Tag Archives: testimony

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From the Archives — The Little Guard That Could

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Reading the children’s classic The Little Engine That Could might be the easiest way to understand what Avery Johnson has gone through to make it in the NBA.

Like the little blue engine from Watty Piper’s story, Johnson is an inspiration. Like the little blue engine, Johnson is much smaller than his counterparts. Like the little blue engine, Johnson has had to persevere. And like the little blue engine, Johnson’s goal is to climb a mountain.

I think I can – I think I can – I think I can – I think I can.

Click here to read the rest of our story on Avery Johnson from our November 1993 issue… Continue reading →

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The Art of Letting Go

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Look past the call-girl cards that litter the street like confetti at Times Square on New Years, or the erotic billboards on the sides of trucks going down the neon-lit Strip, and you’ll see Las Vegas in its grace. You’ll see the fountains in front of the Bellagio dancing beneath the dry, Nevada sky, or the city calling your name as you look at it atop the Stratosphere, wooing you from below into an evening that never ends, where the casinos make promises and the liquor makes you believe them. Las Vegas, frankly, has to be the most freeing city there is. The energy provides an escape, like a tunnel, through your mountains of worries. Walk the Strip, ignore the nudity, get lost in the lights, and it all feels very divine. Down the Strip, across the Las Vegas Freeway, towering high above the surrounding bars, clubs, and tattoo parlors, Read More

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Using the Force

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Watching Frankie “The Freight Train” Filippone fighting in the ring or protecting the streets of Virginia Beach can be an intimidating sight. Those who know the real Frank Filippone Jr., know that under his tough exterior is a heart of gold. He never misses a chance to use both his boxing and his badge for all the good he can. The 33-year-old Chesapeake, Va., resident has been a police officer for 10 years and boxing professionally for five. He lives his life by two constants. “My motto as a boxer is ‘keep punching,’” he says. “No matter what, I keep fighting. And my motto as a police officer is ‘Try to save a life before you take a life.’” Filippone is all about saving lives. He wants to make a difference in the lives of the teenagers who find themselves in the back of his police car. He wants to Read More

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From the Archives — The Mize Guys: Chipping In From the Rough

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Imagine having a job in which you get paid only if you do better than most of your fellow workers. And some weeks when you show up for work, your superiors make you try out just to see if you can even work that week. That’s something like the high-pressure world of the professional golfers tour, where nothing is given to you free and the rewards are there only for those who can persevere. Kyle Rote Jr. Talks with PGA golfer Larry Mize to find out how he survives on tour…

Mize won the Masters in 1987, when he chipped in from off the green at the 11th hole at Augusta in a playoff to win his only major title. Click here to read Sports Spectrum’s interview with Mize from its January-February 1991 issue. Continue reading →

March Madness 2013 Spreads (dragged)

Peyton Siva lives by slogan, ‘It’s All Jesus’

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The scene would have been familiar to basketball fans of the University of Louisville: Peyton Siva going end-to-end to dunk a game-winner over a 7-footer as time expired. It didn’t matter that the game was the last of a series of exhibitions on a Far East mission trip against a Russian team. It was time for someone to step up and take responsibility for the game’s outcome… Continue reading →

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From the Archives — Changing Lanes

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Yawn…yawn. Seemingly just another day at the office for point guard Steve Alford. The smooth 6-foot-2 senior led Indiana University to the National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball championship this season, averaging 22 points a game. But his fluid movements on the floor belie the effort and diligence away from the camera that went into his contributions toward the team’s national title.

Alford ended his career as the Hoosiers’ four-time Most Valuable Player. He finished as the number 2 all-time scorer in the Big 10 Conference–a mere deuce behind Michigan’s Mike McGee…

To read our story on Hoosiers star and recently-named UCLA head coach Steve Alford from our Volume 1, Number 3 issue, click here. Continue reading →

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Duck Dynasty, How It Almost Never Happened

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Phil sits in Willie’s office at the Duck Commander warehouse. He’s telling a story, like Phil usually does.

Being with him in person is kind of surreal, like you’re having coffee with a cartoon. It looks like he came straight out of your television and sat in your living room—sunglasses resting on his head, camouflage bandana and pants, as if he’s been hunting all day, and a nest of a beard you could probably turn into a winter scarf… Continue reading →

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Invisible No More

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If you could have stood in the locker room before the fight, you would have thought an army was about to charge into battle. The energy gave you chills. The noise made your head throb.

As Robert Guerrero’s team, family and friends gathered around him, howling and chanting, Bob Santos stood quietly, questioning their naivety, nervously wondering if this would go down as the biggest mistake of Robert Guerrero’s career… Continue reading →

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Hurdling The Obstacles of Life

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Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle exudes honesty and transparency and sets a high standard for himself on and off the field. That’s not lost on his players, who he expects to live up to a high standard, as well. “Every player is responsible and accountable to represent the name on the front (Pittsburgh) more than on the back,” says Hurdle, who has led the Pirates to two of their best first-half starts since winning the National League East in 1992. “Don’t take that for granted.” To inspire others, he regularly reads the writings of Christian leaders such as Chuck Swindoll and Rick Warren and challenges men with Romans 14:12, “So each of us is accountable to God.” Hurdle challenges all men to get over their specific hurdles that keep them from having a servant’s heart. But, Hurdle hasn’t always been so strong in his faith. There was a time where Read More

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Xtreme Wisedom

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David Wise stood on deck at the top of the superpipe in Aspen, Colo. Before him stretched the perfectly groomed ice and snow tube carved 567 feet long into the mountainside. As he mentally prepared, Wise watched competitor Justin Dorey smash into the lip in what ESPN called “one of the gnarliest crashes in years.” (Thankfully, Dorey walked away with only an injured shoulder.) It wasn’t the kind of precursor you want before beginning your own high-speed attempt at defying gravity in a giant geographic playground… Continue reading →

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