Former Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins stood at Citizens Bank Park on July 12th for the inaugural MLBx: All-Star 3-on-3, watching NFL players trying to hit in the cage, and left with a verdict that wouldn't sit well with anyone who loves football.
"We used to have basketball players, football players come over, hit in the cage," Rollins told NBC Sports Philadelphia. "And as coordinated and athletic as they are in their respective sports, when they get a bat in their hand or a ball in their hand or even a glove in their hand, it's like, 'Bro, you're not a real athlete. You're literally one-dimensional.
"But, you know, it's a joke we have between sports. But here's the truth. Baseball players can look decent doing any sport. It's the coordination of the feet, the hands, the eyes, dancing around a bag, running bases, all those things we get to do. So I'm saying it here: Baseball players are the best athletes."
Rollins' point is simple: baseball asks players to track a 90-mph pitch, react to it in the fraction of a second, and coordinate footwork with timing while reading spin and movement. Even former Philadelphia Eagles star WR Terrell Owens – who lined up under Rollins and lost in the semifinals – struggled this Sunday. He agreed with his captain's verdict (sort of) before calling the two sports "incomparable."
NFL, American Football Herren, USA New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills, Oct 29, 2018 Orchard Park, NY, USA Pro Football Hall of Fame member Terrell Owens prior to the game between the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports, 29.10.2018 19:45:01, 11599633, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, NFL, Terrell Owens PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xRichxBarnesx 11599633
"Oh, probably so. I would say so," Owens said. "The scale of comparing the two sports is incomparable right now because I'm literally just hitting a 20-mph ball. I'm struggling already. So I can only image trying to hit 90-100 mph balls. That pretty hard. But again, you can't compare the two right now. Like, I'm out here in my undies, swinging at a 20-mph ball in front of an almost sold-out crowd. I'm just out here having fun, man."
Owens' admission could also feed Jimmy Rollins' view that NFL stars are one-dimensional. He's a future Hall of Famer, a 6-foot-4, 224-pound athlete who dominated for 15 NFL seasons and led the league in receptions thrice. A six-time Pro Bowler, Owens couldn't hit a ball at 20 mph. However, the NFL is no easy sport to be a part of.
Offensive tackles have to move fast enough to stop edge rushers, hold their ground through constant contact, and process protections while 300-pound men crash into them. Wide receivers like Owens sprint at full speed, take hits over the middle, and still catch the ball through traffic. Quarterbacks read coverages and throw accurately with defenders bearing down on them in under three seconds. Every single play is a collision test – and the NFL stars show up for it on every snap, week after week.
Incidentally, the multi-sport numbers tilt Rollins' way a little, too. Fewer than 70 athletes have proven they can play in both MLB and the NFL. That list contains seven Pro Football Hall of Fame stars – Red Badgro, Paddy Driscoll, George Halas, Ernie Nevers, Ace Parker, Jim Thorpe, and the legendary Deion 'Coach Prime' Sanders , but none of them have even made it to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Baseball's 162-game schedule and football's violent collision rate make true crossovers very rare.
Jimmy Rollins closed his comments by calling baseball players the best athletes, and Owens' struggles at the plate stands as a testament. But this comparison ignores what NFL players do every Sunday. Baseball players might look decent in other sports. Football players look dominant getting hit at full speed, then lining up to do it again on the next play.
Trending Articles
The post "You're Not a Real Athlete": MLB Legend Jimmy Rollins Rips NFL Players as "One-Dimensional" appeared first on EssentiallySports . Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
