But along came Henry Aaron and on April 8, 1974, Hammerin’ Hank nailed No. 715 off the Dodgers’ Al Downing and there was a new king of all sports records. The reign of King Henry is over, too, as Barry Bonds has dethroned Aaron as the all-time home run champion. But Bonds’ alleged steroid use and surly nature have made him an unpopular king and raises this question: Is Bonds’ achievement the greatest individual record in sports?
Baseball’s records have always gotten the most attention and have the highest recognition factor, but other sports have their magic numbers, too. MSNBC Sports takes a sport-by-sport look at the greatest records in history. Which one is best? Read through the records, then vote.";
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Against the backdrop of an escalating war in Europe and the United States on the verge of entering World War II, DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak in 1941 provided the ultimate diversion. It began with a harmless single that went unreported in a 13-1 loss to the White Sox on May 15. The spotlight was much brighter when it ended on July 17 after two spectacular plays by Indians’ third baseman Ken Keltner. DiMaggio, who broke the record of 19th-century star Wee Willie Keeler, who had hit in 44 consecutive games, immediately went on another 16-game streak. That means he hit in 72 of 73 games.
But it’s 56 that remains the most magical of baseball’s many famous numbers and the hitting streak remains the sport’s most sacred and unapproachable record.
The media frenzy for such a streak today would obliterate the coverage given to Bonds’ pursuit of Aaron. During the streak, the Yankee Clipper batted .408 (91-for-223) with 15 homers, 55 RBIs and 56 runs. He led the Yankees to a 42-13-1 record (the tie game was later replayed) as they pulled away from Ted Williams and the Red Sox. The streak attracted so much attention that it allowed DiMaggio to win the MVP award that season, even though Williams batted .406 and was the last .400 hitter.
Runner-up: Pete Rose’s 4,256 lifetime hits.";
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Unlike baseball, there are no genuine \"magic numbers\" in pro football. Even the once-magical \"1,000-yard rusher\" has been diminished by the 16-game season. There was fanfare when Emmitt Smith surpassed Walter Payton as the NFL’s career rushing leader, but there was a sense of inevitability that ruined the suspense. And even diehard fans didn’t know how many yards Payton had. But everyone knows Hank Aaron had 755.
So there was genuine excitement in 2004 when Peyton Manning took aim at Dan Marino’s single-season touchdown record of 48 set with the Dolphins in 1984. The Colts quarterback seemed to have it all working. He had the benefit of perfect playing conditions for half of his games on a fast indoor track; had an impressive array of receivers led by all-time great Marvin Harrison, and was given complete freedom to call the plays. He also played for an outstanding team that gave him plenty of opportunities to throw.
No. 49 was to Brandon Stokley with 56 seconds in regulation, forcing overtime against the Chargers in a game the Colts won to clinch the AFC West title in the team’s 15th game Dec. 26.
Runner-up: Jerry Rice’s 1,549 career receptions.
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Imagine the media coverage today if an NBA player scored 100 points. It was pretty darn impressive when Kobe Bryant scored 81 points on Jan. 22, 2006. But when Wilt Chamberlain torched the Knicks for 100 points on March 2, 1962, it created but a whisper.
The game was played in Hershey, Pa., where the Philadelphia Warriors played some “home” games in those days. There was little media coverage, no television, a scratchy local radio broadcast and the NBA was more of a regional sport back then. And even though the Warriors began feeding the ball to Wilt as the crowd chanted for the century mark, and the game became almost comical as the Knicks hacked away at Chamberlain, it’s still quite a feat.
Chamberlain scored 41 points in the first half and had 69 after three quarters. Points 99 and 100 came on a shot near the basket with 46 seconds left in a 169-147 victory. In breaking his own record of 78 points in a game, Wilt was 36-for-63 from the field and an incredible 28-for-32 from the foul line, where he was one of the worst performers in NBA history, hitting only 51.1 percent of his free throws for his career.
Runner-up: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 38,387 career points.";
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In Canada, Wayne Gretzky's chasing down Gordie Howe's NHL goal mark was like Hank Aaron's chasing down Babe Ruth. It was a chance to recognize and honor two incredibly popular icons of the sport. And unlike the case of Bonds vs. Aaron, there was no resentment when The Great One caught Howe, who was Gretzky’s idol. On March 23, 1994, Gretzky beat Vancouver goalie Kirk McLean for his 802nd goal, surpassing the mark held by Howe, who played most of his career for the Red Wings.
