Date of Birth: September 19, 1943

Birthplace: Bonham, Texas

Baseball Inspiration: “Jackie Robinson and Nellie Foxx. Jackie Robinson because he made it possible for me to play. Nellie Foxx because he was the kind of player I wanted to be like. I got a chance to play with Nellie Foxx his final year. He was a player/coach and he really helped me a lot.”

Hobbies/Leisure Activities: “Golf. I’ve done a little bit of everything. I played golf, tennis, ski. Those are my athletic things that I do.”

Nicknames: “Lots of ‘em [smiles]. Little Joe, Chicken Wing, lot of different nicknames.”

Favorite Movies: “I have two. The Wild Bunch. Love westerns. And sci-fi would be with Harrison Ford – Star Wars. I’m a sci-fi and western kind of guy.”

Favorite TV Shows: “Friends and Stargate Atlantis.”

Last Book Read: “Good question. Probably my own. I did a series of For Dummies books and I read them.”

First Baseball Memory: “Probably the earliest was just traveling around with my dad’s semi-pro team when he played and I was the batboy.”

Pregame Feeling: “Well, I was always nervous before, but once the games started I was able to relax. But I always had – I don’t know if it was nervousness or nervous energy – but I felt that I was a little nervous with butterflies before the game. And I always felt that was good.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “I had too many for one. I was fortunate enough to play with a lot of great players and we had a lot of great moments together. Probably winning the first World Series, getting the game-winning hit (with two outs) in the ninth inning of the ‘75 World Series, probably (Reds won 4-3 vs. Boston). But when I say that, next year comes up just as big. And the following year. But I have a lot of great memories because I played with a lot of great guys.”

Most Painful Moment: “Probably when I had decided I was leaving the Reds (went to Houston in 1980).”

Favorite Uniforms: “That’s a tough one. I still kind of go back to the Yankees and the Dodgers. The old uniforms they used to wear. The Yankees still are the Yankee pinstripes and the Dodgers still kind of pronounce Dodgers blue. Those are probably the two nicest.”

Favorite Ballparks To Play: “I enjoyed Pittsburgh because Willie Stargell played there. And he and I grew up in the same area. It was always fun to go there and compete against him and the Pirates. I think the Pirates were the team I enjoyed playing the most because they were so competitive with us. They had great hitters. It was just a lot of great games we played with them.”

Closest Baseball Friend(s): “Jimmy Wynn was my first roommate and he still is very close. Pete Rose. I have a lot of close friends. Enos Cabell. (Johnny) Bench, (Tony) Perez, all those guys are very close to me.”

Funniest Player(s) Encountered: “Pete. Pete probably. He was always making jokes. And he laughed at himself if we made him the butt of the jokes.”

Toughest Competitors: “Bob Gibson – from a pitching standpoint. Playing – I’d have to say Pete was in there.”

Embarrassing Baseball Memory: “Yeah, I got a lot of those. One in particular, I was playing in Atlanta one day and a ground ball hit to me for a double play. I caught the ball, as I turned to throw it to second base, the ball flew over my left shoulder out into the outfield. It wasn’t very funny but it was embarrassing.”

Funny Baseball Memory: “Lots of funny memories. Like I said, we were a close-knit group of guys. Pete, once again. Well, Perez was always, he was the one that could get to Pete the most. And we played in San Diego one day and Pete was playing in left field. And there was a hit and run. They lined out to Pete. And he threw it back to first base but he didn’t have a good arm, he had to throw it so high, it got in the lights and Tony Perez turned and ran away. And everybody laughed and Pete was mad [smiles]. That was one of my favorite funny stories.”

Favorite Players To Watch: “They have a lot of great players today. They have a lot of great hitters. Albert Pujols comes to mind. Alex Rodriguez, even though he’s in the trouble that he’s in. There are a lot of great hitters. Manny Ramirez. I like to watch great hitters work and those are three great hitters.”

Other Sports Favorites: “I’m a basketball and football fan. I like all other sports. In basketball, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James. Football, I like watching certain wide receivers. I was a big fan of Steve Smith. Now I’m a fan of Larry Fitzgerald. (Tennis?) John McEnroe was always my favorite player. I’m not as big a tennis fan as I used to be. Tennis is not as exciting as it used to be.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “Well, I like to see people who are mentally tough. Can handle all the ups and downs that go with their sports. Probably, if you had to pick one guy, you’d say Tiger Woods because Tiger is probably more mentally tough than anybody. And golf is such a tough sport to master. But before he finishes, I think he will.”

