Off Topic SPORTING HEROES

Danny Blanchflower for his stereotype busting intelligence in addition to leading the great Spurs team of the sixties.

Muhamed Ali for resisting the US Army and throwing his Olympic medal into a river to point out the huge hypocrisy of the US State. And beating Liston without breaking sweat defying all the critics who said he would be flattened.

Eusebio, for not only being a great footballer but also a supreme sportsman who played the game in the best of ways.

Steve Ovett for beating the public schoolboys at their own game he sussed out Coe a long time before the rest of us.

Michael Holding for being such an amazing elegant fast bowler of such skill.

Johan Cruyff for being perhaps the most innovative footballer of all.

The Dutch Team he lead for changing the face of football

The West Indian Cricket team of the 70's for just being amazing.

Nigel Benn for his belligerence.

Jimmy Greaves for being Jimmy Greaves

 

And

John Charles for being one the finest footballers ever produced by the British Isles.

 

I know very little about baseball, but wouldn't the pitcher also bat when his team were "in"? Or is it like A Football and they have an offensive team and a defensive team?

 

Good choices Ovett was frustrating. I still maintain he was better than Coe but because they rarely raced it is down to opinion. In the big meeting (in 1980 1500 metres) he was complacent given he'd already got a Gold medal and then Asthma dragged him down. One of my favourite sporting memories was being at Crystal Pace and seeing Ovett v Cram. Cram lead by 1 metre going into the final lap and it finished in exactly the same position, with the rest 30 metres behind.
Liked Holding, but for elegance Malcom Marshall was unsurpassed for me. Holding had more raw pace, but Marshall's control and swing made him the greatest for me.

 

Yes I agree about Marshall he was just incredible, unsurpassed in the variety he could conjure up. I chose Holding just because of his effortless grace but most would probably place Marshall a little higher.

 

The man before him was Godfrey Evans and I always thought he was the only wicketkeeper in the world and no one could surpass him and then came Knotty unorthodox batter and genius wicket keeper he caught everything. It was only when he retired that I realised just how good he was..

 

John Murray lived in Wembley where I did most of my growing up. He taught me to bat. A lovely, lovely man. 21 tests for England and played for my beloved Middlesex forever.

On the subject of Middlesex....Brearly, Gatts, Selvey, Edmonds, Emburey, Butcher, Radley, Wayne Daniel...too many to mention but especially Mike Brearly for '81, The Ashes and all that.

 

Brearly! He never missed a field placement or a bowling change, a superb captain who might have struggled to make the team if it wasn't for his man management and tactical skills. Has to be one of the greatest English captains of all.

 

Being a Surrey supporter I should mention Jim Laker taking 19 wickets in a test against Australia the other one was taken by his team mate Tony Locke.
I used to enjoy Jim's commentary when the TV used to show a complete limited over match every Sunday.

Bloody hell there are so many hero's when you start to think about it.

John Arlott for his unsurpassed commentary but also for introducing us all to Rioja.

 

There are some sportsmen who are just box office - those you have to watch when they perform. Not all are "heroes". Many are flawed and that is part of their appeal.
Some unmissable stars - John McEnroe, Mike Tyson, Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum, Martin Offiah, Raymond van Barneveld, Diego Maradona, Shane Warne, Rory McIlroy (although not of late).

 

Football: John White and JG. For obvious reasons
Tennis: Mansour Bahrami. Politics stopped him being a multi Grand Slam winner. Most gifted player I've seen.
Athletics: Daley Thomson. Invincible for eleven years
Cricket: Mike Brearley. Just a superb leader and tactician.
F1: Jim Clarke. Just superb

 

Mike Tyson is a sporting hero of mine...his raw personality in his youth to what he is today and all the drama in between. Brutally honest man and wears his heart on his sleeve. His book is a fantastic read.

I tend to adhere towards the flawed genius too. Ronnie O Sullivan comes to mind. I find these people to be deep with their thoughts. Cantona also comes to mind.

 

Steve Perryman for being a great player and an even better human being.

Ian Botham for the Ashes series in 1981. Also for his defence of his friend Viv Richards when sacked by Somerset CCC and for his charity stuff.

Muhammad Ali for living up to his principles which severely affected his career.

Pele for defeating the Nazi's in that propoganda match in France.

Steve Ovett for not being Sebastian Coe.

 

All excellent choices.

I saw a TV programme about his charity walks. He had been on a visit to a children's hospital. He was in one ward and asked what the kids were suffering from. He was told leukaemia and not knowing what it was, he asked about the disease and how long it took to cure them. When told that 9 out of 10 would die he refused to accept it.

Twenty years on, as a direct result of his involvement, 9 out of 10 survived. He's still out raising the money. A true hero.

 

Ossie Ardiles played his part too

 

But THAT over head kick with a broken rib!

 

Steve Cram for being neither

 

Baseball teams play most days during the season and therefore a pitcher can only play every few games as it's pretty taxing on the arm. They will bat too, though.

That is unless they're playing in the American League since 1973 (There's a National League and an American League - the World Series is the series of games between the winners of each). In the American League there is such a thing as a designated hitter. The DH does not field but instead bats in place of the pitcher.

I believe that there came a time when the pitcher was king and the game needed more hits, more big hits, more home runs and the DH was a reaction to that. Traditionalists (especially those who follow a National League team) seem to still be somewhat dismissive of the whole DH thing. Seems like bollocks to me.

 

Non human sporting heroes have to include Frankel.
Watching a thoroughbred destroy the field at a canter as if they're running in a different race is an awesome sight.
Usain Bolt on four legs.

 

The more I read this thread the more people I think of; But these are more people who I can’t call heroes because they play for the wrong teams, but players for whom I have complete respect.

Any number of Australian Cricketers, but I will pick Dennis Lillee, Steve Waugh and Glenn McGrath, all players that have completely dominated Ashes series and even when we may have had a sniff of a victory you could guarantee that they would suddenly appear to extinguish any hope.

Like Australian cricketers – German Footballers there are just so many of them that you just have to admire from Franz Beckenbauer, through Karl Heinz Rummenigge to Phillipe Lahm and beyond.

Gianluigi Buffon – Just a magnificent goalkeeper who has possibly enjoyed the greatest career of any player if only he could have won the champions league in June it would have been complete.

Finally lots of people have mentioned Steve Ovett, always my favourite of the great English middle distance runners and the one of the few great sportsman I have actually met, I can claim that I sold Steve the shoes that he wore on his wedding day, (and no they weren't running shoes!)