Major Sports Records That Could Fall Soon
Peyton Manning just became the first NFL quarterback to 200 wins, and Brett Favre's 199 could get some company in the "broken records club" in the near future.
Most of the following big-time sports records look poised to go down in the next few weeks or months, though a couple might take a smidge longer. Either way, odds are 50-50 or better (fictional, made-up odds, of course) that their days could be numbered. (Knock on wood.)
Some records seem more likely to be broken than others, as well. Here they are, ranked from Derek Jeter becoming the first unanimous MLB Hall of Famer (as equally feasible as not) to Mesut Ozil topping Thierry Henry as the Premier League's single-season assist leader (barring anything crazy, it's happening).
Warning: There is a disproportionate number of references to the Golden State Warriors and Washington Capitals in this one. Sorry, not sorry. They are disproportionately good.
Ken Griffey Jr.'s HOF Percentage
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Legendary outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. set a new record in January when he received 99.32 percent of the Hall of Fame vote—437 of 440 votes. The previous record was pitcher Tom Seaver's 98.84 percent, tallied in 1992.
Over 99 percent is impressive, but Griffey's case left many wondering if anyone could ever be a unanimous HOF pick. Mariano Rivera? Chipper Jones? Longtime New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter will become eligible in 2020.
Seaver himself said, "I've thought about it; Jeter should be the one. What can you say he hasn't done? He has every credential imaginable—great player, good citizen," per Marty Noble of MLB.com.
It could be that the voters will just never let a unanimous pick happen, but Jeter is a good bet if ever there was one.
Montreal Canadiens' 132 Points
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The Montreal Canadiens scored a record 132 points in the 1976-77 NHL season. Believe it or not, that record could fall before 2015-16 is over.
The Washington Capitals had 84 points as of Feb. 15, through 54 games. (That's about 1.56 points per game.)
According to Chris Lingebach of CBS DC, the Capitals are, at minimum, on a good clip to surpass their own franchise record of 121 points.
Yet, 132 is not inconceivable either. It would mean a slightly higher average in terms of points per game until the end (about 1.71 to tie). But hey, it could happen.
Note: The record for most wins in a season is 62, held by the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings. The Caps were at 40 wins as of Feb. 14. Just sayin'.
Miami's First-Round Draft Picks
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In early February, Zac Jackson of NBC Sports reported 14 Ohio State Buckeyes had been invited to the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine. With a high number of players having declared for the draft, including nine underclassmen, Ohio State could break a 12-year-old record.
According to Jackson, that record was set by the University of Miami when six of its players were taken in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft.
Ohio State also holds the mark for most players taken from one program in a single seven-round draft (14 in 2004), according to John Harris of the Washington Post, a number it could at least tie in 2016.
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Ronaldo's 17 Champions League Goals
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In 2013-14, Portuguese footballer Ronaldo set the Champions League scoring record with 17 goals in one season.
In the 2015-16 season's group stage, Ronaldo scored 11 goals for the first time ever, including a four-goal performance against Malmo in December.
Depending on how far Real Madrid advances in the knockout phases of the Champions League, Ronaldo could conceivably break his own single-season scoring mark in Champions League play.
Chicago Bulls' 44-Game Home Win Streak
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The Golden State Warriors have not been beaten at home in 2015-16. As of the All-Star break, and dating back to the 2014-15 season, that means a home win streak of 42 for the defending champions.
The longest such streak in NBA history belongs to, you guessed it, the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. Michael Jordan and Co. posted a 44-game streak from March 30, 1995 to April 4, 1996.
The Dubs will have an opportunity to extend their own streak starting March 1 against the Atlanta Hawks at Oracle Arena. If they win there (knock on wood), they would go for the tie against the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 3. Drama, drama.
Giancarlo Stanton's $325 Million Contract
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Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton is currently sitting on MLB's richest contract, worth $325 million over 13 years.
Washington Nationals slugger and reigning National League MVP Bryce Harper can enter free agency in 2018. Depending on how things go between now and then, the young phenom could command MLB's first-ever $400 million contract.
In November, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post cited an NL executive who estimated the going rate to keep Harper in Washington would be $30 million per year for 15 years ($450 million total).
Ivan Lendl's 18 Straight Tennis Finals
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Legendary tennis player Ivan Lendl once made it to 18 consecutive tournament finals from 1981 to 1982.
Novak Djokovic, in the midst of a historic stretch of tennis, has a chance to break that record, and soon.
With his victory in January's Australian Open, Djokovic didn't just secure four of the last five Grand Slams, but he also extended his tournament final streak to 17.
Not surprisingly, the Serbian star has a shot at another record, although it might take a bit longer to achieve. With 11 Grand Slam titles, and with the way he's been playing, it's not inconceivable that Djokovic could eventually surpass Roger Federer's mark of 17 Grand Slam wins.
