Athletic musicians

In my last column I wrote about running athletes.  Now, here’s more athletic musicians.

•JOHNNY MATHIS who’s best remembered with hits like “Misty” “Chances Are” and “Twelfth of Never” was invited to try out for  the 1958 Olympics.  Mathis was a good high jumper and friend of Boston Celtic legend Bill Russel.  A call from Columbia Records prevented Mathis from joining when he decided to become a  recording artist instead.

•JULIO IGLESIAS , Nicknamed the Spanish Sinatra, was a former professional football with Real Madrid.  He was once married to Filipina Isabel Preysler.  His big hits include “To All The Girls I Love “ and “Hey.”

•ELTON JOHN, A soccer enthusiast once toured China with the Waterford, Ireland Soccer Team. Elton whose real name is Reginald Kenneth Dwight is nicknamed Hercules.  Of course, who can forgot songs like ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and “Daniel.”?

•PLACIDO DOMINGO, Spanish opera singer played baseball and soccer.  As part of the 1990 World Cup celebration, Domingo together with Luciano Pavarotti and Jose Carreras performed in a Rome concert.

•BRUCE SPRINGTEEN, Was a wrestler and a runner thus the hit, “Born To Run”.  Bruce’s real name is Frederick Joseph and was nicknamed “The Boss.” His biggest hit is “Born In The USA,”  After a 1976 Memphis concert,Bruce was caught climbing over the wall to Graceland, Elvis’ mansion.

•CHARLEY PRIDE, The first black singer to star on the Grand Ole Opry, was a promising baseball player when he got injured.

•MADONNA, Excelled in aerobics and swimming and recently performed in a  concert in Manila. She thrilled the crowd with her hits  “Like A Virgin” and “Papa Don’t Preach”.  Her real name is Madonna Louise Veronica Giccone.

Other celebrities who were athletic were pop singer Terence Trent D’ Arby who became a member of the US Army boxing team.

•PAULA ABDUL, Choreographer and pop star was a former cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers

•M.C HAMMER, Real name Stan Kirk Burrel used to be a batboy for his hometown Oakland California  Athletics.  The players called him Little Hammer because he resembled Hank Aaron who was called the Hammer.

•CONWAY TWITTY, Country music star was all set to sign a contract to play with the Philadelphia Phillies when he was drafted in the army.

•COLE PORTER. Songwriter of many Broadway show tunes and hits of Frank  Sinatra like “Night And Day”, also wrote a Yale football rally song called “Bulldog, Bulldog!”

•GENE AUTRY, After years as a singing movie and radio cowboy, Gene Autry traded his saddle for a baseball team, the Los Angeles Angels.

La Salle, Champions?

I’m writing this column a few hours before the De La Salle Lady Spikers and defending champion Ateneo Lady Eagles tangle in Game 2 of the UAAP Womens Volleyball championship. Well, La Salle looks confident  after blanking Ateneo in Game One of the series and is expected to go all out.  Ateneo however is not given up for dead when you have MVP Alyssa Valdez in the line up.  But Alyssa needs all the help she could get if they want to live another day.  But the Spikers are going to use their momentum to reclaim the crown that eluded them the last two years.  Ara Galang, Mika Reyes, Kim Fajardo, Kim Dy and Mary Joy  Baron will make that goal happen if they play the way they did in Game One.  Animo La Salle!

Did you know?

•FRANK SHORTER,  Born in Munich, won the 1972 Munich Olympic Marathon but collected the gold medal for America where he is a  resident.  Four years earlier in Montreal, Shorter finished second but waited  for the winner to finish the race.  It emerged that Waldermar Cierpinski of East Germany had by mistake, run an extra lap.  I met Cierpinski in Manila in 1982 when he ran and won the PAL Manila International Marathon.  Boston Marathon great Bill Rodgers was also in town but did not run.

•JACK DEMPSEY, who hails from Ireland, after losing his crown, ended up penniless and in ill health.  He was buried in an unmarked grave.