Mental toughness

[winghaz]

They talk a lot about Tiger Woods' mental toughness, and I don't think there's any doubt that he's the most mentally tough in the history of all major sports (if you consider golf a major sport).

But what about the other sports. I thought about this, and want to hear your thoughts. But my opinions first:

Basketball: Michael Jordan. I don't think there's any doubt here. Or anyone even close, except maybe Larry bird.

Football: I think mostly of Joe Montana and John Elway. Tough call between these two. However, I have to give the edge to Elway, just for the way he showed his mental toughness in those pre-Super Bowl playoff games before the Broncos finally won it all.

Hockey: It would be easy to say Wayne Gretzky, but when I think of the most focused players, I look at Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull and Bobby Orr. I give the edge to Howe, but not by much.

Baseball: The toughest category. Ted Williams was extremely focused, so much of that was God-given ability. Tony Gwynn and Derek Jeter were and are extremely focused. Same with Brooks Robinson. But to me, the position that forces you to be most mentally tough is catcher, and nobody was more focused than Johnny Bench in that position.

Now, let the debates begin.

[Shumway]

Well, I think each sport has a certain position that would have to display mental toughness above the others.

Baseball: Pitcher. The game is in his hands. The catcher's right up there with him, but ultimately, the pitcher still has to hit the target, while focusing on each opposing hitter's strong and weak spots.

Hockey: The goalie. He's gotta deal with traffic, rebounds, long shots, short shots, positioning. I'm sure our resident goalie could vouch for this. I've played goalie once, and even though I've got great hands, as far as catching things, I got absolutely lit up.

Football: The quarterback, obviously. He's gotta read defenses, read his receivers, watch for blitzes, and on top of that, throw a catchable ball, while being uncatchable to the secondary.

Basketball: Ok, I lied. I don't know of a position that requires more mental toughness than the others in basketball. Not one aspect of the game relies solely upon one player, unless you're in Cleveland, then the entire game relies on one guy.

[HedleyLamarr]

You can't start a discussion on mental toughness in MLB without having Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron first and foremost.

[winghaz]

Boy, good point, Hedley. I didn't even think of those two.

Scratch Johnny Bench from my baseball pick. Make that Jackie Robinson with Hank Aaron a close second. Thumbing your nose at death threats sure makes one mentally tough.

[TFoA]

Basketball: Ok, I lied. I don't know of a position that requires more mental toughness than the others in basketball. Not one aspect of the game relies solely upon one player, unless you're in Cleveland, then the entire game relies on one guy.

Point guard, or whoever is the one that's calling the plays. I mean, in a normal, Kobe/LeBron/McGrady-less offense, the offense runs through the point guard. The point normally has to facilitate every thing. Not having a mentally tough point guard can hurt you dearly? Need an example?

2003-04-2006-07 Atlanta Hawks: No playoffs with no point guard.

2007-08 Atlanta Hawks: Playoffs with point guard (Bibby) and took the Celtics to the limit.

So yeah, the point guard is crucial.

[officeglenn]

Basketball: Ok, I lied. I don't know of a position that requires more mental toughness than the others in basketball. Not one aspect of the game relies solely upon one player, unless you're in Cleveland, then the entire game relies on one guy.

Perhaps not the entire game, but a good portion of the offense relies on the point guard. I'd nominate that position.

[DDR]

Basketball: Ok, I lied. I don't know of a position that requires more mental toughness than the others in basketball. Not one aspect of the game relies solely upon one player, unless you're in Cleveland, then the entire game relies on one guy.

Perhaps not the entire game, but a good portion of the offense relies on the point guard. I'd nominate that position.

I don't know if it's one position, really. I think there's one guy on every good team (and maybe two on a truly great team) that has to have the kind of mental toughness needed to close out games. Whether you're a guard like Mike, or a center like Shaq, you need to have that killer instinct to take over the game when it's necessary, on both ends of the floor. Whether Jordan was a 2-guard, point guard, small forward or point forward, he would have been that guy.

[Shumway]

Basketball: Ok, I lied. I don't know of a position that requires more mental toughness than the others in basketball. Not one aspect of the game relies solely upon one player, unless you're in Cleveland, then the entire game relies on one guy.

Point guard, or whoever is the one that's calling the plays. I mean, in a normal, Kobe/LeBron/McGrady-less offense, the offense runs through the point guard. The point normally has to facilitate every thing. Not having a mentally tough point guard can hurt you dearly? Need an example?

2003-04-2006-07 Atlanta Hawks: No playoffs with no point guard.

2007-08 Atlanta Hawks: Playoffs with point guard (Bibby) and took the Celtics to the limit.

So yeah, the point guard is crucial.

Good call there. Part of the reason I couldn't think of one is because I never played basketball in a league or anything, and when I did play in camps and whatnot, it was pretty unbalanced and sloppy. Nobody had a position, you jsut gave the ball to the best kid, or, in my case, you shot threes all day.

[oddball]

The guy trying to teach the Lakers defense!