Sporting Hero's

[akhilis2cool]

Post your views about your sporting hero's here.



I'll start-off with Lance Armstrong , who conquered the Tour de France for the 7th time!!

[talking]

Roger Federer



Kevin Pietersen---he is the best player for now

[Sharjeel]

Great Idea, Akhil bhai!!!



Good read on Lance Armstrong. He is an icon for the weak willed people. An embodiment of Determination and Willpower.







Me will start off with my favorite Sportsperson: Gabriel Batistuta



http://www.hwwilson.com/print/cbintl_batista_biography.htm

[ycr007]

Mika Hakkinen



Hez the Most Cool n Calm Driver I've Seen. Never Really saw Ayrton Senna,So Mika's the One I Like

[Sachin]

Kapil Dev Nikhanj he was a sportsman to the core. He was one of the fittest cricketers the world had ever seen. I loved his attitude on the field.



KUDOS TO THE GREATEST SON OF INDIA

[akhilis2cool]

Dhanyavaad for all those replies.



My Sporting hero for today: Sir Garfield Sobers, the greatest all rounder cricket has had.







From wikipedia:



Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers, KBE (born July 28, 1936 in Barbados), better known as Garry Sobers (though earlier in his life he preferred the spelling Gary), was a West Indies cricket player. He was born with two extra fingers, one on each hand, which were removed at birth. He also excelled at other sports, and played golf, football and basketball for Barbados.



Sobers is best-known for his prowess at cricket. He was an all-rounder; that is, he both batted and bowled, and was also an outstanding fielder. With the ball, Sobers performed superbly, taking 235 Test wickets at an average of 34.03. He bowled left-arm orthodox spin, left-arm unorthodox spin, and also left-arm fast-medium. Sobers was also exceptionally talented with the bat, as well, with a career Test batting average of 57.78.



Sobers played his first Test match in 1953, aged only 17. Just under five years later, in 1958, Sobers set a Test cricket record by scoring 365 runs in a single innings against Pakistan, his first Test century, a record which stood for over 36 years. The record has since been surpassed twice by Brian Lara, also of the West Indies, who scored 375 and 400 in 1994 and 2004 respectively, and Matthew Hayden of Australia who scored 380 in 2003.



In 1968, Sobers became the first batsman to hit six sixes off one over of six consecutive balls in first-class cricket. Sobers was playing as captain of Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan in Swansea; the unfortunate bowler was Malcolm Nash. This feat has been matched once, by Ravi Shastri, playing for Bombay against Baroda in 1984.



In 1975, Queen Elizabeth awarded Sobers a knighthood for his services to the sport.



He is the author of a children's novel about cricket, Bonaventure and the Flashing Blade, in which computer analysis helps a university cricket team become unbeatable.



In 2000, Sobers was named by a 100-member panel of experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century. Sobers received 90 votes, behind Sir Donald Bradman (who received all 100 votes). Sir Jack Hobbs (30 votes), Shane Warne (27 votes) and Sir Vivian Richards (25 votes) were the others chosen. (Many members of the panel complained that two of the five votes cast by each member would be wasted, as they had to be cast for Bradman and Sobers!)



Here's More abt. the great man.

[lizard king]

Ian Thorpe

[SeH]

ohhhh so many to list....therez a woman included tooo... so shall we say sports heroine tooo....



Cricket: Sir V.V Richards (Batting), Wasim Akram (Blowling), Gus Logie (Fielding), Steve Waugh (Captain), Adam Gilchrist (Keeping).

BasketBall: Micheal (Air) Jordan

Tennis: Stefan Edberg (Men), Stefi Graf (Women)

F-1: Shumi

Table Tennis: kamlesh Mehta

[akhilis2cool]

It would b gr8 if you could write something about the sports person u admire.



Todays Hero: Pete Sampras.







From: http://wimbledon.willhill.com/pete_sampras_1.htm

Pete Sampras was born on August 12th, 1971 in Washington, D.C, the third son of Greek immigrants, Sam and Georgia Sampras.

From an early age, Pete showed signs of outstanding athletic ability. The young Pete discovered a tennis racquet in the basement and spent hours hitting balls against the wall. In 1978, the Sampras family moved to Palos Verdes, California, and the warmer climate there allowed 7 year old Pete to play more tennis.



