DOB: January 21, 1952 In: Long Beach, CA

Baseball Inspirations: “Don Drysdale and Frank Howard. They’re my guys. Frank Howard was my hero.”

Nicknames: “Otter. (Why?) The guy in Animal House. They just slapped that on me. Who knows. Wake up one day and you got a nickname. It’s like, Oh, whatever.”

Hobbies/Leisure Activities: “Reading, bicycling, snowboard, play music, golfing, I have five kids.”

Favorite Movie: “Well, Field Of Dreams is the best movie ever made.”

Musical Tastes: “I likie anything. Broadway musicals, rock ‘n roll, blues, classical. When I was playing in Puerto Rico, I loved it down there. I love reggae. Love it all. Wherever I’m at. To me it’s hard to listen to reggae – reggae does not go in Houston, Texas. And likewise Dwight Yoakum does not go in Jamaica. When I played in Puerto Rico, my wife and I were dancing to salsa by the time we got out of there.”

Early Baseball Memory: “How much time do you got? Hours and hours? First pitch, first strikeout, first, all the firsts. First home run I gave up. First home run I hit. First all the kids – because I had four of my kids were born during the season. So I remember all that.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Was pitching in the playoffs 1987, pitching the final out of the game, to beat St. Louis 4-2. And it was a complete game, that was pretty neat.”

Most Painful Moment: “Breaking down. Ripping the rotator cuff July of 1989. And having played for 17 years, wanting to get to the World Series, finally got there and couldn’t play.”

Funny Baseball Memory: “We’re talking about stuff that happens to us all the time. Too many.”

First Job: “Paperboy – Post Advocate.”

Favorite Meal: “Fresh fish grilled, with fresh vegetables, salad.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Vanilla.”

Funniest Players Encountered: “Don Robinson – The Caveman. Bob Brenley. Rennie Martin. Steve Nicosian. My partner Duane Kuiper. Tug McGraw – my roomate in Philadelphia. Bruce Sutter – my roommate coming up in the minor leagues. And playing with him in Chicago – great guy.”

Toughest Competitors Encountered: “Pete Rose. Pete took everything personal. Having played against him and with him in Philadelphia, and he was one of the guys who truly lived up to expectations. He took every at-bat personal. It was intense. You know exactly when he got in the batter’s box. He was awesome. Loved him. Bill Buckner was incredible also.”

Favorite Uniforms: “I like all the old ones – Giants, the Cardinals, the Cubs, the Dodgers, the Tigers, the Yankees, I like all the classic ones. The Braves are a sweet uni. I like ‘em all. I don’t think there are many bad uniforms in the big leagues. Other than a few, I kinda like ‘em all.”

Favorite Ballparks: “Our ballpark is fabulous. Unbelievable. The only thing bad with that is that I didn’t play there. I like Wrigley Field, Dodger Stadium, the old ones. Great yards.”

Embarrassing Baseball Memory: “Oh geez, where do I start.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “People who persevere through adversity. People who go through tough times and don’t make any excuses. I like that.”

Family: Wife, Jennifer; Children, Tessa, Baker, Chase, Jarek, Weston.

Career Accomplishments: 1986 All-Star; 20-game winner in 1986, 124-117 career record with 1478 strikeouts and a 3.90 ERA; won five Emmy Awards for his TV commentating work.

DOB: April 9, 1971 In: Johannesburg, South Africa

First Art Memory: “Is winning an art competition when I was a young boy (age 7). And for some reason the teacher picked my painting. I never ever thought about art again till about ten years ago. I saw a Van Gogh in a museum and I saw a green color that I absolutely loved. And I’ve never forgot that color. Those are my two recollections of art. I’m a man who ran through the Louvre in 15 minutes. I found art as a miracle, it was given to me as a gift from God.”

