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  1. #426
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    I had to look it up.

    The RIP Sporting Heroes Thread-1744190702_nba-logo-credit-x_202406-jpg

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    Ex-Arsenal and Everton striker Campbell dies aged 54

    Former Arsenal and Everton striker Kevin Campbell has died at the age of 54 after a short illness.

    Campbell scored 148 goals in 542 appearances across spells with eight clubs during his career.

    He won four major trophies with Arsenal and also played for Leyton Orient, Leicester, Nottingham Forest, Trabzonspor, Everton, West Brom and Cardiff.
    Campbell made his final appearance as a player in February 2007 before moving into broadcasting.

    Everton said earlier this month he became ill in May and was "very unwell" in hospital.
    "We are devastated to learn that our former striker Kevin Campbell has died after a short illness," said Arsenal.
    "Kevin was adored by everyone at the club. All of us are thinking of his friends and family at this difficult time. Rest in peace, Kevin."

    Everton said: "Everyone at Everton is deeply saddened by the death of our former striker Kevin Campbell at the age of just 54.
    "Not just a true Goodison Park hero and icon of the English game, but an incredible person as well - as anyone who ever met him will know. RIP, Super Kev."

    Kevin Campbell: Former Arsenal and Everton striker dies aged 54 - BBC Sport

  3. #428
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Even I know how legendary this guy was.

    Willie Mays, one of the greatest baseball players of all time, dies aged 93

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    Willie Mays, one of the greatest baseball players of all time, dies aged 93



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    Quite sad over this. A great player and a great human. Happy to have been able to see him play for a few seasons. Very famous for what is known as "the catch'.



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    Jack Rowell, former England and Bath rugby union head coach, dies aged 87

    Steve Borthwick has led tributes to former England and Bath head coach Jack Rowell following his death at the age of 87. Rowell coached England from 1994 to 1997, overseeing 21 victories in 29 Tests and a World Cup semi-final appearance against New Zealand in Cape Town when Jonah Lomu scored four tries as the All Blacks ran riot.

    Players such as Will Carling, Jeremy Guscott and Rob Andrew all flourished under Rowell’s leadership, with England winning Five Nations grand slams in 1995 and 1996. Rowell was appointed by the Rugby Football Union following an outstanding 16-year coaching career with Bath. He transformed the west country club into giants of the English domestic game, winning five league titles and the knockout cup eight times under his direction.

    In a statement, Bath said: “It is with deep sadness that we learned of the passing of former Bath Rugby head coach and club president Jack Rowell on Monday 1 July. Jack Rowell, all 6ft 7in of him, was a towering figure in the history of Bath and English rugby, a unique character who will never be equalled for his extraordinary achievements as a visionary, astute strategist and inspirational coach.

    “From his arrival in the summer of 1978 to his departure at the end of yet another trophy-laden season in 1994 to coach England, Jack had set about creating and sustaining an unstoppable force in domestic rugby. On behalf of everyone at Bath Rugby, we extend our deepest condolences to Jack’s family and loved ones during this difficult time. Rest in peace, Jack.”

    Rowell, a towering 6ft 6in lock whose playing career was ended early by injury, talked of Bath as a “family” and it was during his progressive 16-year spell at the Recreation Ground that his fondest memories in rugby were created. “Bath was a way of life for me. Each year we’d either win something or be seriously disappointed if we didn’t,” he said after stepping aside from rugby.

    Rowell returned to the Recreation Ground as director of rugby in 2002, where the current England head coach and former Bath captain Borthwick worked with him. “We are saddened to hear the passing of Jack Rowell and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends,” Borthwick told englandrugby.com.

    “As a player at Bath, I had the privilege of working with him when he was director of rugby. He left a huge impression on me, not only as someone with incredible rugby knowledge, but also a fantastic man. His contribution to English rugby was enormous, and he will be sorely missed.”

    A drawn series in South Africa opened his England stewardship and the following year a Carling-led England completed the Five Nations grand slam. Rowell had inherited stalwarts of the Geoff Cooke era such as Carling, Jeremy Guscott and Dean Richards, but there were also many stars of the Bath dynasty he had created.

    For the second Test against the Springboks, five players from the Recreation Ground were named in the starting XV and an additional five were present on the bench. By the time the 1995 World Cup arrived, those numbers had thinned and Carling was still at the helm, revitalised by Rowell’s shrewd man-management. The Oxford University politics, philosophy and economics graduate was cantankerous and prickly, but he knew how to push the right buttons.

