Ads by Eonads Billy Miske, a middleweight of St. Paul, Minn., has arrived in the city. He has issued a challenge to any of the boys of his weight." (Milwaukee Free-Press, September 14, 1913)

One of the biggest, bravest men in history stood just six feet tall and weighed around 160 pounds. Pasty white, knobby knees, and fists that flew faster than even his nickname insinuated: the St. Paul Thunderbolt.

Billy Miske was a boxer, a man greased with grit and determination. Born in 1894, his glory years were destined to fall in decades rife with penny-pinching and hungry mouths. He married, had kids, and was broke. Dead broke.

But Miske used the skills God gave him to make ends meet: he bawled his fists and thrashed opponent after opponent in the ring. His style was orthodox; not sexy, not flashy, but quick and decisive. Each jab, each hook, each uppercut was thrown with purpose, whether they landed or not. In preparation for each fight, Miske would literally punch himself in his own jaw 10 times a day.

Miske fought toe-to-toe with some of the greatest boxers of the era: Jack Dempsey, Harry Greb, and Battling Lavinsky among others. In his illustrious career, Miske accumulated somewhere around 45 wins, 34 of which were by knockout. The early 1900's are known as the "No Decision" era, meaning that in some states a match not decided by a knockout was considered a no-decision, and thus didn't fit into the boxer's overall record. Miske could easily have close to 100 career wins were it not for the time period in which he fought.

But the knockouts didn't matter to Miske. His family did. He would do whatever he needed to provide for them, and if grinding through 15 round of dizzying punches would do that, he was all for it. But his time in the ring appeared over in 1919.

At the ripe age of 24, Miske told his trainer Jack Reddy he was feeling more tired than usual. Naturaly he attributed it to boxing. After a few doctors visits, however, Miske learned the grave news: he was battling Bright's disease, a serious condition of the kidneys for which there was no cure. Doctors gave Miske about 5 years before he would die. But even worse than that, Miske was told he could no longer fight.

Telling a man like Miske that he's no longer able to fight is like telling a tiger to let the herd of antelopes walk by without pouncing on one. Miske mad it his mission in his final years to do one thing: provide financial stability for his family. If that meant boxing through tremendous pain and fatigue? So be it.

Miske opted not to tell any family members of his condition. No need having Marie and his kids worry, and the last thing he wanted was someone telling him he shouldn't fight. Miske tried other ways to make money. He used his life savings to start up an automobile sales shop. Unfortunately for Billy, as good as he was at boxing, he was equally bad at managing a business. He had to fight just to cover losses from the dealership.

Miske's options were limited. The thing that made him money, the one thing in this world he was truly great at, he was told by physicians it would be detrimental to his health and shorten his even limited life span. But Miske believed if he could fight enough matches, even if he didn't win, he could get money to continue putting food on the table. Billy Miske continued fighting as if nothing had ever happened. He went on about regular training routines with trainer Jack Reddy. He fought (and won) numerous matches in the years following his fatal diagnosis.

In an era today where it's rare for us to see a boxer fight more than one or two matches, Miske was taking part in dozens of fights. In 1922 alone he stepped into the ring 15 times. If his kidney's were failing, the outside world certainly didn't know it. But as the insides started to shut down, so did Billy. Matches were few and far between. Miske felt too bad to fight. He was eating nothing but boiled fish, and could barely move around for the pain, much less dance around throwing jabs in a boxing ring.

In 1923, Miske could feel the end. The light at the end of his life's tunnel was inching ever closer. He knew, however, he couldn't leave this earth until he was certain his family was secure. As the crispness of fall fully descended on the mid west, Billy called his trainer, his good friend Jack Reddy, and told him death was knocking harder than ever before. He needed to fight.

Reddy immediately rejected the notion. No way was he going to allow Billy, a man 29 years young but with a body broken down and fragile like an elderly man step into a ring and get pummeled. Reddy was preparing to give Miske money to help out with bills and holiday expenses that Billy was facing in the coming months. This is what Billy Miske told him: "I've never taken a handout, and I won't start now. Jack, I'm flat broke and I just want to give Marie and the kids a decent Christmas before I check out. You gotta get me a pay day, for old time's sake."


Reddy reluctantly agreed, knowing that nothing was change the mind of the St. Paul Thunderbolt. He lined up a fight with "KO" Bill Brennan, a man equal to Miske even in the peak of his career. Miske didn't stand a chance. He wasn't even in good enough condition health wise to train for the fight. How could he even step into the ring with Brennan?