Inspirations: “I can’t say any man because I believe all people are messengers on this earth, sent by God to help the world. People that inspire me to be brave. People like LaDainian Tomlinson. Like a boxer. When these men are beaten and battered, like Jack Dempsey said, ‘A champion is one who gets up when he can’t.’ I learned from these people, the true heart of a man comes out in the 11th hour. The people that inspire me are the warriors who get through things nobody can get through. I can’t name specific men. Like people that climb Mount Everest, even if they don’t summit, those are people that inspire me. That do the impossible.”

Last Book Read: “The Power Of One – about 14 years ago. Haven’t read another book since.”

Favorite Movie: “It’s called I Dare You To Love Me. It’s by far the best movie I ever saw.”

First Job: “I’ve always been my own boss, always.”

First Car: “VW Beetle, purple with black-shaded windows.”

Current Car: “A 740i old BMW that I bought second hand, that I painted head to toe, it’s covered in paint, as is my apartment, my motor bike and every material possession I own.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Chocolate.”

Pre-Work Feeling: “I’ve structured my life in a way that my life and my work is one. So I never feel like anything before I start working because part of my background in this life was to enjoy every day. Because I lost many days of enjoyment to severe torment and depression. So every day, to me, is a gift, and I paint when I want. I have a great team to help me with a lot of wonderful things, IT and all that stuff, which I know nothing about. I’m not good with money, so I have people that make sure everything is in order. So my books can be audited at all times. My life is a wonderful, wonderful place. And I hope people can one day experience it themselves.”

Greatest Career Moment: “Right here, right now. No, I suppose, when Nelson Mandela signed my painting. A man that I have met many times. People say to me, Why is Nelson Mandela so great? Is it great to meet him? And I say the greatness of Nelson Mandela is that he knows that he’s not great. And he knows that he was a messenger put on here, on earth by God, to teach people humanity. So the joy of meeting Nelson Mandela is just the fact that he knows that he’s not great. He’s just a man. Put on this earth by God. That’s the joy of meeting him…You cannot get to see Nelson Mandela for $2 million now. He’s a very old man so it was a big thing for him to sign my painting.”

Most Painful Moment: “When I started this new journey in my life I decided that I was going to have fun. Because I didn’t have fun for the first 40 years. And I’ve had no painful moment. And the day that I do, I will stop it all. But I live by the saying I’m the free-est man in the world. I’ve had it tattooed on my left arm to remind myself. No one can mess up my enjoyment, no one.”

Favorite Artists: “I would say only Picasso. Truth of the matter, I don’t even know who the other artists are. I really don’t. I don’t get any inspiration from them. I never looked at their art. I don’t really care what they’ve done. I just did it myself. I’m starting to appreciate other artists now. But it’s not really the artists who have been made famous, it’s the artists that I see on the streets. And I say, Wow. That guy a Basquiat, or that guy a Van Gogh – why is his painting not selling for $500 million? He has a story to tell as well. So I think art is a lot of luck.”

Favorite Subjects: “Humanitarianism has become my one and only subject that I truly enjoy talking about.”

Funny Memory: “When I was hanging my giraffe, 18 feet high and nine feet wide. At Southampton. I hired the most wonderful team of Mexican workers. I turned my head and one of them was high in a tree with an electric saw. And I said, ‘What are you doing?’ He said, ‘I’m gonna cut down the branch. To hang the giraffe.’ And I said, ‘NO! There’ll be no cutting any trees here!’ That was a funny memory.”

Embarrassing Memory: “Nothing. I can’t get embarrassed any more. I don’t get embarrassed. I don’t fear any man, I fear God. I’m free. I don’t hurt anybody. I’m as generous as I can be. But I stay away from bad people.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “I cannot stand arrogance. I’ll tell you things that I cannot stand…arrogance. I cannot stand people that are so self absorbed that they can’t listen to anybody for a second. And people that are just grossly overindulgent, I suppose, that don’t give things back. I don’t mean people that are overindulgent, as long as they’re giving something back.”

Ht: 6-6 Wt: 240

DOB: November 9, 1979, in Houston, Texas

Childhood Heroes: “I really didn’t have any childhood heroes.”

Nicknames: “I want to skip that one, there’s a lot of them [smiles].”

Hobbies/Interests: “I like fishing, hunting and playing PlayStation.”