But the most amazing of Howe's marks that Gretzky passes is one he broke 4 1/2 years earlier when he scored his 1,851st point. He was far from finished.
Gretzky wound up with an astronomical 2,857 NHL points (894 goals and 1,963 assists). Consider this: If Gretzky never put a puck in the net, he'd still be the leader scorer in league history. (Mark Messier is No. 2 with 1,887 points)
Gretzky also holds the single-season record for goals (92 for the Oilers in 1981-82), assists (163 for the Oilers in 1985-86) and points (215 in 1985-86).
Not surprisingly, Gretzky is the only player ever to score 200 points in a season (four times). He also won the Hart Trophy as league MVP nine times.
Runner-up: Terry Sawchuk’s 103 career shutouts.";
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Golf didn’t enjoy widespread popularity in the 1940s, but for those who followed the sport, Byron Nelson was an outstanding player before he embarked on his incredible streak. He had won the U.S. Open in 1939, the PGA Championship in 1940 and the Masters in 1937 and 1942.
But never before -– or since -– has a golfer been this hot. Lord Byron won 11 consecutive events and had 19 total victories that year, including the only major played, the PGA Championship. The other majors were not played because of World War II. In fact, the war depleted the tour of many top players, diminishing Nelson’s achievement in some people’s eyes.
However, Nelson would have won quite a few events in ’45 because he averaged a remarkable 68.33 shots per round for 31 events. At the Seattle Open, his 72-hole total of 259 (29 under par) included a then-record 62. There were several top players left on the tour, including Sam Snead who won six of the 27 events he played; Ben Hogan, who after being discharged from the Army won four of 19 events; and perennial stars Jimmy Demaret and Craig Wood, who played all year.
Runner-up: Jack Nicklaus’ 18 majors.";
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Though he had swarthy good looks, a glamorous wife and a powerful game, Pete Sampras wasn’t the media magnet that John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors or Andre Agassi were. But he was a shot-making machine and a gritty, determined winner. His friendly rivalry with Agassi helped sustain interest in men’s tennis in the 1990s after McEnroe, Connors, Bjorn Borg, Ivan Lendl and others had faded from the scene. Sampras surpassed Roy Emerson’s record of 12 majors with minimal fanfare. But there was plenty of attention focused on No. 14 at the U.S. Open in 2002. It seemed fitting that he faced his pal Agassi, who like Sampras was not expected to reach the finals that year. Sampras’s serve was too much for Agassi to handle that day as he compiled 33 aces en route to winning in four sets. Sampras, the only player whose final singles match was a Grand Slam victory, won his 14 majors over a 13-year career, and that career mark could be in jeopardy if Roger Federer regains his touch. It has taken the Swiss star only five years to amass 10 major titles.
Runner-up: Martina Navratilova’s 18 grand slam singles titles plus 41 more in double events.";
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Mark Spitz never really got to enjoy his medal haul because of the Munich Massacre that marred the 1972 Summer Games as terrorists killed 11 Israeli athletes and cast a pall over the Games. But before he went home early, missing the Closing Ceremonies, Spitz not only won a record seven gold medals in swimming (four individual and three relays), but set a world’s record each time. His victories were in the 100- and 200-meter freestyle, the 100 and 200 butterfly, anchor legs on the 4x100 and 4x200 freestyle relays and the butterfly leg of the 4x100 medley relay.
Runner-up: Carl Lewis' career total of eight gold medals in track and field.
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At Lake Placid in 1980, Eric Heiden’s feat in speed skating was nearly as spectacular as Mark Spitz's because of the range of races that he won. He began the Winter Games with a surprising gold at 500 meters, his weakest event. He then set Olympic records with easy victories at 1,000, 1,500 and 5,000 meters. Heiden got little sleep after watching the U.S. hockey team stun the Soviet Union, but came back the next morning to set a world record in winning the 10,000-meter event.
Runner-up: Bonnie Blair’s career total of five gold medals in speed skating.
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// END editorial data