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3 The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, June 26, 2020 By Breanna Henry TV Media F ifteen weeks into the global pandemic, the back-and-forth between Major League Baseball and its players union seems to have no end in sight, the National Basketball Association's pro- posed rule changes sound like a cartoonish parody, and the National Football League re- mains quiet as virus concerns stretch further into the future than anyone anticipated. While auto racing and some golf have begun to return, the world of sports and its fans have taken a blow (some- where just below the belt) on top of the abject suffering caused by this pandemic. In lieu of speculating what may or may not return, let's look back at the players who brought life to the game, whose personalities are topped only by their talents, and the ways a special few athletes have become more than the numbers. When you're talking larger than life, it only makes sense to start with seven-foot-one Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal. Shaq's endearing sense of humor, infamously ri- diculous smack-talk and un- precedented physical domi- nance turned the backboard- busting center into an icon. In his "Shaqtin' A Fool" segment on "Inside the NBA," Shaq pokes fun at other athletes' poorly thought-out plays, and often his own as well. Despite his ruthless teasing of Charles Barkley, O'Neal is famously kind (as long as you don't steal his nickname, Dwight Howard) and created a more affordable alternative to the famous Air Jordan sneakers, so kids who can't afford the high-priced Nikes would have cool shoes, too. Baseball players are a noto- riously superstitious bunch, and MLB has no shortage of out-there personalities for a sport that is often criticized for being "boring." When your sport has seen everything from Al Hrabosky's pitching routine — which earned him the nickname "Mad Hungari- an" — to Dock Ellis's LSD-in- duced no-hitter and the al- ways-quotable Yogi Berra ("It ain't over 'til it's over"), choosing a single standout is tough. Amidst the superstars, slug- gers and legends, however, there is one man who made his name by just "being Man- ny." Nine-time Silver Slugger Manny Ramirez is one of the most outstanding hitters in history, and one of the most absurd characters as well. From being suspended for tak- ing a women's fertility drug to getting fined for a shoving match with a 64-year-old, Ramirez was as wild on the field as he was off of it. When it comes to outra- geous off-the-field antics, the NFL takes the cake. Maybe football players just have more time to get into trouble since they play the fewest games among major sports, but geared up is when they truly shine. While recently un- retired Gronk may seem the obvious choice, being the "fun" Patriot doesn't quite make the news when com- pared to the Seahawks' con- troversial conversationalists and absolutely dominant "Le- gion of Boom." That defense's accomplishments will go down in history, but even Kam Chancellor's absurdly good looks couldn't steal the show from Richard Sherman. From his "U mad bro?" tweet to Tom Brady, and the unforget- table "Immaculate Recep- tion," Sherman backed up his taunts with top-level play that was almost too good, forcing teams to avoid him entirely. 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Remember when we were scared of our groceries? I miss those days. So April was global pandemic, May is massive nationwide protests over systemic racism, I assume June is a plague of locusts, and then in July, pleated pants are coming back. Late Night With Seth Meyers President Trump claimed on Twitter yesterday that his administration had "done more for the Black community than any president since Abraham Lincoln." Are you serious? That's like Godzilla saying he's done a lot for the Japanese community. late laughs Sports legends: The major leagues have produced some major personalities sportszone screenscramble Unscramble the letters for each word to reveal five movies and TV shows. Then, rearrange the circled letters to discover the actor who has appeared in all five. Solution on page 4.

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