    A promising World Cup peaked with a last-gasp quarter-final victory over Australia because a round later England were flattened by New Zealand as Jonah Lomu went on the rampage in Cape Town.
    Another Five Nations title followed in 1996 and a year later England finished second behind France but, despite his success, Hartlepool-born Rowell stepped down in August after declining to renew his contract. Under pressure to upgrade from a part-time to full-time basis, he instead chose to focus on his distinguished business career which included chairmanships at a number of high-profile companies in the public and private sectors.

    Rowell was soon back in the game he loved. His commercial and rugby expertise were needed at financially stricken Bristol where he served on the board, but the pull of Bath that he once described as an “umbilical cord” was strong and in 2002 he returned as director of rugby to a club teetering on the brink of relegation.

    A tough campaign followed but in 2004 they reached the Premiership final, where they narrowly lost to Wasps.

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    Ray Reardon, six-time snooker world champion, dies aged 91

    The six-time world champion Ray Reardon has died at the age of 91, World Snooker has announced. The Welshman, who dominated the sport in the 1970s, passed away on Friday night, having previously been diagnosed with cancer.

    “Ray is one of the best sports people ever from Wales and the best snooker player,” said the former world champion, Mark Williams. “He’s one of the reasons why a lot of us started playing. He put snooker on the map, alongside Alex Higgins, Jimmy White and Steve Davis. Anyone playing now owes them a lot because they brought popularity to the game. He is a real inspiration.”

    White posted a message on X, saying: “Gutted to hear my very good friend Ray Reardon has passed away. A total class act and very kind to me when I was making my way in the game. A giant of the game. Rest in Peace mate.”
    The 1985 world champion Dennis Taylor also paid tribute. “So sad to hear of the passing of the great Ray Reardon,” he wrote on X. “Would always be in my top eight of all time. Had the pleasure of traveling around the world with a true gentleman. Condolences to all his family. RIP Ray.”

    Reardon ruled snooker in the 1970s when the man known fondly as “Dracula” because of his hairstyle became a household name as he won six World Championship titles.
    A miner and a policeman before turning professional, Reardon survived a serious accident in the pits when a tunnel he was working on collapsed in 1957.

    Reardon won titles as a teenager and was the Welsh amateur champion every year from 1950 to 1955. He gave up playing competitively after losing in the first round of the 1957 English amateur championship before joining the Stoke-on-Trent police force in 1960.

    He returned to snooker by winning the English amateur championship in 1964 and went full-time professional in 1967. The launch of the BBC television show Pot Black in 1969 boosted Reardon’s profile as he won the first edition in 1969.
    Reardon then won his first World Championship in 1970, beating John Pulman 37-33 in the final, before winning four straight titles from 1973 to 1976. His last World Championship crown came when he beat Perrie Mans to clinch a sixth title in 1978 at the age of 45. Reardon made it back to the World Championship final in 1982, but he was defeated 18-15 by Alex Higgins.

    The Welshman retired from playing in 1991, but after receiving a phone call from Ronnie O’Sullivan’s imprisoned father in 2004, Reardon agreed to mentor the youngster and helped to steer the Rocket to his second world title.

    https://www.theguardian.com/sport/ar...r-dies-aged-91

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    Graham Thorpe, former England cricketer and coach, dies aged 55

    The former England cricketer and coach Graham Thorpe, one of the finest Test batters of his generation, has died at the age of 55.

    “It is with great sadness that we share the news that Graham Thorpe, MBE, has passed away,” the England and Wales Cricket Board said. “There seem to be no appropriate words to describe the deep shock we feel at Graham’s death. More than one of England’s finest ever batters, he was a beloved member of the cricket family and revered by fans all over the world.

    “His skill was unquestioned and his abilities and achievements across a 13-year international career brought so much happiness to his team-mates and England and Surrey CCC supporters alike. Later, as a coach, he guided the best England Men’s talent to some incredible victories across all formats of the game.

    “The cricket world is in mourning today. Our hearts go out to his wife Amanda, his children, father Geoff, and all of his family and friends during this unimaginably difficult time. We will always remember Graham for his extraordinary contributions to the sport.”

    Thorpe was a fluent left-handed batter – and right-handed bowler – who played precisely 100 Tests as well as 82 one-day internationals during a 12-year international career. He played a further 189 first-class matches for Surrey and in all scored 49 first-class centuries, averaging 45.04, before his retirement in 2005.

    As a child Thorpe had been good enough at football to be selected for England Schoolboys and to be offered a trial with Brentford, but chose instead to sign for Surrey, where he was to spend his entire professional career. Initially an all-rounder – on his first-class debut against Leicestershire in 1988 he batted at No 8 and took the wickets of David Gower and Peter Willey – a back injury eventually forced him to stop his seamers and would affect him throughout his time as a player; by the end of his career he would need painkilling injections just to bat.

