Category: Athletics

Categories
athletes Athletics photography sport tennis

Relentlessness Incarnate: Daniil Medvedev.

25 year old Daniil Medvedev, the world’s 2nd ranked player, plays a fascinating game of tennis. Though 6’6″, he plays mostly from the backcourt, where he is utterly ruthless. Ceaseless probing, penetrating groundstrokes, hit mostly flat, help him gain control of the point, and he is not one prone to relinquishing it. A formidable competitor, Medvedev plays controlled offense superbly, has a very effective serve, and has excellent foot speed. He seems destined to be at or near the top of the men’s game for many years.

{Revised 9/12/21}

Categories
athletes Athletics Basketball NBA photography sport Steph Curry

Magician at Large: Steph Curry.

2024 Olympics Gold Medal game.

The inimitable magic of Steph Curry, which for him is a mere bagatelle. Curry is without a doubt one of the greatest long range shooters ever, possesses magical ball handling skills, is an electric passer, and is an über-inventive, potent scorer from anywhere on the court. The 2 time league MVP holds a number of NBA records, including highest free throw percentage for a career, most points in an overtime period, most 3 point shots made in a season…the list goes on. Steph is the only player ever to lead the league in scoring while achieving the 50-40-90 shooting trifecta. The 6’3″ guard has revolutionized the way the game is played, and is a joy to watch.

Update: On the evening of December 14, 2021, Curry broke the career record for made 3-pointers, eclipsing Ray Allen’s mark of 2,973.

Update II: On June 16, 2022, Steph led the Warriors to their 4th championship during his tenure. He received the Finals MVP for his brilliant, courageous, iconic performances.

Categories
athletes Athletics Horse Racing photography Secretariat sport

King of the Sport of Kings: Secretariat.

The immortal Triple Crown winner Secretariat is generally considered to be the greatest thoroughbred racehorse ever, along with Man o’ War. After winning Horse of the Year as a 2 year old, a rare feat, he took part in the triple Crown races as a 3 year old. He swept them, running the fastest Derby, Preakness, and Belmont of all time in the process. The times of 1:59 2/5, 1:53, and 2:24 still stand as records 49 years later! Sham, a very fine horse, who finished behind the big chestnut colt in the Derby and Preakness, ran the *second* fastest time ever in both. Secretariat set a *world* record in the 1 1/2 mile Belmont, besting the old mark by a simply unreal 2 3/5 seconds. His winning margin was an absurd 31 lengths.

Later in the season, he took part in the Marlboro Cup, which featured his stablemate Riva Ridge, a champion 4 year old. Secretariat prevailed easily, and ended up setting yet another world record for the distance, at 1:45 2/5 seconds. Truly the stuff of myth and legend.

Categories
athletes Athletics Björn Borg John McEnroe photography sport tennis Wimbledon

Björn Borg and John McEnroe: Their Epic Confrontation.

Homeric valor, unfathomable resolve, and titanic talent were exhibited by both champions in this unforgettable battle.

Categories
athletes Athletics Basketball NBA photography sport Wilt Chamberlain

A Giant Talent: Wilt Chamberlain.

Wilt Chamberlain accomplished Herculean, seemingly impossible feats. 100 points in a game; a 50.4 scoring average in a season; 55 rebounds in a game; seven consecutive scoring titles to begin his career. And on and on. As a Harlem Globetrotter, he hurled Meadowlark Lemon around in one skit as if he weighed 210 ounces, rather than 210 pounds. Lemon called Chamberlain the strongest athlete who ever lived. He was certainly one of the greatest.

Wilt won his 2nd and perhaps most satisfying NBA championship in 1972 with the Lakers, who set a then-league record with 69 wins, including a stunning 33 in a row. His role had changed, and he showed he could dominate by defending (though he was already a great shot-blocker), rebounding and fueling the team’s lethal fast-break. A legendary, iconic sporting figure whose true talents may never be fathomed.

Categories
athletes Athletics baseball Competition Giants MLB photography sport

Giant Steps. SF World Series Championships.

Highlights from the 2010, 2012, and 2014 World Series Championships for the San Francisco Giants.

Please see our related post focusing on 2010 and 2012, at our site Bideodromage II.

Categories
athletes Athletics Basketball NBA photography sport

Purvis Short: Elite Bucket Accumulator and Top-Tier Rainbow Shooter.

One of the premier pure shooters we’ve ever encountered, Purvis Short was quite capable of finding creative ways to score, as well. He averaged a healthy 28.0 ppg in 1984-85. It always seemed so easy, almost casual. A vastly undervalued star. And, as far as sheer beauty is concerned, his silky-smooth, high-arcing jumper is at or near the top of the heap.

Categories
athletes Athletics football NFL photography sport

The Great Running Backs: Jim Brown.

Jim Brown is the consensus pick of most experts as the greatest running back in NFL history. I, myself, never witnessed Brown work his magic on Sundays; for those players, see Vol 1 and 2 of The Great Running Backs. Brown gets one of his own. A remarkable blend of power, speed, desire, and elusiveness was #32.

Categories
athletes Athletics football NFL photography sport

The Great Running Backs. Vol. 2.

Sanders and Sayers could both cut full-speed on a dime. Human highlight reels, and 2 of the 4 greatest backs I’ve ever seen. See Vol. 1.

Including the collegiate version of Reggie Bush. Electric, astonishing.

Categories
Andrew Cotter Athletics Canine Photography Canines Commentators Competition dogs existentialism photography

Dogs, Dogs, Dogs. Featuring Olive and Mabel.

This work-in-progress focuses on the oft humourous interactions between dogs and humans, dogs and other dogs, and sometimes just between dog and his/her…art. We begin with Olive and Mabel, the two stalwarts of BBC sportscaster Andrew Cotter. Also included are Runty the pianist/vocalist, Winston the French bulldog, and a singing husky.