Athletes you came to love more in later life

[Another Fan]

I remember Edgar Martinez as a good hitter.  But had no appreciation for the guy until I read more about him.  Worked in a factory at one point before he tried out for the Mariners.

 

 Quiet, hard working, stayed with the same franchise 17 years.  Nobody ever says a bad thing about him…

 

Yeah growing up I appreciate him more today 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

45 minutes ago, Another Fan said:

I remember Edgar Martinez as a good hitter.  But had no appreciation for the guy until I read more about him.  Worked in a factory at one point before he tried out for the Mariners.

 

 Quiet, hard working, stayed with the same franchise 17 years.  Nobody ever says a bad thing about him…

 

Yeah growing up I appreciate him more today 

funny you mention Edgar Martinez. I will always remember him for being my first pick the first time I ever played fantasy baseball. This would have been around 1988, and I was 10 years old. Probably spent 3 hours on the draft, and the league ended like 2 weeks later when we all lost interest in checking the newspaper box scores to try to keep score. 

[Another Fan]

1 hour ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

funny you mention Edgar Martinez. I will always remember him for being my first pick the first time I ever played fantasy baseball. This would have been around 1988, and I was 10 years old. Probably spent 3 hours on the draft, and the league ended like 2 weeks later when we all lost interest in checking the newspaper box scores to try to keep score. 

Fantasy baseball was around back then?

 

 

As I get older though the mental aspect of the game really interests me.  Like Mark Sanchez was being interviewed about the butt fumble and he said while it was really embarrassing he looks back on and laughs.  Almost like yeah f it.

 

Meanwhile Craig Ehlo had to seek out therapy for how many times Michael would get the better of him.  I mean imo Craig had a pretty good career and Michael dominated everyone…

 

 

I guess in that sense I can respect Mark for not making his whole life about that play 

[Pete]

I always respected good players that play for one team their whole career.  Paul Molitor, Robin Yount, Kirby Puckett, for example

[BillsPride12]

Not that most of them were good samaritans but as athletes I can look back and appreciate the Cowboys teams of the 90s.  I actually really enjoyed watching the docuseries about them on Netflix.  More colorful and more characters than the Patriots and Chiefs dynasty teams by far

 

EDIT: After re-reading your thread title I need to clarify I wouldn't say I LOVE those teams 😂

Edited August 29 by BillsPride12

[Pete]

1 hour ago, BillsPride12 said:

Not that most of them were good samaritans but as athletes I can look back and appreciate the Cowboys teams of the 90s.  I actually really enjoyed watching the docuseries about them on Netflix.  More colorful and more characters than the Patriots and Chiefs dynasty teams by far

 

EDIT: After re-reading your thread title I need to clarify I wouldn't say I LOVE those teams 😂

I HATE those Cowboy teams.  They lucked out Minnesota was stupid enough to trade 3 number 1 draft picks, 3 number 2 draft picks, and 2 number 3 draft picks for Hershel Walker.

[US Egg]

Babe Ruth
 

True American icon. Larger than life. Captivated the nation, in good times and bad, like no other athlete ever has or will. A rags to riches story, who, in spite of his lifestyle, didn’t forget his roots. His charitable work with orphanages and underprivileged youth, particularly for the times, was exemplary.

[BillsPride12]

1 hour ago, Pete said:

I HATE those Cowboy teams.  They lucked out Minnesota was stupid enough to trade 3 number 1 draft picks, 3 number 2 draft picks, and 2 number 3 draft picks for Hershel Walker.

I mean I hated them for whopping on the Bills, I hate Jerry Jones and I hate their fans but those teams were a legit NFL powerhouse.  When they used to play San Fran in those NFC Championship games it always felt like a heavyweight prize fight.  You just don't have that anymore in today's NFL

Edited August 30 by BillsPride12

[SirAndrew]

19 minutes ago, BillsPride12 said:

I mean I hated them for whopping on the Bills, I hate Jerry Jones and I hate their fans but those teams were a legit NFL powerhouse.  When they used to play San Fran in those NFC Championship games it always felt like a heavyweight prize fight.  You just don't have that anymore in today's NFL

I miss those type of matchups as well. When modern heavyweights matchup, it turns into last team with the ball wins scenario. Those games were far more nuanced. 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

I hate to say this but now that Tom Brady is not playing, I don’t hate his guts anymore and I am more ready to concede his greatness.

[Augie]

I’ve never been into any one player too much. I can’t tell the truth from a well managed image. That’s one reason I wear Bills gear, but never a jersey. There’s nothing wrong with it, and my family has quite a few, but I’ve never even met these people. I don’t know which one is the Super Creep! 

 

The people I appreciate more are the ones who use their platform to improve the lives of others. Dikembe Mutumbo lived here in Atlanta and we crossed paths a tiny bit. I just thought of him as one more NBA player, which meant I didn’t have much feeling for him one way or the other. That was until I learned how he spent his life after his NBA years. That was a life well spent, and I think more of him now than I did in his hey day. 

