Monday, October 12, 2009

Antonio Sabato Jr


NAME: Antonio Sabato Jr.
NATIONALITY: Italian
HEIGHT: 6'1"
WEIGHT: 175 lbs
HAIR: Brown
EYES: Brown
BORN: February 29, 1972 in Rome, Italy.
DISCOVERED: When Antonio arrived in America, he was a young teenager.

RÉSUMÉ: He replaced Mark Wahlberg as the Calvin Klein underwear boy. Antonio played Jack (Jagger) Cates on General Hospital for two years. He also starred in Steven Spielberg's short-lived TV series called Earth 2. He also guest-starred in six episodes of Melrose Place, in which he played Heather Locklear's husband. He has a small but noteworthy role in movie The Big Hit where he plays a dedicated mercenary opposite fellow hunk Mark Wahlberg.

He is now starting up his own production company called Namtab (Batman spelled backwards.) He has his own book about exercise, filled with photos of himself.

HOME: Has an appartment in New York City. Antonio's father is Italian film star Antonio Sabato Sr.

SWEETIE: He has a son, Jack Antonio, born August 6, 1994 by actress Virginia Madsen. Theirs was a bitter custody battle which he eventually won. "Jack is the most important thing in my life." says Antonio.

Antonio admits he's leery of relationships because "I've been unlucky in love. I'm told I'm too nice. I'm always good to the women in my life so it's easy for them to take advantage of me." Antonio also has to be on the alert for female fans who stalk him. "They're amazing. They learn what hotels I'm staying at and try to get up to my room. The scariest time was when I got a call at 1 am and the women told me she was on a cellular phone just outside my hotel room door. She was. I had to call security to have her removed."

OTHER: Antonio models to pay the bills but his real goal is acting. "I could have been a regular on Melrose Place but I chose just to do a cameo. My goal is to make movies. Melrose Place came along right after Earth 2 was cancelled. I needed something to boost my ego a bit. We all thought with Steven Spielberg at the helm, Earth 2 was going to be a mega-hit." says Antonio. "I'd have been much further ahead if I'd spoken English when I came to America 12 years ago." explains Sabato. Antonio became a United States citizen in November 1996. Antonio now has his own exercise and diet/nutrition book, No Excuses, filled with photos of... who else? Antonio.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Derek Jeter


Derek Sanderson Jeter was born June 26th, 1974, to parents Charles Jeter and Dorothy Conner, in Pequannock, New Jersey. When Jeter was four, the family (which includes sister Sharlee) moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan. By the age of six, Jeter's grandmother had introduced him to baseball and he began rooting for the Yankees.

Almost immediately, the young Jeter dreamed of playing for the "Bronx Bombers." One of the Yankee players that Derek Jeter looked up to was Hall of Famer Dave Winfield.

junior jeter shows promise

Upon entering Kalamazoo High School, Jeter focused his attention on baseball. He wasn't one for getting into trouble, as his father, a substance abuse counselor, was a tremendous influence. Jeter's high-school academic performance was outstanding, and he was named to the National Honor Society.

In his senior year, Jeter batted .508 for the baseball team, with twelve stolen bases. Although he was recruited to go to college, Jeter chose to pursue a baseball career and attend college in the off-season. He was the first high-school player chosen (sixth overall) by the Yankees in the 1992 free agent draft.

While playing for class (a) Tampa in 1992, Jeter batted just .202 and often cried. He was homesick and had a difficult time adjusting to minor league baseball life. But, his nest season was a huge improvement, as he batted .293 for (a) Greensboro. The following season, Jeter enjoyed immense success, as he batted .377 at (aa) Albany and .349 at (aaa) Columbus. He was named the Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year for 1994.

Jeter's 1995 season was split between Columbus and New York. On May 29th, 1995, Jeter made his major league debut with the Yankees. He managed to bat .250 in a limited time with New York, before being optioned back to (aaa) Columbus. Upon completion of the Yankees' 1995 season, manager Joe Torre announced that Derek Jeter would be his starting shortstop the following year.

a yankee to the finish

Having Jeter start the season with New York did wonders for his confidence. He went on to bat .314 and capture the American League's Rookie of the Year award. The Yankees went on to defeat the Atlanta Braves for the World Series title. Jeter batted .360 through all three rounds of the playoffs, cementing himself as one of the best "clutch" performers in all of baseball.

The 1997 season wasn't as productive as his first big league season. Nevertheless, Jeter still managed to score over 100 runs and bat .291. The Yankees did manage to make the playoffs, but were eliminated by Baltimore.

