Is Michael Phelps the Greatest Olympian Ever?

The Olympic games have been in existence dating back to the times of Ancient Greece, and have become an increasingly global event since. The games gained their resurgence in the 1800's in Europe and have since seen the birth of the IOC in 1896, which catapulted the games into what they are today. With such a long history, there is a lot of talk of who the best Olympian of all time is. With such an extensive history surrounding the Olympics, that's a loaded question, but based on the growth of the games, the top athlete has to come from a recent games. Now for those who should warrant consideration:

Michael Phelps: We all know about Michael Phelps. He is far and above the most dominant swimmer we have ever seen and holds the most medals of any Olympian ever with 18 gold and 22 overall. In 2008, he turned in one of the most impressive performances anyone will ever see with a sweep of his events for 8 gold medals, and this year he earned 4 gold and 2 silver. What's most impressive is how dynamic he is. He isn't just specializing in one race in the butterfly, but multiple distances and races. He holds the world record for the 100 and 200 fly, as well as part of the record for the 400 individual medley, the most difficult event in swimming. It's unlikely we will ever see another swimmer as captivating as Michael Phelps.

Carl Lewis: As a track and field competitor, the argument for Carl Lewis is that there is a bigger talent pool than any other sport, because anybody can run and jump. Certain other sports offer more opportunities for people of affluent backgrounds. All other factors aside, Carl Lewis was named "Olympian of the Century" by Sports Illustrated magazine, and "Sportsman of the Century" by the IOC (Courtesy of Wikipedia). He competed in three Olympic games from 1984 to 1996, winning 9 gold medals and 1 silver medal. One could argue he was every bit is as dynamic as Michael Phelps, as he competed in the 100, 200, and Long Jump. For a sport that favors people in their youth, Lewis had an impressive 12 year run, including 65 straight victories in the long jump. In a sport where people are becoming increasingly athletic, his times being able to compare to Olympians of today make him all the more credible.

Muhammad Ali: It would be offensive to all athletes to not include Muhammad Ali in this conversation. I don't need to go over all his accolades for people to realize how polarizing he was. The only knock on Muhammad Ali in relation to the greatest Olympians is that he only competed in one Olympics. But as one of the greatest athletes ever, it's not difficult to forecast that he would have dominated more than one Olympic Games.

Usain Bolt: This is the second Olympic Games for Usain Bolt, and he is challenging Michael Phelps strongly for the biggest story of the 2012 games. Bolt's events are the 100 meter and 200 meter sprints. He currently holds the world record in both events, and has yet to lose a final in the last two Olympics, with the 200 meters still to be determined. What makes Bolt so impressive is that he is competing against the best competition that sprinting has ever seen with a bigger talent pool, and that he seems to do it with ease. Some have called him the greatest sprinter of all time, and it's hard to disagree. If he can win gold in 2016 at age 29, he may just be the greatest Olympian ever.

Nadia Comaneci: Comaneci comes from a long list of Romanian gymnasts. As many gymnasts do, she started early. She is known as the first person in modern Olympics history to have been awarded a perfect ten, in the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. Oh, she was fourteen at the time. She only competed in two Olympics, but in a sport where there is so little margin for error, her dominance is baffling. She won 3 gold medals in the 76' games and 2 more in Moscow in 80'. She is the youngest gymnast to earn the marks that she did, even though there are now restrictions that prohibit gymnasts under the age of 16 from competing in the Olympics. Considering how largely favored Mckayla Maroney was to win her event in this year's games, only to win the silver medal, Nadia Comaneci deserves massive amounts of credit for her composure and control of gymnastics for two straight Olympics.

To pick one over the other in this case is nearly impossible. Each of these athletes has been monumentally successful in their respective sport, and really it's hard to argue against making a case for any of them. It's likely that 100 years from now many of these athletes will be a distant memory as well, but to me, I'm going to give Michael Phelps the title of the Greatest Olympian of all time, for reasons of quality AND quantity. He dominated so many diverse events for such a long time, and he has the hardware to prove it. What I will state is this, he isn't the greatest by a long shot.

Packers Training Camp Position Battles

Packers Top Five Training Camp Position Battles

Yep, it's that time of year. School is less than one month away and we are counting down the days till football season starts. All we have to look forward to in the gap of time is our fantasy football drafts. To pass the time I decided to get an in depth look at the most intriguing roster battles for the Green Bay Packers depth chart. Components that I took into account include position importance, level of competition, and level of interest.

