Skywalker's Top 40 (#1): I Want To Be Like Mike

I started this several months ago, in May to be exact. How things have changed since then. The Indians went from a good team to being below average. The Tigers went from being the Tigers to, well, an actual baseball team. Heck, some of the athletes on my list have retired since May (Agassi), while some refuse to go away (Tyson). Back in May, Ben Wallace was leading Detroit into the playoffs, now, he is trying to do the same for the Bulls. On a personal note, I was headed down the path to a broadcast journalism degree at Ohio University. Now, I’m going into education while at Heidelberg. I guess the point is that things can change quite quickly. However, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Take for example this list. The guy currently on top would have been right there when I was 5. He will be there when I am 55. He was just that good.

#1 - Michael Jordan
Similar to Andre, I have so much I could say about Mike. Do I recap his amazing playing days? Do I talk about how much I wanted to be like him? How about his advertising campaigns, and how I wanted everything he was selling? No, I think in order for you to understand my appreciation for MJ I should start by telling you the story of my cousin Tony. Why? Because that is where everything started.

My parents were fan-tastic. I couldn’t have asked for better ones. Unfortunately, they never gave me a big brother, something I always wanted. I still hold it against them to this day. But, as the Rolling Stones put it, “You can’t always get what you want.” Tony was my older cousin, by 5 years. My family, at least on my dad’s side, was pretty large. My dad had 10 brothers and sisters. So, when they started having kids, the family started to grow at a rapid pace. When I came along in 1985, Tony was the closest male cousin by age to me. So, I guess it was kind of natural what took place, luckily for me.

Tony and I would hang out all the time. At least it felt that way to me. We started going over to each others house when I was 4. Next thing I know we were spending the night at each others house as well. It was great. I finally had found my big brother. Looking back, I was probably more of Tony’s shadow, but I’m willing to bet he didn’t mind because I was pretty good at sports. We would play basketball, football, baseball, even some tennis. I could hold my own with him, and that is what allowed me to keep hanging out with him. He would never let me win, which was great. It was where I got my competitive spirit from. But there were times when I made him play hard to win. I could go on for a long time talking about memories of Tony. One memory that sticks out for me has to be the time that Tony and I teamed up to take on two neighbor boys in a basketball game. Our two opponents were both older and bigger than me. One was Tony’s age, while the other was just 2 years younger. Playing until it was pitch black Tony and I defeated the “Slosser” boys in a close game. That was a night I will not forget anytime soon. For now though, you have the basis of our “big/little brother” relationship. Moving on.

The year was 1989, and there was a family gathering at Tony’s house. I was not quite 4 at this point, but this is one of my earlier memories. A lot of my relatives were there. Whenever the Florence family gets together, it is usually quite loud. There was an NBA playoff game going on during this get together. The Cleveland Cavs were playing the Chicago Bulls. Tony was a Bulls fan, while the rest of my relatives seemed to like the Cavs. They kept teasing Tony about the Bulls and this young kid on the team by the name of Michael Jordan. Tony tried his best to dish it back, but, you come to realize that you can’t win the war of words with the Florence family. They have too much experience in battles.

Then, it happened. It, was Michael Jordan hitting the series clinching shot as time expired over the outstretched hands of Craig Ehlo. Tony went nuts while the Florence family had to eat all of their words. It was a great moment. I thought to myself, “I could get used to this.” Instantly, at that point, I became a Michael Jordan fan. For that, I have to thank Tony. See, my father didn’t watch professional basketball too much. Occasionally he would turn it on, but he never had a rooting interest. This allowed me to go elsewhere to pick an NBA team. There was Tony, and in turn, there was Mike. The rest was history.

Well, now that I got the background information out of the way, you can start to understand where my infatuation with Michael originated. That is not the end of the story however. During the ages of 7 to 13 I got to witness the greatest basketball player ever to lace them up. I’ll fight you to the death on that one. I’ll get back to that later.

Michael attended the University of North Carolina where he played under head coach Dean Smith. MJ was a solid player, becoming the first freshman that Coach Smith ever started. In the 1982 NCAA Championship, playing against Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Hoyas, Michael hit the game winning shot. It was later referred to as simply, “The Shot.” When I was little, I thought this was the greatest shot in the history of basketball. Looking back, it wasn’t nearly as much as “The Shot,” as it was Jordan making it. Had Michael not gone onto such greatness, then it would have simply faded into the history books. Either way, it marked the official beginning of what was to come.

I have read more books on Michael than I can keep track of. My mother knew how much I liked Michael, and I guess she wanted to see me read, so it was a great combination. I firmly believe that I could enter a contest about Michael trivia and be able to do quite well. I’ll take this second to fill you in on some miscellaneous MJ trivia that I picked up at an early age. (Note: I did not look any of this up; believe it.)

1) Michael wore four numbers during his career. #23, #45, #9, and #12. #23 was his primary number, but when he made his comeback from retirement chose #45 for a short period of time. He wore #9 during the 1984 and 1992 Olympics. #12 he wore one time when someone broke into the Bulls locker room and stole his jerseys. Playing against the Orlando Magic, and wearing #12 without a name on the back, Jordan scored 49 points.

2) Jordan chose #23 as his number because his older brother Larry wore #45 in high school. It was Michael’s goal to be half as good as Larry was. Half of 45 (rounding up) is 23. It was as simple as that. On a side note, this is why #12 is my favorite number. As a young kid I just wanted to be half as good as Michael.

3) MJ had a habit of sticking his tongue out often during games. He developed this habit by watching his dad, James, stick out his tongue while working around the house.

4) Michael was born on February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn, NY. The family later moved to Wilmington, NC.

5) Jordan, well known for winning several memorable slam dunk contests, also participated in the 3 point contest one year, 1990. He only scored 5 points, lowest in the history of the contest.

6) We all know how he got cut from his high school varsity team at Laney High School. However, he never quit the team and ended up averaging a triple-double his senior year.

7) After winning the Gold Medal in the 1992 Olympic games, Jordan faced a dilemma. He had a contract with Nike, yet his warm up suit the team was wearing was by Adidas. Jordan did not want any problems, so he draped a US flag over the Adidas part of the uniform when he got his gold medal.

8) While Jordan has no tattoos, he does have a brand. During college, he joined a fraternity and he has its logo branded on his chest.

9) MJ was a better baseball player as a young kid than a basketball player. He threw a no-hitter in a Little League regional championship.

10) Lastly, Jordan’s middle name?? That would be Jeffrey.

I have been looking up a lot of information while compiling this list, but I can honestly say that I did not have to look up any of that. I know its boring, but its part of my life. We all know how good Jordan was. It would be silly for me to sit here and recap his ridiculous career. Let’s try to put together in a paragraph all of Jordan’s accomplishments. Giddy up.

Jordan was the 1984 NCAA Player of the Year. He was a junior that season and left school early to enter the NBA Draft. He was the 3rd player chosen behind Akeem Olajuwon and Sam Bowie. Now playing for the Chicago Bulls, Jordan won the 1985 Rookie of the Year Award. A broken foot the next year sidelined Jordan for the majority of the season. In 1988, Jordan won the Defensive Player of the Year Award. He also won the first of his five MVP awards. In 1991, Jordan and the Bulls finally came through and won the whole thing. Jordan went on to win six championships in 8 years. He was the NBA Finals MVP in every one of his championship years. He left the league with the highest career scoring average. “His Airness” won 10 scoring titles in his 15 seasons. MJ was on the NBA All-Defensive 1st team 9 times. Yeah, Michael was insane.

For the rest of my tribute to Michael I guess it is best to share with you my favorite moments during MJ’s career. The best way to do it is to go in chronological order. I will start in 1992, with an NBA Finals game against the Portland TrailBlazers. The game that sticks out was Game 1.

Leading up to this series, there was a lot of talk about how good Clyde Drexler of the Trailblazers was. Comparisons were being drawn to MJ and Clyde “The Glide” Drexler. Similar to how MJ beat Magic Johnson and the Lakers the year before to win Jordan’s first title, it was now supposedly Drexler’s turn to beat MJ and win his first title. The game was in Chicago and it was on NBC. The commentators for the game were Bob Costas and Magic Johnson. Jordan was never known as a 3 point threat. I mean, he could knock them down if he had to, but he was never looking to shoot too much from beyond the arc. However, in this game, Jordan was on fire from “downtown.” Jordan could not miss. He made a record 6 three pointers in the first half. I wasn’t really sure what I was watching. The best part was that Jordan wasn’t sure either. After making his sixth three pointer of the half, Jordan turned to Costas and Magic and shrugged his shoulders while running back down the court. That was great. Magic made a comment that I will never forget, “Whose game is it? It’s Michael Jordan’s game.” The Bulls went on to win the series in 6 games. After winning the final game in Chicago, Jordan grabbed the ball, jumped up on the scorer’s desk and raised 2 fingers in the air, symbolizing his back-to-back titles. Looking back, it is easy to laugh at comparing Drexler and Jordan. But, at the time, this stuff was for real. Had Drexler won that title, they each would have had one championship.

Michael has said it time and time again that the only way to compare how good a player is/was, was by how many championships that person had. He wanted to be better than Larry Bird and Magic. In his mind, the only way he could do that was to win more titles.

In the 1993 season Jordan again made it to the finals, this time against his friend Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns. Michael and the Bulls were actually the underdogs for this series. Barkley had won the MVP, which I couldn’t believe, and the Suns had the best record in the league which meant home court advantage. The Bulls won the first two games at Phoenix, but then lost 2 out of 3 at home, which made the series 3 games to 2 heading into Game 6 at Phoenix. It was a back and forth battle, but throughout it all, I felt safe. In my mind there was no doubt that the Bulls were going to win. Trailing by 2, with less than 10 seconds left, John Paxson (the Bulls current GM), drilled a three-pointer to win the series. It was a three-peat. I can remember myself jumping up and down uncontrollably when Paxson made that shot. Jordan and the Bulls had won three in a row.

After that game, and several weeks down the road, rumors were floating that Jordan was done playing basketball. I dismissed those quite easily. I felt that Jordan was going to play forever. Then, when his father died, it all changed. Jordan dropped the sneakers for the cleats and tried to play baseball. This was a different experience for me, seeing Jordan struggle. People may say that his decision to play baseball was a mistake. Those people are looking at that way too one-sided. Jordan needed to do that for himself and for his dad. I truly believe that by playing baseball, Jordan was getting over his father’s death.

A year and a half later, rumors were starting to swirl around again. MJ was being spotted around the Bulls’ practices. All of a sudden, there was hope. It was my mother who informed me that Jordan was coming back to play basketball. We were in the kitchen and she asked me if I heard the news. Then she said that Michael had issued a press release saying simply, “I’m back.” I was thrilled to say the least.