The 1998 season was a magical one for Derek Jeter and the Yankees. Not only did the Yankees have the best record in baseball, but Jeter also made his first all-star appearance. Derek finished the year with career highs in batting average, stolen bases, runs batted in, home runs, and runs scored. The Yankees capped off the season by winning the World Series over San Diego in four games. Jeter had a terrific World Series, batting .353 in the four games.

Looking to better his numbers from 1998, Derek Jeter had yet another career year in 1999. He posted his first 100 RBI season, as well as his first 20 home run year. Jeter led the Yankees to yet another World Series title over Atlanta, batting .375 for the entire postseason.

Although Jeter had another stellar year in 2000, his numbers didn't quite match up to those posted in 1999. After winning the 2000 MVP award for his third all-star game, Jeter made sure he saved his best for the postseason. Despite Jeter batting just .211 in the first round against Oakland, the Yankees managed to advance to the A.L. Championship Series. Facing the Mariners, Jeter improved his eye at the plate to bat .318 in six games.

Dubbed the "Subway Series," Jeter and the Yankees squared off versus their New York counterparts, the Mets. Not since the 1950s had two New York teams faced each other for baseball's most coveted prize. Derek rose to the challenge, as he hit .408 in five games, with two doubles, a triple and two home runs. Derek was awarded the World Series MVP trophy, as the Yankees took home their fourth title in five years.

jeter just keeps going

In 2001, Derek had another phenomenal season, as he topped .300, hit 21 home runs, stole 27 bases and earned another all-star selection. However, despite being the three-time defending champs, the Yankees were not even favored to represent the American League in the World Series. The Seattle Mariners, who lost to New York in the A.L. Championship Series in 2000, had one of the best regular season records ever in 2001.

In the first round of the 2001 playoffs, the Yankees were down two games to none in their best-of-five series with Oakland. With games three and four being played in Oakland, few observers gave New York a chance to win the series. In the final stages of game three, Derek Jeter came up with a play that turned the series around. He was able to make a leaping stab at a ball thrown weakly home, and then quickly relay it home to throw out an Oakland base runner. Had Jeter not made that play, the Yankees might not have won the last three games in the series and advanced to face the Mariners.

Despite the Mariners being favored and Jeter hitting just .118 in the A.L. Championship Series, the Yankees disposed of Seattle in five games. However, the Yankees were not able to successfully defend their title, as the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Yankees in a thrilling seven-game series. Arizona scored the winning run on hit that sailed over Jeter's head and into shallow left field.

Currently, the Yankees are in a heated battle for the A.L. East Division and Jeter is a major part of their success. He continues to display the skills that have made him a household name. Jeter is looking forward to trying for his fifth World Series ring, and based on his track record, it's hard to bet against him.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Tom Brady


Tom Brady is one of the top quarterbacks in the National Football League and with three championships with the New England Patriots under his belt he is prepping a resume for the Hall of Fame. Brady has twice been named the Super Bowl MVP in his four appearances. He acts, plays and looks like a winner and garners a lot of attention on and off the field. In 2002, Brady was one of People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People and in 2005 he was named Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated.

Off the field, Brady has made a few TV appearances on NFL Monday Night Football, Saturday Night Live, Late Show with David Letterman, The Simpsons, Family Guy, and he made a cameo as a computer geek in the movie Stuck On You.

As a celebrity himself, Brady’s handsome farm-boy charm has attracted the attention of a number of celebrity women, such as Tara Reid, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, and Bridget Moynahan.

Behind the scenesBorn in San Mateo, California in 1977, Brady is a genuine, all-American nice guy in a sport built on tough and rough men. He is reportedly a person who treats everyone with respect and he is never arrogant. Proving that being a star quarterback doesn’t grant you the privilege to slack off, Tom is the first to arrive in the locker room and the last to leave.

Although Tom doesn’t have his own charity, he has contributed to those of his teammates, such as Lawyer Milloy, Joe Andruzzi and Lonie Paxton’s Active Force Foundation, which engineers, designs and provides adaptive sports equipment to people with physical disabilities. In addition to working with the Starlight Children’s Foundation of New England, Tom is the two-millionth member of the ONE Campaign -- an international movement to make poverty history and dedicated to encouraging Americans to lobby Congress for a 1% budget increase in humanitarian aid to the developing world.

On the horizon On a professional level, Brady continues to strive toward another Super Bowl. His head coach, Bill Belichick, keeps him focused on the future, leaving his three championship rings as a memory to enjoy during the off-season. At the rate Brady is going, an induction into Pro Football Hall of Fame is likely on the horizon.

On a personal level, Brady is not married and that figures to also be a pursuit considering his strong Roman Catholic roots.