Career Accomplishments: Inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame 1990; World Series champion 1975 & 1976; Ten All-Star Game appearances 1966, 1970 (with Houston), 1972-79 (with Reds); Gold Glove Award winner 1972-76; 2,517 total hits; 268 home runs; Career BA of .271; NL MVP 1975, 1976; 1972 All-Star Game MVP; also played for Houston Colt .45s, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics.

Status: NHL left winger from 1985 to 2004 with Montreal, Edmonton, St. Louis, Toronto and Dallas. Played in three NHL all-star games, two Stanley Cup finals, 1998 Olympics and 1991 Canada Cup.

Ht: 6-foot-1 Wt: 202 pounds.

DOB: August 13, 1966 In: Barrie, Ont.

Hockey Inspiration: “My dad (Paul).”

Nicknames: “Cors, Corky, Hammer.”

Hobbies/Leisure Activities: “Obviously, I like all sports. Fishing, water skiing, riding dirt bikes, moto-cross, a little bit of golf, a little bit of tennis.”

Favorite Movie: “Scarface.”

Early Hockey Memory: “I had so many great memories playing minor hockey. But I had a lot of support from my sisters (Patti, Shannon), my mom (June) and dad. They gave up a lot of their stuff to follow me around and watch me play. My sisters gave the opportunity to my parents to take me to all my practices and games and tournaments. They sacrificed a lot to be there to support me. All my minor career I really enjoyed it. I was fortunate to play on a really good team, great bunch of guys and we won a lot of championships. But probably the first biggest moment for me was when we played in the Quebec major peewee tournament and made it to the final. Nobody thought we’d even win a game there. Made it to the final and played in front of about 16,000 people at the Quebec Colisee. So that was one big highlight.”

Favorite Meal: “Probably steak and potatoes.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Chocolate.”

First Job: “Washing dishes at my parents’ restaurant (Mom’s Pantry).”

First Car: “A used black Chevy Camaro that my dad and I fixed up. Great car. I was lucky to have a car at that age. Had a lot of fun in it.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Well, obviously being drafted to the NHL at the Forum by the Montreal Canadiens (first round, eighth overall in 1984). A dream come true for me. It was my first major step of realizing my dream to play in the NHL. Being drafted by the Montreal Canadiens – right at the Montreal Forum – was a big highlight of mine. Obviously, playing in the Stanley Cup final a couple of times with the Canadiens (1987 and 1989) and winning the Canada Cup in ‘91 was a big highlight.”

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Most Painful Moment: “Had a lot of them (smiles). Twenty years. But probably losing in the Olympics in ‘98 and not getting the opportunity to win the gold medal for Canada – that was tough to swallow.”

Funny Hockey Memory: “I had a lot of fun times. Probably when I was away at summer hockey camp. One night the instructors tore our clothes off, took ‘em and made us run back to our cabins naked. So that was one of the worst things. Fortunately it was summer, so it didn’t get too cold. More embarrassing than anything (at age 10).”

Closest Hockey Friend(s): “Darcy Tucker, Travis Green, Chris Chelios…I became very good friends with Mike Keane in Montreal.”

Funniest Player(s) Encountered: “Marc Bergevin. That’s another I was really close to, when I played in St. Louis. So he’s another really good friend. And he’s hilarious. Knows how to keep the guys loose. And he’s quite a jokester.”

Toughest Competitors: “Well, I’d have to say one of the biggest battles I’ve always had was with Cam Neely, when he played in Boston and I played with Montreal. And the kid in Detroit who got injured in the car crash – Vladimir Konstantinov – we had some good battles in the playoffs, when I played in St. Louis. But hockey players are very loyal and close. We battle hard and say things on the ice, but once we are off it, we are really close.”

Personality Qualities Most Admired: “Well, obviously, I admire my dad and my mom. They were great to me and that’s the reason I played in the NHL. I guess loyalty, honesty and respect. Give respect. If you want respect you have to give respect. Those are the main qualities.”