    He was also affected by issues in his private life. In 2002 he took an indefinite break from cricket as he coped with the drawn-out collapse of his first marriage.

    The experience of public humiliation in the media and separation from his two children led to what he called a “total breakdown”, but he returned to the Test team after a 13-month absence in 2003 with a brilliant century against South Africa at the Oval, and the following year was the most successful of his career – in 20 Test innings in 2004, all at No 5, he averaged 73.15.

    “I don’t know where my journey is going to take me over the next few years but I’m going to enjoy working it out,” he said in 2005, after he announced his retirement during the first Test of an Ashes series in which he had hoped to play.

    “Of all the players I played with, [Thorpe] was the one whose state of mind most affected his play,” Mike Atherton once wrote. “A happy, contented Graham Thorpe is a world-class player, his presence beneficial to any team. If something off the field is eating away at him, he cannot put it to the back of his mind and concentrate on his cricket.”

    His relationship with Amanda, who would become his second wife, gave him the stability to do that, and at the end of his playing career he moved into coaching, starting in Australia, where he worked with rising players such as Steve Smith and David Warner at New South Wales, before joining England, initially as a batting coach in 2010.

    He had most recently been assistant coach on last winter’s difficult Ashes tour, which ended in a 4-0 defeat after which Thorpe, along with the head coach, Chris Silverwood, and the director of cricket, Ashley Giles, lost their jobs as the England and Wales Cricket Board set their sights on a “red-ball reset”.

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    Billy Bean, former MLB player and LGBTQ advocate, dies at age of 60

    Billy Bean, who became the second former Major League Baseball player to come out as gay, has died at the age of 60 from leukemia.

    Bean came out in 1999, a few years after his playing career ended, and he went on to become MLB’s senior vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion.
    MLB released a statement confirming his death. Bean died at home on Tuesday after a yearlong fight with acute myeloid leukemia.

    “Our hearts are broken today as we mourn our dear friend and colleague, Billy Bean, one of the kindest and most respected individuals I have ever known,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “Billy was a friend to countless people across our game, and he made a difference through his constant dedication to others.”

    The California native played in six big league seasons from 1987 to 1995, making his debut with the Detroit Tigers in a four-hit performance that tied a record for a player in his first game. He also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. He was a two-time All-American outfielder at Loyola Marymount, leading the team to the NCAA Men’s College World Series in 1986.

    Bean wrote a book titled Going the Other Way: Lessons from a Life in and Out of Major-League Baseball and was also a keynote speaker at many events. He publicly came out in 1999, the second former major leaguer to do so after Glenn Burke.
    He later told the Miami Herald that many of his former teammates were supportive after he came out.

    “When I talked to people like Brad [Ausmus] or Trevor Hoffman, it wasn’t like, ‘I can’t believe you told everybody – what exactly do you do in bed?’ It was like, ‘Next time you’re back on the West Coast, let’s go surfing again.’”
    Bean joined the commissioner’s office in 2014, when he was hired to be MLB’s first Ambassador for Inclusion. He spent more than 10 years working for MLB, eventually being promoted to senior vice president.

    Bean worked with MLB clubs to “advance equality for all players, coaches, managers, umpires, employees, and stakeholders throughout baseball to ensure an equitable, inclusive, and supportive workplace for everyone.”
    Bean is survived by his husband, Greg Baker.
    Billy Bean, former MLB player and LGBTQ advocate, dies at age of 60 | MLB | The Guardian

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    World Golf Hall of Fame member Chi Chi Rodriguez dies at age 88


    World Golf Hall of Fame member Juan “Chi Chi” Rodriguez was a giver on and off the golf course. Inside the ropes, Rodriguez was a showman. After great shots, fans would marvel at his signature “sword dance” when Rodriguez would wield a golf club and thrust his “sword” back into its imaginary scabbard along his belt. Outside of golf, Rodriguez was known for his tireless philanthropy.

    Rodriguez came from humble roots in Puerto Rico to collect 30 career victories between the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions. He took as much pride in his Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation in Clearwater, Florida, that helped at-risk youth achieve academic, social and economic success.

    Aman never stands taller than when he stoops to help a child,” he said in his World Golf Hall of Fame biography when he was enshrined in 1992.
    Few, then, stood taller than Rodriguez – the greatest golfer produced by Puerto Rico – who passed away Thursday, Aug. 8, at age 88.

    Rodriguez’s memory will live on at his Youth Foundation, which each year brings in 600 children from low-income families or broken homes to its municipal course to develop skills like responsibility and work ethic. His altruistic nature culminated in 1989 with the USGA’shighest honor, the Bob Jones Award, and later his acceptance into the World Humanitarian Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.

