Best athlete you played with or against

I played high school basketball against Michael Smith, who went on to win a gold medal in the decathlon for Canada at the Commonwealth Games and competed at several Olympics.
I also like to tell people that I once beat him out for a spot on our regional junior team that competed at the provincials one summer. I try to remember to tell people that he was also two years younger than me and had a growth spurt after I graduated to become the 6-foot-5 piece of athletic perfection that I was not and could have made me eat a basketball if he wanted to.

 

The best story I have is about this girl named Karen, who was a reserve guard at SIU back in about 1993. She was in my basketball class, which I always thought was a little odd given that she was already on the team.

She schooled me in a few pick-up games. I remember being pretty freaked out that a girl whipped my butt. I was pretty good albeit a little slow. I was at home watching the NCAA championship over spring break a few months later, and there was Karen on TV. She competed in the three-point competition at halftime and won it.

 

One of my writers was a high school classmate of Rocco Baldelli. (I figured he'd be on here talking about it by now.) He said Rocco was hurt all the time. Some things never change.

 

Was a 5'10" power forward in 8th grade, played parochial grammar school basketball against a 6'2" seventh-graded named Christian Laettner. Box-and-one the whole game and managed to piss him off enough that we ended up winning. I used to have the score book from the game but not sure where it is.

Also played travel youth hockey against 4-5 guys who has a cup of coffee in the NHL.

 

Sirs, Madames,

Tom Henke and Sidney Crosby in table tennis. Beat Henke like a drum in his own basement, something like 14, 8 and 5. Lost to Crosby playing with sandpaper rackets, blew leads in two sets. Beat him in pool on a wonky table, tho'.

Went out for my school team in table tennis at age 14 -- triple bagels vs a guy who (I only learned later) was defending national men's senior champion, 20th ranked in the world (top-ranked North American) and just a couple of months away from a win over a former world champion. I couldn't have picked up a point against him if he was playing with a frying pan.

YD&OHS, etc