That was the thing about Miske. You couldn't just judge him on his appearance. He maybe looked more like minimum wage factory grunt than a world-class prize fighter, but Miske had the heart of a lion. That lion-heart knocked out "KO" Bill Brennan in the 4th round, earning him a handsome paycheck of $2,400.

The Christmas of 1923 would be special in the Miske household. Billy knew it was probably his last, but he had long made peace with that. Watching his kids open presents on Christmas that he couldn't have gotten before was worth it. And watching his sweet wife Marie tickle the ivories on the baby grand piano he bought for her brought more than sweet music to his heart.

On December 26, the day after Christmas, Miske called his good friend Jack Reddy and told him he was dying. Jack came and picked him up to go to the hospital where it was he would finally reveal his fatal condition to Marie. 5 days later, at age 29, Billy Miske's kidneys did the thing Miske never did: they gave up fighting. Miske died January 1, 1924.

The story of Miske traveled fast through the community, state, and boxing world. Tommy Gibbons, a giant in the world of boxing at the time and a man who had fought Miske several times had this to say about Billy:

"Billy Miske was one of the gamest fellows who ever put on the gloves. He always was a gentleman in the ring; always fought within the rules and never took advantage of a helpless opponent or resorted to rough tactics."

Indeed, Billy Miske is a hero. A man who fought with passion and loved with passion. Billy Miske left a legacy that every man can strive after. The moments of happiness with family far outweigh the mortal concerns we may have about ourselves. Billy Miske lived a selfless life, one that showed no matter the odds, family is always worth fighting for.

How has the Billy Miske story inspired you? Has it changed your own thinking regarding priorities in life?

Ads by Eonads For the elite athlete, the brass ring of immortality and a professional sports championship- often swings just beyond his clutch. The more he abandons one, the more the public spotlights on what he hasn't refined rather than what he has. LeBron James knows all about this pitiless incongruity. For eight baffling seasons, he was the NBA's ruler without a crown. At last, in years 9 and 10, James put the championship stamp on his profession and turned into an official part of the "basketball's greatest ever" deliberate. At that point, for a reprise, he pulled off the NBA's most prominent homecoming and conveyed a title to his dearest Cleveland Cavaliers. This is his story...

Growing Up

LeBron James, in full LeBron Raymone James, is the superstar guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio, professional athlete LeBron Raymone James is a four-time winner of the NBA's most valuable player award.

Life was often a struggle for James and his mother. When his mother, Gloria James was only 16, James's father, Anthony McClelland denied in being a parent. Gloria raised James on her own and gives him her last name. Gloria faced and battled with numerous problems during his childhood but still she strived to be a loving mother and shield James from the poverty and brutality of the boulevards. When James was two, she started dating Eddie Jackson. However, James framed a bond with Jackson and Gloria enjoyed having a man around who was willing to serve as a father figure. Her siblings, Terry and Curt, additionally lend a hand.

High School Basketball Star

From an early age, LeBron James encompasses tremendous intuitions for basketball. In 1999, James was employed to join basketball team by St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. As a green bean, James averaged 18 points per game and helped the team by scoring 25 points in the championship game. As his advanced basketball skills were getting noisy, James earned several honors for his elegant performance. He was the first sophomore chosen for the award for the USA Today All-USA First Team. James was also called as "PARADE magazine's High School Boys Basketball player of the Year and Gatorade player of the Year. Helping his team and proving himself to be the top national ranking player, James soon emerge as one of the leading players of National Basketball Association.

Career with Cleveland Cavaliers

James was the first player chosen by the Cleveland cavaliers in the 2003 NBA Draft because of his impressive posture. Additionally, he also signed an unprecedented endorsement contract with the NIKE shoe company for $90 before he ever played a professional game. Despite the pressures, James made history when he drove the Cavaliers franchise through the span of the 2003-04 seasons to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He as well turned to be the youngest player- at just 20 years old- to receive this honor. Furthermore, James became one of only three rookies to fulfill this accomplishment with Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson. In 2004, James made his Olympic debut at the Summer Games as part of U.S. Olympic basketball team in Athens, Greece.

Turning towards his personal life, James went through some changes around this time. In October 2004, he became a father of his first child, when he and his girlfriend Savannah Brinson welcomed a son, LeBron Jr.