    Chi Chi Rodriguez’s passion for charity and outreach was surpassed only by his incredible talent with a golf club in his hand,” said PGATOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “A vibrant, colorful personality both on and off the golf course, he will be missed dearly by the PGATOUR and those whose lives he touched in his mission to give back. The PGA TOUR sends its deepest condolences to the entire Rodriguez family during this difficult time.”
    Rodriguez’s pathway into servitude was shaped by a childhood less fortunate than others. His father worked tirelessly cutting sugar cane with a machete in Rodriguez’s hometown of Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, yet never made more than $18 in a given week. By the time he was 7,Rodriguez joined his father in hard labor, earning money as a watercarrier on a plantation. It came just three years after the youngest and frailest of six children nearly died from rickets and tropical sprue.

    It was then that the young Rodriguez realized athletic abilities would bestow upon him rare opportunities not afforded to most others. After wandering onto a golf course, Rodriguez discovered caddies were earning more money than he was – so he decided to become one himself.

    He took a branch from a guava tree and fashioned it into a makeshift golf club. Using hammered tin cans as balls, Rodriguez was able to teach himself the sport, modeling his game after what he saw golfers do. In 1960, after a two-year stint in the Army to make more money –“It was more than I could make caddying at Dorado Beach,” he said jokingly in the PGA TOUR media guide – he finally decided to turn professional.

    Though he had long since traded in his guava branch for a set of irons, Rodriguez never lost sight of what brought him to the TOUR in the first place – a challenging upbringing that gave him a unique perspective on not only the game of golf, but life itself.

    You’ve got to be different,” he said in an interview with Golf.com. “You’ve got to be yourself in the world. That’s what I always wanted to be.”
    From his first TOUR win in 1963 to his final PGA TOUR Champions triumph in1993, Rodriguez stood by that mantra. After making a birdie putt, golf fans could often see him drop his hat over the hole “so thelittle birdie won’t fly away.”
    The people come out and pay good money to see golf," he said. "I think they deserve something extra, and I like to give it to them."

    Chi Chi feels so lucky, is so proud of what he's done, is so thankful, that he has to give something back,” Doug Sanders told Sports Illustrated in a 1987 interview. “The sword dance, the jokes, the hat, the bright clothes, the way he helps kids and everybody else, it just comes down to saying, ‘Look at me. You didn't think I could make it. But I did. In spite of everything. Now let me share it with you.’”

    Rodriguez encountered middling success in his first three years on TOUR, never finishing higher than sixth in any event. But he finally broke through in 1963, when he won the Denver Open Invitational by two strokes. He added a pair of wins a year later at the Lucky International Open (a playoff triumph over 10-time TOUR winner Don January) and at the Western Open, when he edged none other than Arnold Palmer by one stroke, thanks in part to an opening-round 64.

    He’d only win twice more over the next seven years – the 1967 Texas Open Invitational (now the Valero Texas Open) and the 1968 Sahara Invitational – in what was arguably the most trying stretch of his professional career. He lost his exempt status in 1970 after finishing 74th on the official points list, likely as a result of the surgery he underwent on his arms.

    Those childhood illnesses had left his bones thin and hypersensitive to pressure, he told Sports Illustrated, which would hurt him “three times more than someone else” if he was ever hit on the arms. He told the publication he had to take occasional vitamin B-12 shots and eat steak nearly every day in order to keep his strength up.

    Temporarily removed from the game, Rodriguez discovered a newfound commitment that would indelibly shape the rest of his career. “I never really concentrated on the golf course,” he noted in the 1973 TOUR media guide. “I always wanted to be liked by everybody. I used to do a lot of things that took my mind off my game.”

    By refocusing himself to strictly golf, Rodriguez managed to claim his most profitable year on TOUR in 1972, which saw him finish nine times in the top 10, including a playoff victory over Billy Casper in the Byron Nelson Golf Classic (now THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson). He earned more than $113,000 in winnings that season, his best year financially.

    He added another win in 1973 at the Greater Greensboro Open (now the Wyndham Championship), the same year he was selected to the U.S. Ryder Cup team, before winning one final time on TOUR in 1979 at the Tallahassee Open.

    With his PGA TOUR success behind him, Rodriguez managed to reinvent himself on PGA TOUR Champions, where he won 22 times between 1986 and1993 – tied for seventh-most all-time. He was the first player tow in the same event three straight years (the Digital Seniors Classic, from 1986 to 1988) and still holds the Champions Tour record for most consecutive birdies (eight, 1987 Silver Pages Classic).

