I have to stop blogging for a while to attend to the Job for Which I Get Paid, but I will leave you with something to occupy the long, bleak hours without a new post:
This might be for a newspaper column or it might be just for fun, but in honor of Tony Romo, let's compile a list of the all-time most prominent girlfriends or boyfriends of famous jocks (including those who later became spouses).
I am NOT looking for an evaluation of the most attractive dates but rather ones who were the most well known and/or accomplished in their own fields. (Yeah, even if said field happens to be supermodeling. Gisele apparently is the Tom Brady of that profession.)
To keep things simple, let's avoid jock-to-jock couplings - i.e. Mia and Nomar, Andre and Steffi - and post-retirement get-togethers - i.e. Joe D. and Marilyn Monroe.
When nominating Alyssa Milano, please specify which athlete you are pairing her with.
Comments (29)
One of my favorite players, Turkey Mike Donlin, of the Giants a century ago was married to a vaudeville/Broadway actress named Mabel Hite. Tragically Mrs Turkey Mike died young. You can see Donlin in one of the greatest movies ever made, Buster Keaton's "The General". He plays a Union General.
Joe Namath and:
Barbara Streisand
Janis Joplin
Raquel Welch
Randi Oakes
Although probably not at the same time, but who knows?
David Justice and Halle Berry.
Who's going to top Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio?
Alright, I'll say it..Posh and Becks.
Only to give me a chance to repeat one of my favorite scouting reports by George Best (think Joe Namath of soccer in the 1960s):
"David Beckham can not kick with his left foot, he can not defend, he can not head block and he doesn't really score that many goals. Apart from that he's okay".
Wow, Turkey Mike Donlin... Next thing you know, we'll be reading about Hal Chase and his straying ways... ;)
My vote is for Tito Ortiz and Jenna Jameson...
Has to be Ray Knight and Nancy Lopez
Judy Landers and Tom Niedenfuer
20 years of marriage and still going strong. And, she married him AFTER the Jack Clark home run. It's got to be the moustache.
Andre and Brooke Shields was a BIG deal a while back... Anna Kournikova and Enrique Iglesias... John McEnroe and Tatum O'Neil... Ron Greschner and Carol Alt (!)
oh... almost forgot... Monica Seles and Paul Allen (yes, that Paul Allen!)
Kurt Warner and the Lord Jesus Christ... I win
Joe Namath was with Janis Joplin!?!?
Bill Clinton with Monica Lewinsky thinks Joe went down in class.
Wayne Gretzky and Janet Jones
I do know that Janis Joplin and Jimmy Johnson were classmates at Thomas Jefferson High in Port Arthur, Texas. I don't know about the Joe Namath connection, except that Johnson and Namath both made a name for themselves in Miami.
Anna Kournikova and Sergei Federov. Can we count Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert? Joe Namath also dated Ann Margret right around the time they made "The Last Rebel" together.
How about Jeter and Mariah Carey
How about Ron Greschner and Alexei Yashin?
...both with Carol Alt, although not at the same time :)
Mike Tyson and Robin Givens;
Joe Theismann and Kathie Lee (not that Kathie Lee)
For my previous contribution: apparently Alt and Greschner have had more recent dealings...
Alt v. Greschner
Plaintiff: Carol A. Alt
Defendant: Ronald J. Greschner
Case Number: 1:2007cv06004
Filed: June 25, 2007
Court: New York Southern District Court
Tony Parker and Eva Longoria
Chris Evert & Jimmy Connors
Chris Evert & Andy Mills
Chris Evert & Greg Norman
She gets around!
Lance Armstrong and Sheryl Crow
Chris Webber and Tyra Banks
Thanks to all. Keep 'em coming. My favorite is Monica Seles and Paul Allen. Really, really weird.
Ok I'll be the one to do it:
Barry Zito & Alyssa Milano
Brad Penny & Alyssa Milano
Carl Pavano & Alyssa Milano
Jason Sehorn and Angie Harmon
Pavel Bure and Candice Cameron
or was it Valeri Bure?
Mike Comrie and Hillary Duff
Danny Devito and Rheal Pearlman
Here's one that is strange because I can't see her introducing him to her parents:
the late, great Road Warrior Hawk and Eleanor Mondale, former entertainment and news TV anchor and the daughter of Walter Mondale.
She also dated one of the Chicago Bears' lineman--Kuechenberg, I think.
Fred Astaire was married to Robyn Smith. "an actress turned champion jockey" which means she did win a race. She was 45 years younger.
Rube Marquard was married to Blossom Seely, another famous vaudeville actress 100 years ago. Her entry on wikipedia said there was a famous movie made about her in 1952. I never heard of it and have forgotten the name since I changed addresses.
John Montgomery Ward was one of the most extraordinary 19th century player. A pretty good pitcher (threw a perfect game), hurt his arm, became a competent shortstop, became a lawyer to work for the players unions (those oldtimers were just as interested in money as todays players), Giants manager, almost became NL President. His wife was pretty famous but I couldn't find her name on the internet. Ward DID NOT found the department store. I think his wife had a sister married to another ballplayer (Smilin' Mickey welch??).
On a contemporary note: Ashley Judd is married to Indy 500 champion Dario Franchitti. To any NASCAR people, he speaks English. He was born and raised in Scotland.
I think Pele had a romance with a Brazilian children's tv hostess named Xuxa. In the 1950s five time Formula 1 champion Juan Manuel Fangio was famous for romances with the likes of Gina Lollabridga. George Best was famous for saying "I've had a lot of misses in my life. Miss World, Miss Wales, Miss England..."
Awesome comment, J. Clark. And thanks to everyone else for their contributions!
Jim: John M. Ward's wife was the actress Helen Dauvray and you are correct about her sister who married Giants pitcher Tim Keefe. Ward and Dauvray's marriage ended in divorce, perhaps due to Ward's relationship with another actress Maxine Elliott. Info comes from a book I read recently, "Spalding's World Tour" by Mark Lamster. Great insight into several baseball personalities from the 1880s.
As for relationships in a more recent century, how about Dennis Rodman and Madonna. Add Wayne McBean to the Alyssa Milano roster of famous flings.