Phelps the best ever? That gets my goat

If we go strictly by the numbers, even ignoring the riveting drama he's brought to the Beijing Games, Michael Phelps is the greatest Olympian of all time.

In America, we tuned in each night to watch him win eight gold medals and make the biggest splash in the history of the Summer Games.

But if everyone eagerly agrees that he's the "greatest Olympian," does it automatically follow that Phelps is the "greatest American athlete of all time"?

I don't think so.

It's inevitable that discussions about the "best" and "greatest" would spring from Phelps' performance. On radio and the Internet, at the water cooler, this is a conversation starter, and a welcome subject of debate for anyone exhausted by the Brett Favre saga.

It's also a waste of time.

No question, Phelps is the athlete of the year. Not just in America, to the world.

But taking nothing away from the Baltimore whirlwind, the identity of the "greatest athlete" shouldn't hinge on who is the biggest celebrity at the moment.

Besides, arguing over who is or was the greatest is a meaningless exercise, and not only because the sports landscape is broad and diverse. It's just that everyone's definition of exceptional athleticism differs so much.

For instance, I'm biased toward athletes whose talent involves a ball, hand-eye coordination and some sort of running and/or jumping.

By that definition, the members of the U.S. men's Olympic basketball team are superior athletes to Phelps, though none will resonate with the world the way our best swimmer has.

Phelps is fortunate to participate in a sport that makes available to the hardiest and boldest eight or nine gold medal-winning opportunities, whereas the nature of track and field limits even the best all-around runners and jumpers to four or five events.

Judging strictly by athleticism and versatility, couldn't you make the case that the best athletes at the Olympics are the decathletes? Can you name one off the top of your head? Neither can I.

Phelps will be the world's most famous champion until he returns the title to Tiger Woods. But as a golfer, Tiger is disqualified from any serious "greatest athlete" debate. C'mon, now. At the U.S. Open, Woods won a playoff over 45-year-old Rocco Mediate. How many 45-year-olds are in the Wimbledon draw? Or playing in the NFL? How many 40-year-olds did Phelps have to beat to win a gold medal?

Tiger is the "greatest" lots of things as long as you don't add the word "athlete." He's going after Jack Nicklaus' record for career majors, but those of us of a certain generation remember that Nicklaus won some of the biggest tournaments when his nickname was still "Fat Jack." Golf, in other words, has never demanded world-class fitness.

Many would ask Lance Armstrong to pose in the group shot of "greatest athlete" candidates. I would, too, if Lance had navigated the Tour de France while dribbling a basketball.

While his name is barely mentioned these days, wasn't Bo Jackson - who created a stir in the NFL and in Major League Baseball - as great an athlete as America has produced in the last half century?

If we've forgotten Jackson, it's because Bo didn't know records. His relatively brief careers left few lasting marks.

But numbers crunchers shouldn't be allowed to hijack a Greatest Of All Time discussion. Hank Aaron hit more home runs than Willie Mays and Barry Bonds overtook Aaron, but Mays is baseball's GOAT.

Who says? Well, I do.

You're welcome to disagree. There are no right answers, only talking points.

I started by saying that any attempt to identify America's best or all-time greatest athlete is a fool's errand, and then I wandered into the very trap I warned against.

Feel free to follow.

Bob Molinaro, (757) 446-2373, bob.molinaro@pilotonline.com