Records that'll never be broken

[Postman Dave]

Sachin Tendulkar made cricket history on Friday by making his 100th international century against Bangladesh in an Asia Cup one dayer. He has scored 51 tons in tests and a further 49 in one-dayers.
The next closest is Australia's Ricky Ponting, who in a career almost as long and distinguished has managed just 71, suggesting that the Little Master's mark will never be surpassed.
We take a look at the other sporting records which look unlikely ever to be broken.
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Cricket: Don Bradman's Test batting average
During a test career spanning from 1928-1948, Australia's Bradman had a batting average of 99.94. It has been claimed to be statistically the greatest achievement in any major sport. Next closest among players who have played at least 20 tests is South Africa's Graeme Pollock with 60.97.
Bradman was denied finishing his career with a 100 average in the most heartbreaking of circumstances. The great man received a heart ovation as he walked out in his last innings against England at the Oval, with his average at the time standing at 101. The England side even gave a spontaneous "Three cheers for the Don!" as he approached the wicket, led by England captain Norman Yardley, who warmly shook Bradman's hand.
Moments later, England's Eric Hollies had soured Bradman's final moment for good. His first ball from the Vauxhall end at the Oval was pushed gently to a silly mid-off; his second was a googly that clean bowled Bradman for a duck. All was not lost quite yet: this was just the first innings of the match so he would have a chance to claw back into three figures; but England slumped to an innings defeat to deny him the chance.

Cricket: Muttiah Muralitharan's tally of Test wickets
The Sri Lankan off spinner is the highest wicket-taker in international cricket. He capped an 18-year test career by claiming his 800th wicket from his final ball in his last five-day match in July 2010. Next closest is Australian Shane Warne who claimed 708 test victims from 1992 to 2007.

Baseball: Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak
The Italian-American centre fielder chalked up a 56-game hitting streak (May - July 1941). DiMaggio hit .408 during his streak (91 for 223), with 15 home runs and 55 RBIs. Next closest is Willie Keeler with 45 in 1896-1897.

Baseball: Cal Ripken Jr's consecutive starts
Ripken played in 2,632 consecutive MLB games from May 1982 to September 1998. He went 17 seasons without missing a game. Next closest is Lou Gehrig with 2,130 appearances.
Ripken voluntarily brought his streak to a close, but several times his streak had nearly come to an end before that. Once, a freak accident at a pre-All Stars photoshoot left him with a broken nose, and he had to brave the picket lines during the 1994 MLB players' strike to keep the record going.
The scariest moment, however, came in the middle of the 1997 season when severe back spasms nearly forced him to sit out a game in Anaheim. Yet not only did he play through the pain, he also hit the game-winning home run.

Tennis: Roger Federer's run of Grand Slam semi-finals
The Swiss reached a record 23 consecutive grand slam semi-finals or better from 2004 Wimbledon to 2010 Australian Open. That record is considered by pundits as one of the most astonishing in sport as it means Federer has finished in the top four at a major for almost six successive years. His streak is more than double the previous record held by Ivan Lendl and Rod Laver, who both reached 10 consecutive major semis.

Tennis: John Isner and Nicolas Mahut's marathon match
American Isner beat Frenchman Mahut in the longest ever tennis match, in both time and total games, in the first round of Wimbledon in 2010. Isner won 6-4 3-6 6-7 7-6 70-68 for a total of 183 games. The match lasted 11 hours five minutes and was played over three days. The final set alone lasted eight hours 11 minutes. It is referred to as "the endless match". The previous record was Fabrice Santoro's six hour 33 minute win over fellow Frenchman Arnaud Clement at 2004 French Open.

Basketball: Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game
Philadelphia Warriors center Chamberlain scored 100 points during a 169-147 win over the New York Knicks in 1962. He holds the NBA's single-game scoring record. The most amazing thing is that Chamberlain had been out partying in Manhattan the night before the game, and took to the court still nursing a colossal hangover.

Athletics: Ed Moses's streak of race wins
American Moses won 122 consecutive 400 metres hurdles races, which included 107 finals, between 1977 and 1987. He did not lose a race for nine years, nine months and nine days. During that period he broke the world record four times and won an Olympic gold (he also won at the 1976 games, and only a US boycott of the 1980 Moscow Games robbed him of another).
Moses, a physics graduate, was philosophical about what made him so good: "It just happens that my slow is faster than most athletes' fast."

Ice hockey: Wayne Gretzky's goalscoring record
The Canadian finished his career with 2,857 points (goals and assists) during his 21-year playing career which ended in 1999. The next closest is his now retired team mate Mark Messier with 1,887.