    He won at least one tournament every year from 1986 to 1993, something only six other players have managed to do, and is still the record-holder for consecutive victories, as he won four straight times in 1987 (Vantage at the Dominion, United Hospitals Classic, Silver Pages Classic and the Senior Players Reunion).

    His Champions Tour tenure included a pair of major victories: the 1986Senior Tournament Players Championship (now Kaulig Companies Championship) over Bruce Crampton, and the 1987 General Foods PGA Seniors’ Championship (now KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship) over Dale Douglass.

    Humanitarian,champion, and Hall of Famer. Sure enough, from the branches of aguava tree to the roots of his Foundation, Rodriguez accomplished thegoals he set out to achieve.
    Inlife, you have to have goals, and I have conquered most of my goals,”he told Golf.com. “I didn’t become the greatest golfer in theworld, but I became the greatest Puerto Rican golfer.”


    World Golf Hall of Fame member Chi Chi Rodriguez dies at age 88 - PGA TOUR


    World Golf Hall of Fame member Chi Chi Rodriguez dies at age 88 - PGA TOUR
    Last edited by Happy As Larry; 10-08-2024 at 10:51 AM.

  10. #435
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    I wouldn't normally do this, but she was something special.

    Black Caviar - unbeaten in 25 races - dies aged 17

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    The unbeaten Black Caviar - nicknamed the 'Wonder from Down Under' - has died at the age of 17.

    The retired Australian mare won a record 25 consecutive races in her career from 2009 to 2013.

    Her triumphs included a dramatic victory at Royal Ascot in 2012, when jockey Luke Nolen won despite easing up before the line.

    She was crowned the world's best sprinter on four occasions and Australian Racehorse of the Year three times, and was so famous in her homeland she appeared on the front cover of Vogue magazine.

    "It's a hollow feeling, she meant a great deal to us," said Nolen, who rode Black Caviar to 22 of her 25 victories.

    "She was an integral part of my career but, more importantly, she was so important for racing itself. She was one of our equine heroes."

    Black Caviar had been suffering from laminitis, a debilitating condition that affects a horse's hooves, and was put to sleep on the eve of her 18th birthday after giving birth to a foal.

    Peter Moody, her Melbourne-based trainer, said: "It's impossible not to get attached to most animals, let alone one like her. She had the foal this morning, a colt foal by Snitzel, and they put her down shortly after that on humane grounds."

    Black Caviar: '''Wonder from Down Under''' dies aged 17 - BBC Sport


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    ROME (Reuters) -Former Italy and Juventus striker Salvatore Schillaci, a star of the 1990 World Cup on his home soil, has died at the age of 59, his former club Inter Milan said on Wednesday.
    Schillaci led Italy to their third-place finish in 1990, winning the Golden Boot for his six goals during the tournament, including in the semi-final against Argentina and in their third-place victory over England.
    The Sicilian's wide eyes as he celebrated his goals became one of the enduring images of that World Cup.


    Schillaci was awarded the Golden Ball as player of the tournament and was later named as the runner-up for the 1990 Ballon d'Or men's player of the year award, behind World Cup winning captain Lothar Matthaus of West Germany.
    He had started Italy's opening World Cup game as a substitute but came off the bench to score the winner in a 1-0 victory over Austria.
    After the excitement of 1990, Schillaci scored only one more goal for Italy and did not appear for them at any other major tournaments.
    A small, bustling striker, Schillaci, nicknamed "Toto", had been a late developer, spending the early years of his career playing in the lower leagues for Sicilian club Messina.
    He was the top scorer in Serie B, the Italian second division, in 1988-89, earning him a move to Serie A giants Juventus.
    Schillaci helped Juventus to claim the Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup in 1989-90 before winning the latter trophy again four years later with Inter Milan.
    He then became the first Italian player to play in Japan's J.League and won the league title with his club Jubilo Iwata in 1997.
    He retired from football in 1999.

    Soccer-Italian World Cup striker Schillaci dies aged 59

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    What an unforgettable world cup that was, even in downtown Bangkok.

    RIP Toto.

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    Quote Originally Posted by cyrille View Post
    What an unforgettable world cup that was
    Generally regarded as the worst world cup in living memory. Largely responsible for Fifa bringing in the no back pass rule.



    Quote Originally Posted by cyrille View Post
    RIP Toto.
    Despite robbing Ireland of a rightful place in a world cup semi final (where they would have dismantled Argentina before decimating West Germo in the final), he seemed a decent enough ol' schkin.




    Sill in his 50s, he looked like he was in his 40s in 1990.





    RIP lad.

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    Dikembe Mutombo, NBA Hall of Famer and humanitarian, dies at 58

    Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo, whose towering presence dominated basketball on and off the court, has died from brain cancer at the age of 58.
    “Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement on Monday. “On the court, he was one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players in the history of the NBA. Off the floor, he poured his heart and soul into helping others.”

