http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/athletes/ en-us Thu, 27 Nov 2008 18:04:23 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2139227/posts Track coach Pat Becher knew immediately when he saw Chase Kear that something was wrong. In 24 years of coaching, the head coach at Hutchinson Community College had never witnessed anything like what was happening on the turf in front of him. Chase, 19, was lying on the field turf that surrounded the school's football field. There wasn't a visible scratch on his body, but he was convulsing and fading in and out of consciousness. Within minutes, the wail of sirens entered the stadium. The Hutchinson High School football team, practicing nearby, stood and watched. Becher pulled out his phone. Kansas.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2139227/posts#comment Thu, 27 Nov 2008 18:04:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2137584/posts GM ends 9-year endorsement deal with Tiger Woods DETROIT (AP) General Motors Corp. said Monday it is ending its nine-year endorsement deal with golf superstar Tiger Woods as the automaker continues to cut expenses and hoard cash while trying to survive the worst sales downturn in a quarter-century. The cash-strapped company said in a statement that it is looking to reduce costs, and that the world's No. 1 golfer also wants more personal time as he expects his second child. Woods has endorsed GM products around the world and mainly has been seen in Buick commercials as the company tried... golf.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2137584/posts#comment Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:13:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2123020/posts Who could have predicted that in a World Series battle between a Red team (Phillies) and a Blue team (Rays), one presidential candidate would delay the deciding game to spread his message, while his opponent promised that, if elected, he'd never let politics stand in the way of a good ballgame? Palm Beach Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2123020/posts#comment Mon, 3 Nov 2008 01:45:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2103913/posts ASHBURN, Va. - As the presidential race revs up, political conversations in NFL locker rooms echo those in workplaces nationwide. Taxes. Economy. McCain. Obama. War. Terrorism. White. Black. And a dilemma for these high-paid athletes: principles or pocketbook? "We're right in the middle," said Washington Redskins veteran Philip Daniels. "We've all got family members that are not doing so well. Democrats would help them out, but Republicans would help us out." Everything about his income screams Republican. He's made millions many times over in his 13 years as a professional athlete, and the thought of paying higher taxes under a... StarTribune.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2103913/posts#comment Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:33:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2101364/posts McCain Endorsed by Two Cleveland Browns Wednesday, October 8, 2008 9:12 PM By: Newsmax staff While campaigning in Strongsville, Ohio, Sen. John McCain trotted out two of the most popular players for the Cleveland Browns to praise his candidacy, according to a report in the Washington Post. Brady Quinn, a quarterback for the team, and Joe Thomas, a left tackle, smiled and waved with the candidate as a wall of noise erupted from the assembled crowd. "Too often we label people heroes. Get caught up in the moment. But tonight, we have a real hero amongst us," Quinn said in... newsmax.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2101364/posts#comment Thu, 9 Oct 2008 14:49:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2075800/posts LAST MONDAY, Sean Fisher of Waldwick collapsed while running drills. It was reported he may have had an undetected heart condition. Fisher died that day. It was his 13th birthday. On Tuesday, Douglas Morales of Cliffside Park died of injuries sustained during a football practice the previous week. He ruptured a blood vessel to the brain. He was 17 years old. Communities are in mourning, young athletes are unsettled by the untimely deaths of teammates and parents are trying to figure out what happened and how to prevent it from recurring. While each case is different and it’s too early... northjersey http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2075800/posts#comment Sat, 6 Sep 2008 03:06:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2067932/posts LONDON, August 25, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In 2004, U.K. Olympian Tasha Danvers-Smith sacrificed her spot at the Summer Olympics in Athens so she could bring her then-unborn baby to term.  Four years later, her little boy inspired her all the way to the podium in the women's 400-metre hurdle event at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.After discovering she was pregnant in 2004, Danvers-Smith made a joint decision with her husband and coach, Darrell, to put her baby's life ahead of her dream of competing in the summer games in Athens. At the time some in the track and field community... LifeSiteNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2067932/posts#comment Mon, 25 Aug 2008 23:08:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065475/posts Every generation needs heroes. Young people especially need role models. How blessed we are that the role model of these Summer Olympics is Michael Phelps. Here is a young man who embodies self-discipline, hard work and goal orientation. It is not so much the world records he shattered. It is not only the number of medals he won. His whole outlook is to be celebrated. He has a commanding presence yet he is the boy next door. True, his endorsements will make him millions. Yet I dare say that is the furthest thing from his mind right now. As I... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065475/posts#comment Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:45:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065320/posts Liu Xiang sent to Olympic death by China's £1 billion image-building exercise On the back of yesterday's China Daily, the English language newspaper in Beijing, the face of Liu Xiang filled a broadsheet page. But the tears had been airbrushed out, so to speak. By Kevin Garside Last Updated: 2:54PM BST 20 Aug 2008 Comments 29 | Comment on this article China's Olympic pin-up was selling the Nike brand and his country. He is the face of Nike in China, and of China across the globe. He didn't develop an ankle spur, injure his Achilles or damage his hamstring on... Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065320/posts#comment Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:58:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065186/posts Mark Spitz thinks there's only one man who Michael Phelps can't beat. His name is Mark Spitz. Spitz, the American swimmer whose record of seven gold medals in a single Olympics Games was shattered by Phelps, said Wednesday that if the two legends squared off in their primes, it'd be a draw. "I think that the relationship between people that are great is they have a common thread of knowing how to beat their competitors and they know how to constantly be in shape and in top form," Spitz told the Daily News. "If that's the case, I'd know everything... New York Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065186/posts#comment Wed, 20 Aug 2008 23:35:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064576/posts He's the "eight" wonder of the world! Here is the iconic first photo of a bare-chested, medal-clad Michael Phelps doing his best Mark Spitz impression - sporting an Olympic-sized grin as his eight golds dangle from his neck. The photo - taken inside an ancient temple in Beijing on Sunday night - will grace the cover of Sports Illustrated, which hits newsstands tomorrow. NY Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064576/posts#comment Tue, 19 Aug 2008 23:28:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064395/posts Jamaican Me Speedy - Why are Jamaicans so good at sprinting? By Nina Shen Rastogi Posted Monday, Aug. 18, 2008, at 6:57 PM ET Jamaicans dominated the Olympic 100-meter sprint this weekend, with Usain Bolt setting a world record and his teammates taking all three medals in the women's event. Jamaica is a poor, tiny nation about half the size of New Jersey. What makes its people such champion sprinters? A combination of nature and nurture. Runners of West African descent—which includes Jamaicans as well as most African-Americans—seem to be built for speed: In 2004, they held all but five... Slate Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064395/posts#comment Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:55:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2062892/posts Broadcaster Avi Lewis on Canada's Olympic team? A great idea, and not as bizarre as it seems. Let me explain. The government announced last week it would cut a grant scheme whereby various alleged artists and intellectuals were given the tax dollars of non-artists and non-intellectuals so as to go on expensive overseas trips and pretend to be, well, artists and intellectuals. That so many of the recipients of this largesse were left wing, anti-American and so on was a pure coincidence. Just as is the fact that so many magazines, authors and performers who receive other tax-dollar funding are... Toronto Sun via Sun Media http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2062892/posts#comment Sat, 16 Aug 2008 15:08:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061600/posts And he is looked upon here as a great inspiration, a source of great American pride. The world is dazzled by this man. But that's not the Michael Phelps that truly exists. Michael Phelps is the epitome, ladies and gentlemen, of The Ugly American. I found out today what he eats on a daily basis. I know he swims five hours a day and needs a lot of energy. Big producers do. He's produced a lot of medals, a lot of records. Big producers do need a lot of energy. But according to Obama and many on the left, Michael... rushlimbaugh http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061600/posts#comment Thu, 14 Aug 2008 05:01:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061417/posts In an August 13 blog post for the Baltimore Sun Olympics coverage blog "From Baltimore to Beijing," sports columnist Rick Maese posted a complaint by an Israeli doctor accusing gold medal-winning Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps of doping. Phelps's drug of choice: rocking out on his iPod before a swim. Koudinov's argument in a nutshell: Did you notice that Michael Phelps wears earphones and is listening music just before his every Olympic start, at Beijing's Olympiad Water Cube pool deck, be it finals or semifinals? I first noticed that before his first gold swim on August 10: Phelps removed earphones 2... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061417/posts#comment Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:06:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060936/posts BEIJING — Michael Phelps has become the winningest Olympic athlete ever, earning his fourth gold medal of the Beijing Games with a world record in the 200-meter butterfly. The American touched in 1 minute, 52.03 seconds, breaking his old mark of 1:52.09 set at last year's world championships in Australia. Fox http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060936/posts#comment Wed, 13 Aug 2008 02:51:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060488/posts Michael Phelps carved his name among the Olympic greats on Tuesday, smashing another world record in the pool to join Mark Spitz and Carl Lewis in an elite group on a record nine career golds. ...Phelps joined compatriots Lewis and Spitz, as well as "Flying Finn" distance runner Paavo Nurmi and Soviet gymnast Larysa Latynina with a total of nine golds. He could overtake them all on Wednesday when he swims in two more finals. "To be tied for the most Olympic golds of all time, with those names in Olympic history ... it is a pretty amazing accomplishment," he... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060488/posts#comment Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:28:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2057888/posts The drug chief of the International Olympic Committee accused Russia of systematically doping its athletes on Tuesday, the same day that three of the country's race walkers, two of them Olympians, were nabbed for steroid use and less than a week after seven prominent female were caught in an elaborate doping and test-rigging scheme. In an interview with AFP, Arne Ljungqvist, who is also a vice-president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), expressed his disappointment and disbelief at what has transpired with the Russian team. NBCOlympics.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2057888/posts#comment Thu, 7 Aug 2008 07:08:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2055768/posts Thank you. Deacon Jones said I would cry. You bet your life I'm going to cry. You bet your life I'm going to cry. You bet your life, I will. That's my boy. That's my boy right there. It ain't this in that. It's that [son]. Thank God. What a great day. What a great day. I want to thank the committee, the selection committee, the ones who put me up here, some men and women that watched my career over those 20 seasons and said he should be here and he should be here now. Thank you, guys, and... ESPN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2055768/posts#comment Sun, 3 Aug 2008 16:14:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049996/posts A late-game brawl Tuesday in the Los Angeles Sparks' 84-81 Women's National Basketball Association win over the Detroit Shock saw three players an assistant coach ejected. The incident began after a made free throw by Los Angeles, when Sparks rookie sensation Candace Parker got tangled with Shock's Plenette Pierson and both fell to the floor. AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049996/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:26:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2048177/posts Sent to jail by a judge who said he didn’t believe she had owned up to her involvement in steroids and a check-cashing scheme, track star Marion Jones has now turned to a different kind of judge - President Bush. N Y Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2048177/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 23:03:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035950/posts President Bush met this morning with President Arroyo of the Philippines in the Oval Room Transcript President Bush met with Prime Minister Dung of Vietnam in the Oval Office Transcript President Bush welcomed the 2007 and 2008 NCAA Sports Champions to the White House Secretary of State attended a Middle East Conference in Berlin, Germany Enoy your visit to Sanity Island White House.gov and other sources http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035950/posts#comment Wed, 25 Jun 2008 01:44:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2033900/posts The oldest living former Major League Baseball player, Billy Werber, celebrates his 100th birthday Friday, but you would never know it by his quick wit. As he is fond of saying about the leg he lost to .diabetes, "They cut off my leg but not my head." Werber is the sole surviving teammate of Babe Ruth, having played third base for the Yankees in 1930 and 1933. He also played with the New York Giants in his final season, 1942, and the Boston Red Sox (1933-1936), Philadelphia Athletics (1937-1938) and Cincinnati Reds (1939-1941), which won the World Series in 1940.... AM New York http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2033900/posts#comment Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:29:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030283/posts Statistics Phenomenon On The Pitch: Often Two Players With The Same Birthday At The World Cup ScienceDaily (Jun. 12, 2008) — The German defender Philipp Lahm and the Portuguese midfield star Maniche were both born on 11. November – and they were both playing in the game for the third place at the World Cup 2006. Anyway, in more than half of the games at the World Cup 2006 at least two persons on the field had the same birthday. That is what Yanina Lyesnyak found out within the scope of her bachelor thesis supervised by Prof. Walter Krämer. And... Science Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030283/posts#comment Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:21:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2010239/posts Now recovered, hoops star says treatment affected his game - University of Tennessee men's basketball star Chris Lofton didn't want to make any excuses for his slump the first half of this past season. But cancer isn't an excuse - it's a reason. The senior All-American guard told the News Sentinel on Thursday that he underwent four weeks of radiation treatment after being diagnosed with testicular cancer last March. Tears came to his eyes when discussing his battle with cancer. Lofton said he has made a full recovery, but he acknowledged that last spring's treatment affected his offseason training regimen... Knoxville News Sentinel http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2010239/posts#comment Fri, 2 May 2008 14:47:27 GMT