junior Seau (Football)
2. Derrick Brooks (Football)
3. Dikembe Mutombo (Basketball)

#54

1. Randy White (Football)
2. Goose Gossage (Baseball)
3. Brian Urlacher (Football)

#53

1. Don Drysdale (Baseball)
2. Harry Carson (Football)
3. Artis Gilmore (Basketball)

#52

1. Ray Lewis (Football)
2. Mike Webster (Football)
3. Buck Williams (Basketball)

#51

1. Dick Butkus (Football)
2. Randy Johnson (Baseball)
3. Ichiro Suzuki (Baseball)

#50

1. Mike Singletary (Football)
2. David Robinson (Basketball)
3. Rebecca Lobo (Basketball)

#49

1. Ron Guidry (Baseball)
2. Bobby Mitchell (Football)
3. Charlie Hough (Baseball)

#48

1. Jimmie Johnson (Auto Racing)
2. Torii Hunter (Baseball)
3. Sam McDowell (Baseball)

#47

1. Tom Glavine (Baseball)
2. Mel Blount (Football)
3. Jack Morris (Baseball)

#46

1. Lee Smith (Baseball)
2. Andy Pettitte (Baseball)
3. Todd Christensen (Football)

#45

1. Bob Gibson (Baseball)
2. Pedro Martinez (Baseball)
3. Archie Griffin (Football)

#44

1. Hank Aaron (Baseball)
2. Jerry West (Basketball)
3. Reggie Jackson (Baseball)

#43

1. Richard Petty (Auto Racing)
2. Dennis Eckersley (Baseball)
3. Jack Sikma (Basketball)

#42

1. Jackie Robinson (Baseball)
2. Ronnie Lott (Football)
3. Mariano Rivera (Baseball)

#41

1. Tom Seaver (Baseball)
2. Eddie Matthews (Baseball)
3. Wes Unseld (Basketball)

#40

1. Gale Sayers (Football)
2. Elroy Hirsch (Football)
3. Bill Laimbeer (Basketball)

#39

1. Roy Campanella (Baseball)
2. Larry Csonka (Football)
3. Dominik Hasek (Hockey)

#38

1. Curt Schilling (Baseball)
2. George Rogers (Football)
3. Rocky Colavito (Baseball)

#37

1. Doak Walker (Football)
2. Shaun Alexander (Football)
3. Lester Hayes (Football)

#36

1. Robin Roberts (Baseball)
2. Gaylord Perry (Baseball)
3. Jerome Bettis (Football)

#35

1. Phil Niekro (Baseball)
2. Frank Thomas (Baseball)
3. Rickey Henderson (Baseball)

#34

1. Walter Payton (Football)
2. Shaquille O’Neal (Basketball)
3. Hakeem Olajuwon (Basketball)

#33

1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Basketball)
2. Larry Bird (Basketball)
3. Tony Dorsett (Football)