    Helped by his 7ft 2in frame, Mutombo ended his career second on the NBA’s all-time list for blocked shots. He was also an eight-time All-Star and four-time defensive player of the year in an 18-season NBA career that lasted from 1991 to 2009. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015, and his number was retired by two of his teams, the Atlanta Hawks and the Denver Nuggets. He also played for the Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks and the then-New Jersey Nets.

    Mutombo was also known for his humanitarian work, particularly with the Special Olympics and in his birthplace of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where his Dikembe Mutombo Foundation focused improving health and quality of life in the country.
    “It’s a sad day, especially for us Africans ... and really the whole world because, other than what he’s accomplished on the basketball court, I think he was even better off the court,” Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid said on Monday. “He’s done a lot of great things. He did a lot of great things for a lot of people, so he was a role model of mine.”

    Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey, who worked with Dikembe during their time together with the Houston Rockets, was tearful as he spoke about his friend on Monday.
    “There aren’t many guys like him,” Morey said. “Just a great human being. When I was a rookie GM in this league, my first chance in Houston, he was someone I went to all the time. ... His accomplishments on the court, we don’t need to talk about too much. Just an amazing human being, what he did off the court for Africa. Rest in peace, Dikembe.”

    Mutombo, who was also a naturalized US citizen, served on a number of boards, including Special Olympics International, the CDC Foundation and the National Board for the US Fund for Unicef, where he was able to make use of the nine languages he spoke.
    “There was nobody more qualified than Dikembe to serve as the NBA’s first Global Ambassador. He was a humanitarian at his core,” said Silver. “He loved what the game of basketball could do to make a positive impact on communities, especially in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo and across the continent of Africa. I had the privilege of traveling the world with Dikembe and seeing first-hand how his generosity and compassion uplifted people. He was always accessible at NBA events over the years – with his infectious smile, deep booming voice and signature finger wag that endeared him to basketball fans of every generation.”

    Mutombo was also known for his playful finger wag, which he would often use after a blocked shot.
    “Any time I would block shots, people would still be coming and trying to put a little bit on me. Then I used to shake my head every time I would block the shot,” Mutombo once explained. “Then I said, man fuck this. Those guys are not listening to me. Maybe if I start giving them the finger wag. And I tell you what, I lost a lot of money because of that finger wag, man. I got so many technical fouls, but no referee would kick me out of the game.”

    Mutombo’s family first revealed he was undergoing treatment for brain cancer two years ago. He had three children with his wife, Rose, and the couple adopted another four children. His son Ryan, who is also 7ft 2in, currently plays college basketball at Georgia Tech after three seasons at Georgetown, his father’s alma mater. The NBA said he died surrounded by his family.

    “My dad is my hero because he simply cared,” Ryan Mutombo wrote on social media on Monday. “He remains the purest heart I have ever known.”
    Dikembe Mutombo, NBA Hall of Famer and humanitarian, dies at 58 | NBA | The Guardian

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    Pete Rose, Major-League Baseball’s all-time hit king, dead at 83

    Pete Rose, Major League Baseball’s all-time hit king and the Cincinnati Reds icon whose signature gritty hustle couldn’t outpace the gambling transgressions and obfuscation that kept him out of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, has died, according to a spokesperson for the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner in Nevada. He was 83.

    Pete Rose, Major League Baseball’s all-time hit king, has died | CNN

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    Johan Neeskens, former Netherlands and Ajax midfielder, dies aged 73

    The former Netherlands international Johan Neeskens has died at the age of 73. The midfielder was part of the generation that were credited with introducing “total football” and part of the squads that reached two consecutive World Cup finals in the 1970s.

    The Dutch FA (KNVB) said in a statement: “The KNVB was shocked yesterday morning by the news that Johan Neeskens has suddenly passed away at the age of 73. During the last couple of days he was in Algeria, working for the KNVB’s World Coaches program, where he became unwell. Unfortunately, medical help could not make a difference for him.”

    Neeskens won 49 caps for the Netherlands. At club level he represented Ajax (where he won three European Cups and two league titles) and Barcelona before moving to the United States, where he played for New York Cosmos and Kansas City Comets.
    The Dutch FA added: “Words fail to capture the enormity and suddenness of this loss. Our thoughts are with his wife Marlis, his children, family, and friends. The world not only says goodbye to a gifted sportsman but above all, to a compassionate, driven, and wonderful person.