The Sampras family joined the Peninsula Racquet Club, where they played a great deal of tennis together. It was here that Pete's ability became apparent. At the age of 11 he had already learned the solid serve and volley tactic that has become the hallmark of his game. Pete entered the professional game in 1988 as a 16-year old qualifier and had a game that was considered 'dangerous' by fellow competitors. During the 2 years that it took Pete to reach the World Top 10 he defeated several of the great tennis legends. In 1990 he won his first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open. Along the way he defeated Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe with his dominating serve.



At only 19 years 28 days, Pete Sampras was the youngest tennis player ever to win the U.S. Open Men's title.



In 1991 Pete Sampras won the IBM World Championship and in 1992 he played on the U.S. team that won back the Davis Cup.

His relaxed and friendly attitude made him an excellent team player, but it was in the singles game that he began to dominate.



Pete set a new ATP Tour record in 1993 when he became the first player to serve over 1000 aces in a season. This feat helped him to win both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and gained him his 'Pistol Pete' nickname.



Pete's one weakness is playing on clay. This has come between him and the fourth Grand Slam, the French Open. Although he already commands almost universal respect, a win at Roland Garros would silence even the harshest of critics.



Sampras once said of himself: 'I never wanted to be the great guy or the colorful guy or the interesting guy. I wanted to be the guy who won titles.'

Triple Wimbledon champion Boris Becker said: 'He was always the most complete player. He has the power, he has the speed, he has the touch. He is the best player ever.



Statistics

[akhilis2cool]

It would b gr8 if you could write something about the sports person u admire.



Todays Hero: Pete Sampras.







From: http://wimbledon.willhill.com/pete_sampras_1.htm

Pete Sampras was born on August 12th, 1971 in Washington, D.C, the third son of Greek immigrants, Sam and Georgia Sampras.

From an early age, Pete showed signs of outstanding athletic ability. The young Pete discovered a tennis racquet in the basement and spent hours hitting balls against the wall. In 1978, the Sampras family moved to Palos Verdes, California, and the warmer climate there allowed 7 year old Pete to play more tennis.



The Sampras family joined the Peninsula Racquet Club, where they played a great deal of tennis together. It was here that Pete's ability became apparent. At the age of 11 he had already learned the solid serve and volley tactic that has become the hallmark of his game. Pete entered the professional game in 1988 as a 16-year old qualifier and had a game that was considered 'dangerous' by fellow competitors. During the 2 years that it took Pete to reach the World Top 10 he defeated several of the great tennis legends. In 1990 he won his first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open. Along the way he defeated Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe with his dominating serve.



At only 19 years 28 days, Pete Sampras was the youngest tennis player ever to win the U.S. Open Men's title.



In 1991 Pete Sampras won the IBM World Championship and in 1992 he played on the U.S. team that won back the Davis Cup.

His relaxed and friendly attitude made him an excellent team player, but it was in the singles game that he began to dominate.



Pete set a new ATP Tour record in 1993 when he became the first player to serve over 1000 aces in a season. This feat helped him to win both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and gained him his 'Pistol Pete' nickname.



Pete's one weakness is playing on clay. This has come between him and the fourth Grand Slam, the French Open. Although he already commands almost universal respect, a win at Roland Garros would silence even the harshest of critics.



Sampras once said of himself: 'I never wanted to be the great guy or the colorful guy or the interesting guy. I wanted to be the guy who won titles.'

Triple Wimbledon champion Boris Becker said: 'He was always the most complete player. He has the power, he has the speed, he has the touch. He is the best player ever.



Statistics

[akhilis2cool]

Steffi Graf.







From Wikipedia



Stefanie Maria "Steffi" Graf (born June 14, 1969 in Mannheim, Germany) is a former World No. 1 woman tennis player from Germany, and widely considered one of the greatest tennis players in history. She won 22 Grand Slam singles titles. In 1988, she became the first player to achieve the "Golden Slam" – capturing all four Grand Slam titles and the Olympic Gold Medal in the same year. She was ranked the World No. 1 player for a record 377 weeks and is the only player to have won all four of Grand Slam at least four times apiece



Read More abt. her Here

[Sharjeel]

Steffi Graf is undoubtedly one of the Champion among Champions

[lonewolf]

Post your views about your sporting hero's here.

