The nicest people in sports
- Thread starter Jaydumo20
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I met Charles Barkley at a Tyson fight in 1988. He signed some autographs. He wasn't the huge personality he's become.Like prostitution and DUI’s?
Charles Barkley admitted he was looking for sex during DUI arrest
Oh no, Sir Charles! Hoops legend Charles Barkley was busted for suspected drunken driving Wednesday – and made things worse by admitting he was rushing to pick up a woman for a sex act. ̶…www.nydailynews.com
Kidding aside he does seem like a real, down to earth dude. I’d bang down some beers with CB.
dvegas
Duck Fuke
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I've run into Dan Orlovsky at Stew Leonard's (Norwalk) a bunch of times. I don't fan boy him, but bring up sick stuff that was done at UConn (I'm 15+ years older). He's always gracious and comments how he's got 4 kids and that's all that matters.....showed him my profile picture, he can't identify Mystic Bowie lol, taken at a fundraiser in Derby many years ago
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Dan seems like a great guy. I read that he participated in a 100-hole golf tournament to benefit ALS with his friend Chuck whose mother died from the disease.ALS 100 Holes for Charity
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there is an interview where Ernie Johnson is asked who is easier to work with. Ernie said hands down Charles. Charles is alway in a good mood. Shaq can get moody and will go into a shell. Both do a lot of charity. Shaq always tells you about it. Charles doesn't.Like prostitution and DUI’s?
Charles Barkley admitted he was looking for sex during DUI arrest
Oh no, Sir Charles! Hoops legend Charles Barkley was busted for suspected drunken driving Wednesday – and made things worse by admitting he was rushing to pick up a woman for a sex act. ̶…
Kidding aside he does seem like a real, down to earth dude. I’d bang down some beers with CB.
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Rory Sabbatini, though oft voted least liked on tour, treated me like an equal human about 12-13 years ago when I was a standard bearer at Travelers championship. He was super nice to me and I will always appreciate that. On the other hand, I walked 2 rounds with Bubba Watson as standard bearer and he didn't speak a word to the volunteers the entire time. Walked with a total of something like 10-15 golfers in total. So long ago I forget. Alot of nice guys like Padraig Harrington, Stephen Ames, Marc Leishman, Jason Dufner but Sabbatini and Watson were at top and bottom of the niceness range for me. Did get signed golf balls for all of them though. (Watson's caddie handed them to us and not him... ugh. Still annoyed by him. Haha)
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Thanks for sharing this. I’d never heard this sorry. Incredibly cool…This says everything about what kind of guy Charles Barkley is. This story always stuck with me...
My Dad's Friendship With Charles Barkley
Shirley Wang's father, Lin, was on a business trip when he ran into NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley. It was the beginning of a friendship.www.wbur.org
Met barkley several times at east lake charity event. Very social and fun guy. My sister met him and wife on their honeymoon in bermuda and hung out with them and villanova alumni doug smith and wife. Barkleys invited them to come to their home in phoenix.
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Arnold Palmer, pure class.
I remember going to Giants training camp in Albany back in the summer of 2008. Obviously Eli was the hardest to get an autograph from so many kids around, was able to meet Justin Tuck and David Diehl also super nice guys, Diehl was so intimidating looking in person.
So going back to Eli a kid throws him a ball that has a sharpie taped to it he signs it. Eli wisely walks away from the crowd and does an over the shoulder toss to the kid as he heads into the locker room.
What I took from this is it's best to walk away while you can he would be swarmed all day with autographs, most importantly your protecting your biggest asset which is obviously your throwing arm.
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I'm a Broncos fan but an Eli fan too. My youngest son is named Eli. I hope the kid caught the ball. Lifetime of regret dropping a pass from a manning.
Yep he sure did, he had to have been about 12, obviously he came super prepared.
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Isn't Jim Abbott supposed to be nice?
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I met Julius Erving in a business setting 25 years ago and he couldn't be more gracious. I wasn't necessarily a fan at that point but have been since.
Legendary boxer Tommy Hearns, the hitman, was the nicest sports figure I ever met and is well regarded as having a heart of gold. When he knocked out, James Schuler, who tragically died the week after the fight in an auto accident, Tommy went to the funeral and placed the title belt that he won from Jamesat his grave saying that James deserved to have the belt. He also did several charity events for the troops and even went to the Persian Gulf to entertain the troops. Those are just examples.Just a fantastic guy.
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Pretty much every UConn WBB player is pleasant and high-character but it's amazing how genuine and kind their great players are. I've met Kara Wolters, Rebecca Lobo, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, and Paige Bueckers (amongst others) and they're all truly delightful people. Geno is a cool and kind dude as well. On the men's side, Glenn Miller is a super nice guy.
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I second the nomination of Cal Ripken Jr.