Jordan came back in the middle of the 1995 season and his first game was against the Indiana Pacers. I watched in my living room as Jordan struggled in his first game back. He shot the ball miserably and the Bulls lost, two things I wasn’t accustomed to with Jordan. 1) Not playing well and 2) losing. I thought it was because he was wearing #45. It just didn’t feel right. Several weeks later, Jordan brought back #23, and he started to play a little better. The Bulls swept their first round playoff series and were facing the Orlando Magic in the second round. Led by Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway (he used to be good, believe it or not) and Shaquille O’Neal, the Magic were a formidable foe. The Magic won in 6 games, but the defining moment for me was watching Jordan get stripped from behind by Nick Anderson in the closing seconds of Game 6. That was not supposed to happen, Jordan was supposed to hit the game winning shot. That was a low point.

In 1996 the Bulls acquired power forward Dennis “The Worm” Rodman. This guy was a total character. He would change the color of his hair before each game and often was ejected from a game by getting in a fight, head butting the official, or kicking a camera guy in his “happy place.” But, he could rebound and play defense with the best of them. In my opinion, this was the best basketball team ever assembled. They went on to win 72 games, beating the old Lakers record of 69. They won the championship, beating the Seattle Supersonics in the finals. People look at that Bulls team and say that they were not even the best Bulls team ever. They also say that the only reason that the Bulls won all those games was that they were a product of a watered down league. While the league might have been watered down, they still had to go out and win all of those games. Also, this was the best Jordan played as well, in my opinion. He was frustrated from his playoff loss the year before, and came out with vengeance. He was not going to lose. They had great role players and played total team basketball. I’ll take that team against any other basketball team in the history of the NBA, and I will like my chances in a seven game series.

The next year, with the same team, the Bulls went on to win yet another title. In the championship they beat the Utah Jazz in 6 games. During that series, I witnessed the best performance ever on a basketball court by anyone. It should come as no surprise to who it was.

The series was tied at 2 games a piece entering a critical Game 5. Before the game started all the coverage on NBC was how Michael had come down with an illness. Speculation was that Jordan had developed food poisoning the night prior to the game. He was throwing up and barely could get out of bed. Somehow, someway, Jordan was able to play. How he was able to play as well as he did, is beyond me. On the verge of collapsing, Jordan put up 38 points, including the game clinching 3 pointer with under 20 seconds left. The memory that sticks out in my mind the most has to be when Pippen walked with Jordan to the sideline during a timeout. Jordan had his head on Pippen’s shoulder and it appeared as if Pippen was more or less carrying the sick Jordan to the bench. For those of you that do remember, last year I had started compiling a list of Jordan’s Top 50 games. However, like most things, I didn’t finish it midway. Had I finished it, this game, would have been number one. In a tight Game 6, Jordan found an open Steve Kerr to deliver the series clinching shot and the Bulls fifth title in the last seven years.

The entire team came back for another title run the next year. Here is another trivia question for you. Who holds the record for largest individual season contract in sports? It’s not Alex Rodriguez, who makes a little over 25 million per season. Nope, its Michael Jordan. He signed a one year contract in 1998 for just a shade over 30 million dollars. Not too bad.

The Bulls were playing the Jazz again in the finals, but what not too many people remember is that the Bulls went 7 games against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Bulls were able to get past that and were looking for their 6th title in 8 years. Up 3 games to 2, the Bulls headed to Utah looking to end it. The Jazz had other things on their mind of course. The Jazz were up by 3, with 40 seconds left. That is when MJ took over and cemented his legacy.

Jordan had the ball, made a quick move to the lane and finished with an uncontested lay-up with 35 seconds on the clock. Still up by 1, the Jazz dumped the ball down to Karl Malone underneath. Jordan came from the other side of the court, snuck up behind Malone, and stole the ball from the “Mailman.” Now, with the ball in his hands, you just knew that Jordan was not going to give it up. Coach Phil Jackson knew better than to call time-out and let Jordan dribble down the court. With Byron Russell guarding him, Jordan made 2 moves, faked out Russell, went to his right, and drilled a jumper, nothing but net, to take the lead with under 5 seconds left on the clock. It was a perfect ending for the perfect player. After John Stockton missed his shot to win the game, Jordan, grabbed the ball and this time using two hands, symbolized the six rings he had gathered in the last 8 years. From my living room I stood, with that big smile on my face. I knew that Jordan was not going to come back. I knew this was the end. It was, without a doubt, a perfect ending.

Jordan retired after that season, but came back, yet again. This time, he played for the Washington Wizards. There really isn’t too much to talk about with Jordan and the Wizards. Yeah, it was nice to see him still playing, and still competing, but at the same time, I would have rather wanted Jordan only playing in a Bulls uniform. Either way, it gave me two more years to watch MJ, and it gave me a chance to watch him leave for good, at the All-Star Game.

I know I’m leaving out so many great Michael moments. That is the beauty of Michael however, you could talk forever about him, and still not mention it all. He was just that good. As with Andre, I have this feeling that I will meet Michael one day. Maybe even play some golf. How about this foursome: myself, Tiger Woods, Andre Agassi (plays left-handed, and is a scratch golfer), and Michael Jordan. Words can not describe what that moment would mean for me.

Jordan transcended sports by becoming a huge advertising tycoon. Every single company wanted MJ to promote their new product. They figured people would want to buy it if they saw it with Jordan’s face next to it. It worked on me. Everything Jordan promoted, I wanted. That goes with Gatorade and the classic “I want to be like Mike” song, to Wheaties, to Hanes, to Nike products, to McDonalds, all the way to the movie “Space Jam.” I just had to have it. Do I own the “Space Jam” soundtrack? You better believe it.

To me, Jordan was sports. Jordan was my icon; he was who I aspired to be. A big part of the person I am today comes from Michael. The beauty of it is that I didn’t realize how lucky I was to get to watch Jordan play. He will be talked about for years and years. There are kids today that know of Michael, but never got to see him on TV. Even with myself, I didn’t get to witness him when he was a young high-flying kid, winning slam dunk contests. No, instead, I witnessed a mature Michael, one with the purest jump-shot I have ever seen. A Michael who made you feel safe when you were watching. If the game was on the line, he was going to get the ball, and he was going to make it. What makes that incredible is that everyone knew what was going to happen, and MJ still delivered.

Now, knowing fully that I will not be a professional basketball player, I still strive to be like Mike. His passion, his focus, his joy, his hard work, his perseverance, his responsibility, his influence, his competitive nature, his winning, his leadership, his respect, his trust, his loyalty, and most of all, his character, are all things that I want to have in my life.

On my Little Tikes basketball hoop in my basement I spent numerous hours pretending to be Mike. Pretending to make the game winning shot, pretending to make that crazy move, pretending to be the best. It has officially come full circle. As a young kid, I wanted to be Mike. Now, I understand, I just want to be LIKE Mike.

Michael was the best, hands down. If you want to get into a big debate with me, tell me someone else was better than Michael. You are either just trying to piss me off, or have no idea what you are talking about. Only one other person can be in the conversation for best basketball player ever. Who is that? Bill Russell. It was Russell and Jordan. Russell won more championships and was an outstanding basketball player. I still give Jordan the nod. Jordan was the best.

When you think of basketball, you think of Jordan. The NBA today is still trying to catch up from his departure. Jordan gets ultimate respect. Rappers still use him in lyrics, LeBron James uses his number, Kevin Garnett still carries on his powder slapping routine, and everyone, myself included, still wants to be like him.

From Jeremy Miller to Michael Jordan and everyone in between, the list is finally complete. Thank you for riding along with me on this 8 month endeavor. What will I talk about now? Honestly, I have no idea. It might not even be about sports. Who knows? I don’t. What I do know is that I am glad I made this list, and more importantly that I followed through on it.

I’ll leave you with my favorite quote from Michael. “I can accept failure, but I can not accept not trying.”

Skywalker's Top 40 (#2): An Ode to Double A

Two posts in two days? A feat that has only happened once before. Like I mentioned at the end of my most recent post, I’m pretty excited to write these next two. I guess I don’t have too much to say in this introduction. We might as well just get right into it. What follows is my ode to Double A. I’m warning in advance, it is quite long. Do not get discouraged, just enjoy.

#2 - Andre Agassi
I honestly do not know how to start this one. I have so much I want to say about Andre. I guess the best place to get this going would be from the beginning. I started to follow Andre in 1991 with a memorable match at the French Open.

My mother was the one who introduced me to tennis. Apparently she played quite often. I do not give her nearly as much credit as I should, but she was a pretty solid athlete back in the day. Anyways, my mother got me started with the game of tennis. She would sit me down in the living room and we would watch the tennis matches together. She often remarked about a young kid named Andre Agassi. She talked often about his long hair and his flashy outfits. I don’t know the exact moment I became an Andre fan, but I believe it was hearing her talk about Andre all the time. Next thing I know, Andre became my favorite tennis player. The year was 1991, I was six years old.

The rap on Andre in those days was that he could never win the big match. He seemed to always have the potential, but he never could break through and win that first grand slam title. He lost in 1990 to Andres Gomez in the French Open final. To this day Andre can not believe he lost that one. He then lost another grand slam final later in that year to Pete Sampras in the U.S Open. I do not remember those matches, my first vivid memory of watching Andre on TV came in the 1991 French Open final when he battled fellow American Jim Courier. I had not followed that tournament, mainly because I watched TV when my mom said I could. Well, she said that Andre was playing today, and I was excited.

Andre won the first and third sets of that final and was looking in control of the match. Then, rain followed and the match went on delay. Looking back on things, that rain was a pretty big reason for Andre’s collapse. He had Courier on the ropes, up 2 sets to 1 and an early break in the 4th set. However, Courier made an adjustment in the locker room and when the rain stopped, so had Andre’s momentum. Courier won the next 6 games of the 4th set, and then won the 5th set 6-4 to win the title. I was crushed. Again, Andre was so close to winning, but couldn’t close the match. It was at this point where I began to live and die with each Andre match. If he won, I was thrilled. If he lost, then I was crushed. Andre was my very first sports icon. I liked him before I liked the Browns, before I liked the Irish, and before I rooted for the Indians. Andre was first.

Similar to Tiger Woods and golf, I started to play tennis because of Andre Agassi. I wanted to be just like him. I must have spent hundreds of hundreds of hours hitting the tennis ball up against the house. I must have broken just about every possible window I could with a tennis ball. Playing tennis became my favorite thing to do. My very first tennis racquet was an Andre Agassi racquet. It had the big “A” spray painted on the strings. Whenever I played, I would never come up to the net. Andre didn’t play at the net and neither would I. I have played more tennis than any other sport. It is without a doubt the sport I am the best at. I owe it all to Andre.

Andre hated Wimbledon. He hated it because it was right after the clay court season. He didn’t like how it was played so soon after the French Open. He didn’t like that it was played on grass, typically a surface better accustomed for big servers, which Andre was not at all. He didn’t like that there was a dress code. You had to wear all white. Andre never wore just all white, if anything, he wore every color but white. He played Wimbledon in 1987 and didn’t come back again until 1991. It would only be fitting that at Wimbledon, the place he hated, he would get his first grand slam title.