I'll start-off with Lance Armstrong , who conquered the Tour de France for the 7th time!!

Many people around here wear wrist bands that say "LIVESTRONG". I thought it was just a random word and later read that it was a reference to Lance Armstrong.

[lonewolf]

Martina Navratilova

Martina Navrátilová (b. October 18, 1956, in Řevnice, near Prague, Czechoslovakia) is a former World No. 1 woman tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, she defected to the United States in 1975 and became a US citizen in 1981. During her career she won 18 Grand Slam singles titles and 40 Grand Slam doubles titles (31 women's doubles and 9 mixed doubles). She won the women's singles title at Wimbledon a record 9 times.



Tennis career

In 1972 at the age of 15, Navrátilová won the Czechoslovakian national tennis championship. In 1973, aged 16, she turned professional. She won her first professional singles title in Orlando, Florida in 1974.



A left-handed serve-and-volleyer with superb volleying skills, Navrátilová raised the women’s game to new levels with her power and aggression. She struggled with her weight in the early years of her career (and was at one point unflatteringly labelled the “Great Wide Hope” by the journalist Bud Collins), but her determination to reach the top of the game saw her embark on a punishing routine to get herself into shape that eventually made extreme levels of fitness and conditioning a hallmark of her game.



The mid-1980s were the most dominant period of Navrátilová’s career. After losing in the fourth round of the first Grand Slam event of 1983 - the French Open - she captured the year's three remaining Grand Slam titles (the Australian Open was held in December at that time). She then won the 1984 French Open to hold all four Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously.



Navrátilová did succeed in winnning all four of the Grand Slam women’s doubles titles in 1984, partnering Pam Shriver. This was part of a record 109-match winning streak that the pair achieved between 1983 and 1985. (Navrátilová was ranked the World No. 1 doubles player for a period of over three years in the 1980s.)



In the three years from 1985 to 1987, Navrátilová reached the women’s singles final at all 11 Grand Slam tournaments she entered, winning six of them (and extending her run of triumphs at Wimbledon to a record six consecutive).



Since 2000, Navrátilová has returned to the tour to play doubles events, while occasionally also playing singles. In 2003, she won the mixed doubles titles at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon partnering Leander Paes. This makes her the oldest ever Grand Slam champion (aged 46 years, 8 months). Navratilova won a singles match at the first round of Wimbledon in 2004, aged 47 years and 8 months, to make her the oldest player to win a professional singles match in the Open Era.



Over the course of her career, Navrátilová won 167 top-level singles titles (more than any other player in the Open Era) and 174 doubles titles.

[akhilis2cool]

Diego Maradona.





He is someone many people want to emulate, a controversial figure, loved, hated, who stirs great upheaval, especially in Argentina... Stressing his personal life is a mistake. Maradona has no peers inside the pitch, but he has turned his life into a show, and is now living a personal ordeal that should not be imitated

- Former teammate Jorge Valdano



Football Style



Short and stocky, Maradona had a very strong physique and could withstand physical pressure better than most players. His strong legs and low centre of gravity gave him additional advantage in short sprints opposite defenders. This is illustrated by his two goals against Belgium in the 1986 World Cup.



He was also a wizard with the ball and could manage himself in limited spaces, attracting defenders only to quickly dash out of the melee, or find a free teammate who would take the ball and score. Examples include the pass to Caniggia against Brazil in the 1990 World Cup, and the pass to Burruchaga that secured the 1986 trophy.



Maradona could convert fragile possessions into goals. His goal against Italy in the 1986 World Cup demonstrated this. Defenders in Maradona's time were more athletic than those Pelé had to fight; Maradona had to do things faster, as he almost never enjoyed the additional second needed to secure and calm down the ball.



One of his trademark moves was dribbling full-speed as a left wing, and on reaching the opponent's goal line, delivering accurate passes to his teammates that many times proved lethal.



Maradona's kicking had a mixture of precision and power that enabled him to score many free kicks. Because he seldom used his right foot for any decisive action, defenders were confounded whenever he did.



Early Years

Maradona was born in Villa Fiorito, a shantytown in the southern outskirts of Buenos Aires, to a poor family who had moved from Corrientes Province; he was the first son after three girls. He has two younger brothers, Hugo (el turco) and Eduardo (Lalo), both of whom were professional footballers.



