Sports Poets Society

Bob Pettit (b. 1932; player - forward) Depending on who's doing the talking, Bob Pettit is considered either the very best or one of the top five forwards, and players, ever to play the game. Out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, came a 6'9" man with a shooting touch of a guided missile, the rebounding skills of a Bill Russell, and the leadership qualities of a Magic Johnson. Bob won as many honors and awards as any player alive or dead. A 1954 first-round draft choice by the Milwaukee Hawks was that city's best acquisition since their first brewery. The smooth scorer had averaged 27.4 points and 14.6 rebounds at LSU , where he became an all-American. He averaged 31 points a game in his senior season and led his Tigers to the final four of the NCAA that season as well. He never averaged under 20 points a game in his all-too-short eleven-year pro career. He did not earn his greatness and legendary status through pure longevity like some other "stars." Bob scored o...

Terry Pluto Tall Tales: The Glory Years of the NBA, in the Words of the Men Who PLayed, Cpoached, and Built Pro Basketball Simon & Schuster (1992) In 11 years, Bob Pettit scored over 20,000 points-and over 6,000 came from the foul line .  That meant on nights when he scored his usual 26, eight of those points were free throws .  That is what most opponents remember about the 6-foot-9, 220-pound forward who played for the St. Louis Hawks from 1954-65.  That's 11 years an All-Star; the league's MVP in 1956 and 1959.  Pettit also was one of the game's remarkable rebounders, averaging 16.2. CHICK HEARN:  Bob Pettit is one of those great players who is forgotten. He was a guy who couldn't make his high school team , a guy whose features were soft, almost feminine. He just developed into a helluva scorer and rebounder, and from just looking at him, you never would have believed it. BOB PETTIT: Basketball never came easy to me. I grew up in Baton Rouge and I was v...

CJ RIVERA / INVISION / AP by Hillel Italie of the Associated Press | Sept. 29, 2026 NEW YORK — Fifty years after Sylvester Stallone pulled off one of Hollywood's all-time long shots with “Rocky,” the Oscar-winning star still identifies with the character who for many embodies the outsider proving all the naysayers wrong. But he no longer claims to be an underdog. “It would be so disingenuous to say you’re an underdog, ‘as he said from his penthouse,’" Stallone said during a recent interview, on a high floor of a luxury Manhattan hotel. "Yeah. Come on. I am a lucky dog.” Stallone, who turned 80 in July, is among the most successful movie stars and filmmakers in history. He has generated billions of dollars through such blockbuster franchises as “Rocky,” “Rambo” and “The Expendables” and portrayed some of the most memorable film characters. And he is still working, starring as mobster Dwight “The General" Manfredi in the Paramount+ series “Tulsa King.” By choice an...

Le Français Paul Seixas franchit la ligne d’arrivée, victime de crampes, lors de la course en ligne des championnats du monde à Montréal, dimanche. Le jeune leader de l’équipe de France n’a pas tenu le rôle dont il rêvait à Montréal. Une leçon douloureuse. 29 Sep 2026 - Le Figaro Jean-Julien Ezvan Il a terminé avec des jambes de bois, le dos plié et un lourd vague à l’âme. Vidé de toutes forces, rongé par les crampes, Paul Seixas a dû laisser filer, à 25 km de l’arrivée, les candidats au podium désireux de poser avec l’américain Brandon McNulty, troisième Américain sacré champion du monde après Greg Lemond (1983, 1989) et Lance Armstrong (1993), ce dimanche à Montréal. Avant de se tourner vers le Tour de Lombardie (le 10 octobre), puis de prendre part à un critérium à Singapour (le 8 novembre), le jeune Lyonnais, tout juste 20 ans, va sûrement être hanté par le scénario d’une course longtemps menée avec justesse, avant la panne sèche. « C’est une honte ce que j’ai fait, de cramper comm...

L’équipe de France a été particulièrement offensive  dimanche à Montréal dans les premiers tours du circuit final. Rendu chaotique par les assauts de coursiers ingérables et la tactique agressive des Bleus, ce Mondial a échappé à Paul Seixas, qui s’en est particulièrement voulu. Un échec à relativiser. 29 Sep 2026 - L'Équipe LUC HERINCX, THOMAS PEROTTO et ALEXANDRE ROOS MONTRÉAL (CAN) – En déroulant la semaine dernière le récit des années Alaphilippe et des deux titres mondiaux consécutifs conquis par les Bleus en 2020 et 2021, Thomas Voeckler n’oubliait pas de mentionner ce qui aurait pu dérailler dans les plans de ces succès. Il en tirait un enseignement répété dimanche soir après l’échec de Paul Seixas (15e) aux Championnats du monde à Montréal: « Quand ça marche bien, tout n’est pas parfait, mais quand ça ne marche pas, tout n’est pas forcément à jeter. » Un mantra à appliquer à l’analyse à froid de ce Mondial. Fallait-il un co-leader ? L’équipe de France a été bâtie autour d...