The Greatest Ever???

This is my 500th blog post.  This obviously makes me the greatest blogger ever!!!

Ok, not really.  I'm exaggerating to prove a point.  Too often these days, especially in the sports media, I hear the term "greatest ever" thrown around.  Sports fans love to debate the greatest quarterback ever (it's John Elway by the way), or the greatest golfer ever, or the greatest basketball player ever.  The media loves to declare Obama the greatest orator ever (I may be exaggerating again).  A while back, I think some in Hollywood were ready to declare Tom Hanks the greatest actor ever. 

Really???  In the entire history of mankind, everything that is happening now rivals the greatest thing ever?  The term "greatest ever" is really starting to bug me.  If I hear it one more time, I may puke. 

I've been on this earth a little over 30 years.  In my lifetime, I can honestly say that I've only seen 2 "greatest evers".  Well, 3 if you count John Elway, but I'm willing to admit I'm biased there.  So, we'll go with 2...for now.  Based on his performance in the last 2 Olympic Games, I think we can honestly say that Michael Phelps is the greatest all around swimmer ever.  The guy is unbelievable, having won 14 Olympic medals and countless other competitions worldwide.  Throughout his career, he's held 39 different world records.  Seriously, check out his record sometime...it's ridiculous.

The other "greatest ever" in my lifetime is Rush Limbaugh.  Based on the success of his radio show, Rush Limbaugh is inarguably the greatest radio talk personality of all time.  The guy gets over 20 million listeners a day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year.  When his national show started in the late 1980's, AM radio was nearly dead...over 20 years later, AM talk radio is a huge industry, and it's mostly due to Rush Limbaugh.  Even if you don't agree with him, you can't argue with how sucessful Rush has been as a radio personality.

So, that's it, that's the list in the last 33 years.  What drove this?  Last night I watched the movie "Secretariat", and I realized how fortunate people were in 1973, because they got to witness the greatest American racehorse ever.  Secretariat's records at Churchill Downs (Kentucky Derby) and Belmont still stand today, nearly 40 years later.  And, if not for a timing malfunction, he would likely have the record at the Preakness as well.  "Secretariat" is a great movie by the way...review to come soon.

My only point with this blog is to urge people to start practicing a little self restraint.  Next time you hear someone proclaim something the "greatest ever", pause for a moment and consider if it really is the greatest ever.  My guess is, that with a little perspective, we will all realize that just because something that just happened was really neat, it doesn't mean it was the greatest thing that ever happened.

Thanks for hanging in there for these 500 blogs...here's hoping I can watch enough movies, read enough books, and come up with enough random stuff to write another 500.