Early Baseball Memory: “I can remember when I was four-years-old, I was on the All-Star team in T-ball. I played catcher. If you know anything about T-ball and catching, the catcher does nothing except when they swing and miss, you put the ball back on the tee for them. That was me, the All-Star catcher [smiles].”

Favorite Movies: “‘Tombstone’, ‘Weekend At Bernie’s’, ‘Shawshank’.”

Musical Tastes: “Country, any kind of country. Pretty much anything.”

Favorite TV Shows: “‘Friends’, and ‘Simpsons’.”

Childhood Dream: “I was going to be a doctor all the way. But it didn’t work out.”

First Car: “A white Dodge truck.”

First Job: “This is it, baseball [smiles].”

Current Car: “Lamborhini.”

Favorite Meal: “Mexican food.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “I would have to go with Froot Loops.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Vanilla.”

Pre-Game Feeling: “I’m just relaxed. I really don’t get nervous. Just wondering when the wait is going to be over. Another day. This is your job. You’ve got to go out there and take it seriously.”

Greatest Sports Moment(s): “So far, I’d say the greatest moment would have to be just making the big leagues. (Adam was recalled from Triple-A Louisville on July 20, 2001. He played that night in Florida and got his first hit in his second at-bat against Matt Clement.) And being an All-Star (in 2002).”

Most Painful Moment: “I haven’t had any really painful ones.”

Worst Injury: “I guess that would be in 2000. I broke my thumb and had 17 stitches taken over my eye. The third baseman ran into me on a pop-up.

Closest Baseball Friend: “I’ve got a bunch.”

Funniest Player(s) Encountered: “I’m gonna have to go with someone like Kent Mercker — he’s funny. Do they have to be in baseball still? (No.) Pete Harnisch, he was the best. He was hilarious. Funniest human being on earth [smiles].”

Toughest Competitors: “You gotta go with people like Clemens. And I’ll tell you what — Jake Peavy is up there too.”

Funny Baseball Memory: “We were in A-ball. My buddy’s name was Randy Stegell and he had a pretty good game, so he had an interview on TV. He never had that before so he was really excited. So we kind of got him with shaving cream in the face [smiles]. And he kind of took it personal. So I get out of the shower and get dressed and go to put my shoes on and my freakin’ shoes are filled with shaving cream. He thought that was really funny.”

Favorite Vacation Spot: “I like Tennessee … Gatlinsburg. It’s in old folks’ territory, but I like it.”

Favorite Uniforms: “I’m gonna have to say Toronto’s.”

Favorite Ballpark: “Houston.”

Embarrassing Baseball Moment: “I haven’t had any real embarrassing stuff. Just normal stuff, like droppin’ flyballs. Nothing really out of the ordinary.”

Favorite Athletes To Watch: “I liked watching Larry Walker. I liked Bo Jackson back in the day. (Basketball?) I’m not a big basketball guy … since Hakeem (Olajuwon) left Houston. (Boxing?) I like Bernard Hopkins. (Tennis?) Besides Anna Kournikova — she’s my all-time favorite — I like Andy Roddick. And Maria Sharapova (Golf?) Steve Elkington. Gotta go with my boy. We’re pretty good friends.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “I think honesty … to me. And I don’t like selfish people. So you’ve got to be honest and not selfish.”

Ht: 6-4 Wt: 220

DOB: Sept. 29, 1963 In: Hamilton, Ont.

First Hockey Memory: “Down on the Hamilton Bay. My dad and his uncles, his brothers, we all used to go and skate on Hamilton Bay. That was before I started playing hockey really, it was about going down and spending time with the family on the Bay.”

Nicknames: “Andy, basically. And then there was one Andy in Toronto, so then it was Chucky. Pretty much Andy.”

Hockey Inspirations: “Lots – obviously my family, my father. And then the Leafs. A lot of the old Leafs, Lanny McDonald, Darryl Sittler. Those are players that I watched.”

Last Book Read: “Probably a Grisham book.”

Current Car: “Is a Lincoln Navigator.”

