The Hardest Thing

Hitting a fastball thrown at 90 mph may be the hardest thing to do in sports. You have 1/1000th of a second to decide whether to swing, and where to swing. But is it the hardest thing to do in life?

Old-timers thought Bobby Bonds was a great baseball player.

Then his son, Barry, came of age and started his thunder run to baseball immortality.

Last summer, he stole his 500th base, and became the only player in the history of the game to hit 500 home runs and steal 500 bases, demonstrating a unique combination of both power and speed.

No other player has done that. So is it the hardest thing to do in sports?

The sports writers at USA Today (March 3, 2003) put their heads together to list what, in their opinion, were the 10 hardest things to do in sports.

10. Skiing the alpine downhill race at 80 mph.
9. Saving a penalty kick in soccer.
8. Bicycling the Tour de France covering 2,114 miles.
7. Running a marathon.
6. Landing a quadruple toe loop on figure skates — with grace.
5. Returning a 130-140 mph tennis serve.
4. Hitting a golf ball straight and long.
3. Pole vaulting.
2. Driving a race car while enduring 5 G’s in the corners in 120 degree heat, knowing a mistake can kill you.

And number ...