Beating the likes of Boris Becker and John McEnroe, Agassi defied all the experts by making it to the finals. He faced the big serve and volleying Croatian, Goran Ivansevic. In a classic five set match Andre defeated Goran to win that much elusive first grand slam. When Goran hit match point into the net, Andre collapsed to his knees, his hands on his head, and his face showing disbelief and then relief. I was already so much behind Andre at that point that I even got a little teary eyed after that match. Little did I know that I would have to wait two long years to witness an event like this again.

“Image is Everything.” That was the slogan for Andre in his early playing days. He spent more time on his hair, on his outfits, on his appearance than he did on his tennis. In the early days, Andre survived based solely on his talent. He hardly ever worked out, ate cheeseburgers and fries for pre-game meals, and spent a lot of time flirting with girls. Tennis seemed to take a back seat a lot of the time. This is exactly what happened after the 1992 Wimbledon victory. He disappeared from the tennis scene, at least competitive tennis. It would take an unprecedented run at the U.S. Open for Andre to get back into the tennis scene.

Andre entered the 1994 U.S. Open unseeded. He was ranked outside the top 16 in the world. He had not sniffed a grand slam title since his surprising Wimbledon victory. Not much was expected of Andre. This was the first tournament that I was lucky enough to follow Andre from beginning to end. It was a special two weeks that I will never forget. Magic began to happen in the 3rd round when he defeated 13th seeded Wayne Ferreira in straight sets. At that point I thought Andre could make a run at the title. In the 4th round he faced off against Michael Chang. Everyone figured that Agassi would lose to the 6th seeded Chang. Everyone except me. By hitting beautiful ground strokes and smashing winners all over the court, Andre beat Chang in a great five set battle. People were starting to believe. He knocked out Thomas Muster, the 14th seed in the quarterfinals with little problems. In the semi-finals he beat the 9th seed, Todd Martin in four sets. Then, in his 2nd U.S Open finals appearance, Agassi finished by defeating Michael Stich, the 4th seed in straight sets. Agassi again dropped to his knees, hands on his head and you could see him saying “I don’t believe it.” Believe it. Andre became the first player to win the U.S Open unseeded. He also became the first player ever in grand slam history to defeat five seeded players en route to a title. Andre was back.

At the ‘94 Open, Andre still had long hair. When 1995 rolled around, Andre had shaved all his hair off. This was the beginning of a brand new Agassi. One who was dedicated to tennis. 1995 was one of his best years by far. He dropped just one set en route to winning the Australian Open, his 2nd consecutive grand slam, and his 3rd overall. He made it to the quarterfinals of the French Open and the semi’s of Wimbledon, losing a tough match to Boris Becker. Agassi was up a set and a break against the German, but could not hold on. He entered the 1995 U.S Open ranked number one in the world. He made it all the way to the finals, but lost to his rival, Pete Sampras. That loss crushed Agassi. He had finally dedicated an entire year to tennis and still came up short. He thought there was nothing else he could do. Andre went away again after 1995, this time for a lengthy period.

Andre did win the 1996 Olympic gold medal in Atlanta. It was the first time that tennis was an Olympic sport. Agassi was the benefactor of a lot of the big names not showing up. Either way, he now had 3 grand slam titles and an Olympic gold. No one could take that away. However it would be the last time Agassi would enjoy the winners circle for a couple years.

Agassi was always in the public eye, especially when it came to girls he was “seeing.” Agassi was linked to the likes of Barbra Streisand in the early 1990’s and actually married Brooke Shields in 1997. This was when Shields was actually doing something with her life. At that time, Agassi’s priorities changed from tennis to being a husband. Unfortunate for me.

Agassi’s ranking dropped to an all-time low, #141. To qualify to play in the bigger events, Andre had to enter the “minor league” of tennis. You call your own lines at these events and get your own damn balls. Not the finest moment of Andre’s career by far. The best was yet to come.

In 1998, Andre rededicated himself to tennis. It might have helped that his marriage with Shields was not going great, or maybe Andre was tired of having to retrieve his own balls during matches. Whatever it was, Andre became a brand new tennis player. He was now in the best shape of his career, thanks to his fitness trainer Gil Reyes. Instead of trying to win points quickly, Andre wanted to grind out the other player. He wanted the match to go five sets because he knew he would win it if it got that far. He would outlast his opponents.

In the 1998 U.S. Open, Andre was officially back. He had brought his ranking from #141 to #8. He faced 9th seed Karol Kucera in the fourth round. It was a night match and I distinctly remember watching this match in my parents bedroom. Agassi lost that match in five sets, but I mention it because Kucera and Agassi got into a little bit of an argument. When Kucera tossed his ball to begin his serve on several occasions he apologized for a bad toss and did not hit the ball. This is not a problem if it happens once or twice, maybe three times at most during an entire match. However Kucera was doing it once or twice in every service game. Agassi was getting pretty mad and thought he was doing it on purpose. Agassi responded by doing the exact same thing, mimicking Kucera which brought laughs from the crowd. Agassi lost in five sets, but you could tell he was back yet again. He finished that year ranked #6, making the biggest jump ever into the top ten, from #141.

1999 was an historic year for Andre. It started at the French Open. Andre was growing hair again, except this time he was growing a full beard. It symbolized the workman like effort it would take to win the only grand slam title that eluded him.

Andre was ranked #14 for the tournament on the red clay of Roland Garros. He was two points away from being eliminated in the second round to Arnuad Clement, but managed to fight back and win. He beat 4th seeded Carlos Moya in the 4th round on his way back to the French Open final, for the 3rd time in his career. His opponent was ranked #100 in the world, big serving Andrei Medvedev. I could tell Agassi was nervous when the match started. It had the appearance of another “Andres Gomez” final right off the bat. I had never seen Agassi play so poorly before. In a blink of an eye, Agassi had lost the first two sets, 6-1, 6-2. However, this time, Agassi would not be denied. He stormed back, playing beautiful tennis and won the next three sets to successfully capture his first French Open title. Looking back on it, this was the defining moment of Agassi’s career. He became just the 5th player in the history of tennis to win the career grand slam (Wimbledon, U.S. Open, Australian Open, and the French). He had finally conquered those demons in Paris that had troubled his early tennis career. For the second time in his career, I was on the verge of shedding a tear after Agassi won. You could just tell how much this title meant to him. It was awesome to witness.

Agassi tried to make history again in 1999 by becoming the first player to win the French and Wimbledon titles back to back. He made it to the finals of Wimbledon, but lost again to Pete Sampras. Pete smoked Andre in straight sets. Sampras was simply unstoppable that day. To this day, I’ve never seen a more dominating performance. No one, not even present day Roger Federer would have beaten Sampras that day on that court. No one.

Agassi kept 1999 rolling by making it to the U.S Open finals. He had little trouble reaching the finals, only losing two sets in the process. He was met by good friend Todd Martin, who was playing the best tennis of his life. Agassi won the first set but then dropped the next two sets in tiebreakers, giving Martin the 2 sets to 1 lead. Andre though would not stop coming. He fought back and won his second five set grand slam title of the year. I watched this final in my room. Why do I remember these things? Well when Andre played I wanted to watch by myself. I wanted it to be just me and Andre. If anyone else was watching with me I felt as if I was cheating Andre by not giving him my full attention. I watched that final in my room with the door shut, and promptly went nuts when Agassi won. It was his fifth grand slam title. 1999 would be the first and only year that Agassi would finish as the year end world #1.

Agassi became the first player since 1969 to reach four consecutive grand slam titles when he reached the final of the 2000 Australian Open. On his way, Agassi defeated Pete Sampras in a classic five set battle. When Agassi finished the tournament by beating Yevgeny Kafelnikov, he became just the third player since 1969 to hold 3 of the 4 grand slam titles at once. However, Agassi struggled through the rest of 2000. He had a great battle with Patrick Rafter in the semi-finals of Wimbledon, but it was in a losing effort. It seemed Rafter always played his ultimate best tennis whenever he played Agassi.

Just a little side note about the year 2000. It was the year I graduated from St. Mary’s elementary. My 8th grade year I took French class with Huss and Hunt. As part of that amazing class, we each picked a French name. Huss went with “Pierre.” Hunt picked “Raoul,” which was fitting. I went with “Andre.” It was the easiest decision I have ever made before. Back to the story.

Agassi defended his 2000 Australian Open in style by cruising through the field to claim his seventh grand slam title. However Agassi could not carry that momentum in the French where he lost to Sebastian Grosjean. Then at Wimbledon, Agassi lost to Rafter, yet again, 8-6 in the fifth and final set. Back at the U.S Open Agassi played a very memorable match in the quarterfinals. Again it was Pete vs. Andre, and this one lived up to the billing. Watching in my kitchen with everyone else in my house sleeping, I watched a brilliant four set match that included zero break of serves. Zero. That is insane. Even when two huge servers meet up, someone is going to lose their serve at least once. Not the case in this one however. Pete won 3 of the 4 tiebreakers to win the match. I angrily turned off the TV, pissed at Pete. He was the only person I thought that if Andre was playing his best could not beat. My point was proven right again when Andre lost this titanic match.

The next year Andre was injured and could not defend his 2-time championship of the Australian Open. It would not be the only time Andre would be disappointed this year. He lost in the 2nd round of Wimbledon to little known Paradorn Srichaphan. Andre bounced back to make it to the finals of the U.S Open, but unfortunately had to face Pete, again. Pete won, again, in 4 sets. It would be the last match that Pete ever played as he went out on top. It was at this time when everyone wondered when Andre was going to call it quits too. He would not be done for a while.

A healthy Andre returned to the Australian Open and played the best tennis I’ve ever seen him play before. He smoked through the entire field as he lost just one set. In the final he dispatched of Rainer Schuettler 6-2, 6-2, 6-1. It was the quickest final match I’ve ever seen before. Just like that, Andre had his 4th Australian Open title and his 8th overall.

It’s funny how I remember the losses more than the wins. It’s just like when I played tennis though. In high school I could tell you every single person that I lost to. I could not tell you everyone I beat though. I vividly remember watching Andre lose to Guillermo Coria in the French later in 2003, and then watching Mark Philippoussis play out of his mind in Wimbledon against Andre. It seemed that Andre’s opponents always seemed to kick it up a notch. Andre remained constant, always playing steady tennis.

That year Andre made it to the semi-finals of the U.S. Open where he lost to Juan Carlos Ferrero. I was extremely disappointed in this loss. I thought that Ferrero was a pushover on the hard court and that if Andre played well he would win. Unfortunately, as hard as I tried to, I could not will Andre to win that match. I blame it on the fact that I watched that match at a friends house. What was I thinking?

In 2004 Andre was again on the wrong side of a memorable match. Having won the last 3 Australian Opens he had played in, Agassi looked strong again, reaching the semi-finals. He ran into Marat Safin, a talented young Russian. Safin took the first two sets in tiebreakers, Agassi came back to win the next two sets, but then Safin played the best tennis of his life in the fifth to defeat Agassi.