First Job: “Worked for a veterinarian.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Quite a few, but probably the ‘04 Stanley Cup.”

Most Painful Moment: “Knocking all my teeth out with slap shot. (By who?) Not sure, I didn’t see it coming, so no idea (laughs).”

Favorite Uniforms: “Probably the Leafs. Tradition.”

Favorite Arena: “Old Boston Garden. Old, old Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo.”

Closest Hockey Friends: “Probably John Tucker. We played together in Buffalo and now we live together here in Tampa.”

Funniest Player Encountered: “Mike Foligno. (Why him?) Mike Foligno for sure. Days in Buffalo, then our days in Toronto together. Never a dull moment.”

Most Memorable Goal: “Probably the 500th. In New Jersey.”

Funny Hockey Memory: “One time, Hartford to Boston in a bus, we stopped. I was supposed to go out, because I was a rookie, and get one of the guys’ bags. And the bus drove away. So I had to chase the bus down for a little bit. I had to walk probably a half-mile to catch up to the bus. (Who got you on that?) Lindy Ruff and Mike Foligno were the ones who started it.”

First Famous Hockey Player You Ever Met: “Bobby Hull. Neighbor was Bill Friday, who was a referee. And met him at a dinner when I was seven or eight-ish. He was the first NHL player that I ever met.”

Strangest Game: “Probably some of the snow-out games in Buffalo. We played the Rangers one time in the early ‘80s with a thousand people in the stands. Those are the kinds of games you remember.”

Favorite Sport Outside Hockey: “Growing up it was lacrosse. Now I would say I watch a lot of football.”

Personality Qualities Most Admired: “That they’re honest. That they’re friendly.”

First Tennis Memory: “Watching the Davis Cup final in 1964 in my father’s apartment, Fred Stolle and Dennis Ralston playing their five set match. I got the bug a little for tennis then. Then the real turning point came in June 1965 when my father had moved to London. One day he said, ‘We’re going to Wimbledon.’ I watched Rafael Osuna play Ingo Buding of Germany on a cloudy day. I felt like I was immersed in that match. After that match, every day in the newspaper the first thing I looked for was the tennis agate results. From that point forward I’d go to Wimbledon and the U.S. Open each year. That day with Osuna drew me in completely. Osuna was a beautiful player, very elegant, so smooth and stylish, he made it look easier. He was the right guy to see at the time.”

Last Book Read: “Was the biography of Howard Cosell. A very compelling story.”

Favorite Movies: “I just saw the Clooney film The Descendents, which was excellent. The Apartment with Jack Lemmon. Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner. I’m leaving out a few.”

First Job: “My first job was with my father who was running a business in London. I did a lot of errands, delivering packages all over London. It was a great way to learn your way around London, taking all the subways. I was 17 or 18.”

Favorite Meal: “Either an excellent hamburger or steak. I’d say steak with baked potato with spinach. I never lost my taste for steak though I don’t eat it as much now.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Coffee. And I don’t drink coffee by the way.”

Greatest Career Moment: “It’s so hard to narrow it down. I would single out…I’d say the two Wimbledon finals of Borg and McEnroe in 1980. And Federer-Nadal in 2008. I was lucky enough to have been there to experience those. Then, I’d have to say, for a lot of reasons, the Sampras win over Agassi for his last major. Knowing what he’d been through and endured the last two years of his career. I thought that was an exhilarating moment to see him do that. So it’s a three-way tie.”

Most Painful Moment: “I think it was the 1984 U.S. Open final when Chris Evert lost to Martina Navratilova for the 13th time in a row. It looked like she was going to win, she won the first set but lost in three. I’d known her for a long time. I thought that was going to be one of her golden moments. She played some great tennis, the crowds were behind her that day. I found that painful.”

Favorite Tournament: “Is Wimbledon. Maybe because it’s the first major I’d went to. The eyes of the world are watching that tournament, even the casual sports fan.”