Spotted at age 10 by a talent scout while playing in his neighborhood club Estrella Roja, he became a staple of the cebollitas, the junior team of Buenos Aires side Argentinos Juniors. As a ball-boy in first division games, he amused spectators by showing his wizardry with the ball during the halftime intermissions.



Health



Since the 1990s, Maradona has been battling a cocaine addiction, which included spells in Swiss and Cuban detox clinics. Since 2001, Maradona has been living mostly in Cuba, becoming friends with President Fidel Castro.



On April 18, 2004, doctors reported that Maradona had suffered a major heart attack following a cocaine overdose; he was admitted to intensive care in a Buenos Aires hospital. Scores of fans gathered around the clinic indicating his popularity even in 2004. Days after the heart attack, a male nurse was caught taking photos of Maradona with a cellular telephone, and was promptly fired by the hospital managers.



After he showed improvement, Maradona was taken off a respirator on April 23, and remained in intensive care for several days before being discharged on April 29. He returned to Cuba in May.



In January 2005, Maradona was seen in a clinic in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, where he later checked in. On March 6, it was announced that he had undergone gastric bypass surgery as treatment for his obesity, which has since helped him reduce his weight. Later that year, Maradona resumed public appearences, in good spirits and displaying a notably thinner figure



For more Click Here

[spamtaneous]

Iron Mike Tyson



Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966, New York City, USA) is a former professional boxer and World Heavyweight Champion and is considered by some to be one of greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. While in his prime, he routinely defeated prominent opponents in devastating fashion and was once one of the most feared boxers. His once immensely promising career was undermined by serious personal problems, lack of preparation and two periods of imprisonment. Upon release, he attempted a comeback but failed to win any bouts against any noteworthy opponents. Finally on June 11, 2005, Tyson fought his last bout suffering a defeat to journeyman Kevin McBride and decided to retire from boxing permanently.





Early years

Born in New York City, Tyson has a respect and knowledge of his sport's history, and has been called boxing's most vicious practitioner. As a youth, Tyson was passed in and out of juvenile detention centers and was expelled from high school. He was later removed from reform school by Cus D'Amato. D'Amato had trained champions Floyd Patterson and Jose Torres. He saw Tyson's potential and subsequently trained him. D'Amato, whom press accounts of the mid-1980's called a father figure to Tyson, died in 1985. It is possible that had D'Amato lived longer, Tyson would not have developed some or many of the personal, legal, and boxing problems he has had since D'Amato's death, but this is unprovable speculation. Teddy Atlas is another trainer who worked with Tyson in the earlier stages of his career when he was with D'Amato. Atlas has called the legend of "Cus and the kid" largely false. He pointed out that although Cus basically cared about the young fighter, after a point it only had to do with him being champion.





Boxing careerT

he quick rise to superstardom

Mike Tyson made his debut in the professional ring on March 6, 1985 in Albany, New York. He won the fight in a single round. He had a further fifteen fights in 1985 winning them all by knockout, and almost all in the first round. He fought twelve times in 1986, cutting a dangerous path through improving ranks of journeyman fighters and already attracting attention and courting media controversy (v. Jesse Ferguson). On November 22, 1986 Tyson was given his first title shot, fighting Trevor Berbick for the WBC heavyweight title. It took Tyson two rounds to become, at age 20, the youngest heavyweight champion ever. Tyson's ascent up to this point of his career has been compared by many boxing critics to that of a young Joe Louis.



In 1987, Tyson defended his title against James 'Bonecrusher' Smith on March 7 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He won on a unanimous points decision and added Smith's WBA title to his existing belt. 'Tyson mania' in the media was becoming rampant. He beat Pinklon Thomas in May with a knock-out in the sixth round. On August 1 he took the IBF title from Tony Tucker, winning on points to become "undisputed heavyweight champion of the world". His only other fight in 1987 was in October against the 1984 Olympic champion Tyrell Biggs, a workmanlike performance from Tyson ending with a seventh round TKO.