Golf: Byron Nelson wins 11 consecutive tournaments
Winning on the golf circuit, with large fields of talented stars, is some achievement - winning 11 consecutive events is another matter altogether. Byron Nelson's achievements in 1945 are unlikely ever to be repeated, and despite the quality of fields of tournaments being reduced marginally by the war, Nelson still had to record his winnings against legends of the game like Sam Snead and Ben Hogan. In addition to his 11 tournaments in a row, Nelson won 18 tournaments in all and finished second a further seven times.

Yahoo

Not sure if this belongs here, I'll let Trent deal with it as he sees fit.

Still, some incredible sporting achievements here, the ones that stand out to me are Chamberlains, Moses & Ripkin Jrs.

 

[TroyTheAverage]

I can see DiMaggio's hitting streak getting beaten as well as Chamberlains 100 point game, especially with the lack of defense in the NBA and it is only going to get worse.

As far as the rest of the records like Ripken's games played streak and Gretzky's points, I don't ever see anyone getting close to them. I don't know about the others since I don't follow those sports.

 

[Swinny]

Gretzky's record for sure, but another NHL one is Teemu Selanne with the record for rookies with 76 goals, 56 assists and 132 points. While I'm sure there will be some great players coming in over the years and having solid rookie seasons, I don't see anymore even getting close to that, let alone surpassing it.

 

[TroyTheAverage]

Teemu Selanne with the record for rookies with 76 goals, 56 assists and 132 points.

I thought for sure that Crosby would have gotten that.

 

[Swinny]

I thought for sure that Crosby would have gotten that.

Not even close, he had 37 less goals with 39 and 30 less points with 102. So if the guy who was considered the best rookie in a LONG time and is currently considered the best player in the NHL can only get a little over half as many goals, who is there that can come close?

 

[TroyTheAverage]

I know he didn't, but I thought if anyone was going to it would have been him.

 

[Lover Boy]

Yeah its fine here, could fit in with European Sports or American Sports.

I remember watching John Isner and Nicolas Mahut's marathon match on TV, it was fucking incredible how long sets lasted and the match as a whole. It was a great match but it obviously got a bit boring after a while. Incredible feat though.

 

[TactMrBlack]

Although defenses are terrible in the NBA I don't see anybody ever breaking that record. Kobe has been the closest and he was still 19 points away.

 

[Hoss]

I'm going to say that Emmitt Smith's career rushing record of 18,355 yards will never be broken. The way the league is moving, it's becoming more and more of pasing league which means less hand offs and less runs for would-be record breakers. Not only that, but the only man active posing a threat is Ladanian Tomlinson, but he is on the tail end of his career and not starting, and he has 5,000 yards to gain which would take him 3 seasons at least, 3 seasons he doesn't have. Curtis Martin and Jerome Bettis both began to near the record, but both of those men filed to reach that pinnacle, and after LT, the only other active RB with a dog in this fight is Thomas Jones, but Thomas Jones is still ranked number 22 of all-time and is 8,000 yards away from reaching Emmitt's record.

Sure, Chris Johnson had his one 2,000 yard season, but even Jamal Lewis had a 2,000 yard season in 2002 but remains as the 21st highest career rusher... way away from Emmitt. Marshall Faulk didn't do it, Fred Taylor didn't do it, Edgerrin James didn't do it... I have a hard time believing that Michael Turner or Frank Gore will do it either.

But that's just me.

 

[TactMrBlack]

I'd have to agree with EC about the rushing title

 

[NovaRoad]

I'm going to say that Emmitt Smith's career rushing record of 18,355 yards will never be broken. The way the league is moving, it's becoming more and more of pasing league which means less hand offs and less runs for would-be record breakers. Not only that, but the only man active posing a threat is Ladanian Tomlinson, but he is on the tail end of his career and not starting, and he has 5,000 yards to gain which would take him 3 seasons at least, 3 seasons he doesn't have. Curtis Martin and Jerome Bettis both began to near the record, but both of those men filed to reach that pinnacle, and after LT, the only other active RB with a dog in this fight is Thomas Jones, but Thomas Jones is still ranked number 22 of all-time and is 8,000 yards away from reaching Emmitt's record.

Sure, Chris Johnson had his one 2,000 yard season, but even Jamal Lewis had a 2,000 yard season in 2002 but remains as the 21st highest career rusher... way away from Emmitt. Marshall Faulk didn't do it, Fred Taylor didn't do it, Edgerrin James didn't do it... I have a hard time believing that Michael Turner or Frank Gore will do it either.

But that's just me.

You don't see that trend being bucked at some point though? I've not seriously followed football in a while, but I know it's become a passer's game considering that the only players I can name anymore that aren't total fuckwits and always in the news are QB's. I just can't see that being the case indefinitely. Not that I'm trying to make the case for anyone being able to break Emmitt's record, but I definitely think the passer's game cycle will run its course and rushing will have its prominence again.