#32

1. Jim Brown (Football)
2. Magic Johnson (Basketball)
3. Sandy Koufax (Baseball)

#31

1. Greg Maddux (Baseball)
2. Reggie Miller (Basketball)
3. Dave Winfield (Baseball)

#30

1. Nolan Ryan (Baseball)
2. Ken Griffey Jr. (Baseball)
3. Orlando Cepeda (Baseball)

#29

1. Rod Carew (Baseball)
2. Eric Dickerson (Football)
3. John Smoltz (Baseball)

#28

1. Cale Yarborough (Auto Racing)
2. Marshall Faulk (Football)
3. Bert Blyleven (Baseball)

#27

1. Juan Marichal (Baseball)
2. Carlton Fisk (Baseball)
3. Vladimir Guerrero (Baseball)

#26

1. Rod Woodson (Football)
2. Wade Boggs (Baseball)
3. Billy Williams (Baseball)

#25

1. K.C. Jones (Basketball)
2. Fred Biletnikoff (Football)
3. Gail Goodrich (Basketball)

#24

1. Willie Mays (Baseball)
2. Jeff Gordon (Auto Racing)
3. Kobe Bryant (Basketball)

#23

1. Michael Jordan (Basketball)
2. LeBron James (Basketball)
3. Ryne Sandberg (Baseball)

#22

1. Emmitt Smith (Football)
2. Elgin Baylor (Basketball)
3. Jim Palmer (Baseball)

#21

1. Roberto Clemente (Baseball)
2. Tim Duncan (Basketball)
3. David Pearson (Auto Racing)

#20

1. Barry Sanders (Football)
2. Mike Schmidt (Baseball)
3. Frank Robinson (Baseball)

#19

1. Johnny Unitas (Football)
2. Bob Feller (Baseball)
3. Tony Gwynn (Baseball)

#18

1. Peyton Manning (Football)
2. Dave Cowens (Basketball)
3. Charlie Joiner (Football)

#17

1. John Havlicek (Basketball)
2. Dizzy Dean (Baseball)
3. Matt Kenseth (Auto Racing)

#16

1. Joe Montana (Football)
2. George Blanda (Football)
3. Whitey Ford (Baseball)

#15

1. Bart Star (Football)
2. Hal Greer (Basketball)
3. Tom Heinsohn (Basketball)

#14

1. Pete Rose (Baseball)
2. Ernie Banks (Baseball)
3. AJ Foyt (Auto Racing)

#13

1. Wilt Chamberlain (Basketball)
2. Dan Marino (Football)
3. Alex Rodriguez (Baseball)

#12

1. Tom Brady (Football)
2. Terry Bradshaw (Football)
3. John Stockton (Basketball)

#11

1. Mark Messier (Hockey)
2. Isiah Thomas (Basketball)
3. Elvin Hayes (Basketball)

#10

1. Pele (Soccer)
2. Fran Tarkenton (Football)
3. Chipper Jones (Baseball)

#9

1. Ted Williams (Baseball)
2. Gordie Howe (Hockey)
3. Bob Petit (Basketball)

#8

1. Cal Ripken Jr. (Baseball)
2. Yogi Berra (Baseball)
3. Troy Aikman (Football)

#7

1. Mickey Mantle (Baseball)
2. John Elway (Football)
3. Craig Biggio (Baseball)

#6

1. Bill Russell (Basketball)
2. Stan Musial (Baseball)
3. Julius Erving (Basketball)

#5

1. Joe DiMaggio (Baseball)
2. Johnny Bench (Baseball)
3. Brooks Robinson (Baseball)

#4

1. Lou Gehrig (Baseball)
2. Bobby Orr (Hockey)
3. Brett Favre (Baseball)

#3

1. Babe Ruth (Baseball)
2. Dale Earnhardt (Auto Racing)
3. Allen Iverson (Basketball)

#2

1. Derek Jeter (Baseball)
2. Rusty Wallace (Auto Racing)
3. Charley Gehringer (Baseball)

#1

1. Oscar Robertson (Basketball)
2. Ozzie Smith (Baseball)
3. Warren Moon (Football)

#0/00

1. Robert Parrish (Basketball)
2. Jim Otto (Football)
3. Al Oliver (Baseball)

45 Worst Trades in Sports History

1. Boston Red Sox trade Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for $100,000 dollars and a $300,000 loan

2. St. Louis Hawks trade Bill Russell to Boston Celtics for Ed Macauley & Cliff Hagan

3. Charlotte Hornets trade Kobe Bryant to LA Lakers for Vlade Divac

4. Atlanta Falcons trade Brett Favre to Green Bay Packers for 1st round draft pick

5. Milwaukee Bucks trade Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to LA Lakers for Elmore Smith, Junior Bridgemann and Dave Meyers

6. 76ers trade Wilt Chamberlain to Lakers for Jerry Chambers, Archie Clark & Darrall Imhoff

7. Minnesota Vikings trade five players and eight draft picks (three of which become Emmitt Smith, Darren Woodson & Alan Harper) to Dallas Cowboys for Herschel Walker and four draft picks

8. Cincinnati Reds trade Christy Matthewson to New York Giants for Amos Rusie

9. Edmonton Oilers trade Wayne Gretzky to Los Angeles Kings for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas and three 1st round draft picks

10. Chicago Cubs trade Lou Brock and two others to St. Louis Cardinals for Ernie Broglio, Bobby Shantz & Doug Clemens

11. Golden State Warriors trade Robert Parrish and third overall draft pick (which became Kevin McHale) to Boston Celtics for first overall pick (Joe Barry Carroll) and Ricky Brown

