Favorite Sportsmen

[1-800]

Michael Jordan

'Be like Mike' was pure nonsense. Michael Jordan wasn't cool, and you really wouldn't want to be like him. He was an introverted, awkward, prickly perfectionist who managed to alienate his teammates (and really, everyone he came into contact with) even as he lead them to victory after victory. It's telling that one of the most famous Jordan photos is of him sitting alone, crying and clutching the Larry O'Brian trophy.


He was an autistic par excellence -- but his energies were devoted to excelling at basketball, rather than memorizing the schedule for the London underground. 'Excel' isn't even the right word, since Jordan wasn't just better than his contemporaries, he wasn't just heads and shoulders above them...he had transcended their plane of existence. The NBA is rightfully divided into two eras: Before Jordan and After Jordan.

I will add more later.

[Notabasher]

This gentleman, fat, lazy, blessed with the skills of any Brazilian, never left lowly Southampton. Surely the last from the era where some footballers seem to play just for fun.

I think I gave up watching Match of the Day about the same time as he retired.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfpP3zOfEPs&feature=related

[Jake Featherston]

What have you got against Notas, anyway?

[Keystone]

Favorite Sportsman would have to be Ted Williams---greatest hitter in baseball history, Marine Corps pilot and expert fly and deep sea fisherman.
Quite a man's man.

[MrAngry]

Paul Scholes of Manchester United. Loyal to his club, impeccable private and public life, didn't get caught up in the hype like Beckham.

I'm not a MUFC fan btw.

[Keystone]

Paul Scholes of Manchester United. Loyal to his club, impeccable private and public life, didn't get caught up in the hype like Beckham.

It's always a treat when pro athletes behave themselves.

[raven]

Where does it say that Michael Jordan had an autistic spectrum disorder? I've never heard anything like that.

[Jimbo Gomez]

Eddy Merckx, greatest athlete ever.

[Keystone]

Eddy Merckx, greatest athlete ever.
What did he do besides cycling?

[Jimbo Gomez]

What did he do besides cycling?


At the time, not much. Like any dedicated athlete he lived for his sport. He makes his own bicycles now, supposedly of the best quality (I wouldn't know, I never owned one of them).

[Niccolo and Donkey]

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl-Heinz_Rummenigge) - German Soccer Player

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_HBesF3zsNvM/RpWOoBS-V0I/AAAAAAAAB80/gzk1-gGvz5Q/2416443427.jpg

One in the long lines of talented and deadly German strikers, Rummenigge bridged the era between Gerd "Der Bomber" Muller and Jurgen Klinsmann. A very outspoken individual, he simply didn't give a fuck. What endeared me to Rummenigge was not only his poaching prowess, but the fact that his goal celebrations were so subdued. In an age when goal celebrations take on the ridiculous to the horribly pre-planned, Rummenigge is a throwback. When he'd score a goal, he'd simple raise one arm, look down at the ground and jog back to half to restart the match. The look on his face was simply one of disgust at the other squad for letting him score, akin to how a man looks on with disgust at a woman who lets him fuck her on the first date.


Guy "The Flower" Lafleur (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Lafleur) - Hockey Player

http://www.hickoksports.com/images/lafleur_guy.jpg

Class, style, speed, and scoring. "The Flower" is my all-time favourite hockey player thanks to a combo of being a Montreal Canadien, plus the fact that he played during my youth. A consummate professional, Lafleur was always first to show up for practice and last to leave. His darting runs up the right wing drove terror into the hearts of opposing keepers and his run of 6 consecutive 50 goal and 100 point seasons was unparalleled at the time. Five Stanley Cup wins of which four were in a row made the Habs the dominate team of the 70s.

Besides this, Lafleur was a drinker and smoker. He was known to have the occasional cigarette on the bench between shifts. He stopped wearing a helmet after his second season which became a signature since helmets were becoming a preference.

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Zvonimir Boban (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zvonimir_Boban) - Croatian Soccer Player

http://www.thefa.com/NR/rdonlyres/88C2FA39-84A0-4C46-B84F-51E89DEE1509/0/milan_boban_1996_large.jpg

The heart and soul of the Croatian soccer team. Fierce, determined, clinical, and incredibly talented. His skills were only matched by love of his nation. What endears him most to me is when he drop kicked a Serbian police officer during a game between his Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade: a moment considered by many to be the start of the Croatian-Serbian war. Take a look at the clip:

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