We're talking like Kofax level great.
They used to let you get right over the visitors bullpen in Camden Yards and also just behind the bullpen catcher. Troy Percival threw HARD but Mo didn't throw a cutter in the conventional Andy Pettitte sense... He threw a 95mph slider for strikes. You could see the crazy movement looking over his shoulder--it was like he was throwing a wiffleball but at 95. To quote Buck Showalter "I'll sit here in the dugout, tell you what he'll throw, where it'll be, and how hard he's going to throw it and you still won't be able to hit it." that was literally a different league from anyone else.
I was also there for his last blown save at the stadium. (he didn't have many but that was an event)
More men have walked on the moon than scored a postseason ER against Mariano Rivera.
Messi
Saw Messi as well....however not at the top of his game when he was having a below average day.....so yes I saw him, but not for the level of play that he is known for. Sometimes, the stars just don't align.
How is the game experience at Camden Yards, because I'd rather die than have to go to Baltimore for anything.
Well, the team is to, put it politely "challenged." The stadium is the best I've ever been in although I haven't been to PNC in Pitt or whatever they're calling the SF stadium these days. It is what launched the retro ballpark craze. I've got a couple friends who've done all the MLB stadiums (34 now I think with moving and replacements) It's one of their favorites too, although the city is also "challenged." There's a really nice brewpub up on Charles St. I'd recommend (Brewer's Art)
I've heard it is a good time, it does look really nice, wasn't it renovated not too long ago?
PNC park in Pittsburgh is incredible though, I haven't been to that many other stadiums but it's probably one of the best views in all of major league sports.
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Ranking MLB stadums, Camden is in the top 5 along with PNC, Wrigley, Oracle (Giants), and Petco (San Diego). I would put the Dodgers stadium next, along with probably Target Stadium (Twins), and the new Busch. All are great for different reasons. In my opinion PNC is the best overall (combination of city view, amenities, and design/layout), Oracle you are looking out into the water, Petco is PNC light, slightly worse in all categories, Dodgers looks right out into the mountains. Target and the new Busch have great amenities and layouts. Wrigley is so historic and in my opinion the best atmosphere in baseball AND they actually upgraded in and around the stadium unlike Fenway.
So pumped to watch Adley and Grayson once they get to the Orioles
I think it's the nicest stadium in baseball. Been to Oracle, PNC, Nationals Park, and others and still don't think anything beats the overall experience. Everything from Boog's BBQ to balls batted onto Eutaw St. and the warehouse, to the luxury suits, to the two orange seats make it a ballpark unlike anything else around. Brewer's Art is solid as is Pratt Street Ale House. I usually hit up Pickles with some high school friends when I go now though.
Nothing beats the view from PNC and the fact you can look out and see it from the concessions area is insane.
Ronaldo
I saw Derek Jeter at Equinox in UES
My grandfather was also an amazing athlete whom I have met. He was QB at ND.
What era did your grandpa play at ND? Mine played for Leahy.
He played for coach Knute Rockne
Had the chance to meet a few:
Tim Duncan - didn't even recognize him at his kid's private school charity fundraiser event until he introduced himself. Totally down to earth and chill dude, despite literally towering over everyone.
Emmit Smith - Pretty chill dude, was nice enough to say hi but wanted to pick up his food and boogy which is totally understandable.
Troy Aikman - guy's a total douche. All he wanted was to hit on my family friend and physically brushed me and my buddy away like misbehaving pets instead of simply just saying hello.
Rick Carlisle - shops at the same high-end audio boutique, ran into him by accident and had to ask the salesman "Is...is that..." "Yeah, that's Rick. He's one of our favorites. Hey Rick, come meet a fan!" Swapped banter for about ten minutes, gave me the obligatory thumbs up on my purchase that day. Fake or not, don't care. I got a thumbs up from a champsionship winning coach.