Funniest Player(s) Encountered: “Nastase was. He could drift from humor to anger very swiftly. He was a multi-faceted character. He was a natural comedian at times, when he was not losing his temper. Obviously, there were a lot of scenes that were not funny. He’d lose emotional control and get nasty. But there were times he was very, very amusing.”

Toughest Competitors: “I think Nadal, to me, is a standout. Without his ferocity, he’d have won maybe four or five Grand Slam tournaments, not ten. He’s shown more resilience to me than anyone else. Pancho Gonzales would lose his temper and play twice as well. He was an incredible competitor. He would impose his will on a match. It was very hard for even players like Rod Laver to play Gonzales – they knew how fearless he was. Sampras learned to dig very deep. The best example was the Corretja match at the U.S. Open. He was in just terrible shape, sick, dehydrated, yet he found a way to win. I don’t think he was given enough credit for his competitiveness, because Pete was more low key compared to Nadal and Gonzales. Chris Evert had the ability to draw on mental fortitude to win matches. She was going to be there until the very end. And she would never lose her cool. Another very tough competitor I thought was Monica Seles. There was an intensity and a fierceness to her that was intimidating to all her rivals, including Graf, at times.”

Favorite Players To Watch: “Rod Laver would be one. I was lucky enough to watch him when I was very young, in 1969, when he won the Grand Slam. Laver was so dazzling, such a shotmaker, so complete. I liked watching Arthur Ashe, he was electrifying, so adventurous, sometimes to his own detriment, especially in his younger days. In his latter days he was much more or a strategist than a flashy shotmaker. His most brilliant strategic performance was winning Wimbedon in 1975 against Connors. I liked watching Sampras, he had the most beautiful serve I’ve ever seen. Who am I leaving out? There’s just so many. I like watching Nadal and Federer, for different reasons. The grace and elegance of Federer. I loved watching Maria Bueno. She was like a ballerina on the court. Goolagong as well. I like watching Serena Williams, when she’s in the best of shape and is competing at her best and fully into it. I like the spunk and spirit she brings to it. The list could be endless.”

Funny Tennis Memory: “I think it was – in 1976 Nastase been disqualified in Palm Springs for bad behavior by Charlie Hare, a great, dignified British chair umpire. Then later in the year Hare was back refereeing a U.S. Open match with Nastase and Hans Pohmann. Again, the worst side of Nastase came out, he spit at photographers, almost got into a fist fight with Pohmann. I wondered why Charlie Hare didn’t disqualify Nastase again, like he had earlier in the year. After the match I went to see Charlie in the office and asked him about it. And he replied, in his British accent, ‘You must understand that what we saw out there today was great human drama. For me to interrupt that would have been the wrong thing to do.’ I had trouble containing my laughter, that was one of my more amusing moments.”

Favorite Sport Outside Tennis: “Baseball. I enjoy a lot of games over the summer. (Mets or Yankees?) Yankees.”

Favorite Tennis Books: “Handful of Summers by Gordon Forbes was a beauty. I loved the Fireside Book Of Tennis. It culled all the great articles from newspapers by Allison Danzig, the British writers, Bud Collins, it covers the spectrum, from the 1920′s to the 70′s. That was a treasure. I still love to go back to it. Joel Drucker’s Jimmy Connors Saved My Life was a great book. And I thought Steve Tignor’s book High Strung (Bjorn Borg-John McEnroe and the Untold Story of Tennis’s Fiercest Rivalry) was beautifully done and the best written tennis book I have ever read. I thought it was excellent.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “Dignity. Composure. Earnestness. True to yourself, no pretenses. Decency. Integrity. Humor. Compassion.”

Education: Stetson University

Career Accomplishments: Inducted into the Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame in 2010; Former Editor World Tennis Magazine; Contributing Editor Tennis Week magazine; Author of “The Greatest Tennis Matches Of The Twentieth Century” and “The Greatest Tennis Matches Of All Time” which will be published in June 2012.