My employer in the 1990s, a bank in Baltimore, sponsored a charity picnic, hosted by Cal at a local park (Patterson Park, if you know Balto). The event was not a fundraiser, indeed wasn’t even open to the public nor publicized, in the least. A couple of members of the press caught wind of the event, but complied with Cal’s request to not take photos. The picnic was solely organized so that 150 less-privileged children could have a cookout on a Saturday and learn a little baseball.
I lived nearby, but not being much of a baseball fan (and a Red Sox fan, if anything), I hadn’t planned on attending. Fortunately, however, my supervisor was very persuasive, and successfully convinced me to volunteer at the event. It was a hell of a lot of fun.
Patterson is a very popular public park, so Cal’s presence attracted a rather large crowd. He is Baltimore’s son, literally loved by the entire city, even by those who hate sports. (BTW, Mr. Ripken kept insisting I call him Cal, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do so as a lowly college sophomore/bank teller.)
Cal had been scheduled to be there for two hours, one hour of coaching tips and demonstrations, and then an hour eating burgers and dogs. He wound up remaining at the picnic for over four hours, fully engaged with the children the entire time.
Many of the kids were not much into baseball—they were only attending the picnic because they were members of afterschool programs, local clubs, and the like. But Mr. Ripken’s charm, genuine caring nature, humor (he could be very silly with the littler kids) were infectious.
This was at the height of Cal’s career and celebrity, and his “entourage” was frantic for the last two hours, desperately trying to keep him on schedule. But he refused to be torn away from the kids.
Cal’s “entourage”, by the way, only consisted of:
1) a driver—who was clearly not also hired as a security guard, given that he was about the size of many of the middle-school kids in attendance, and some of the larger elementary-school kids.
2) a personal assistant; a highly efficient woman of about 30 years old, who was slightly smaller than the driver, so also clearly not hired for security purposes,
and 3) a female relative of Cal’s, perhaps a cousin, maybe ten years old.
My employer in the 1990s, a bank in Baltimore, sponsored a charity picnic, hosted by Cal at a local park (Patterson Park, if you know Balto). The event was not a fundraiser, indeed wasn’t even open to the public nor publicized, in the least. A couple of members of the press caught wind of the event, but complied with Cal’s request to not take photos. The picnic was solely organized so that 150 less-privileged children could have a cookout on a Saturday and learn a little baseball.
I lived nearby, but not being much of a baseball fan (and a Red Sox fan, if anything), I hadn’t planned on attending. Fortunately, however, my supervisor was very persuasive, and successfully convinced me to volunteer at the event. It was a hell of a lot of fun.
Patterson is a very popular public park, so Cal’s presence attracted a rather large crowd. He is Baltimore’s son, literally loved by the entire city, even by those who hate sports. (BTW, Mr. Ripken kept insisting I call him Cal, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do so as a lowly college sophomore/bank teller.)
Cal had been scheduled to be there for two hours, one hour of coaching tips and demonstrations, and then an hour eating burgers and dogs. He wound up remaining at the picnic for over four hours, fully engaged with the children the entire time.
Many of the kids were not much into baseball—they were only attending the picnic because they were members of afterschool programs, local clubs, and the like. But Mr. Ripken’s charm, genuine caring nature, humor (he could be very silly with the littler kids) were infectious.
This was at the height of Cal’s career and celebrity, and his “entourage” was frantic for the last two hours, desperately trying to keep him on schedule. But he refused to be torn away from the kids.
Cal’s “entourage”, by the way, only consisted of:
1) a driver—who was clearly not also hired as a security guard, given that he was about the size of many of the middle-school kids in attendance, and some of the larger elementary-school kids.
2) a personal assistant; a highly efficient woman of about 30 years old, who was slightly smaller than the driver, so also clearly not hired for security purposes,
and 3) a female relative of Cal’s, perhaps a cousin, maybe ten years old.
formerlurker
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It got me too.
dennismenace
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Coming home from the Cape?
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I used to bank at the CBT (long gone) on New Britain Ave in Hartford many years ago. Maron Starling who grew up in Hartford would sometimes come in when I was there. Always very pleasant. I saw one of his fights very close to the ring at the Civic Center. Cool experience. One of my workmates was part of the group that helped finance his fights so he would get great seats.
And it looks like Dan Orlovsky is close to a new contract with ESPN. Very happy for him.
And it looks like Dan Orlovsky is close to a new contract with ESPN. Very happy for him.
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Done deal.
ESPN Re-Signs Dan Orlovsky to a Multi-Year Agreement
ESPN Re-Signs Dan Orlovsky to a Multi-Year Agreement
espnpressroom.com
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Andre Jackson Jr. When our family was in the Bahamas to see the Battle for Atlantis in 2021, my younger son was walking around the resort wearing his Shuttlesworth jersey, and Andre stopped him to compliment him on it. Last week at the Summer League in Vegas, my brother-in-law asked Andre if for a picture to send to some serious UConn fan family members, and Andre happily complied.
