Topic of the Day: Most Underrated Athlete of All Time

BRIAN JORDAN.  Pro Bowl NFL defensive back AND an All Star MLB outfielder.  Clutch gamer in both sports and never ever gets talked about.  #underrated

Baseball and football

Jordan was a sports star at Milford Mill Academy in Randallstown, Maryland. After graduating from the University of Richmond, Jordan embarked on a dual baseball and football career. He was drafted in the first round of the 1988 MLB draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. In the 1989 NFL Draft, he was selected in the 7th round by the Buffalo Bills, however he was cut in training camp.

While climbing the ladder in the Cardinals' minor league system, Jordan played defensive back for the Falcons from 1989 to 1991. He had five interceptions and four sacks in his brief NFL career.

In June 1992 Jordan signed a new contract with St Louis that gave him a $1,700,000 signing bonus to give up football and play baseball exclusively, ending his football career.

[edit]St. Louis Cardinals

Jordan made his Major League debut on April 8, 1992 with the Cardinals. He played mostly as a utility outfielder during his first three seasons, but in his first full year, in 1995, he had a deserving season. His stats included 145 hits, 20 doubles, and a .296 batting average in 490 at-bats. He also flashed his power by hitting 22 home runs and 81 RBIs. He built on his success in 1996, hitting .310 with 104 RBIs and a .349 on base percentage, playing mostly as the right fielder and cleanup hitter for the Cardinals. He also led the major leagues in batting average with the bases loaded. In the postseason that year, Jordan hit .333 in the NLDS and had a game-winning home run in Game 4 of the 1996 NLCS.

Shrugging off a relatively disastrous and injury-riddled 1997 season in which he hit .234 with no home runs, Jordan had possibly the best season of his career in 1998, his last year with St. Louis. He scored 100 runs, saw his power return with 25 home runs, and batted a career-high .316, with an outstanding .534 slugging percentage.

[edit]Atlanta Braves

His stats in 1998 helped earn Jordan a $21.3 million contract with the Atlanta Braves. Jordan had a strong April and May to help carry the Braves early in the 1999 season. This propelled him to his only All-Star appearance. He finished the season with 100 runs again and drove in 115 runs. Jordan was a standout in the 1999 NLDS for the Braves against the Houston Astros. He batted .471, had the game-winning double in the 12th inning of Game 3, and drove in seven of Atlanta's 18 runs during the series. He contributed two home runs in the 1999 NLCS, but went 1 for 13 in his only World Series appearance.

Jordan's batting average and RBI totals dipped in 2000, but in 2001 Jordan hit 25 homers with a .295 average and was superb in the final games of the season, helping to push the Braves to their tenth-straight division title after a tight race with the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets.

[edit]Later career

He was involved in a blockbuster trade on January 15, 2002. Atlanta sent him to the Los Angeles Dodgers with pitcher Odalis Pérez for Gary Sheffield.

After a solid season in 2002 in which he hit .285, injuries significantly decreased Jordan's playing time in 2003. The aging Jordan signed a one-year contract with the Texas Rangers in 2004, but only batted .222 and again missed chunks of time with injuries. In 2005, he returned to the Braves, but he spent most of the season on the disabled list with left knee inflammation while rookie sensation Jeff Francoeur took over in right field. Relying more on his veteran savvy than athletic ability at this point, he made the team again in 2006, but was limited to a platoon role at first base before again going on the disabled list. Jordan retired as a player after the 2006 season.

en.wikipedia.org/.../Hakeem_Olajuwon

 He did get plenty of props as a pro but I saw Marshall Faulk a lot at SD State, and he was incredible.  Lost the Heisman  to Gino Toretta!

Sticking with tennis how about Rafael Nadal 26 years old 10 grand slam titles. Has a winning record vs the greatest player of all time(FEDERER) hAS WON 8 Monte Carlo and 6 Rome titles yet everyone see him as #2. If he wins French Open he will surpass Borg(6) with his 7th French title. 2 WIMBLEDON 1 AUSSIE 1 US OPEN.

Warren Moon

Tim Duncan and David Robinson

The guy made the hall of fame on the first ballot and is an acknowledged super star by all his peers but for whatever reason has never gotten the acclaim he deserved. Growing up in mid missouri he was like a god. I'm talking about Stan Musial, or Stan the Man. I won't even begin to go through his numbers but they are staggering. I'm pretty sure he collected seven batting titles during his career and was the league MVP three times to boot. He is beloved in Missouri but always took a back seat to Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle and Joe D on a national scale. I have zero problem casting my vote for Stan 'The Man" Musial. Greatest Cardinal of all time!

Craig Biggio