Who is your favourite sports hero ?

[zooropamanda]

Being the cricket fan I am, I have to say Steve Waugh. His brother Mark is a tie for favourite sportsmen but Steve inches up a bit further in hero status.
For non cricket fans, Steve Waugh is Australia's cricket captain and he's one of the best players we've ever had.
And he lives just around the corner from me

Who is yours and have you met them?

 

[MissZooropa]

I've had many but the one that I hold dearest is a soccerplayer named Jesper Blomqvist. He came to play in my favourite team here in Gothenburg 92, 93, something and I've followed him since then. I made contact with him while he was still in town and when we met out on pubs and stuff we said hi and chatted.
He moved to play in Milan, spring 96 and is still abroad, now playing in Everton. He has been in Parma, also Italy and then Manchester United, England.
Unfortunatly he has had some major problems with a knee and has just made comeback after two years of surgeries and recovering.
Why I fell for him? He's pure entertainment to watch playing, he makes soccer look beautiful!

Here's a few pics, he's a really cutey.

The tongue out is kind of his significant.

 

[Angela Harlem]

Does Craig Lowndes count?

 

[RufusYoungblood]

Manda...

I have to tell you, it's totally disgraceful for you to mention Mark in the same sentence as Steve. If you don't know why, there's no point in telling you, but I'll give you a hint: "Steve - 200 against WI with probably the same number of bruises. Mark - 200 times dismissed carelessly, can't get past 137, avg less than 40, twice the ability of Steve. What a waste"

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I don't know you, and you don't know the half of it.

 

[RufusYoungblood]

Oh, and to answer the question:

Paul Kelly.

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I don't know you, and you don't know the half of it.

 

[Olofski]

Wayne Gretzky ofcourse!

And NO, I?ve never met The Great One!

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***********
Olofski
SWEDEN
We move through miracle days Spirit moves in mysterious ways

 

[zonelistener]

Currently:

Matt Birk - center for the Minnesota Vikings.

First, he is a local guy. He went to the same H.S. that my dad went to, then he went off to Harvard for college (so he's smart). After college, he was drafted really late by the Vikings. He worked hard, and got the starting position after the Vikings lost their center to free agency. That year, he was voted to the pro-bowl ,and was the only Viking voted this year (two years in a row). Offensive lineman don't get a whole lot of time in the limelight - but he ends up on a lot of local radio and television shows - to talk about personal finance - not football.

I used to see him all the time around town here - and then he recently got married to the skanky looking thing, and she made him build this huge house in the burbs. (He was making millions, but living in the basement of this meager rental property he owns in town here). Just a very down to earth guy - not some freakish, big-egoed superstar.

Otherwise, Billy Martin (Yankees manager) was my idol growing up (a bit bizzare).

 

[ladywithspinninghead]

I think everyone knows Mario is mine...He's had cancer, back problems, hip problems, etc yet he continues to be the best player in the game!

Jagr complained about a little cold during the playoffs last year but Lemieux played the day after (or was it the same day??) having chemotherapy!!!

Not only that, but he's quite a gentleman, diplomatic,very professional, has excellent leadership skills (hence his appt. as Captain of Team Canada) and doesn't lose his cool without justification!

...cute to boot, too!

[This message has been edited by ladywithspinninghead (edited 03-01-2002).]

 

[sulawesigirl4]

Elvis Stojko!

 

[Salome]

mmm, difficult
right now I would also have to say Steve Waugh

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Salome
Shake it, shake it, shake it

 

[brettig]

Originally posted by RufusYoungblood:
Manda...

I have to tell you, it's totally disgraceful for you to mention Mark in the same sentence as Steve. If you don't know why, there's no point in telling you, but I'll give you a hint: "Steve - 200 against WI with probably the same number of bruises. Mark - 200 times dismissed carelessly, can't get past 137, avg less than 40, twice the ability of Steve. What a waste"

Ill deal with you later...

 

[zooropamanda]

Mel the Aussie basher, woops I mean Rufus

...
I said he was my favourite, I didnt say he was better. But I do agree, Mark does have more talent, has more grace and style, but *sigh*..it is a damn shame. I still think he's been a brilliant player for Australia. I think he probably disappoints himself more than anyone when he gets out.

 

[tiny dancer]

Originally posted by ladywithspinninghead:
I think everyone knows Mario is mine...He's had cancer, back problems, hip problems, etc yet he continues to be the best player in the game!

Jagr complained about a little cold during the playoffs last year but Lemieux played the day after (or was it the same day??) having chemotherapy!!!

Not only that, but he's quite a gentleman, diplomatic,very professional, has excellent leadership skills (hence his appt. as Captain of Team Canada) and doesn't lose his cool without justification!

...cute to boot, too!

[This message has been edited by ladywithspinninghead (edited 03-01-2002).]

