Volume 8 of the MIKE Sports Comic Book Series focuses on my all-time Favorite Sports Toughies.My choices include: five famous athletes, a legendary NFL defense, the most menacing Major League Baseball team ever, a hard scrabble hockey team, an irritating sports fan and a part of sports that forces you to back up whatever you say. All of my picks have made an impact on the world of sports for their toughness. Seven would qualify as positive, while three may be viewed as not so positive. All are instantly identifiable and worthy of being recognized by a unique nickname or clever illustration. One may be the most aggravating person you’ve ever met at a baseball game. However, his shtick has been a part of the American pastime for a hundred years. I get a kick out his antics and admire how he takes as much grief and abuse as he dishes out.An important point needs to be made here. My book is entitled Favorite Sports Toughies, but it is never intended to condone bullying or fighting in any way. The two tough teams on my list have always been fan favorites and have merited their lofty reputations.One football team from Western Pennsylvania boasts an inventive nickname that perfectly personifies its impregnable defense.Another team instilled palpable fear into every pitcher it faced because of its murderous reputation. The five athletes on this list have all excelled in their individual sports.Ironically, my top choice involves unwavering confidence and clever utilization of the English language. In addition to the comics, I include a little history in each chapter about my Favorite Sports Toughies. I explain why I believe my picks belong in this book based on sports related toughness and not because of disrespectful or bad behavior.Email me at mikeonsports@yahoo.com with your opinions.And, enjoy the read.=====================================================About the book's narrator: MIKE - aka Mike Raffone:MIKE is destined to become the first ever animated brand in sports to be seen on television, the web and on Jumbotrons in stadiums and arenas.As narrator of the MIKE Sports Comic Books series, MIKE immediately connects with readers. Sports fans of all ages love his colorful stories, candid comments and creative content. About MIKE's Creator & the book's Author - Jim Sweeney:Born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey, Jim grew up with a passion for sports and fun. Sweeney played baseball, basketball and soccer as a kid and then wound up starting on the Boston College Eagles basketball team. He captained the Eagles from 1977 – 1980 and received the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award as the nation’s top NCAA basketball player under six feet tall. He was seen in the 2014 ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Playing For the Mob.After a 20-year-career in sales, Jim closed the computer agency he founded to pursue a lifestyle career in sports entertainment. He developed the Trademarked MIKE as an alter-ego sports personality and has penned a series of 35+ sports comic books under the MIKE name. Jim also launched the popular MIKE on Sports podcast in 2015 now available on both iTunes and Stitcher Radio.About MIKE's Co-creator & the book's Publisher: Maura SweeneyJim’s wife of 35 years, Maura Sweeney is an author, international speaker, Huffington Post contributor and successful host of her own Living Happy Inside Out podcast.Maura became the driving force in encouraging her husband out of a highly prosperous computer sales business and into the pursuit of his dream – to create MIKE into the sports world’s ultimate talking head.
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