Andre hit a little bit of a downslide in 2004, bottoming out at the French Open when he lost in the 1st round. This also was the year that I graduated from high school. As part of my graduation gift, my parents took me to Cincinnati for the Masters Series event that is held there every year. It was me, my mother, my dad, and my good friend Kwame. Kwame and I made picks on who we thought was going to win. He took Roger Federer (who was becoming a force at this time) and I said that Agassi would beat Hewitt in the finals. Kwame laughed for a while.

We made it to Cincy for the start of the quarterfinals and would be staying for the rest of the tournament. Federer was knocked out in the 1st round, so Kwame was wrong and we were not going to watch Roger in person. However, Agassi was still alive so I was going to live a dream and watch Agassi live in person. His quarterfinal match was against a long time veteran Carlos Moya. The match was played at night and we were all there. It was an experience I will never forget. The first set was a tight one, being settled on a lengthy tiebreaker. Agassi won 14-12 in the tiebreaker and then won 6-3 in the 2nd set to reach the semi-finals. He would meet Andy Roddick. I was literally giddy with excitement.

The Roddick-Agassi match was again at night and you could just feel the buzz in the stadium before the match started. Agassi played brilliantly in the first set, breaking Roddick at 5-5 to win the 1st set 7-5. The second set went to a tiebreaker where the hard serving Roddick won 7-6 (7-2). This was going to be settled by a decisive third set. I tried my best to take the entire match in. Here I was watching my sports icon Andre Agassi live. Over ten years ago I was a little kid rooting for him on TV, and now I was here, and so was he. It was very special to say the least. Andre kicked it up a notch and won the final set. He was onto the finals to face Lleyton Hewitt, just as I had predicted earlier. Agassi won the match in three tough sets as I was there to cheer him on. It would turn out to be the last big event that Agassi would win. In my head I knew he would win, he just had to. It’s weird and I don’t know how to explain it, but I always have felt a connection to Andre. At my first professional tennis tournament, I just had a feeling that Andre was going to win. It was an experience I will never get the opportunity to live again, and one I will not soon forget.

Andre played solidly throughout 2004, losing to Roger Federer in a five set battle at the quarterfinals of the U.S Open. Roger was becoming the new Pete. He was the only person on tour that I thought Andre could simply not beat if Roger was playing well.

Agassi dodged questions of retirement right into 2005 when again he faced Roger Federer in the quarterfinals of a major. This time it was at the Australian Open, a place where Andre had a great track record at. Personally, I was now at Ohio University, and had to rush back to my dorm room to watch the match on tape delay. Federer smoked Andre, straight sets. He was simply too good.

At the French Open I saw something I had been fearing for quite some time. It was that Andre was no longer the grind it out player who was going to beat you into submission. He was an old player who needed quick matches to have any chance of winning tournaments. He lost in the first round of the French Open. During that match he was in tremendous back pain, but stuck it out, never quitting. The pain was so bad that Andre was in tears during several changeovers. I feared that the end would soon be near. I did not know how much longer I would have the privilege of watching Agassi.

Agassi entered the 2005 U.S Open seeded 7th. Expectations were low due to his ailing back. He breezed through his first three matches, then beat Xavier Malisse in a five set match. This set up a showdown with young American James Blake. Blake had been playing great tennis to reach the quarterfinals. He had beaten 2nd seed Rafael Nadal and was hitting the crap out of the ball. Many thought that the Agassi-Blake match would be a changing of the guard for American tennis. No one could have predicted the unbelievable match that took place.

The match was at night and I was in my dorm room watching with Barnes. Barnes appreciated good tennis, knew how much I liked Andre, and decided to join me for this great match. It ended up being an unforgettable experience. Blake won the first two sets with his ripping ground strokes. Agassi looked to be in trouble, especially after playing a five set match in the previous round. However, Agassi was not done as he came back to win the next two sets. This match would be decided by a decisive fifth set. During this furious comeback I had to try my best to keep quiet. Hunt, my other roommate, had gone to sleep when the match was just starting. I did not want to wake him up, so I was going silently crazy after each point.

In the fifth set, James Blake got the first break and was serving for the match at 5-4. Agassi had to break or the match would be over. Somehow, Andre came up with some huge returns to break back. The crowd was going nuts. This was unbelievable drama. They each held one more time to send it to a fifth set tiebreaker. With Agassi up 7-6 in the tiebreaker and with Blake serving, Agassi ripped a forehand return down the line to win the match. Words cannot be put into place about all the feelings going through me after that win. I had the biggest smile on my face as I went to bed after that match. 20 years from now Barnes and I will always remember that match. What an amazing night.

Agassi made it to the finals once again. He was the oldest finalist in U.S. Open history. Unfortunately, he was up against Roger Federer. For the third consecutive time in a grand slam, Agassi was knocked out by Roger. Andre said after the match that Roger was the best player he had ever played against. Those are some pretty strong words. Andre has played against the likes of Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Jim Courier, Ivan Lendl, and Pete Sampras.

After another long year, Andre was again being asked about retirement. Finally, at Wimbledon, Agassi announced that he would retire after that years U.S Open. I didn’t know what to think. I knew it was coming, but I just didn’t want it to happen. For me, it was symbolizing that my childhood was coming to an end. No one wants their childhood to come to an end.

Andre lost to Rafael Nadal in the 3rd round of Wimbledon. I watched in my living room as Andre had no answer for the young Nadal. Just like that, Andre had one tournament left.

Agassi said he was going to play in Cincinnati before the U.S Open. I again had tickets, this time thanks to Kwame’s wonderful family, but Agassi pulled out at the last minute. A part of me wanted to watch Andre one last time, but another part of me said that it was better that he skip. It would give him a better look at the U.S Open.

It was all about Andre when the U.S Open started in Flushing Meadows. He was unseeded for the first time since he won the title in 1994. He won a long tough four set match against Andrei Pavel in the 1st round. The entire match I was wondering if his back would hold up. I prayed that it would. So far, so good. His 2nd round match was against Marcos Baghdatis. Watching in my apartment with some friends, I witnessed another classic Agassi match. Playing someone 15 years his younger, Agassi stormed out to the win the first two sets. Baghdatis, seeded 8th, bounced back and won the next two. This was not good news for Agassi. The longer the match went, the better the possibility his back would act up and his career would be over. In a match that lasted 225 minutes (3 hours and 45 minutes), Baghdatis was the one who was cramping at the end, and Agassi was the one who fought through to an epic five set win. Agassi was moving on.

The crowd was going absolutely nuts after that match, and I again, had a huge smile on my face. Agassi had survived and was still not done. In the back of my mind, I didn’t think Andre would win the tournament, but I just wanted him to play as long as possible. At least for one more round, my childhood was still alive.

Agassi’s back was in bad condition after that long match against Baghdatis. He got an extra day of rest thanks to rain, but I felt deep down he would not be able to go much farther. He played Benjamin Becker in the 3rd round. Bothered by a bad back, Andre could not keep up, losing in 4 sets. I was watching his last match right where I watched him 15 years ago, in my living room at home. It was only fitting that I watched him there, and that I watch him walk away, with my mom watching with me. It was a somber day for tennis and for me. I would no longer get to watch Andre Agassi play tennis. I was growing up, and at that moment I felt as if growing up sucked.

There, in a rather big nutshell, was Andre’s career as I experienced it. I have brought you on a rather long journey of my experiences with Andre Agassi. I thought I would finish this long post with two segments. My top 10 moments of Andre Agassi and then my final thoughts on him as well.

MY TOP TEN MOMENTS OF ANDRE AGASSI
1) Beating Andy Roddick and going on to win the 2004 Cincinnati Masters with me present.
2) Coming from 2 sets to 0 down to defeat Andrei Medvedev, win the French Open, and complete the career grand slam.
3) Beating James Blake from 2 sets down in the 2005 U.S Open quarterfinals.
4) His last match with the great standing ovation at the end.
5) Beating Marcos Baghdatis in five sets in the 2006 U.S Open 2nd round.
6) Losing to Pete Sampras in the 2000 U.S Open quarterfinals, with zero service breaks throughout the match.
7) Winning his first career grand slam at the 1992 Wimbledon against Goran Ivansevic.
8) Coming out of nowhere to win the 1994 U.S Open.
9) Beating Todd Martin in five sets to win the 1999 U.S Open.
10) Storming through the 2003 Australian Open, dropping just one set.


Andre Agassi’s 21 year career has been dominated by irony. It’s ironic that he won his first grand slam at Wimbledon. He skipped out on Wimbledon early in his career, and his game was not thought to bold well on the fast grass. It’s ironic that Andre started his career trying to win matches quickly and he ended up trying to outlast his opponents. It’s ironic that Andre was out of shape early in his playing days and ended up being one of the most fit players in the history of tennis. It’s ironic that Andre didn’t play the Australian Open until 1995, and he ended up winning half of his grand slams there. It’s ironic that Andre was earlier called a “rebel” and now is one of the most elder statesmen for the game of tennis. It’s ironic that Andre started out with hair down past his neck, and ended up with none on top of his head at all. It’s ironic that Andre was thought never able to win a long, important 5 set match, and ended up winning so many. It’s ironic that Andre’s last of the 4 grand slams happened at the French, a place where he was thought to dominate for years. It’s ironic that he was seen as a punk for many years, and then by the end, was everyone’s favorite. It’s ironic he started dating big stars like Barbra Streisand and Brooke Shields, yet ended up marrying and having kids with another tennis player, Steffi Graf. The one constant has been those big brown eyes that are so true. 21 years full of irony everywhere you look.

As I close this chapter of Andre I find myself at a loss of words. That’s ironic in itself. I can spend hours, writing over 5,000 words about Andre, but at the end I have nothing.

Andre has provided me with moments of inspiration as well as moments of excitement. His career has lasted 21 years, that’s my exact same age as I write this. Andre was very, very close to being number one for this list. In fact, I think of him more as 1B when it is all said and done. I cannot thank my mother enough for introducing me to tennis, and more importantly to Andre Agassi. If not, I would have missed out on so much.

I have this feeling that one day I will meet Andre, maybe I will even get to teach at his high school. Who knows. When I finally do meet him I am going to thank him. Thank him for creating all those memories that I will never forget. I can’t. It’s only fitting that U2’s “One” is playing in the background as I finish this ode to Andre. For Andre will always be number one in my heart. I will leave you with Andre’s words after his last match.

"The scoreboard said I lost today, but what the scoreboard doesn’t say is what it is I have found. And over the last 21 years, I have found loyalty. You have pulled for me on court and also in life. I’ve found inspiration. You have willed me to succeed sometimes even in my lowest moments. And I’ve found generosity. You have given me your shoulders to stand on to reach for my dreams, dreams I could never have reached without you. Over the last 21 years, I have found you and I will take you and the memory of you with me for the rest of my life. Thank you."