Mario is mine too lady. I live now far from Pittsburgh, and I have always been a fan of the Penguins, and Super Mario as we call him. The man is amazing helping win 2 Stanley cups. And the courage he showed coping with his cancer.

 

[Clark W. Griswold Jr]

Cal Ripken and Greg Norman

 

[erper]

Gretzky of course... cuz even nice guys can finish first!

 

[z edge]

Well theres too many to mention, but i have a few in no particular order:

Dale Earnhardt
Michael Jordan
Walter Payton
Emmitt Smith
Troy Aikman
Dan Marino
John McEnroe

Brett Favre

I know that is a big list, but I can't help it. I loved Earnhardt, and miss watching him. I wish Dan Marino would have got a ring, he's had more 300 yard passing games than I've had speeding tickets so he deserved a superbowl ring! Emmitt Smith is my favorite player alive though, and he outshines the rest of his teammates by far.

catch22

 

[brettig]

Ok here goes...

Originally posted by RufusYoungblood:
Steve - 200 against WI with probably the same number of bruises.

Might I remind you that Mark made a chanceless 126 and partnered Steve to the tune of 231 runs in that same match...arguably it was Mark's free scoring that broke the back of the windies attack and allowed steve to stay on to his 200.

Mark - 200 times dismissed carelessly, can't get past 137,

His highest Test score is 153 not out, and for all the times hes got out carelessly, hes never got out in the 90s anywhere near as many times as Steve...indeed when Mark Waugh makes a 100, Australia hardly lose, I cant remember the last time he got 100 in a losing Aussie side.

avg less than 40,

7,833 test runs at an average of 42.57 and a strike rate of 52.13 <-----that makes him a match winner

His One Day Record is waaaaaaaaay better than Steve's

twice the ability of Steve. What a waste.

The twins are both as talented as each other, Mark is just more elegant. Steve can murder any attack when he wants to, but he changed his method to suit Test cricket...Mark just bats, no matter what sort of cricket hes playing. Perhaps it might be fair to say that Mark has half the cricketing tact of Steve, rather than twice the talent.

[This message has been edited by brettig (edited 03-02-2002).]

 

[Clark W. Griswold Jr]

Originally posted by z edge:

John McEnroe

Can you imagine what the Olympics would have been like if John was Jamie Sale's partner for the pairs competition?

JM: ARE YOU OUTTA YER F#$%!% MIND!!!
JUDGE: Point deduction, McEnroe/Sale.
JM: YOU'RE F!@##!@% BLIND. WE'RE BETTER THAN THOSE COMMIE BASTARDS. HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE THAT???? * slams his bouquet on the boards repeatedly*
Sale: Shut up, John, this isn't Forrest Hills!
JP: Screw you, they shouldn't let women in the pairs competition!
*cameras pan the audience to find Jimmy Conners pissing himself with laughter*

 

[Salome]

thanks to this thread my new sports hero is brettig

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Salome
Shake it, shake it, shake it

 

[brettig]

Id have to say Darren Lehmann or Greg Norman. But Salome is my hero for a day.

 

[z edge]

LOL there Griswold ( i know who you are)

Jimmy Connors was great to! ( so was Arthur Ashe)

 

[speedracer]

Steve Yzerman.

 

[BabyGrace]

I have quite a few actually, but I love Jenny Thompson and Eric DesJardins.

but then again we might as well count all of the Flyers.

I've also got an Apolo thang goin on

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You make yourself vulnerable to change in your life. But in the end, you've got to become the change you want to see in the world.
-the B-man

 

[Angela Harlem]

I'm adding:
Yannick Noah
Paul Roos
Evonne Goolagong Cawley
Stephen Davies

 

[christiana]

Zinedine Zidane...

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Is there a time to run for cover
A time for kiss and tell
Is there a time for different colours
Different names you find it hard to spell

 

[bono_man]

English footballing great Peter Beardsley. Although very ugly, one of the greatest players Newcastle has produced and a lovely fella too!

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"we're free to fly the crimson sky...the sun won't melt our wings tonight..."

 

[stagman]

Steve Waugh absolutely!!!!!

 

[The Wanderer]

Mario Lemieux (see the spinninghead's post)
Martin Brodeur (2 Cups with the Devils, and he's one of the nicest people in professional sports)
Mike Piaza (he's given me my best NY Mets' memories over the last several years)
Keith Hernandez (good player for 80s Mets... the Seinfield episode put him over the top)
MJ
Goran Ivanisevic (2001 Wimbledon Champion has a nice ring to it!)
Alberto Tomba (his training strategy at the Olympics as he got older says it all, "instead of training with 3 women till 5am, I train with 5 women till 3am")

 

[bonoman]

Wayne
Roy Keane
Mike Comrie

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Running to Stand Still-"you gotta cry without weeping, talk without speaking, scream without raising your voice."

"we're not burning out we're burning up...we're the loudest folk band in the world!"-Bono

 

[Angela Harlem]

Im jumping on the bandwagon and am adding Mark Webber