DOB: March 10, 1985 In: Plymouth, Indiana

First Running Memory: “The first memory I have of a competitive running situation was not so great. Actually, I didn’t make it to the race. It was at the Blueberry Festival in Plymouth, Indiana. They have a mile race every year on Labor day. My dad (Marty) drove me to the start line – I didn’t want to do it and I started crying, pulling a tantrum. He ended up not making me run. I hated to run back in the day. So that’s my first memory. Not a good one [smiles].”

Last Book Read: “The Winner Stands Alone by Paulo Coelho.”

Running Inspirations: “When I first got into running – my older cousin had run cross country. I loved basketball but as a sixth grader going into junior high, they didn’t offer basketball. So I was like, I might as well do something – cross country – to keep me active. So that’s when I first started doing cross country. I never really liked running that much. I never really had that many role models in running, other than my family.”

Hobbies/Interests: “Pretty boring. I like to play board games, cooking and reading books. I’m really into watching Dexter, the TV show. My female teammates will have Glee nights together. We don’t do things that are super active because we’re always recovering from running or doing things like that.”

Favorite Movies: “I like all the Die Hard movies, the Alien movies. I have two older brothers so I’m more into action movies. Rocky.”

First Job: “For the grounds crew in our school system. I mowed the lawns or weed-whacked, did lines on the fields and all that.”

First Car: “Was my grandmother’s Grand Marquis (beige). Awesome, it had a huge engine. It was a really neat car.”

Current Car: “I have a 2008 Ford Escape (green). My last three vehicles have been green.”

Favorite Meal: “Rice and beans.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Non-discriminatory [laughs]. I like them all.”

Pre-race Feeling: “I used to get really nervous in high school before races. I feel in control these days. So I don’t get that anxious. I just try to take it all in. I get anxious but not nervous, these days. I look forward to commencing the race. On the start line – I think that’s the worst part. But once the gun goes off, it’s a lot better.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Winning the U.S. Championship title this year, outdoors.”

Most Painful Moment: “Falling. Being on the track in Daegu and realizing that the race was still going and I wasn’t a part of it.”

Funny Memory: “Kind of random – two years ago in London, there was an 800 race and Anna Pierce, my teammate, and I shared a lane. And we were trying to come up with something when the camera is on us, we should do something funny. We were gonna do this air punch thing. Then the camera got on us and we were both just so nervous, deer in the headlights, we just stood there. It made us laugh. Like, afterwards, Yeah, we had it all planned out. Didn’t do anything [laughs].”

Strangest Race: “There was one year at NCAA in the final, we started the race and came around the corner. They still had all the hurdles on the track from a previous race which was kind of a shock. That was like the only weird thing that happened.”

Embarrassing Career Memory: “I don’t think so, not yet [laughs]. Hopefully not. I’m sure it will happen someday.”

Favorite Sport Outside Track and Field: “Basketball. I like to play basketball a lot.”

Favorite Place To Compete: “Anywhere in Switzerland. The country itself is very beautiful, like every race I’ve gone to – Lausanne, Lucerne, Zurich are all cities with a lake nearby, or a river. Very scenic. Really good chocolate. I’ve run a few PRs there so that helps.”

Funniest Athletes Encountered: “Alistair Cragg. He’s really funny to be around. I make fun of him because he’s such a schmoozer and I’m really not that social. He makes me laugh, he loves pulling lines on people, whether they catch it or not.”

Toughest Competitors Encountered: “There’s a lot. This year’s kind of a weird year. Nancy Langat, Maryam Yusuf Jamal, Jenny Barringer (Simpson). All these women are really great competitors. Jenny has a really great kick, that’s something I never expected from her before. I’m starting to pick up on cues from other athletes and knowing their strengths. Jamal is one of those people who will go to the front and push the pace and make you work for a win.”

Favorite Athletes To Watch: “I love watching Usain Bolt. Such a great athlete, has a great attitude, the charisma he brings is really great for sports. And anyone of my teammates. I see how hard they work, so I like to watch them race.”