Seen all the F1 drivers including Hamilton, Verstappen and Ricciardo a few times during parade laps at CoTA. Does that count?
that's awesome Tim Duncan is down to earth, he seems like a really nice guy
Me
Just saw someone call some dude with basketball sized delts a "greek god".
I think I'm a greek god. 6'2 and carved out of marble. Obviously not a roided monster like half the NBA/NFL, but lean and aesthetic.
Most amazing athlete I've ever seen in person - "Zion Williamson".
Pure athleticism and a dominant player. Watched courtside at the ACC Championship and he was a menace. I still have hope he'll be one of the greats in the NBA.
NBA - I played basketball with Jeremy Lamb and Kemba Walker. I gave Jeremy Lamb an alley-oop and he slammed it. A surreal moment that I'll never forget, literally saw pure athleticism flash before my eyes.
NFL - It's nice to have NFL players as close family friends. Get free tickets to games and get to travel with them sometimes. They're great guys off the field and constantly receive humanitarian awards. Also met their teammate Tom Brady, cool guy but didn't vibe with him.
Tennis - Big tennis fan. I've met and hit with some of the players in the ATP Top 100. All are amazing athletes but haven't seen the big three play in person yet.
*Notable mention - Family member plays Texas A&M football. 5 Star all-around pro athlete, won a track state championship in HS, and will probably get drafted this year.
Spiller?
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Deleted.
Met Bernard Hopkins several years ago. WBA, IBF, IBA, & lineal light heavyweight champ at 46 years old is one of the more impressive accomplishments in boxing. He was probably ~50 when I met him and would guess that he was walking around at ~170 in fighting shape - not sure why, as he was retired and staying in fighting shape is miserable.
Lisa Ann
It’s going to sound cliche, but Steph Curry. Not from an athleticism point of view, but from a skill point of view. The man does not miss a shot during warmups.
Nadal. Dude practices as hard/ harder as he plays. Also his stamina/endurance is incredible
Got to see Lebron drop 60 at a Wizards game. Wizards lost which sucks, but I mean it's still a really cool experience to see the #2 GOAT play in the flesh, and have a really good game at that.
#2??????
Yeah MJ #1 Obvs
I was friends with an NFL linebacker in my MBA. I rate him up there.
Here's why: because he was an incredibly humble, down to earth, family man. Most people. Myself included. would have had a big head by that point. He did not and remained very approachable, friendly, and conversational.
There's a ton of athletes with exceptional physical abilities. There's very few who remain of exceptional character and integrity.
Went to high school with a couple guys that are now perennial pro bowlers. They were next level- played every snap on offense, defense, and special teams, and were absolute men against boys.Played baseball with a kid on my travel team that was two years younger than me, but already throwing 95+ at 16. Got drafted in the second round but sadly can't seem to hack it in the minors. Regardless, it was surreal seeing this quiet 16-year-old kid throw missiles from the mound.
I'm only in college so not too much exposure, but one of my good friends joined the swim team freshman year of HS. Proceeded to get 4 gold medals at districts and was the only freshman at states where he got 3rd. Fast forward, he broke the mexican record for the 50m free, and went on to the tokyo olympics. Not too too crazy but the interesting thing is he started swimming becuase he wasnt allowed to represent the US in cycling at the junior olympics so decided to try out swimming. Dude is just an athletic beast. Best athlete I had the chance to speak with and don't know personally is Kareem
I lived in the nicest apartments by our campus my sophomore year of college and had random roommates since my friends were a bit more frugal than me. One of my roommates was a redshirt freshman on the football team with just a little bit of hype at the time but now he is a top 10-15ish RB in the NFL. He was really nice and super chill and we got along well, but not even close to actual friends haha. We threw some pretty awesome parties though
I had dinner with Tony Meola. My roommate at the time was in the soccer industry and invited me out for dinner. He seemed like a pretty cool guy, but was just getting over this terrible staph infection where he almost lost his leg.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Meola
Funnily enough, my close friend went to train with the Kansas City Wizards one summer early 2000s, and said Tony Meola was a total dick, but when we had dinner he seemed nice enough so idk. 😂😂😂
I used to snowboard in 2001 - 2002 at Bear Mountain with some friends and we used to see Shaun White on the slopes. I had a season pass - I’d go snowboard after school on weekdays. I went to La Costa Canyon senior year and Shaun was a year or two behind me at San Dieguito.
saw Kevin Durant when he went god mode at Rucker Park
I've never been to an NFL or NBA live event. Only NHL at MSG in a box. I've been to a lot of soccer games all over the world and seem to be an awesome time every time.