Tyson had three fights in 1988. He faced an aged and flabby Larry Holmes on January 22 which finished with a fourth round TKO. He fought an even flabbier Tony Tubbs in Tokyo in March, fitting in an easy two round demolition amid promotional and marketing work. His next opponent, Michael Spinks, had been heavyweight champion but was stripped of the title for not fighting the next contender. Many boxing fans considered Tyson's championship "illegitimate" until he faced and defeated Spinks. On June 27 Tyson devastated Spinks, defeating him in a mere 91 seconds.





Controversy

But Tyson's problems outside boxing were starting to gain prominence too, his marriage to Robin Givens was heading for divorce, and his future contract was being clawed over by Don King and Bill Cayton. In 1989, Tyson had only two fights amid personal turmoil. He faced the popular British boxer Frank Bruno in February in a below-par fight over five rounds and managed a one round knockout of Carl Williams in July.



By 1990 Tyson had lost direction, his personal life was in disarray and he was not training well. In a fight on February 11 with the little regarded James 'Buster' Douglas he lost to a tenth round KO and despite the protests of his manager over a 'slow count' in the eighth round Tyson lost all his belts to Douglas. Tyson's two other fights in 1990 were confidence regaining first round KOs.



In 1991 Tyson fought Donovan "Razor" Ruddock twice, once in March and again in June. These fights were notable because of Tyson's bizarre "jailhouse" talk towards his opponent. He told Ruddock, "Everyone knows you're a transvestite and you love me. I'm gonna make you my girlfriend. I can't wait to get my hands on a pretty thing like you". There was some controversy over the first fight which Tyson won in the seventh round but at the second fight, which Tyson fought while waiting for a match against the new champion Evander Holyfield, Tyson won on points.





Rape, prison and aftermath

In 1992, Tyson went on trial in Indiana after being arrested there in 1991 for the rape of Miss Black Rhode Island, Desiree Washington in an Indianapolis hotel room. Tyson was convicted on the charge of rape on February 10, 1992 and imprisoned for 3 years of his 6 year sentence. (Under Indiana law, a defendant convicted of a felony must begin serving his prison sentence immediately after the sentence is imposed.) As a result, Tyson did not fight again until 1995.



As he won within one round against Peter McNeeley in August and beat Buster Mathis Jr. in three in December, 1995. In March, 1996 Tyson regained one belt, winning the WBC title from a lumbering Frank Bruno in three rounds. In September, 1996 Tyson won back the WBA in 93 seconds from Bruce Seldon, having paid Lennox Lewis $4 million dollars to 'step-aside'. Tyson was criticized by many for fighting such inferior opposition. For example, it was pointed out that McNeeleys "opponents" had lost almost three fourths of their fights. Mathis was a mediocre, light hitting puncher whose only claim to fame was that his father had also been a boxer who fought Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali. Seldon was subjected to much ridicule for his first round loss to Tyson because he seemed to go down and out from a very light punch. Many accused him of being so scared he just gave up.





The Holyfield fights

On November 9, 1996 however he faced a tougher challenge in Evander Holyfield, fighting over eleven rounds. Holyfield won with a TKO to become a three-time world champion.



Tyson did not fight again until June of 1997 when there was a hugely anticipated rematch with Holyfield on June 28 for the WBA title. Tyson was disqualified in the third round, when, after losing his temper over a head-butt from Holyfield and coming out without his gum-shield, he bit a chunk from Holyfield's ear. When the referee, Mills Lane, warned him, Tyson went for Holyfield's other ear. On July 9 Tyson was banned from boxing for one year and fined $3 million.





Decline

In January 1999 Tyson fought the South African Frans Botha and while Botha initially controlled the fight, Tyson landed a straight right-hand in round five that put Botha down. On February 5 Tyson was sentenced to a year's imprisonment, fined $5,000, and ordered to serve 2 years probation and perform 200 hours of community service for the August 31, 1998 assault on two people after a car accident. He served nine months of that sentence. After his release he fought Orlin Norris on 23 October 1999. Norris claimed to have twisted his ankle in the first round and refused to fight on. The bout was ruled a no contest.



In 2000 Tyson had three fights. The first was staged in England and against Julius Francis, although some fans considered the pre-fight arguments about whether Tyson should be allowed into the country more entertaining than the second round KO of Francis. He also fought Lou Savarese in June in Glasgow, winning in the first round, and in October the notoriously dirty Andrew Golota, winning in round three, a result that was changed to no-contest after Tyson failed a fight-related drug test. Tyson fought only once in 2001 beating Brian Nielsen in Copenhagen with a seventh round TKO.