#1: Free Safety

Candidates - MD Jennings, Jeron McMillan 

This is the top position battle of concern for the Packers this year mainly because of the loss of Nick Collins. Going from an all pro to either a rookie or second year player is quite a drop off, and it makes it all the more important for one of them to step up. With the release of Charlie Peprah and no apparent free agent pick-ups on the horizon, Ted Thompson is putting a lot of faith in the development of Jennings and McMillan. I'm guessing the job goes to Jennings because McMillan was seen as somewhat of a project yet, and Jennings impressed enough to be kept on the roster as an undrafted free agent last year. With how bad the pass defense was last year, consistency at the free safety position will be key in 2012. 

#2: Nickel CB (When Woodson isn't Safety)

Candidates - Davon House, Sam Shields, Jarrett Bush, Casey Hayward 

Of all the competitions, this is the most unpredictable. House, Shields and Hayward are all first or second year players, with Bush being a veteran that the team still likes. House has the size advantage at 6 feet 1 inches and is supposedly playing the best so far in training camp. Hayward was a second round pick that Ted Thompson traded up to get in the draft, which is a rare occurrence for those who have followed TT and has not disappointed yet in camp. Shields was the best cornerback last year and came into training camp with the spot presumed to be his, and Jarrett Bush has been steadily improving every year. I see the job going to House, assuming he doesn't get injured and continues to impress the coaching staff, although I wouldn't be shocked to see any of these four winning the job. 

#3: 6th WR
Candidates - Diondre Borel, Tori Gurley

One thing the Packers aren't lacking is depth at the wide receiver position. With Jennings, Nelson, Jones, Driver, and Cobb all but locked in as the top five receivers, there is still a possibility MM keeps six or even seven receivers. Last year, the team kept an unorthodox amount of tight ends when they kept Finley, Williams, Taylor, Crabtree, and Quarless. The same might happen this year with second year players Tori Gurley and Diondre Borel. Both have received a lot of praise in camp this year and the year before, and both were given large bonuses to be kept on the practice squad at the end of last year. Typically, that won't happen unless a team doesn't want those players to go elsewhere. What it will come down to is how they play on special teams. If they can show blocking skills in the return game, the Packers might just keep six receivers going into the season.

#4: Starting RB
Candidates - James Starks, Alex Green, Brandon Saine

Mike McCarthy has three options here, with one being the obvious choice in James Starks since Ryan Grant is gone. But second year players Alex Green and Brandon Saine have shown some flashes that have impressed the coaching staff. Alex Green was starting to come into his own as a rookie last season before he tore his ACL and Brandon Saine showed some consistency in the run game as a midseason addition. The running back position for the Packers isn't exactly necessary when Aaron Rodgers is your QB1, which is why part of it may come down to pass blocking skills, which the team was lackluster with after losing Brandon Jackson last year. Alex Green has drawn comparisons to former Packer Dorsey Levens, who was excellent in pass blocking and the screen game when the team was in their finest stage in the 90's. Mike McCarthy likes to keep his running backs fresh, so in this situation it is likely that all three running backs will split carries. Starks never surpassed thirteen carries in any game last season, and I wouldn't be surprised if that trend repeated this year. In the end it comes down to how Green comes back from his injury and how healthy the other RB's can stay throughout camp and the season.

#5: Backup LT
Candidates - Derek Sherrod, Herb Taylor, Andrew Datko

This is the first time in a while that the whole offensive line has been set before the season starts, with Newhouse, Lang, Saturday, Sitton, and Bulaga all starting (from left to right). After that though, the depth is another story. There are only two linemen that have any game experience in Evan Dietrich-Smith and Herb Taylor. The preferred candidate would be Derek Sherrod as he was the team's first pick last year, but he hasn't fully recovered from a broken leg that he suffered in the Packer's only regular season loss last year against the Chiefs. If he can come back from injury and play on the same level as he was pre-injury, he may even challenge Newhouse for the starting spot. Other options include rookie seventh round pick Andrew Datko, and Mike McCabe. Andrew Datko was viewed as a potential first round prospect coming out of Florida State before he was injured in his senior season. His  6'6 315 pound frame make him an ideal candidate to play the tackle position if he can perform well. So far in camp he isn't making much of an impression, but if he can get back to his Freshmen All-American days at FSU, he may just be a surprise candidate for the backup OT position.

Update: http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-1/Taylor-steps-in-for-Newhouse/be5d3517-5cd9-401f-b01d-e1410182d32f