    Johan Neeskens, former Netherlands and Ajax midfielder, dies aged 73 | Netherlands | The Guardian

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    Fernando Valenzuela, hero for Dodgers and Mexican baseball fans, dies at 63

    Fernando Valenzuela, the Mexican-born star for the Los Angeles Dodgers who inspired “Fernandomania” while winning the NL Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year in 1981, has died. He was 63.
    The team said he died on Tuesday night at a Los Angeles hospital, but did not provide the cause or other details.

    His death comes as the Dodgers prepare to open the World Series on Friday night at home against the New York Yankees. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said Valenzuela would be honored during the series at Dodger Stadium.
    Valenzuela had left his color commentator job on the Dodgers’ Spanish-language television broadcast in September without explanation. He was reported to have been hospitalized earlier this month. His job kept him as a regular at Dodger Stadium, where he held court in the press box dining room before games and remained popular with fans who sought him out for photos and autographs.

    “God bless Fernando Valenzuela!” actor and Dodgers fan Danny Trejo posted on X.
    Valenzuela was one of the most dominant players of his era and a wildly popular figure in the 1980s, although he was never elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

    “He is one of the most influential Dodgers ever and belongs on the Mount Rushmore of franchise heroes,” Stan Kasten, team president and CEO, said in a statement. “He galvanized the fanbase with the Fernandomania season of 1981 and has remained close to our hearts ever since, not only as a player but also as a broadcaster. He has left us all too soon.”

    Valenzuela’s rise from humble beginnings as the youngest of 12 children in Mexico and his feats on the mound made him hugely popular and influential in Los Angeles’ Latino community while helping attract new fans to MLB. Their fondness for him continued for years after his retirement.

    “63 is way too young.... A piece of my childhood is gone,” actor and Access Hollywood co-host Mario Lopez posted on X. “Growing up as a Mexican kid one of the main reasons I’m a Dodgers fan is because of Fernando. ... Not only a great player, but a great man to the community. What a legend.”

    Eva Torres, originally from Mexico City, drove from Anaheim to look at murals of Valenzuela on Sunset Boulevard near Dodgers Stadium.
    “I wasn’t a fan of baseball but I am a fan of his,” she said. “He’s like me, an immigrant that came here to do great things.”

    In 1981, Valenzuela became the Dodgers’ opening day starter as a rookie after Jerry Reuss was injured 24 hours before his scheduled start. He shut out the Houston Astros and began the season 8-0 with five shutouts and an ERA of 0.50. He became the first player to win a Cy Young and Rookie of the Year in the same season. His performances created the delirium known as “Fernandomania” among Dodgers fans. The Abba hit Fernando would play as he warmed up on the mound.
    He was an All-Star selection every year from 1981-86, when he recorded 97 victories, 84 complete games, 1,258 strikeouts and a 2.97 ERA. He was 5-1 with a 2.00 ERA in eight postseason starts. He earned two Silver Slugger Award
    s and a Gold Glove.

    Nicknamed “El Toro” by the fans, Valenzuela had an unorthodox and memorable pitching motion that included looking skyward at the apex of each windup. His repertoire included a screwball – making him one of the few pitchers of his era to throw it regularly.

    Early in his Dodgers career, Valenzuela spoke little English and had trouble communicating with his catchers. Rookie Mike Scioscia learned Spanish and became Valenzuela’s personal catcher before becoming the team’s full-time catcher. Valenzuela was also a better-than-average hitter for a pitcher, with 10 career home runs.

    Eventually, his pitching was compromised by nagging shoulder problems that kept him out of the 1988 postseason, when the Dodgers won the World Series. The team released Valenzuela just before the 1991 season. He also pitched for the former California Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres and St Louis Cardinals.

    He retired in 1997, going 173-153 with a 3.54 ERA in 17 seasons, the all-time major league leader in wins and strikeouts (2,074) by a Mexican-born player. In 11 seasons with the Dodgers, he was 141-116 with a 3.31 ERA. He also pitched a no-hitter in June 1990, a 6-0 victory over the St Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium. He struck out seven and walked three.

    Valenzuela’s rise from his tiny hometown of Etchohuaquila in the Mexican state of Sonora to stardom in the US was improbable. He was the youngest child in a large family who tagged along when his older brothers played baseball. He signed his first pro contract at age 16, and soon began overpowering older players in the Mexican Central League.

    In 1978, legendary Dodgers scout Mike Brito was in Mexico to watch a shortstop when Valenzuela entered the game as a reliever. He immediately commanded Brito’s attention and at 18, Valenzuela signed with the Dodgers in 1979. He was sent to the California League that same year. In 1980, Valenzuela was called up to the Dodgers in September and soon made his big league debut as a reliever.