[BillsPride12]

1 hour ago, SirAndrew said:

I miss those type of matchups as well. When modern heavyweights matchup, it turns into last team with the ball wins scenario. Those games were far more nuanced. 

Yes and those games were much more physical and violent too.  Both rosters were more stacked from top to bottom than the top contenders in today's era.  The game has changed a lot over the years.  If you haven't watched it yet I think you would appreciate the series on netflix.  They did an entire episode that focused on the Cowboys-49ers rivalry 

[SinceThe70s]

 

File this under admire instead of love: Lamar Jackson

 

I was skeptical early on that he was anything more than just a (very impressive) running QB and I was wrong. But the real admiration came after we beat him in the playoffs last year. The juxtaposition of how he manned up on the post game handshake vs. how he let his emotions out in the locker room resonated with me. I'll root for the guy when it doesn't affect the Bills.

[Another Fan]

1 hour ago, Augie said:

I’ve never been into any one player too much. I can’t tell the truth from a well managed image. That’s one reason I wear Bills gear, but never a jersey. There’s nothing wrong with it, and my family has quite a few, but I’ve never even met these people. I don’t know which one is the Super Creep! 

 

The people I appreciate more are the ones who use their platform to improve the lives of others. Dikembe Mutumbo lived here in Atlanta and we crossed paths a tiny bit. I just thought of him as one more NBA player, which meant I didn’t have much feeling for him one way or the other. That was until I learned how he spent his life after his NBA years. That was a life well spent, and I think more of him now than I did in his hey day. 

I never actually met Donald Jones but I only picked up on that he was Plainfield, NJ born and raised after he retired (it’s not far from where I grew up.  I still shop in the city quite a bit).

 

I gained a lot of respect for him over the years.  Besides still being very much a Bills fan in retired life he’s now the head football coach at Plainfield High today trying to mentor the youth. 
 

I know when he was a Bill I sort of used to think couldn’t we have at least a drafted receiver.  But then there’s the perception of look how hard he worked to became a pro being undrafted.  What like .001 percent of high school football players make it as far as he did.

 

 

 

Edited August 30 by Another Fan

[Draconator]

7 hours ago, Pete said:

I always respected good players that play for one team their whole career.  Paul Molitor, Robin Yount, Kirby Puckett, for example

Paul Molitor went from Milwaukee to Toronto and won a World Series in 1993. 

[Steve O]

Hated the Cardinals and by extension their ace Bob Gibson growing up. Or maybe it was Bob Gibson I hated and by extension the Cardinals. No matter, as the years passed I gained a whole new respect for the man. Best story I ever heard was the the second last batter he ever faced, Pete LaCock hit a grand slam off him. Gibson retired the next batter and never pitched again. 10 years later, in an old timers game, Gibson was in the dugout when LaCock came to the plate. Gibson ran to the mound and started warming up, telling Bob Feller to take a seat. He drills LaCock with the first pitch and shouts that he's been waiting 10 years to do that. The two went on to be Cardinals coaches at the same time, and never spoke a word to each other.

[SirAndrew]

13 hours ago, Augie said:

I’ve never been into any one player too much. I can’t tell the truth from a well managed image. That’s one reason I wear Bills gear, but never a jersey. There’s nothing wrong with it, and my family has quite a few, but I’ve never even met these people. I don’t know which one is the Super Creep! 

 

The people I appreciate more are the ones who use their platform to improve the lives of others. Dikembe Mutumbo lived here in Atlanta and we crossed paths a tiny bit. I just thought of him as one more NBA player, which meant I didn’t have much feeling for him one way or the other. That was until I learned how he spent his life after his NBA years. That was a life well spent, and I think more of him now than I did in his hey day. 

Agree, this is why I appreciate players solely for on field production. I don’t like players because they’re a “good guy”. If a great player has been guilty of unsavory behavior, I’m not going to be a fan, but beyond extreme cases I don’t judge. 

[Tierlifer]

Chipper Jones. 
 

 

 

[thenorthremembers]

Tom Brady.  Very late in his career in New England I stopped disliking him and realized I should just be happy to be watching the best to ever do it.   Then he went to Tampa Bay, won another one, and pretty much sealed the deal for me.  I still think he is a giant dork but he was incredible on a football field. 

 

Bills wise, I was pretty young during the Super Bowl years.   Back then Bruce Smith was my favorite player.  Being so young I think missed out on the nuances of how great Thurman Thomas really was.   

Edited September 1 by thenorthremembers

[BillsFanNC]

On 8/29/2025 at 12:51 PM, Another Fan said:

Fantasy baseball was around back then?

 

Yup. The whole massive fantasy sports business universe started in the 80s with Rotisserie baseball.

 

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