Donyell Marshall and Kobe Bryant's 3-Pointers in a Game
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Retired NBA forward Donyell Marshall and current Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant each drained 12 three-pointers in a single game at one time in their respective careers (Marshall in 2005, Bryant in 2003).
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry came very close to breaking that record mark in early February. The reigning NBA MVP notched 11 three-balls and 51 total points against the Washington Wizards.
The performance made it easy to believe Curry is capable of just one more three in a game. It seems like one of those things that could happen on any given night.
In fact, Marshall himself said, "It's just a matter of time," per Zack Meisel of Cleveland.com.
Bonus fact: Curry is also on pace to break his own record of treys in a season (286), per AJ Neuharth-Keusch of USA Today, and the Dubs could be the first team ever to drain 1,000 threes as a team.
Emmitt Smith's 18,355 Rush Yards
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Former Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith holds the NFL's career rushing record with 18,355 yards.
Because of the punishing nature of the running back position, it's possible the record could stand for quite a long time. However, according to Smith, there is one active back who has at least an outside shot.
Thirty-year-old Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings has amassed 11,675 yards in nine seasons. That total includes league-leading figures in 2008 (1,760), 2012 (2,097) and 2015 (1,485).
In February, Smith said, "If he doesn't get it, I don't know who's going to get it. He's still got a lot of yards to go. I'm not going to lie to you," per Jean-Jacques Taylor of ESPN.com.
Martin Brodeur's 48 Wins
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In 2006-07, longtime New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur won 48 games, a single-season record for NHL backstops.
In 2015-16, Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals could give that record a serious run. Through Feb. 15, and with 28 games remaining in the regular season, Holtby had 35 wins under his belt.
In early February, Mike G. Morreale of NHL.com reported Holtby said, "It's definitely something I look at because the only statistic I care about is wins."
Margaret Court's 24 Grand Slams
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After locking up three Grand Slams in 2015 alone, Serena Williams looks poised to break Margaret Court's career mark of 24 titles in the relatively near future.
Her win at Wimbledon brought Williams' career total to 21. Since then, she was upset in the U.S. Open semifinals and lost in the Australian Open final, but her on-court dominance is still evident.
Retired pro Steffi Graf, who won 22 Grand Slams, said in 2013, "She's got a lot of tennis left in her. I can easily see her pass all of our records. I don't see the competition catching up to her at all," per Melissa Murphy of the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).
Sir Bobby Charlton's 249 Manchester United Goals
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Retired English midfielder Sir Bobby Charlton scored 249 goals in 758 appearances with Manchester United from 1956 to 1973. Those 249 goals have stood as the club record for decades.
Now, in 2015-16, Wayne Rooney is all but sure to break through and become the new leading goalscorer at Old Trafford. Per his website, officialwaynerooney.com, the forward has 245 goals as of Feb. 16.
Jason Burt of the Telegraph wrote, "To beat Charlton's goal-scoring records for England—Rooney surpassed his total of 49 goals in the autumn and now has 51 for his country—and for United in one season is a truly remarkable achievement and one obviously worthy of great recognition and significant praise."
Chicago Bulls' 72-Win Season
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As of the All-Star break, the Golden State Warriors were 48-4. That means the team has 30 games to get 25 wins and bring its season total to 73. That would beat the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' record of 72 wins in an NBA season.
Fun fact: Current Warriors coach Steve Kerr was on that Bulls team.
Stephen Curry told Jesse Palmer on Good Morning America (via ABC News), "I don't know how many times you're going to be in the position to chase a historical record like that and be a team that everyone remembers. We'll go after it, but getting the [NBA] championship would be much more important."
Sourav Ganguly, Fastest to 9,000 ODI Runs
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Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly holds the record for fastest batsman to 9,000 one-day international (ODI) runs. Yet, the No. 1 ODI player in the world should have something to say about that soon.
South African batsman AB de Villiers broke Ganguly's mark as fastest to 8,000 ODI runs in August. As of Feb. 16, the 31-year-old (who turns 32 on Feb. 17) has tallied 8,621 ODI runs in 192 innings and looks well on his way to beating Ganguly's pace to 9,000 as well.
Thierry Henry's 20 Premier League Assists
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According to the Premier League, its single-season assist leader is former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry, who logged 20 such passes in 2002-03.
Through Arsenal's Feb. 14 victory over Leicester City, midfielder Mesut Ozil had notched 17 assists. That means the German has 12 more games to get four more and break Henry's record.
Outlook: good.
It's not just assists, either. Ozil's ability to make things happen is so impressive, Richard Innes of Mirror wrote, "Following the 2-1 win against Leicester, Ozil has become only the 13th player to create more than 100 chances in a Premier League season."
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