NBA Star

James's performance and passion for success help to improve his performance over the following years. During his second season, he was known as the best player on the Eastern Conference All-Star team, and in his third season, he escorted the Cavaliers to their first playoff billet in nine years. These accomplishments were exceeded during the 2006-07 season; James helped his team conquer the Washington Wizards in the first round of the final tournament. Later on, the Cavaliers took on the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference semifinals. After his striking postseason play, many observers could not stop them to place him among the best players in the league. That same year, in June 2007, his girlfriend, savannah Brinson gave birth to their child, Bryce Maximus.

In 2007-08 season, James persists the Cavaliers to upgrade and improve their ranking in the Eastern Conference. The team made it to the semifinals as they got defeated by the Boston Celtics. As an individual performer, James made best to his level defeating his rivals and became the highest average scorer in the NBA regular season.

Career with Miami Heat

Early in the 2008-09 season, James's future and his next step in the sport became the hot topic for sports journalists and fans. He had the choice to be a free agent in2010, and everyone wants to know where he would like to end up. James made several references to his awaiting free agent status; however, he was certain to minimize the matter. When the reporter asked James about it, he replied as he wanted to focus on his team right now and win a championship rather than making a change at that point.

After becoming a free agent, James announced that he would join the Miami Heart for the 2010-2011 season. This decision creates aggression among his fans in Cleveland. Many of his fans considered his departure as a betrayal to his hometown. Soon after James's announcement, Dan Gilbert, Cleveland Cavaliers owner, wrote an open letter stating James's decision as his selfishness and betrayal to his hometown.

Championship Wins

To move to Miami made James a recluse in Cleveland, but it paid off when the Heat won back-to-back NBA championships in 2012 and 2013. His team got victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012 in five games, and 7 games over the San Antonio Spurs in 2013. James was the youngest player to score 20,000 points at age 28- and 38th player in NBA history to achieve this distinction.

"I made a difficult decision to leave Cleveland but I understood what my future was about," James told FOX Sports following the game. "I knew we had a bright future [in Miami]."

By then, Success followed the James that this victory named him as the Most Valuable Player in both series and the NBA's biggest star.

Return to Cavaliers

At the culmination of the 2013-14 season, James opted out his contract with the heat and after a week of frenzied conjecture among fans and media- he declared that he will return to the Cavaliers. James has to miss 13 regular-season games in 2014-15 due to him back and knee problems. However, he was as dominant as ever- he led the Cavaliers to the NBA championship in 2016 becoming the first player. James brings Cleveland its first pro championship in any major sport since 1964.

Victory Statement of King James

Voted Finals MVP, James said, "I came back to bring a championship to our city. I knew what I was capable of doing. I knew what I learned in the last couple years that I was gone, and I knew if I had to-when I came back-I knew I had the right ingredients and the right blueprint to help this franchise get back to a place that we've never been. That's what it was all about."

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The early days of basketball often seen slow fan-unfriendly low scoring matches that often left spectators bored. Games often only got into the 40's and many of the best players averaged less than 15 points a game. Many early basketball games looked more like a glorified version of the children's game of keep-away than an action packed professional sport. This style of play culminated in a game between Minneapolis and Fort Wayne, where the Pistons of Fort Wayne held the ball most of the second half nursing a 1 point lead over the Lakers. The Pistons would win 19-18 in the lowest scoring game in NBA history. Prior to that the fewest points ever score 33 points, just 4 fewer than both teams scored, and that game was one the opening night of the NBA, or BAA as it was called back then.

This pace bored fans, many of whom were promised an action packed fun experience and attendance and interest in the new league had begun to dip. The NBA needed a solution and needed it fast. The solution was an ingenious one and one that would revolutionize the game as we know it. A simple clock, with just 24 seconds on it would forever change the game.

The clock was the brain child of Syracuse Nationals general manager Leo Ferris, a man that the NBA has long forgotten in one of the biggest travesties in the games history. Ferris, is as important to the early days of the NBA as anyone and one could argue that without Ferris there would be no NBA today; and there definitely would be no Atlanta Hawks, or Philadelphia 76ers. The NBA would look much different today without Ferris's input all those years ago.