Legends live forever. Thank you Andre.

Skywalker's Top 40 (3-5)

Where do I start? Do I lead by saying it’s been about 3 weeks since my last post? How bout the fact no one wanted to take a guess at my top five? Maybe I could say something clever and witty about the Browns or the Irish? Should I say something about how much I hate the Tigers? Or how much I hated my computer today? Lots of places I could go, but in the end, I have to choose my birthday. You only turn 21 once.

I cannot thank all of you enough who wished me a happy birthday either through facebook, through a card, or by the phone. Much love is returned. A special thanks goes out to those who made the trek down to Athens last Saturday. You know who you are, and it was great seeing you there. From what I can remember, it was a good time had by all. Thanks again.

I think this is a good time to share my thoughts on the BCS. I hate this system, but instead of bitching about it, I’ll let you know how I think it is all going to play out. First off, Notre Dame still has an outside shot of making it to the national championship game. They need USC to keep winning and maybe 2 bigger upsets to take place in front of them. If they end the season with just that one loss to Michigan, they will be in the top 4. Realistically, the winner of the Ohio State vs. Michigan game is in. The loser, not so much. Who gets the second spot though? USC? Louisville? Auburn? Unfortunately, the answer is going to be West Virginia. They will be undefeated and sitting in third place when the Wolverines play the Buckeyes. I don’t care if it takes a last second field goal to win that game. The Mountaineers will jump into the second spot, and will get smoked out of the water in the national championship.

Over the past months I have shared with you my favorite athletes and coaches throughout my lifetime. How bout if I could start over with this list right now? Would I change anything? Well, as a matter of fact, I would. First off, Grady Sizemore would be on here somewhere. Also, tennis players Marcos Baghdatis and James Blake would make an appearance as well. I’m a little surprised I didn’t say anything about Chris DiMarco. I didn’t put any commentators on the list. If I would have thought about it, Gus Johnson and Bob Costas would have gotten due recognition. Oh well. It is what it is. Maybe in 5 years I will look back and re-do this list. I bet it would change dramatically, especially at the bottom. However these next five have been set in stone for a long, long time. Enjoy as I share numbers five, four, and three to you.

#5 - Norm Duke
I was a bowling prodigy, at least in my mind I thought I was. Like I have said many times before, my home away from home was the bowling alley. I entered into a Saturday morning Junior league when I was a year too young to actually do so. It’s nice when the owner and your dad are best friends. Anyways, at the young age of 7, bowling against ages 8-14, I turned some heads. My run it up and throw it down with two hands approach was funny to look at, but my scores were no laughing matter. I bowled my first 200 game that year, and my first 450 series. I earned a trophy for having the 3rd best average in the league. I stayed in that league for just 3 more years, picking up a trophy each year. However, I quit the two handed approach when I was 11. At that time it was more important to impress the girls then it was to beat the guys. If only I knew how that was going to turn out! I kind of stopped bowling and really didn’t pick it up until I turned 16.

Well, after that long rant, you now understand that I was a pretty good bowler, and that it would only make sense that I would have a bowler on this list. I picked Norm Duke out at a young age. Duke kept right on bowling as I followed him constantly on television, and he just kept right on moving up my list in the process.

Bowling has been on television for as long as I can remember. Currently, they show it on Sunday afternoons. Back in the day they showed it on Wednesday nights. The format today is that they have two semi-final matches, with the winners bowling off in the finals. The old format, and my personal favorite, included four bowlers as well, but the #4 and #3 seeds would bowl against each other, with the winner facing the #2 seed. The winner of that match would face the #1 seed in the finals. I loved that format because it placed much more importance on your qualifying scores. Either way, that has nothing to do with Norm, but I just thought I would share with you. Come on, it’s been like 3 weeks since I have written anything.

Why did I pick Duke out? Well when you watch every Wednesday nights like I did, you tended to see the same bowlers each week. Duke was one of those bowlers. He was not that big of a guy, which I liked, but the clincher came when he let go of the bowling ball. The crowd would all start screaming “DUUUUUUUKE” when he released the ball down the lane. It sounded so much like my name, and it was fun to do, so next thing I know, I’m rooting passionately for the guy. I was lucky that he was good for a long period of time.

There were a couple of moments that stuck out for me with Norm Duke, some happening just as recently as this year. Duke won his first PBA title in 1983, but did not win his second until 8 years later in 1991. I remember that match. What is scary is that I could tell you who he beat. It was Dave Husted. Bring it on Schwab. Duke was getting so close to winning that year that it was frustrating for me to watch at the age of 6. It’s scary to think that was 15 years ago. Duke won the 1994 Tournament of Champions and the 2000 PBA Masters, his only 2 major victories. In 2000, Duke rolled a perfect game against Walter Ray Williams Jr. I was lucky enough to watch that special feat on TV, and got pretty involved into it as well. I felt it was necessary that I do the exact same thing on every single ball. It must have worked.

Staying with great Duke moments, he is the current record holder for the highest game in a losing effort on television. He rolled a 280 in a losing effort to Bryan Goebel, who rolled a 296. Duke got a spare in the first frame, and then struck out. Goebel, struck all the way to the last frame, until the last ball. He threw a terrible shot, picking up only 6. I remember thinking after that match how unlucky all my favorite athletes were.

Just this past year he won a different kind of title, the PBA Skills competition. It is pretty much like trick shot pool, but for bowlers. Not the greatest of accomplishments, but nonetheless, I was rooting hard for Duke.

I was glad that I could share with all of you my love for bowling. It gets a bad rap sometimes, but its definitely a favorite of mine. The 2006-2007 season has just gotten underway. I will be there watching, waiting, for “DUUUUUUUKE.”

#4 - Mike Tyson
Well, after a long day of bowling, what would be the perfect ending? Go back to the bar and watch the fights on the big screen TV. Who was the guy that everyone wanted to watch? “Iron” Mike Tyson was the answer. He became one of my favorites instantly.

The bowling alley has changed dramatically over the last decade. It has done a great job of upgrading and becoming more modern. The old look still has a place in my heart. There was a sign near the door that said “18 and older only.” I was 7 and felt right at home sitting at that bar. It’s going to be strange to go back there now that I’m 21. What a long, strange road. Anyways, back to Tyson.

When I heard that one of Tyson’s nicknames was “Baddest Man on the Planet,” I was intrigued to say the least. Then I saw one of his fights. Unbelievable. I’ve been watching boxing ever since and I can honestly say that I’ve never seen anyone with that much power.

Now, Tyson was in jail from 1992-1995, so I don’t remember watching any of his fights prior to 1995. However, I do remember watching the highlights. People watch boxing to see the knockouts, and occasionally they are rewarded with one. With Tyson, he was pure violence, pure power, and knockouts were commonplace.

My father knew that I enjoyed watching Mike Tyson, and so did the owner of the bowling alley. When Tyson came back from prison, he was right back to business. He was knocking people out and creating a buzz about the sport of boxing again. The owner, Smut, hated Tyson just about as much as I liked him. I watched Tyson defeat Peter McNeeley and Buster Mathis at the bar and won two Pepsi’s each time. Smut would bet on whoever Tyson was facing. Then, with Tyson having regained two heavyweight belts, he fought against Evander Holyfield in 1997. The winner would be the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. Holyfield had defeated Tyson 8 months earlier, and I, unfortunately missed that fight.

I was lucky enough to have a table for the rematch. Smut reserved a table for me and my dad right in front to watch this enormous event. I remember thinking that I’ve never seen the bar this crowded before. It was at that time where my dad taught me how to yell at people when they were blocking my view. It must have been pretty funny for these drunk men to be getting yelled at by a 12 year old. Either way, a Pepsi was on the line for this great bout.

I was sure that Tyson would win. I would have bet 50 cases of Pepsi that Tyson would not lose. Well, I was disappointed and shocked. In one of the most bizarre sporting events I’ve ever witnessed, Tyson bit Holyfield’s ear not once, but twice. I sat there in amazement as Smut cracked open a Pepsi right in front of me.

I got to watch Tyson fight Andrew Golota in 2001, which was a good time. I also watched Tyson get destroyed by Lennox Lewis, which was a difficult fight for me to watch. I saw for the first time with my own eyes what I had been refusing to see. It was that Tyson was old, slow, and no longer the same fighter I wanted him so desperately to be.

I don’t know what it is about Tyson, but there is just a feeling of excitement in the air when he is getting ready to fight. My mother absolutely despises him, but I’m a fan of his boxing, not of his life. You just look in his eyes and it is nothing but pure intimidation. At least it used to be until Lewis knocked his career out of him.

Regardless, I don’t think I’ll ever feel that same excitement for a sporting event again. Tyson fights were one of a kind, and I would like to thank my dad and Smut for allowing me to take part in them. Maybe one day there will be another big shot fighter that my son and I will be able to watch together.

#3 - Tiger Woods
I didn’t bowl because of Norm Duke. I didn’t take up boxing because I liked Mike Tyson. I did, however, golf, because of Tiger Woods.

I picked up the game around the age of 10. It just happened to be around the very same time that Tiger turned pro. Tiger made his debut at the Greater Milwaukee Open in 1996. It was a short time after Tiger had won his third consecutive U.S Amateur. Next thing you know, I’m outside in the backyard trying to figure out this complicated game.

As you may have already figured out, most of the people on my list, especially those near the top are older. They peaked when I was a young child, and have since faded as I have grown up. Not the case with Tiger. I grew up at the same pace as Tiger. I’ve watched him every step of the way, at least professionally.

He burst out on the scene in 1997 winning the Masters and in the process breaking the course record. If you didn’t know him before that win, you did afterwards. Nike quickly grabbed him up, and he was bouncing golf balls off his clubs in commercials. I must have tried for hours after hours to mimic that commercial, no dice though.

Tiger has continued to win, including a run I doubt I’ll ever witness again. He won 4 consecutive majors starting in 2000, and ending in 2001. He won six straight titles in 2000, and currently is close to matching that streak again in 2006.

I got to see Tiger at the 2000 Memorial Tournament. My father took me and we planned it out when Tiger would be coming up. My dad grabbed a great spot in the front row, right by the tee box, and in about 20 minutes, Tiger would be coming. Unfortunately, some stupid ass caddy for another player decided it was great to stand right in front of me. My dad still remembers this event taking place. I didn’t get the greatest look at Tiger, but I saw him nonetheless.

My father and I go back and forth a lot when they are showing Tiger on TV. He feels as if they show too much of Tiger and that it is not giving golfers who are playing well a fair look. I agree with him to the point that they do show a lot of Tiger, and they probably do show him too much, especially when he is not in contention. However, I justify that by saying that people like Tiger, and that a lot of people want to know how Tiger is doing. Also, Tiger is usually not that far out of contention anyways. This conversation happens a lot.