    In 2003, Valenzuela returned to the Dodgers as the Spanish-language radio color commentator for NL games. Twelve years later, he switched to the color commentator job on the team’s Spanish-language TV feed.
    “He consistently supported the growth of the game through the World Baseball Classic and at MLB events across his home country,” Manfred said in a statement. “As a member of the Dodger broadcasting team for more than 20 years, Fernando helped to reach a new generation of fans and cultivate their love of the game. Fernando will always remain a beloved figure in Dodger history and a special source of pride for the millions of Latino fans he inspired.”

    In addition to his sons, he is survived by his wife, Linda, whom he married in 1981, and daughters Linda and Maria as well as seven grandchildren.

    Fernando Valenzuela, hero for Dodgers and Mexican baseball fans, dies at 63 | Los Angeles Dodgers | The Guardian

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    Geoff Capes, Britain’s greatest shot putter and two-time World’s Strongest Man, dies aged 75

    Geoff Capes, who competed for Great Britain in the shot put at three Olympic Games, won two Commonwealth titles and twice won the World’s Strongest Man competition, has died aged 75.
    A family statement said: “The family of Geoffrey Capes would like to announce his sad passing today, 23rd October. Britain’s finest shot-putter and twice world’s strongest man.”

    Capes was at the height of his sporting prowess in the 1970s, competing in the Great Britain team for 11 years, and racking up the largest number of athletics caps in history for his country.

    He became a household name after his track and field career was over, starring in the hugely popular Superstars TV programme which attracted 10 million viewers at its height and then winning the famous World’s Strongest Man title in 1983 and 1985.
    Capes was UK shot put champion on three occasions. He claimed gold at the 1984 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, when he recorded a record throw of 20.74 metres. He then defended the title four years later in Edmonton, Canada.
    He went on to win gold at the European indoor championships in Gothenburg and Munich in 1984 and 1986, respectively. He also won bronze in the European championships in 1984 in Rome.

    Capes represented Britain at three Olympic Games, he was sixth at Montreal 1976 and then fifth at Moscow 1980. He achieved his personal best throw of 21.68m in 1980, which still stands as a British record.

    Geoff Capes and budgie, 1983. Photograph: Tony Evans/Timelapse Library Ltd./Getty Images
    The British Olympic medal-winning athlete Katharine Merry posted on X that she was “so sad to hear the news that Geoff Capes passed away” and paid tribute to “a real household name”.
    A statement from British Athletics said: “British Athletics are saddened to hear the news of former British shot putter, Geoff Capes’ passing. Our condolences go out to his family and friends at this time.”

    Guinness World Records posted on X: “In 1978, Geoff threw a standard 2.27kg (5lb) building brick 44.54m (146ft 1in) at Braybrook School in Cambridgeshire, UK. His record has never been broken.”
    The strongman was not limited in his pursuits by brawn and muscle as the other world title he held was the unexpected one of breeding budgerigars. He told the Guardian in 2003 of his passion for the birds.

    “It all began in 1969,” he said, “when I was a policeman and went to deliver a warrant for non-payment of a fine. As I knocked on the recipient’s door, I saw lots of cages in the front room, full of birds of an incredible array of colours. I was intrigued.
    “I went in and had a cup of tea with the owner, and spent an hour talking to him about his hobby. It was a shame that at the end of it I had to tell him I was arresting him.

    “But after I’d taken him down to the station and sorted out bail, he came back with a gift for me – three pairs of budgies. I went and got everything I’d need – a shed, breeding units, an aviary – and I’ve been breeding the birds ever since.”
    Capes was born in 1949 in Lincolnshire, the seventh of nine children. He was the seventh child of Eileen Capes, though the eldest of her three children by her third husband Bill Capes.

    After school, when he represented his county at basketball, football and cross country, he worked as a coalman and an agricultural labourer, before following in the footsteps of his grandfather, uncle and older brothers, he joined the police, working for 10 years before representing his country at the Moscow Olympics

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    ^ That brings back an old memory from the mid 70's when the AAA Games were held at RAF Cosford. Due to IRA activities, I had to search his car and found two pistols in the boot. Turns out they were starting pistols for the games. I recall because he was very nice and polite throughout the time he was delayed while they were checked. A nice guy!
    RIP

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    Former Ipswich Town striker Trevor Whymark has died at the age of 74 following a battle with Alzheimer's disease.
    Whymark, who scored 104 goals in 335 appearances for Town, played under Sir Bobby Robson during one of the club's most successful eras in the 1970s.
    The former England international also turned out for Grimsby Town, Southend United, Colchester United and Peterborough United.
    An Ipswich Town spokesperson said: "We are saddened to report the passing of Town legend Trevor Whymark.


    "He died peacefully surrounded by his family."

    https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c93qn59045go




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