12. Cleveland Indians trade Joe Jackson to Chicago White Sox for Larry Chappell, Braggo Roth & Ed Klepfer

13. Houston Astros trade Joe Morgan, Jack Billingham, Cesar Cedeno & Ed Armbrister to Cincinnati Reds for Lee May, Tommy Helms & Jimmy Stewart

14. Detroit Tigers trade John Smoltz to Atlanta Braves for Doyle Alexander

15. Seattle SuperSonics trade Scottie Pippen to Chicago Bulls for Olden Polynice

16. Boston Red Sox trade Jeff Bagwell to Houston Astros for Larry Andersen

17. New York Mets trade Nolan Ryan and three others to California Angels for Jim Fregosi

18. Baltimore Colts trade John Elway to Denver Broncos for Mark Hermann, Chris Hinton and 1st round draft pick

19. Montreal Expos trade Randy Johnson and two others to Seattle Mariners for Mark Langston and Mike Campbell

20. Chicago White Sox trade Sammy Sosa to Chicago Cubs for George Bell 21. Cincinnati Reds trade Frank Robinson to Baltimore Orioles for Milt Pappas

22. Oakland A’s trade Mark McGwire to St. Louis Cardinals for T.J. Matthews, Blake Stein and Eric Ludwick

23. Philadelphia 76ers trade Charles Barkley to the Phoenix Suns for Tim Perry, Jeff Hornacek and Andrew Lang

24. New Jersey Nets trade Julius Erving to Philadelphia 76ers for $3 million

25. Philadelphia Phillies trade Ryne Sandberg & Larry Bowa to Chicago Cubs for Ivan DeJesus

26. Boston Red Sox trade Tris Speaker to Cleveland Indians for Sam Jones, Fred Thomas and cash

27. Milwaukee Bucks trade Dirk Nowitzki & Pat Garrity to Dallas Mavericks for Robert Traylor

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers trade Steve Young to San Francisco 49ers for 2nd & 4th round draft picks

29. San Diego Padres trade Ozzie Smith and others to the St. Louis Cardinals for Garry Templeton and others

30. Utah Jazz trade Dominique Wilkins to Atlanta Hawks for John Drew, Freeman Williams and cash

31. New Orleans Saints trade all six of their 1999 draft picks and a future 1st & 3rd Round draft pick to Washington Redskins to move up in draft to take Ricky Williams

32. Cleveland Indians trade Jeff Kent, Julian Tavarez & Jose Vizcaino to San Francisco Giants for Matt Williams

33. Indianapolis Colts trade Marshall Faulk to St. Louis Rams for 2nd & 5th round draft picks

34. New York Mets trade Tom Seaver to Cincinnati Reds for Pat Zachary, Doug Flynn & Steve Henderson

35. Rams trade Jerome Bettis to Pittsburgh Steelers for 2nd & 4th round draft picks

36. Washington Wizards trade Richard Hamilton, Hubert Davis & Brian Simmons to Detroit Pistons for Jerry Stackhouse, Brian Cardinals and Ratko Varda

37. Memphis Grizzlies trade Pau Gasol to LA Lakers for Kwame Brown, Aaron McKie, Javaris Crittenten and Marc Gasol

38. Atlanta Falcons trade 5th overall pick (which became LaDanian Tomlinson) and 3rd round pick to San Diego Chargers for 1st overall draft pick (which became Michael Vick)

39. Houston Astros trade Kenny Lofton & Dave Rhule to Cleveland Indians for Eddie Taubensee & Willie Blair

40. Tampa Bay Rays trade Bobby Abreu to Philadelphia Phillies for Kevin Stocker

41. San Diego Padres trade Fred McGriff to Atlanta Braves for Melvin Nieves, Donnie Elliott and Vince Moore

42. Seattle Mariners trade Jason Varitek & Derek Lowe to Boston Red Sox for Heathcliff Slocumb

43. Chicago Blackhawks trade Dominik Hasek to Buffalo Sabres for Stephane Beauregard and 4th round draft pick

44. Oakland Raiders trade Randy Moss to New England Patriots for 4th round draft pick

45. New York Knicks trade two first round draft picks for Eddy Curry