Tiger won two majors this year bringing his total to an even dozen. He is just 6 behind the all-time total of 18 held by Jack Nicklaus. There was a time when no one thought that anyone would get close to that mark. I think Tiger is going to fly right by that mark and that he is going to double his current 12 to make a total of 24 career majors. He is just that good. He doesn’t get tired of winning, and he doesn’t get tired of becoming better.

Tiger Woods is the best golfer I will ever get the pleasure of watching. When I was a kid you think that your favorite athletes are going to play forever. Then you wake up one day and they are gone, just like that. I am aware now that Tiger is not going to be golfing forever. I no longer take for granted his presence. I appreciate Tiger, and it is my dream that one day, we will play a round of golf together. Hey, why not?

Well, one of my longer columns, especially just for three players, but the closer we get to the top, the more I have to say about each player. I’m very excited to write about my next two, and it should be out before the end of the week. Thanks again for all the birthday wishes, and thanks for joining me on this ride to the top of the list. The hardest part will be trying to figure out what to write about when I’m done. Suggestions are always welcome. Until next time, “Read it, roll it, hole it.”

Skywalker's Top 40 (6-10)

I don't think the Cleveland Browns are going to win a game this year.

Notre Dame kept their season alive last weekend with a big come from behind victory at Michigan State. In sloppy conditions, Brady Quinn performed well enough to throw for five touchdown passes. Coach Weis has still not lost a road game, and I don't anticipate him losing one this year as well.

On a personal note, I finally made some decisions about what the future will hold for me. I have a good plan put in place. Some might not like how quickly this plan will start up, but I have to do what's best for me. It sounds selfish, but it is what it is. I mean, it's MY life. I'm not going to tell you exactly what the plan is here, but if you want to know, just ask. You know where to find me. On we go.

We have reached the top ten. For those of you that have been following this from the beginning, give yourself a pat on the back. It has been a long journey to make it to this point, and we are almost home. Not going to lie, I didn't think I would make it this far. Usually I start a lot of things but very rarely follow through on them. We aren't done yet, but the end is in sight. Now to the list.

#10 - Bob Knight
The last of the two coaches on my list gets a spot in the top ten. "The General" is my favorite coach by far. Not only is he a great basketball coach, but he is a great interview as well. He has had several memorable moments. Let's take a look.

Coach Knight was the head basketball coach at the University of Indiana. Indiana is a basketball school, similar to Duke. They both expect to win each and every season. When Knight was coaching the Hoosiers, they were winning a lot. He started coaching Indiana back in 1972. By 1976, he had won a national championship. He won the whole thing again in 1981, and then one more in 1987. He also coached the Olympic team that won gold in 1984. Going into this season, he is 10 wins short of breaking Dean Smith's record of most NCAA basketball wins of all-time.

Without going into too much detail about things, Knight has a reputation for being a disciplinarian. He doesn't take too much crap and is a straight shooter. He also has provided several moments I'm never going to forget.

1) He threw a chair across the floor in protest of a referee's call in 1983.
2) His interview when asked about "game-faces." Knight went on to demonstrate what he thought a "game face" was. Hilarious.
3) His interview when he brought a whip in. "Right here is the key to success in coaching. Probably no motivational device I've ever come across is as good as this." He demonstrated the proper technique and then asked if the reporters minded if he prepared for the next practice during the interview. He then soaked the tips of the whip in water.
4) "When my time on Earth is gone and my activities here are past, I want that they should bury me upside down so my critics can kiss my ass." - Awesome.
5) "All of us learn to write in second grade, and most of us go on to better things." - Knight commenting on his dislike for journalists.
6) "Hell, I don't even watch the pros. If the NBA was on Channel 5 and a bunch of frogs making love were on Channel 4, I'd watch the frogs--even if they came in fuzzy." - when asked if he would ever coach in the NBA.
7) Reporter: Did Luke Recker only play 10 minutes in the second half because he was tired? Knight: "I was tired of watching his defense."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ukj6Qi5W_k - Check it out for yourself. This is why I wish I could have played for The General.

#9 - Albert Belle
As you may or may not have picked up by now, for some of the members on this list, performance on the field overshadows character problems off the field. Belle fits this description perfectly, but, we are not going to talk about him running over kids during Halloween.

My very first baseball game at Jacobs Field was back in 1995. The Cleveland Indians were playing the Kansas City Royals. Albert came up to the plate, and hit his 50th home run of the year. This was in a shortened season too, they only played 144 games. This was also back when 50 home runs meant something. This is why Albert Belle is my all-time favorite baseball player, unfortunately.

With that home run, Belle became the first player in major league baseball history to hit 50 homers and 50 doubles in one season. Willie Stargell back in 1973 was the last person to hit 40 and 40. How did Belle not win the MVP that year? Apparently the media likes to hold grudges, and voted for Mo Vaughn instead. They just overlooked the fact that Belle led the AL in runs scored, homers, RBI, slugging percentage, and total bases.

Albert never won an MVP award, but he did finish in the top three for three consecutive years (1994-1996). Belle was the power behind the Indians during the mid-90's. He has had some very memorable moments on the field, including running over Fernando Vina on a force out and pointing at his muscles while the umpires checked his bat to see if it was corked.

Belle was a five time all-star and hit for over 100 RBI's in 9 consecutive seasons. He had power, but he also had mental problems. Either way, I loved him for his bat and his unique batting stance. Quick trivia question: What is Albert's real name?

#8 - Lance Armstrong
I guess I have a soft spot in me somewhere. It was very hard not to root for this guy. If Lance's story does not inspire you somehow, then you might want to check to see if you have a pulse.

Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer back in 1996. He was told he had less than a 40 percent chance of survival. Not only did Lance survive but he thrived.

Before his cancer, Lance was a well-known cyclist. He was not known for his victories, but for his attitude. He was a young, brash Texan who thought the world centered around him. However, after defeating cancer he became a well-spoken and mature individual. I don't care what the Hershey bar says, "Change is good."

Lance Armstrong completed his comeback in 1999 when he won the Tour de France. For those of you who do not know, the Tour de France is the Super Bowl of cycling. Lance didn't stop there either, he won it again in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005. That is seven in a row, which is an all-time record.

Lance was the only reason I cared about the Tour de France. Before Armstrong, and even since he retired after his '05 win, I haven't watched. However, when Armstrong was racing I was glued to the tv set and was cheering him on. I think we all were.

#7 - Joe Montana
Did I cheat on this one a little? Nope, if you remember the rules all I said was that I had to have remembered watching the person play. Do I remember Montana playing for the Irish? No. Do I remember watching Joe play for San Francisco? No. Do I remember him playing for Kansas City? Yes, on we go.

Many consider Montana as the greatest quarterback of all-time. I'm not getting into that conversation, but he is definitely my favorite. Montana is one of the most clutch football players and he is also a winner. Joe led the 49ers to four Super Bowl titles and is the only player to win 3 Super Bowl MVP's.

What helps put Montana on this list is the fact he played his collegiate ball for Notre Dame. He was the winning quarterback against the top ranked Texas Longhorns back in 1978 which vaulted the Irish to a national championship. His best performance for the blue and gold was a year later in the Cotton Bowl. Down 22 in the fourth quarter to Houston on a bitter cold day, Montana left the game in the 3rd quarter due to hypothermia. He came back in the fourth and won the game 35-34.

Joe was drafted by the 49ers and the rest was history. His most memorable moment is back in 1981 when he threw the game winning touchdown pass to Dwight Clark against the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship game. That pass became known as "The Catch."

Everything I know of Montana has come from ESPN Classic and history books. However, Montana stuck around until 1994, which allowed me to watch and remember his last year with the Chiefs. Good thing for me.

#6 - Mario Lemieux
We all know that I have no specific reason for my love of the Penguins. This however does make sense: if you take the best player from the Penguins and add a nice little comeback, you have Mario at #6.

Mario, also known as "Super Mario," is the second best hockey player of the last 30 years. Only Wayne Gretzky has been better. That is a proven scientific fact.

Lemieux scored 199 points in 1989, coming up just one point short of the prestigious 200 club. Gretzky is the only member of that club. Lemieux also holds the record for scoring a goal in the five possible scoring situations, all in one game. I'll fill you in on them: short-handed, even-strength, power-play, empty net and penalty shot. Not too shabby for one game.

Mario led the Penguins to back to back Stanley Cup titles in 1990 and 1991. However, during their quest for a third title, Lemieux was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. He missed several games, but came back in time to get bounced out of the playoffs. He probably came back too soon, because he sat out the entire next season.

However, after he was fully recovered, he came back and was the same old Super Mario. He led the league in scoring, and also won his third MVP (Hart Trophy) as well. I don't think you can do too much better than that.

Personally, Mario was unstoppable in the video games. #66 was better than everyone else. Faster, stronger, and yeah, just better. When you put him and Jagr on the same line in those games, forget about it. It was over before it started.

Well, I know this post is a little overdue, but I managed to take care of business. My next post will be numbers 5-3. The top two will have their own separate posts.

I'm going to invite all of you who are still reading this to guess who you think my top five is. For those of you that really know me, you should probably get 3 or maybe 4 of them. If you can get all 5, then I will build you a cake or something. But, give it a shot. The worse thing you can do is be wrong, and trust me, I've been wrong a lot. I mean I have Albert Belle in my top ten.

Skywalker's Top 40 (11-15)

Yesterday was the five year anniversary of 9/11. I thought it would be fitting to start this post with my experience of that tragic day. I was a sophomore at Calvert High School. I was in Communications class with Ms. Lanham. She said that she wanted to end the lesson early because she heard a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. After our abbreviated lesson, we turned on the TV to find two planes had crashed into both of the towers. At the time I was very confused. Starting off, I didn't know anything about the World Trade Centers. I had no idea what was going on. In every class we watched the news. There was another plane crash at the Pentagon, and another in the middle of Pennsylvania. I'll never forget sitting in Mr. Stover's Pre-Calculus class watching the towers collapse. A class that would go down in history for its rowdiness was held silent, for the entire period.

Five years ago. Has it really been five whole years? I'll never forget. God Bless.

This past weekend was filled with football. I'll only touch on a couple topics before getting right back into my list. First of all, Notre Dame looked good. They looked very good. Brady Quinn and the offense scored 41 points, and the defense held its own. Big game coming up this weekend against Michigan. If they win that one, watch out.

The Ohio State Buckeyes looked good as well. Now, I'm not trying to take anything away from their accomplishment. They went down to Texas and beat the defending national champs and in the process, ended their 21 game winning streak. However, that Texas team is not the 2nd best team in the nation. They only got that ranking from what they did LAST year. They start a true freshman quarterback. They really had no chance of winning that game. I don't see them winning the Big 12 let alone competing for another national championship.

Finally, I was in attendance for the Cleveland Browns opener. Unfortunately. Charlie Frye showed moments of brilliance, yet looked uncomfortable in the pocket. The defense had its bend but don't break mentality that kept the Brownies in the game until the end. Kellen Winslow looked solid, finally. But, they lost, to the saints. To a team that doesn't have a home, they lost. The Browns need help, lots of it. I see them winning no more than 5 games this year.