Ferris got his start with basketball not in the NBA but in the NBL when in 1946 he helped found the Buffalo Bisons. The Bisons were pretty much a failure in upstate New York and after only 13 games the Bisons picked up and left the shores of Lake Erie and heated to the American Heartland in Molina, Illinois. Technically, the team played in Molina and Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa but most of their games were played in Molina. The team was called the Tri-Cities Blackhawks and while they struggled the foundation of one of the longest tenured NBA teams was laid. The Blackhawks would eventually move to Milwaukee, where they took on the moniker Hawks, and than move to St Louis and finally to Atlanta.

Shortly after the team moved to Tri-Cities Ferris would go on to make one of his first major shake ups of the basketball world when he signed Pop Gates for the all-black New York Ren's to a contract. African-American players had played in the NBL before, but only during the early 1940s when World War II had taken a lot of the white players from the NBL. Gates was the first black player signed to a contract when there was not a necessity for them, and the first one signed because of his skill and talent and not because the league needed players. Gates would re-join the Rens when they joined the NBL as the Dayton Rens two years later.

After only a season with the Blackhawks, Ferris returned to his native upstate New York and began as the general manager of the NBL's Syracuse Nationals. As manager of the Nationals he scored a huge coup for the Nationals and the NBL when he lured highly coveted big man Dolph Schayes away from the New York Knicks of the upstart BAA.

The BAA and NBL rivalry only got worse, with the BAA stealing away most of the best players from the NBL and starting in 1948 the BAA started taking the best teams as well. In 1947 the Minneapolis Lakers, Rochester Royals and Indianapolis Kautskies left the NBL for the BAA. The Nationals were now in an uncertain league and they and the NBL desperately needed to find a solution, and Leo Ferris would find that solution.

Starting in the spring of 1949 Ferris started meeting with executives of the BAA, at first it was an attempt to possible get the Nationals into the growing league, but would soon expand to merging the two leagues. The talks ended in August of 1949 when an agreement was reached to merge the NBL and BAA and form the NBA. The BAA only wanted to absorb two teams; the Nationals, and the upstart Indianapolis Olympians; who would replace the Jets. Ferris managed to talk the BAA into accepting both of those teams, as well as the Denver Nuggets, Sheboygan Redskins, Anderson Packers and the Blackhawks. He originally wanted the merger to include Oshkosh, Hammond and Dayton, but financial backing ruined Oshkosh's attempt to relocate to Milwaukee and Hammond was thought too close to Chicago where the BAA already had a team. The Rens of Dayton were not allowed to join because their players consisted of black players. In addition to the Rens not being allowed to join, black players on Syracuse also had to be let go.


The merge proved successful as the 17 team NBA seen initial success, but the old NBL teams had given up too much power in the merger and despite Ferris's best efforts the league kicked out 5 of the former NBL teams the next season.

The 1950 season saw the Lakers continue their dominance and the Pistons thought the only way to stop them was to hold on to a one point lead and the ball. This was the event that usurer in Leo Ferris's clock or more commonly known as the shot clock. Ferris had always liked math and had been good at it, and he used math to come up with the 24 second clock. He took the number of seconds in a 48-minute game (2,880) and divided that by the average number of shots in a game (120) to get to 24 seconds.

It took 4 more years for the league to implement the shot clocks and when they did the league seen a jump in scoring by nearly 20 points a game and gone were the days of games ending up in the 40s. In fact, since the introduction of the shot clock there has been only 20 regular season games were a team has scored less than 60 points, and only one were a team scored less than 50 and only one playoff game were a team scored less then 60 points.

The introduction of the shot clock caused the game to enter into an era of frenzied paces, with teams scoring what were once thought of as impossible number of points. In 1954-55 Neil Johnston lead the NBA in scoring with 22 points a game, seven years later Wilt Chamberlain would set the NBA record by averaging 50 points a game.

Ferris would only stick around the NBA for one season after his clock was introduced before permanently leaving the league and the game to develop real-estate. It was a shockingly short career for someone who would have such a profound impact on the game.

Despite all that he accomplished, Ferris has yet to be introduced into the Naismith Hall-of-Fame. He has been a finalist a couple of times but never made it to the enshrinement portion. This is likely due to the utter and complete disregard and disdain that the NBA has often shown towards the NBL and its former players and staff.

Excluding Ferris has been one of the worst tragedies that the NBA has done in its 70 plus years of existence. Many people are in the Hall-of-Fame who have lesser resumes than Ferris and yet Ferris gets overlooked time and again. Maybe, hopefully, 2018 will be the year for the man who may have saved the NBA.