Childhood Dream: “Initially I wanted to be a bagger at a grocery store. It seemed so cool to scan stuff which I still like to do at the grocery store. I always have to scan my own stuff [smiles] and put it in the bag. Outside of that, athletically, I wanted to be a WNBA player.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “Honesty. Sense of humor. I think a lot of times in our sport, people take themselves too seriously. It’s funny, especially before a race, and we’re in the call room, I kinda look around: There’s the people that are very confident and sure of themselves. You can tell they’re relaxed. Composed. And then you see the people who are panicking, rushing to try to put their bib numbers on, their shoes. I think having that kind of confidence in yourself. I don’t know the exact word. But being confident in yourself and putting that in your whole package.”

(This Biofile is in the January issue of Track and Field News, page 44.)

DOB: April 15, 1955 In: New Jersey

Residence: Closter, NJ

Inspirations: Seeing Winslow Homers’ “Gulf Stream” at the Met in NYC.

Last Book Read: Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”

Favorite Movies: Dr. Zhivago, Bridge on the River Kwai, Deer Hunter, Tale of Two Cities.

First Job: Caddy at a Country Club.

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Chip Mint ice cream

Greatest Career Moment: Hasn’t occurred yet. it’s coming.

Most Painful Career Moment: Being rejected from an art organization

Pre-Work Feeling/Mindset: Everyday is exciting and could bring great things.

Funny Memory Of Painting: A horse came up behind me and looked as if it was about to EAT the paint

Favorite Quotation: “The sun never rises or sets without my thanks and praise.” – Homer

Favorite Artists: Antonio Mancini, Sorolla, and too many more to list here…

People Qualities Most Admired: Integrity, courage and conviction.

College: Rutgers University, BS Economics.

Ht: 5-11 Wt: 147

DOB: April 26, 1983 In: Philadelphia, PA

First Boxing Memory: ”It goes back…probably watching Oscar De La Hoya or Mike Tyson when I was little.”

Boxing Inspirations: ”Joe Frazier. I grew up in Joe Frazier’s gym. Marvis Frazier. A lot of guys at Joe Frazier’s gym when I started boxing when I was 15. Showed me how hard to work and what it takes to be champ.”

Nicknames: ”My nickname is Machine Gun, I threw a lot of punches in the amateurs.”

Favorite Movies: ”Braveheart, Apocalypto.”

Last Book Read: ”Had to be The Juicing Bible book. Nutrition.”

First Job: ”Had to be handing out pizza brochures to houses around the neighborhood.”

First Car: ”Buick Century 95 (gold).”

Current Car: ”Ford Edge 2008.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: ”Chocolate.”

Greatest Sports Moment: ”Greatest moment of my career so far…pulling out the win in my first fight with (Jesus) Soto Karass (at Cowboys Stadium in 2010).”

Most Painful Moment: ”Breaking my ankle. Jumpin’ over a tree when running. I had to walk back for a mile.”

Funny Boxing Memory: ”Can’t think of one right now.”

Do You Have An Embarrassing Boxing Memory: ”Not that I know.”

Favorite Boxers To Watch: ”Nonito Donaire. Seems like he stays in very good shape. His power is unbelievable at the weight that he fights. His reflexes and quickness are very good.”

Favorite Sport Outside Boxing: ”I like basketball and football about the same.”

Which Fight Were You At Your Best: ”My sharpest performance had to be – I forget the guy’s name. My first fight when I fought in Las Vegas (KO 1 Gilbert Guevara in 2007).”

Strangest Fight: ”I got my hand caught on the rope one time. And got an eight-count from it. As an amateur.”

Toughest Opponent: ”Had to be Soto Karass. Just wouldn’t stop coming.”

People Qualities Most Admired: ”Honesty. Humbleness. Loyalty.”

Ht: 6-foot Wt: 212 pounds



DOB: Dec. 8, 1989 In: London, Ont.



First Hockey Memory: “I remember I was really, really young. I loved the game of hockey, but I wasn’t very good. I remember looking up at the clock – I wasn’t a good skater – and looking up at the clock, kinda wanting to get off the ice. Just because I couldn’t keep up with the other guys. (How old were you?) Probably three. I started playing when I was really young, with the late birthday, so I was three years old.”