All right, enough football, on to the list. We're getting close to the top.

#15 - Tom Brady
Two years ago, this guy would not have been anywhere near my top 40 list. Now, he sits comfortably in the top 20, and with a few more solid years he might find himself within the elite status of the top 10. I have one person to thank for the addition of Brady. That would be the one, the only, the Joe Barrett.

Joe loved Brady well before I started to. Joe's love for Tom was so strong that I began to feel the same way for Brady. Joe has made whatever team Tom Brady is on, my second favorite team behind the Browns of course. There is one story in particular that I remember that made me a Brady fan for a lifetime.

Joe is a very good NFL gambler. Last year we each bet on games throughout the season. Whenever Joe won, he would put all that money on a game the following week. He continued that process until he had quite a lot of money. I'm guessing he had over 125 bucks riding on this game. The game was the New England Patriots versus the Miami Dolphins. I believe the Dolphins were getting six points. Joe came downstairs to watch the game, which turned into a tight contest. With under 2 minutes to go, the game was tied. Joe needed a touchdown. Joe screamed and screamed, and with each scream it seemed Brady was completing another pass. Right on down the field he went, and the next thing I know ... touchdown Patriots. Brady had delivered again. Joe had just won 125 bucks.

Tom Brady is the best quarterback in the NFL, hands down. He is better than Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb, and even Ben Toothlessberger. With one game to play to win it all, who do you want throwing the passes for your team? If you don't answer Brady, then you are kidding yourself.

Brady has won three Super Bowls, and was the MVP in two of those. In his first two Super Bowl wins, he had to lead the Patriots down the field on its last drive to win the game. He won his first 10 playoff games. That is a remarkable feat. 10 in a row!

He is the modern day version of Joe Montana. Never before has their been more of an accurate comparison of players from different generations. Both were the best clutch quarterbacks of their time. Both were picked after the first two rounds. Montana in the third, and Brady in the sixth! And finally, both are winners. My entire life might have changed had the Browns not drafted Spergon Wynn, and instead drafted Brady. Either way, thank you Joe.

#14 - Silver Charm
It took me until now to get my first non-human on my list. This might be the only place in the entire world where you will see Silver Charm ranked ahead of Tom Brady. Welcome to my life.

The year was 1997. I was an eager 11 year old. The Kentucky Derby was coming on, and our entire family was gathered around to watch it. We had all made our picks. Dad and Josh both went with Jack's Flash. Mom chose Celtic Warrior, while I picked Silver Charm. I knew I was going to win. I just felt it.

Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Gary Stevens, Silver Charm went on to win the Derby and gave me bragging rights for an entire year. The next big race was the Preakness. I again watched and cheered for Silver Charm, who again went on to win. This was getting too good to be true now. He was just one race away from winning the Triple Crown.

No horse had won the Triple Crown since 1978, when Affirmed beat runner-up Alydar in each race. It had been almost 20 years, and Silver Charm was going to be the next.

On the day of the Belmont Stakes, my mom and dad went away for some reason. Instead of bringing in a cousin or a grandmother to baby-sit me and my brother, they took us to my aunt JoAnn's. I was not too happy about this. I had watched Silver Charm win the first two races in my living room. At 11, I was already superstitious about these things, and watching the last and most important race in a new location made me feel uneasy.

My aunt put on the race, and I was ready to watch history. Silver Charm had the lead for most of the race. During one point on the backstretch I said, "He's going to do it." However, the Belmont is a bit longer than the previous two races, and he fell short. Touch Gold came on strong at the last moment to win by half a length. I was crushed.

Since that time numerous horses have won the first two legs but have failed to win at Belmont. Real Quiet in 1998, Charismatic in 1999, Funny Cide in 2003, and Smarty Jones in 2004. Silver Charm was the first of this recent wave of close calls, but more importantly, he was my horse.

#13 - John Daly
Jared is going to hate me for this. He says Daly is an overweight and lazy hill-billy. For every reason Jared hates him, I in turn, love him.

I don't know when or how I ended up liking Daly. He is a two-time major champion. He won with his mullet back in the 1991 PGA Championship. He won his second major in 1995 at St. Andrews for the British Open crown. I don't remember any of those titles. I do remember his swing though. It is un-mistakable.

"Long John" swings past parallel on his backswing, with the club nearly touching the ground. It is unconventional and indistinguishable. It also generates a lot of power. He has led the PGA Tour in driving distance a record 11 times.

Daly's life resembles the song by Gary Allen, "Life Ain't Always Beautiful." John's career has been interrupted with problems in his household, problems with drinking too much, and problems with gambling too much. That is the beauty of JD however, and what Jared fails to see.

John has defied conventional thinking in that golf is a rich man's game. He is an everyday "Joe" who has tremendous talent on the golf course. Despite all of his problems in his past, JD has rose above them and still managed to thrive with his golf game. In 2004, JD outplayed Vijay Singh to win the Buick Championship. Daly is an inspiration to all those who have had similar problems in their lives.

Another aspect that I love about Daly is the fact that he hardly ever practices. He doesn't spend time with a swing coach, or time on the driving range or putting greens. He just goes out there and hits the ball long. He hardly takes any time preparing before he hits the shot. When star players like Sergio Garcia take 10 minutes to hit a shot, its refreshing to see JD go out there and just hit the damn thing.

One last upside to Daly. He is sponsored by Hooters. They have great wings. Not liking that is un-American.

#12 - Michael Johnson
In the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, this guy had a performance that will not soon be forgotten, or repeated. It was so great that one single moment propelled him to this spot on my list.

In those Olympic games, Johnson was attempting to be the first man ever to win both the 200 and 400 meter races. This was thought to be impossible due to the conflicting time schedules in both of the races. Johnson was out to prove them all wrong, which he did. He won the 400 meter race by nearly an entire second. As impressive as this was, his 200 meter race was more so.

The world record for the 200 meters was 19.66 seconds, set by Johnson himself. That record was previously held for almost 17 years. It would take 3 months for Johnson to break that record twice.

The race was held on a Saturday night, and I will never forget sitting in my living room watching this enormous event. All eyes were on Johnson and his "golden shoes." He did not disappoint. Hardly. All he did was run a record that I truly believe will never be broken. He won the 200 meters by running a world record time of 19.32 seconds.

He ran the opening 100 meters in 10.12 seconds, reached a max speed of 25 miles per hour and then ran the closing 100 meters in 9.20 seconds. The current world record for 100 meters is right around 9.8 seconds. If you ran that twice in a row, you would have ran 200 meters in about 19.6 seconds, still well short of the mark Johnson put up. Like I said, it will never be broken. No one has come close since.

Johnson ended up with 5 gold medals when his career was all said and done. He made a special appearance on TV when Donovan Bailey (then world record holder in the 100 meters) challenged him to a 150 meter race. It was a pretty big deal, with the winner getting 1.5 million. Johnson lost because he pulled up lame.

Johnson will not be remembered for that event, but rather for his unique style of running, his golden shoes, his double gold in 1996, and for a 200 meter record that will stand for many lifetimes.

#11 - Chris Thomas
Not my first basketball player by far on this list, and not my first Notre Dame athlete on my list either. However, Thomas is my first Notre Dame basketball player on my list.

Like I have previously mentioned throughout the last several posts, I was never a big Notre Dame basketball fan. It was very hard for me to be one. They were never on television and they were never in a conference. That all changed when Thomas came around.

Notre Dame finally entered the Big East Conference in basketball back in 2000. They were not very good the first couple of years. In the 2001-2002 season, a freshman point guard named Chris Thomas started to play, and I started to follow.

Thomas, whose #1 jersey I bought a few years ago, immediately made an impact on the entire Notre Dame program. The Irish actually made it into the NCAA tournament in 2002, with Thomas winning the Big East Freshman of the Year award. They won their first tournament game against Charlotte by almost 20 points. Their next game was against the number one seeded Duke Blue Devils. They played that game on a Saturday, and it was the only game on at the time.

I watched that game in our recently added addition to our house by myself. I lived and died with each shot. Notre Dame outplayed Duke that day. They were winning late in to the second half, but couldn't come up with the big plays in the last few minutes, losing 84-77. I was ready for next year.

Thomas, as a sophomore had an outstanding season. He led Notre Dame to a #5 seed in the tournament. It could have been much higher had it not been for a slow stretch towards the end. Their first game was against UW-Milwaukee. It was a back and forth game with Notre Dame surviving 70-69. Their next game was against the 4th seeded Illinois Fighting Illini. The Irish played a complete game and smoked Illinois. That run came to an end in the sweet 16, losing to Arizona.

Thomas was debating about entering the NBA Draft after that season. He decided to stay. The next two years were tough on Thomas as he and the Irish failed to make it to the NCAA tournament in either of those years. However, Thomas would end up the career assist leader for Notre Dame. He is also 8th in points scored and third in steals.

Chris Thomas was the reason I became a fan of Notre Dame basketball. After he graduated, he did not get drafted in the NBA. He currently plays overseas in a professional European league. Last summer I sent Thomas an e-mail, thanking him for his 4 years at Notre Dame. He responded by telling me what he was up to and how much he appreciated my support. The Notre Dame basketball program will never be the same without him.

Well, that wraps it up for now. 30 down and only 10 to go. My next five include a memorable coach, a felon, a suspected druggie, a domer, and a penguin. If you can guess the next five, then you might be qualified for the upcoming series titled "Heroes" on NBC. Judging by the previews, don't watch it.

Anyways, God bless, and "Read it, Roll it, Hole it."

Skywalker's Top 40 (16-20)

"I'm back." Something makes me think these two words are not going to have the same effect that they did when Michael Jordan used them to announce his return to basketball (the first time). Nonetheless, they mark the return of yours truly after a lengthy layoff. Buckle in.

I thought I would finish up where I left off, by completing this much anticipated list of my top 40 favorite sport figures. I compiled this list back in May, and to my surprise, it hasn't changed at all. Now, I'll put a disclaimer on that: If Notre Dame wins a national championship this year, then Brady Quinn (#21) and Charlie Weis (#38) will make a pretty big jump. Go Irish. Please Coach Weis, do NOT bust out those green jerseys this year. No matter how badly you want to, and no matter how loudly you know the crowd will cheer when they see them, don't do it. USC would have lost last year had you not brought those cursive uniforms out. So take the anti-Nike approach and "just don't do it."

Well, I have some house cleaning to perform before I jump back into my list. On a personal note, I decided not to pursue a degree in broadcast journalism. I had intended to go straight to education, but I've become hesitant. A big part of me wants to keep writing, which would involve a simple switch to print journalism. I really haven't made up my mind yet. More on that to come I'm sure. Congrats to Alex a.k.a "Coach" Lucius who was the only one to correctly answer the question of the most recent N.D quarterback to win the Heisman. The answer: John Huarte, back in 1964. You are the man Lucius.