Tyson sought to fight Lennox Lewis in 2002 in Nevada, but the Nevada boxing commission refused him a license to box as he was facing possible sexual assault charges. Tyson's remarks to Lewis were more vicious than anything he had ever said before. "I want your heart, I wanna eat his children" he screamed (though Lewis had no children at the time.) A scuffle at a press conference finally removed any chance of a Nevada fight. The fight actually occurred in June in Memphis, Tennessee. Tyson lost in the eighth round by knockout.



On February 22, 2003, Tyson beat fringe contender Clifford Etienne 49 seconds into round one, once again in Memphis. The pre-fight was marred by rumours of Tyson's lack of fitness and that he took time out from training to party in Las Vegas and have a new facial tattoo.





Hitting rock bottom

In August 2003, after years of financial struggles, Tyson finally filed for bankruptcy. His bank balance was said have been only $5,000. Amid all his economic troubles, he was named by Ring Magazine at number 16 among all time best hitters in boxing history in 2003.



On July 31, 2004 Tyson faced the unregarded Englishman Danny Williams in another 'come-back' fight staged in Louisville, Kentucky. Tyson dominated the opening two rounds. The third round was more even, with Williams getting in some clean blows and also a few illegal ones, for which he was penalized. In the fourth round Tyson was surprisingly knocked out. He was trying to fight on one leg having torn a ligament in his other knee in the first round. Williams put in over twenty unanswered punches although Tyson didn't seem to be hurt by any of them. He just seemed to be off balance and when he was knocked down, he didn't try to get back up. This was Tyson's fifth career defeat. He underwent surgery for the ligament four days after the fight. His manager Shelly Finkel claimed that Tyson was unable to throw meaningful right hands after the knee injury.



On June 11, 2005, Tyson quit before the seventh round in a close bout against so-called "tomato can" Kevin McBride. After losing his third of the last four of his fights, Tyson said he would quit boxing because he hasn't "got the fighting guts or the heart anymore." (BBC SPORT).



Tyson will continue paying the bills by promoting web sites and companies. In April 2005, he joined a group of strippers on the roof of strip club Scores West in New York City to promote skill gaming site FortuneFun.com. Tyson has also endorsed online casino Casino Fortune and previously lent his name to a popular Nintendo game, Mike Tyson's Punch Out!!. In June 2004, sportswriter Sam Kellerman suggested that Tyson move out of boxing and into product endorsement, which had worked quite well for boxer George Foreman. In the past Tyson had shunned endorsements, accusing other athletes of putting on a false front to obtain them.



On the front page of the June 3, 2005 USA Today, Tyson is quoted as saying: "My whole life has been a waste - I've been a failure." The ex-boxing champ has grossed an estimated $400 million in his career, but filed bankruptcy a couple of years ago. His transparent low self-esteem is displayed in typical fashion with addictions, drugs, sex and spending sprees.



Mike continues, "I just want to escape. I'm really embarrassed with myself and my life. I want to be a missionary. I think I could do that while keeping my dignity without letting people know they chased me out of the country. I want to get this part of my life over as soon as possible. In this country nothing good is going to come of me. People put me so high; I wanted to tear that image down."



In 2005, Tyson acknowledged that he has had discussions with associates of porn star Jenna Jameson and is considering a career in the adult entertainment industry.





Trivia

Youngest heavyweight world champ ever at age 20.

Tyson's record stands at 50 wins, 6 losses and 2 no contests, with 44 knockout wins.

In 1987, at a party, famous philosopher A.J. Ayer found Mike Tyson harassing Naomi Campbell and demanded Tyson stop. Tyson said "Do you know who the _ I am? I'm the heavyweight champion of the world." Ayer replied "And I am the former Wykeham Professor of Logic!. We are both pre-eminent in our field; I suggest that we talk about this like rational men."

In 1989 Mike was awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality Award.

Mike was the special enforcer for a WWF match at WrestleMania XIV on March 29, 1998 in which he pretended to be a member of D-Generation X and ended up punching out Shawn Michaels and making the 3 count for Stone Cold Steve Austin to win the WWF Championship from Michaels.



