[solved]Hall of Fame 2015/6 - Round 1 Group I

Here is round nine of this years Hall of Fame.

All polls will remain open for a week so make sure to vote ASAP for your favourites.

The 1st round matches still open to voting can be found here -

https://www.606v2.com/t61466-hall-of-fame-2015-6-round-1-group-h

https://www.606v2.com/t61451-hall-of-fame-2015-6-round-1-group-g

https://www.606v2.com/t61437-hall-of-fame-2015-6-round-1-group-f

https://www.606v2.com/t61410-hall-of-fame-2015-6-round-1-group-e

Todays poll features stars from the world of Athletics, Cricket, American Football and Tennis

Please vote for your top two choices and let the best man/ woman win.

Your nominees are:

Usain Bolt
Sachin Tendulkar
Joe Montana
John McEnroe

Sachin Tendulkar - championed by ESPNCricinfo

Sachin Tendulkar has been the most complete batsman of his time, the most prolific runmaker of all time, and arguably the biggest cricket icon the game has ever known. His batting is based on the purest principles: perfect balance, economy of movement, precision in stroke-making, and that intangible quality given only to geniuses: anticipation. If he doesn't have a signature stroke - the upright, back-foot punch comes close - it is because he is equally proficient at each of the full range of orthodox shots (and plenty of improvised ones as well) and can pull them out at will.

There are no apparent weaknesses in Tendulkar's game. He can score all around the wicket, off both front foot and back, can tune his technique to suit every condition, temper his game to suit every situation, and has made runs in all parts of the world in all conditions.

Some of his finest performances have come against Australia, the overwhelmingly dominant team of his era. His century as a 19-year-old on a lightning-fast pitch at the WACA is considered one of the best innings ever to have been played in Australia. A few years later he received the ultimate compliment from the ultimate batsman: Don Bradman confided to his wife that Tendulkar reminded him of himself.

Blessed with the keenest of cricket minds, and armed with a loathing for losing, Tendulkar set about doing what it took to become one of the best batsmen in the world. His greatness was established early: he was only 16 when he made his Test debut. He was hit on the mouth by Waqar Younis but continued to bat, in a blood-soaked shirt. His first Test hundred, a match-saving one at Old Trafford, came when he was 17, and he had 16 Test hundreds before he turned 25. In 2000 he became the first batsman to have scored 50 international hundreds, in 2008 he passed Brian Lara as the leading Test run-scorer, and in the years after, he went past 13,000 Test runs 30,000 international runs, and 50 Test hundreds.

He currently holds the record for most hundreds in both Tests and ODIs - remarkable, considering he didn't score his first ODI hundred till his 79th match. Incredibly, he retains a divine enthusiasm for the game: at 36 years and 306 days he broke a 40-year-old barrier by scoring the first double-century in one-day cricket. In 2012, when just one month short of his 39th birthday, he became the first player to score 100 international centuries, which like Bradman's batting average, could be a mark that lasts for ever. Later that year, though, he announced his retirement from ODIs after a disappointing 18 months in international cricket.

Tendulkar's considerable achievements seem greater still when looked at in the light of the burden of expectations he has had to bear from his adoring but somewhat unreasonable followers, who have been prone to regard anything less than a hundred in each innings as a failure. The aura may have dimmed, if only slightly, as the years on the international circuit have taken their toll on the body, but Tendulkar remains, by a distance, the most worshipped cricketer in the world.

Usain Bolt- Athletics- Championed by- ChequeredJersey

In the eternal discussions about the greatest ever in any category, most of the argument is based on subjective opinion backed up by a few selected stats rather than fact. Sport is no exception especially as finding absolute comparisons between different sports is impossible. One man though, we can give specific facts about.

Over the accepted minimum distance, he is the fastest man in the world and in recorded history, running 100m in a ridiculous 9.58 seconds. He also holds the 2nd fastest time, 2 other world records at the distance, the most times a man has broken the 10s barrier and 2 Olympic Gold Medals won with incredible ease and seeming lack of effort. In a 150m run (at which he also holds the World's best time), he ran the last 100m in 8.70 seconds, the fastest recorded 100m run in any context by a human being, at over 40km/hour. If he hits a child, there is a 40% chance they will live

In the 200m, he holds the world record of 19.19. He set the record before that, beating one that many thought could stand for ever when Johnson set it, at the 2008 Olympic games. He won the double gold in the 100m/200m twice in a row. Michael Johnson calls him the GOAT. He can probably run a fantastic 400m, long jump and was offered to play for Manchester United, the most marketable Football brand in the world. He hit Chris Gayle, one of the best allrounder cricketers playing today, for 6 in an exhibition match and clean bowled him! He shares the 4x100m WR with his Jamaican team-mates as well as Gold in that event.

He has , at 26 years of age, 6 Olympic Golds, World Records in every race he competes in, 5 WC golds and 2 silvers, and numerous other medals. Bolt is one of only eight athletes to win world championships at the youth, junior, and senior level of an athletic event.He was the youngest junior gold medallist ever.

Beyond sport itself, he is the face of and the rejuvenation of athletics and the Olympics. Known throughout the world, the most famous man from his Nation. He has inspired millions to try athletics with his youthful approach and joy.He was the main draw and the star of the London 2012 games, the most viewed sporting event in recorded history. Countless times the sporting icon of the year. Fastest man on Earth.

I genuinely dislike Bolt, I find him arrogant and inconsiderate of others in his demeanour before, during an after races. One of the most amazing things about him is that he could clearly run much faster if he tried throughout the race, he could train much harder in his own admission, he could do other events, he slows down towards the finish line if he can get away with it, he ate chicken nuggets before winning Gold on Beijing. Still untouchable. His technique is poor, especially his start. Doesn't matter. He is in a league of his own. Despite my dislike of his attitude, I can still accept that he gas inspired many and is a positive factor for his sport and sport in general. Despite disliking him, I can still say he is probably one of, if not the only, GOAT

Joe Montana - Championed by Dummy_Half

Up to the early 80s, football was quite formulaic - rushing was the key, with teams only passing the ball when they needed big yards quickly. At the extreme, the Miami Dolphins QB only attempted 9 passes in winning the 1972 Superbowl. The 49ers changed all that, by introducing an offensive style based mostly on short and accurate passing, and Joe Montana was just the man for the job. He wasn't the biggest and strongest QB or with the best arm for the deep throw, but his great assets were accuracy and ability to read the game and find his open man. While not posing the same running threat as his successor at the 49ers Steve Young, he was good at buying time with his mobility and ability to pass on the move and could gain useful yards as a runner.

Nowadays, most NFL offences are pass-orientated, and indeed the rules of the game have been adjusted to favour passing offences

He was perhaps the ultimate big game quarterback - In his four Super Bowls (all won, and in which he was MVP 3 times), Montana completed 83 of 122 passes for 1,142 yards and 11 touchdowns with no interceptions. For those unfamiliar with the NFL, completing 60% of passes is good going, and even the best QBs get intercepted about once a game on average.

Montana was voted the third best player ever in the NFL in 1999. Not bad for a player who was only drafted 82nd (and 4th quarterback) in his collegiate draft.

Bolt and Montana

Bolt is a given in this round. Records and medals galore.

Montana just ahead of Tendulkar, thanks to his superbowl's and the fact Sachin is the most overrated batsmen ever (still a great one).

McEnroe was a great player in his era but probably not in the top 5 male players of all time.