Just thought I would throw out the fact that God hates the Browns. Our stud center goes down on the very first play of the very first practice. I mean, at least with Winslow it was the second game of the year, and with Edwards, sometime in December. God decided not to wait this time. I bet he was up there laughing his ass off when he pulled that stunt. "Hey guys, watch this ... injured knee (out for season) ... this is just too easy." The last laugh might be on God however. If Cleveland somehow lands Brady next year, then that will be a HUGE conflict of interests for the Almighty One. Okay, enough messing around, onto the list. Let's do it to it.

#20 - Allen Iverson
"The Answer," or "A.I.," if you will, grabs the first spot in the top twenty. His presence here comes from all the stars lining up at the right time. Let's try to explain how he got here and then how good he is. Like it or not, that's the order and I'm sticking to it.

I never had a big brother. I blame my parents, but what can you do. I did however have an older cousin, Tony, who I looked up to quite a bit. He was probably about as close to a big brother as I had. One of the main responsibilities of an older brother is to provide clothes that no longer fit and hand them down to the younger one. I was the recipient of Tony's old clothes. One of the better things I received, was a Georgetown outfit. It was a button up shirt, with a pair of matching shorts. When I had this outfit on, you could not tell me anything. It just so happened, that Iverson was in his 1st year of college at G'Town at about the same time. Next thing you know, I'm following Iverson, and I've liked him ever since.

Iverson starred for the Hoyas for two years (1994 and 1995). He had many memorable moments, including one of the best NCAA games I've ever been lucky enough to watch. The setting was 1995 and it was the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden vs. the Connecticut Huskies. I'll get more into details later due to one of the players on that UCONN team just happens to show up at spot #18. To sum it up for now, it was a very good game. The other moment comes from a game against the Bulls in 1996; the year he won the NBA Rookie of the Year. Michael Jordan was in uniform as he came back in mid-season that year. Iverson promptly came into the game, and gave MJ his patented crossover, which faked Jordan right out of his shoes and allowed for "A.I." to drill a jumper from the top of the key. Money.

Allen Iverson has been an NBA All-Star for the last 8 consecutive seasons. He won the leagues' MVP title back in 2001. He never will be the biggest guy on the floor, but he will probably out hustle you, and more than likely outplay you. "The Answer" can out shoot you both on and off the court. Okay, that last comment might have been too far, but I couldn't pass it up. My apologies to "A.I."; please don't kill me.

#19 - The Fab Five
I have to admit, I kind of cheat my own system here with this decision. The Fab Five isn't a sport figure, they were a team. However, I haven't followed Michigan basketball before or since they have left. So, they get to stay, sorry.

After reading Charles Woodson (#23), you know that my mother is a big Michigan fan. She might not know all the players, or the coaches of the current teams, but she still roots for them. With The Fab Five however, she knew the players. She could rattle them off no problem. She followed the games with great interest, knew their record, and knew who they were playing next in the NCAA tournament. She even played a classic April Fools joke on me. She told me that Kentucky's head coach, Rick Pitino, decided to forfeit their Final Four game against Michigan. I believed her, I got excited, and then I got pissed when I found out she had just got me. I hate to be gotten.

The Fab Five included: Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson. They were probably the best freshman basketball recruiting class ever compiled. They all came into Michigan and started their freshman year. How did this young team do? Oh, they made it all the way to the NCAA Title game, only to lose to Duke. Not too bad.

Not only did I like these guys because of my mothers' enthusiasm, but also because they looked so cool in those big baggy shorts. I wanted to be just like them. My mom liked them in spite of those baggy shorts; if I had a nickel for everytime she said, "those shorts are going to fall off." Mothers being mothers I guess.

Coach Steve Fisher brought these guys in with the aspirations of a national championship. Following their runner up season in 1992, Michigan was supposed to be a dominant force the very next year, as the entire Fab Five were coming back. Chris Webber was the best player on the team by far. Now, the other four were no slouches, but Webber brought it all together. Without Webber, there is no way Michigan makes it to back to back championship games, absolutely none. Now, with all that said, Chris still managed to break my mothers heart in 1993. It all happened so fast.

In 1993, Michigan again found themselves in the title game. Their opponent: the North Carolina Tar Heels, led by the legendary coach Dean Smith. The best player for UNC was a big tall white guy named Eric Montross. Insert enormous amount of laughter here. Nonetheless, it was going to be a tight contest. My dad even let me stay up to watch this game. At that time, it was a big, big deal that I was allowed to stay up. It came all the way to the end, with Michigan trailing by two and less than 15 seconds on the clock, Webber grabbed a missed free throw. Chaos soon followed. After getting the rebound, Webber looked to outlet the ball, a UNC guard made a dash to the passing lane, causing Webber to fight off the pass, which made him travel. The refs did not call it. It was obvious. The play went on. Webber dribbled it all the way down the court only to call timeout when he was trapped. Only thing was they had no timeouts. Technical foul and end of game. Awesome.

Webber left school and entered the NBA draft after that game. Howard and Rose stayed one more year, while King and Jackson played four years. Webber, Howard, Rose all had decent NBA careers. King played for 2 seasons, while Jackson never made it. Four out of five ain't bad.

#18 - Ray Allen
I guess I had basketball on my mind during this section of the list. First three so far, and one more to follow yet. I warned you it was my favorite sport.

Ray Allen can shoot the ball, and he can shoot it well. It looks so pretty when it drains nothing but the bottom of the net. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Allen has the "prettiest looking shot in the game."

Let's start from the beginning to find out exactly how Allen made it this high on the list. First of all, Notre Dame had no basketball team back in the day. Well, they had one, but it wasn't in a conference, so they meant absolutely nothing. I decided to go with UCONN. Why the Huskies? Similar to the Penguins, I have no idea. I can't pinpoint one exact moment or reason, but I did, and so the story continues.

Allen played for the Huskies from 1993-1996. I fell in love with him when he hit the game winning shot against Iverson (#20) in that very Big East Tournament game I previously mentioned. After Iverson had hit a shot to put the Hoyas up one with under 5 seconds left, Allen took the inbound pass, got to the lane, jumped, had no where to go, and floated the ball into the basket for the game winning score. I went nuts and Allen became a favorite. That's how easy it happens when you are younger. One shot.

Ray was drafted by the Timberwolves in 1996, but was traded to the Bucks. He has had a very successful NBA career. He currently ranks second on the all-time list of 3 pointers made. He's a six-time NBA all-star, and holds the record for most 3 pointers made in a season. Another trivia opportunity has arrived: Whose record did Ray Allen break? Same rules as the last one.

Allen also was in the movie He Got Game as Jesus Shuttlesworth. If you haven't seen this movie, I highly recommend it. It's got Denzel Washington in it, so you know it's good. It's good like Allen's jumpshot. Okay sorry, that would make it the best movie then. Although He Got Game is good, it's no Cool Runnings. Now, that would be the best.

#17 - 1999 UCONN Basketball Team
Yeah, okay, I can here the crap coming right now. "You can't pick a single team in a single season!!" You know what, it's my list, and I can do whatever I want with it. So, the Huskies from 1999 get to stay. This all stems from one amazing tournament that concluded with one amazing night.

Again, N.D did not play in any conference this year, and as I have already mentioned, UCONN took its place. Ray Allen, for as great as a player as he was, could not deliver me a final four appearance, let alone a national championship. Chris Webber couldn't keep track of timeouts, so he blew my shot as well. Leave it to the bunch of underdogs to deliver. That's where these Huskies, led by coach Jim Calhoun come into play.

Richard Hamilton, Khalid El-Amin, Jake Voskuhl, and Ricky Moore (the defensive stopper) were the main ingredients to this winning team. All season long, UCONN was solid, but they were never ranked #1. That distinction went to the Duke Blue Devils. They had Elton Brand and Trajan Langdon. They were supposed to be unstoppable. Ha, hardly.

UCONN made its first appearance into the Final Four by escaping the Washington Huskies during the early rounds. They were trailing by one, and had three or four attempts to win the game, but continued to miss. Finally, Hamilton grabbed the rebound, faded away, and threw up the winning basket as time expired. Enter the Final Four.

In that Final Four they beat the Ohio State Buckeyes. Next up was Duke. Playing inspired basketball, UCONN pulled off the upset, beating Duke 77-74. At the time, I was in the 8th grade and had a little TV in my room. I stayed up, against my moms wishes and watched UCONN get the lead and control the game from beginning to end. It was unbelievable. My mom yelled at me many times during that night for making too much noise. I couldn't help it, I finally had my national championship.

#16 - Bernie Kosar
I know some of you were getting tired of all this basketball. I know I sure was. After I made the list, I saw that this one was definitely top-heavy in basketball. Well, insert Bernie and everything is fine. Oh Bernie.

Bernie Kosar was the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns from 1985-1993. After a tremendous career as the quarterback of the Miami Hurricanes, Kosar declared himself eligible AFTER the NFL Draft, so the Browns could draft him in a later supplemental draft. Kosar grew up in Ohio and wanted to play for the Browns. Go figure.

Kosar immediately became the most popular sports figure in Cleveland. He led the Browns to back to back championship games against Denver in the late 1980's. I won't get into the details of those games for obvious reasons.

Bernie doesn't get a lot of credit that he deserves. First of all, he would have won the Heisman trophy back in 1984 if it wasn't for Doug Flutie's miracle throw against him. If you don't remember, Bernie had an amazing game against Flutie's Boston College Eagles. Unfortunately, Flutie chucked it up, it got caught, and with it, Kosar's Heisman was stolen. If not for Byner's fumble and the drive, Bernie would have played in two Super Bowls. Might have won them, might have not. Either way, he would have led the lowly Browns to 2 Super Bowls. If Charlie Frye leads them to the playoffs now, he would be considered in some circles a god.

I don't remember watching Bernie play too much. I do remember Bill Belichick cutting him loose for Vinny Testaverde in 1993. That didn't make too many people happy. At the time, it didn't matter to me because of one reason. Testaverde won a playoff game for the Browns!! I've lived for 20 years, and only one time have I witnessed the Browns win a playoff game. It was 1993 against Bill Parcells, Drew Bledsoe, and the New England Patriots. Anyways, back to Bernie.

I'll never forget Drew Carey's impression of Bernie. Unfortunately for Kosar, it's not flattering. Drew stands by the microphone, says here is an impression of Bernie Kosar, and then knocks the microphone stand over. You got to admit, it's kind of funny.

Okay, thanks for hanging with me through that long one. It had been several months since I had last written anything, so I had a lot pent up in me. Well, we are in the home stretch now. Just 15 to go. The plan is to get the next 10 in 2 posts. That will leave me with my top 5. I'll put 5,4,and 3 in one post. For my top 2, I will do 2 separate posts. Which makes for a total of 5 more posts. I've never used the word post so frequently than in that last paragraph. It happens.

Until next time, don't drink and drive, and as always, "Read It, Roll It, and Hole It."