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"Saturday's a rugby day!", is what you will hear from most people that play the sport. It refers to the most common day around the world that the game is played on. I say it pretty much every time I see a bumper sticker, t-shirt or anything else that is remotely related to rugby. I can still remember arriving to practice one day and the coach saying to me, "You're with the Forwards today Miley." I thought to myself 'why is he calling me Miley?' It turns out I was given the name because of my phenomenal rendition of Miley Cyrus' song 'Party In The U.S.A.' at a club event the night before. It's always fun to hear how one gets their rugby name.

Now that you know a little about me, let's get into how rugby changed my life for the better. "In the beginning, God created rugby", is what I want to say. He probably did a few other things first. He did; however, create the sport that millions of people around the world know and love. Disclaimer, all of my experiences with rugby were not good, especially when I almost broke a few bones.

1. Rugby has allowed me to connect with people from all around the world. I have met French, Ecuadorian, Cuban, Chinese, Polynesian, English and even African rugby players. I think there was a clown in there too. In the beginning of this reading I mentioned how I shout anytime I see anything remotely related to rugby. Even if I see someone going for a light afternoon jog I'll say, "Saturday's a rugby day!" It's like we are a family and automatically feel connected to those that enjoy the sport as well. From Miami Beach to Hong Kong I meet guys constantly who play rugby. They'll invite me out for drinks, their children's birthday party, one guy even designed our current club logo FOR FREE!


2. It's a great way to keep the pounds off too. Imagine running a 5K and every 0.25 kilometers having to tackle a 215 lb guy carrying groceries into his house. That is pretty much how rugby is. To effectively play the sport, you have to be in great shape because it involves a lot of cardio. Running. Unlike football but similar to soccer, game play is continuous and there are no breaks between drives. The field is 100 meters long and you will run the entire distance at least 10 times in a game. As I am writing this, I was motivated to do 50 squats so please give me a second...

3. There's no better feeling than scoring a Try! A Try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area. Imagine a touchdown in football, but you have to press the ball against the ground. Scoring a Try is so great because of all of the hard work that is involved to get there. Imagine a soccer player scoring a Goal. That type of excitement!

So I hope I've converted you to the nation of Rugby and that you will get out on the field one day. Most towns have a Men's League and most colleges have a College League. I have played against UM, LSU, UF, FSU, Auburn and even Duke University. There is rugby everywhere. You just have to go out and find it.

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This question has been on the minds of many football fans as they witnessed the performance of the 25-year old Egyptian forward over the course of the season. Sir Alex Ferguson had once told that Inside Forwards are more dangerous than traditional forwards. The Egyptian seems to be trying to prove Ferguson's remarks true. He has shown explosive bouts of pace, exceptional fitness levels, extraordinary shooting accuracy and the form of his life.

 So, once again, does Mo Salah have a shot at winning the Ballon d'Or? Not Quite Yet!

The reason is rather simple- Liverpool as a team have not won any silverware this season as of yet. So does this count? Yes, it does. Despite all his exploits, the team has not been successful in any major competition apart from the UEFA Champions League. Liverpool just won the first-leg of their semi-finals against AS Roma 5-2. Salah proved to be instrumental in this trashing of his old club yet again as he ended the match with 2 goals and 2 assists. He had managed to score seven goals in his 7 outings in the Champions League during the leadup to the Semi-finals. He has shown out of the ordinary striking form through-out the Premier League season. But unless Liverpool win the Champions League, his dream of winning the Ballon d'Or will remain just that, a dream.


But things have not always gone according to script for the Egyptian. His initial entry into the Premier League was with Chelsea, who bought him from FC Basel. But he could only make 13 appearances and score 2 goals before being loaned-off to Italian side, Fiorentina. He was then loaned to AS Roma who bought him from Chelsea for a complete transfer. He enjoyed considerable success at the club. Liverpool then bought from Roma before the start of the 2017-18 season. Many of the experts voiced their doubts about Salah's ability to adopt to the Premier League. But all of them have been silenced now, given his performance and sheer attacking prowess he has shown.

Salah also helped Egypt qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2018, their first appearance since the 1990 World Cup. He emerged as Egypt's top scorer during the qualifying tournament and scored both the goals in the all important match against Congo. He has so far scored 43 times for Liverpool during this season and is only behind Ian Rush in the all time top goal scorer's for the club in a single season.

Mo Salah has already been named as the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the year. So let us hope Liverpool will maintain their momentum and take their current form into the second leg against AS Roma.