Cameos and parodies

Tyson's high-pitched voice and distinctive lisp have made him one of the most popular targets for comedians and impersonators throughout his career.

In The Simpsons, boxer (and convicted felon) "Drederick Tatum" is clearly modeled on Mike Tyson.

In 1987, Nintendo released Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, an NES game based on the arcade game "Punch Out!!", although there was later a version released in 1990 that replaced Mike Tyson with a fictional character, "Mr. Dream" after Nintendo's license with Mike Tyson expired. It is considered to be one of the best games released for the NES, and is highly regarded to this day.

In 1989, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince scored a #23 R&B/#58 Pop hit with "I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson", in which the Fresh Prince envisions himself taking on the heavyweight champ (and taking a beating in the process). Tyson appears as himself in the song's music video.

In the Japanese version of Capcom's Street Fighter II series, Balrog is called Mike Bison, as a parody of Mike Tyson, possibly called with a full name of "Michael Gerard Bison." Capcom USA switched the names of the Shadaloo Grandmasters around for the American versions in order to avoid a potential lawsuit from Mike Tyson. The character originally named Balrog was renamed Vega. The character originally named Vega was renamed M. Bison.





sorry...it was bit long...

[CtrlAltDel]

sorry...it was bit long...

thats ok...dont worry! none wud read all that.

[spamtaneous]

yep..i guessed so....

sorry...it was bit long...

thats ok...dont worry! none wud read all that.

always safe to put a disclaimer

[akhilis2cool]

That was a good post spam (not that I read all of it)

[Jaszalcatraz]

Nice thread. Makes me want to post here again.



Here's my entry. One of my earliest sporting hero



Bret Hart









http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bret_Hart

[Jaszalcatraz]

Michael Schumacher



Always a joy to watch. He WILL come back....he's just biding away his time.

[Jaszalcatraz]

Michael Jordan



My superest hero



and the accompanying picture

[Jaszalcatraz]

ahem...thats my room

[talking]

sorry...it was bit long...

thats ok...dont worry! none wud read all that.

U r right

[akhilis2cool]

Dhanraj Pillay







From http://www.dimdima.com/sports/show_sports.asp?q_aid=36&q_title=Dhanraj%20Pillay



Dhanraj Pillay, the mercurial Indian Airlines and India striker is one of the all time greats of the Indian sport. He was born on 16th of July 1978 at Kirkee (near Pune) in Maharashtra. Wiry, 5’.8” tall, tremendously fit for his 35 years and a heart that is bigger than anybody else in the world of hockey, Pillay has brought romance back into the game of hockey through his personality, his grit and his recent performances with the Indian hockey team.

Pillay spent his youth in the Ordinance Factory staff colony in Kirkee, where his father was a groundsman. Playing on the soft, muddy surface of the OFK ground with his brothers and friends from the colony, he learnt his skills with broken sticks and discarded hockey balls, imitating the style of legendary forward and idol, Mohammed Shahid. His mother, whom he gives all the credit for his greatness, encouraged all her five sons to play hockey despite leading a hand-to-mouth existence.



Dhanraj moved to Mumbai in the mid-eighties to join his elder brother Ramesh, who was playing for RCF in the Mumbai league. Ramesh had already played for India in international matches, and his guidance helped Dhanraj develop as a potent, speedy striker. He then moved over to Mahindra & Mahindra where he was tutored for greatness by India defender, Joaquim Carvalho. With excellent performances for his employers and for Mumbai in the national championships, it was only a matter of time before he took his rightful place in the Indian hockey team, which he did in the Asia Cup of 1989.



Pillay is the only Indian to have played in 3 Olympic Games, 3 World Cups and 4 Asian Games. He has also played for foreign clubs like the Indian Gymkhana (London), FC Lyon (France), Selangor (Kuala Lumpur), Abhahani Limited (Dhaka) and Stuttgart Kickers (Stuttgart). He was also the highest goal scorer in the Bangkok Asian Games and was the only Indian player to figure in the World Eleven side during the 1994 World Cup at Sydney. He is a recipient of the Arjuna Award (1995) and the K.K. Birla Award (1998-99) for excellence in Sports. He has also received the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (1999) and been conferred with the coveted Padma Shri in 2000.