Tennis:
I saw Michael Chang in the airport. Met Tom Gullikson in NC. Used to be a ball-boy for some big tournaments.
Also, saw Agassi and Graf and their children sit in front of me at a London theater in 2006. I went to this theater after day drinking with the hostel chick on spiked ciders in the park. I didn’t say anything to Agassi, but he was very recognizable.
I saw Kelly Slater (surfer) in South Africa at the Billabong Pro competition in 2006. My friends and I walked into a bar and he was there jamming out on the guitar. I got my friend to get a picture of me with him jamming out on the guitar. Pretty epic experience. This dude I was friends with in SA was this really ginger Irish guy - he later also bought my surfboard. But, that night this ginger dude stayed the whole night with Kelly and Gisele at their place and I left early and have always regretted leaving early. I didn't want to seem too 'groupie' ish to Kelly and Gisele. They did invite everyone to hangout at the end at the bar. Kelly is super cool.
One for each sport I enjoy most,
developed Keyshawn Johnson's house in LA, way back in the day. Chatted for half hour. Cool dude.
Our Lord and Savior, Xi Jinping
Mahé Drysdale, by far one of the best HW rowers ever. Dude is an absolute UNIT.
-1993 Eastern Conference Finals, got to see MJ play against the Knicks, back when they were still good.
-1995 American League Division Playoffs, got to see Ken Griffey Jr play, 3-home runs in game 2, unreal. I've seen, again, in-person Jeter hit a grand slam. Seen Mariano Rivera close many games. I've seen Maddux, Johnson, Clemens too.
-I've seen Phil Simms play, man I wish I had caught LT.
I've been to about a million live sporting events and have met a few professional athletes. But hands down, the answer to this has to be any professional golfer, male or female. If you play the game and know how hard it is to hit a little fucking 3 oz ball, then you should be amazed at the things pro golfers can do. The swing speed they generate, the way they can dial in shots down to specific yards or even feet and this is all in addition to the mental side of the game and needing to keep focused for all 72 holes over 4 days - its an amazing feat for anyone to win one of these things.
I've been to various tournaments and was a member at a country club that hosted a large pro event every year. So it's hard to name a single golfer. But I will say that I fanned-boy when I met Annika Sorenstam, amazing athlete. I was also on the tee box, about 3 feet away from Lexi Thompson as she hit a drive and my jaw dropped at the rotation and speed she generates - insane!
Love the way you explain golf, sounds pretty amazing. Really great hobby to take up.
Tiger Woods up close at the Shanghai Open, 2006. Was at the top of his game.
Some of yall are old as hell man jeez
I was front row, behind the on-deck circle when Albert Pujols was on the Angels. I still remember his forearms, they were tree trunk size. It was incredible to see in person and up close.
I still remember the '05 USC game my dad took me too - Reggie Bush had like 500 all purpose yards, with 300 of them coming from rushing. That atmosphere in the Coliseum also was freaking intoxicating, made me want to go to that school so bad as a kid lol.
Should’ve tried out for the water polo or sailing teams
Calvin Johnson at Georgia Tech. We had such a bad quarterback in Reggie Ball, but the upside was it made for amazing highlight reels as CJ had to leap up, dive backwards, sprint, and risk his body across the middle for all of his catches. 6'5, 4.35 second 40 yard dash, absolute monster. Also incredibly smart, humble, zero ego and zero off-field issues. Was an absolute treasure to watch live.
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