Hockey Inspiration: “You know, I don’t really know how I got into hockey. As a young kid, I guess my parents – I just picked up a stick and was playing in the basement all the time. And no one in my family had previously played, so, just watching it on TV. And the other kids in the neighborhood playing was kinda how I picked it up.”



Nickname: “I’ve had ‘Doughnut’ before, ‘Dewey’ and obviously ‘Doughts.’”



Last Book Read: “Oh, that’s a tough one…last book would have been wherever Grade 12 was. So maybe three years ago and I have no idea what it was called.”

First Job: “Paperboy, some fliers in my hometown in London, Ontario.”



Current Car: “Range Rover and Mercedes CLS63.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Definitely winning the gold medal (2010 Olympics).”



Most Painful Moment: “Probably being defeated in the playoffs last year was probably one of the most painful moments just because we thought we had the team to beat that team and we didn’t come through.”



Most Memorable Goal: “My first ever goal in the NHL (vs. Colorado in 2008) was probably my most memorable. A goal I’ll never forget. I remember like it was yesterday.”



Favorite Sweater: “I like the Blackhawks uniforms a lot. I think they’re really nice.”

Favorite Arena To Play: “Probably Montreal.”



Closest Hockey Friends: “I developed a lot of friends in junior, stuff like that. But definitely Wayne Simmonds, he was my roommate for two years, now he got traded. Definitely my best buddy in hockey.”



Funniest Players Encountered: “We’ve got some funny ones on our team. Matt Green is funny. I’m trying to think who else…I’ll just say Matt Green.”



Toughest Competitors Encountered: “Sidney Crosby probably. Zach Parise. He competes really hard.”



Embarrassing Hockey Memory: “I remember when I was really young coming out for the starting lineup kinda thing – barely able to skate out to the blueline. I guess you could throw that out there.”



Favorite Sport Outside Hockey: “Soccer.”



People Qualities Most Admired: “Just have a lot of fun, honesty, trust. And just straight shooters.”

Early Career Memory: “I’m a sports reporter so it’s always nice and fun to be working and watching sports and also be a part of my job. To me, it’s been exciting to be able to see live, firsthand, which I love, sports. And I think the best memory is that, to be there, watching things that I used to watch on TV, now I’m watching them live and it’s great.”

Last Book Read: “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.”

Favorite Movie: “I like Pretty Woman [laughs].”

First Job: “I worked at a medical office, In California.”

Current Car: “I have an Xterra Nissan (black).”

Favorite Meal: “Mexican food, I think enchiladas and pozole.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “I love them all, vanilla, strawberry, chocolate.”

Childhood Dream: “I always said that I want to be a stewardess because I want to travel around the world.”

Greatest Career Moment: “Probably being at the World Series games and the Super Bowl when the Giants beat the New England Patriots. Being there live was like, Wow, you’re here. It’s something that’s not going to happen too often.”

Most Painful Career Moment: “I think it was an issue with my boss. When I did a story and he said we were late, he was trying to be upset with me, saying that story is not going to air. For me, it was very frustrating because, You’re not just hurting me, you’re hurting the news show. One of those sad moments I ended up crying. (What was the story about?) Opening day, baseball.”

Funny Career Memory: “Probably walking on the field, on a baseball field. And all the sudden my shoe got stuck and I couldn’t do a step over. So I’m just gonna wait for the players to come this way [laughs]. I can’t walk over. (Where?) Yankee Stadium.”

Favorite Sports To Cover: “Being Mexican I love soccer. I think the top three are soccer, baseball and boxing.”

Favorite Interview Subjects: “You know what? I think it’s always nice to interview people like Mariano Rivera, like people that you could learn from. Like they are just so nice on the field and also off the field. Like great people. It’s so nice to interview people who are so down to earth.”

Favorite Sports TV Reporters: “You know, I watch them all. I watch them all. I think it’s amazing how so many people have been in this business for such a long time. They have like a library of memories. And I always like to watch and try to learn something.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “Honesty. And when they’re fun. They make you laugh.”