OT: The Last Goodbye (Michael Phelps)

**Bawlamer** · 08-14-2016, 09:37 PM

I'll miss him. Its been a thrill to watch him. I won't live long enough to see it again. I think he has set the bar to high for anyone ever to match it.

**GreatWhiteNorthRaven** · 08-14-2016, 09:43 PM

Who is the better olympian Bolt or Phelps?

No clue what the answer is, but it was awesome to see both dominate their (likely) last olympic games. Two absolute beasts

**WrongBaldy** · 08-14-2016, 11:12 PM

hahahaha
http://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/17302736

**HoustonRaven** · 08-15-2016, 08:45 AM

Originally Posted by GreatWhiteNorthRaven

Who is the better olympian Bolt or Phelps?

No clue what the answer is, but it was awesome to see both dominate their (likely) last olympic games. Two absolute beasts

Phelps. And it's not even close.

**NCRAVEN** · 08-15-2016, 08:59 AM

Originally Posted by HoustonRaven

Phelps. And it's not even close.

Truth.

Bolt has won gold in a higher percentage of the races he's competed in. But if Phelps only competed in the 200IM, 200 fly, 4X100 relay similar to Bolt (the 100, 200 and relay) he's be batting a .999 with is lone loss being by a few one thousands of a second.

**wickedsolo** · 08-15-2016, 09:00 AM

Originally Posted by HoustonRaven

Phelps. And it's not even close.

:word

Phelps is arguably the greatest Olympian of all time.

**lovefootball** · 08-15-2016, 09:09 AM

Originally Posted by WrongBaldy

hahahaha
http://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/17302736

And yet he still complimented them , LOL. Glad there were some raven fans there too.

**moose10101** · 08-15-2016, 09:35 AM

Originally Posted by NCRAVEN

Truth.

Bolt has won gold in a higher percentage of the races he's competed in. But if Phelps only competed in the 200IM, 200 fly, 4X100 relay similar to Bolt (the 100, 200 and relay) he's be batting a .999 with is lone loss being by a few one thousands of a second.

Exactly. In 2008, Phelps had to swim about 18 times, sometimes with only 30 minutes "rest". No one in history was physically capable of doing that and setting WRs in the process. He constantly beat specialists who only had to swim 2 or 3 times, total. If Olympic swimming was stretched out over a longer period, he probably would have added medals in backstroke too. Let me know when Bolt adds hurdles races to his program.

**HoustonRaven** · 08-15-2016, 09:45 AM

Originally Posted by moose10101

Exactly. In 2008, Phelps had to swim about 18 times, sometimes with only 30 minutes "rest". No one in history was physically capable of doing that and setting WRs in the process. He constantly beat specialists who only had to swim 2 or 3 times, total. If Olympic swimming was stretched out over a longer period, he probably would have added medals in backstroke too. Let me know when Bolt adds hurdles races to his program.

And lets not forget that swimming involves more athleticism that running. It's more of a total body effort than running.

**GreatWhiteNorthRaven** · 08-15-2016, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by NCRAVEN

Truth.

Bolt has won gold in a higher percentage of the races he's competed in. But if Phelps only competed in the 200IM, 200 fly, 4X100 relay similar to Bolt (the 100, 200 and relay) he's be batting a .999 with is lone loss being by a few one thousands of a second.

I wouldn't even argue the percentage due to how many more races Phelps does than Bolt (as you showed it'd make it much different). A few commentators were making the case last night after the Bolt race and it was an interesting debate. That's where my thinking was coming from.

**Flacco's_Haircut** · 08-15-2016, 02:03 PM

Originally Posted by GreatWhiteNorthRaven

I wouldn't even argue the percentage due to how many more races Phelps does than Bolt (as you showed it'd make it much different). A few commentators were making the case last night after the Bolt race and it was an interesting debate. That's where my thinking was coming from.

Haha I know this is a Baltimore message board, but it's gotta be Bolt no question. He just doesn't have the luxury of a bunch of other races to pad his medal count (plus the relays that in most cases the US would probably win without him). It's the air of invincibility having never lost a major race, the freakish world records and margin of victory (which makes me wonder what he could really accomplish if he was more of a "workout warrior") and finally, at some point or another everyone on earth not living in extreme poverty is going to run a 100m dash. Bolt has risen from a talent pool of billions of people, whereas Phelps' sport is reserved to richer nations and even then a large portion of the population won't try racing in water or in some cases swimming at all. Basically, Bolt is by far a bigger outlier in the gene pool the likes of which none of us will probably ever see in our lifetimes.

**Purpleguy** · 08-15-2016, 03:18 PM

I certainly don't fault Phelps for his DUIs or the bong hits. I'm sure half the posters here have been guilty of the same, and maybe just never got caught. What he can be faulted for is being a world class dick. Maybe he's turned a corner. I don't really care.