Mike's wife Jill is a mathematician, recently achieving her Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr College. They are expecting their first child in late April or early May 2006. Mike is a graduate of Houghton College in New York and Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Liturgical Studies at Drew University in Madison, NJ.

Eldrick "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Currently the World No. 1, Woods was the highest paid professional athlete in 2006, having earned an estimated $100 million from winnings and endorsements.

Kobe Bean Bryant (born) is an American All-Star shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant is the only son of former Philadelphia 76ers player and former Los Angeles Sparks head coach Joe "Jellybean" Bryant. Bryant rose to national prominence in 1996 when he became the first guard in league history to be drafted out of high school.

Andre Kirk Agassi (born April 29 1970, in Las Vegas, Nevada) is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from the United States who won eight Grand Slam singles tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in singles. He is one of only five male players to have won all four Grand Slam singles events during his career. He is the only player in the open era to have won every Grand Slam singles title, to have won the Tennis Masters Cup, …

Vincent Lamar "Vince" Carter (born January 26, 1977) is an American All-Star basketball player in the NBA. He currently is a player for the New Jersey Nets. He is considered one of the best shooting-guards, dunkers, and finishers in the game today.

Roger Federer (born August 8, 1981) is a Swiss tennis professional, currently ranked World No. 1. Many experts and many of his own tennis peers believe Federer may be the best player in the history of the game. Federer has won eleven Grand Slam men's singles titles in 33 appearances (all eleven coming in a record 17 consecutive appearances), three Tennis Masters Cup titles, and 13 ATP Masters Series titles.

Carmelo Anthony is an excellent basketball player. He has a well-rounded game and we like his new dread-free dome too. That being said, he's not an All-Star this season and for being overly upset with the decision, The Love of Sports is sending his supporters a healthy dose of Tough Love today.

Maria Yuryevna Sharapova (born April 19, 1987) is a Russian professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. She is currently the second ranked player in the world. At the end of 2006, she was the world's highest-paid female athlete. Sharapova has won two Grand Slam singles titles. She is the reigning U.S. Open champion, having defeated Justine Henin in the final of the 2006 U.S. Open. Two years earlier, she defeated Serena Williams in the final at Wimbledon.

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, (born 5 February 1985 in Funchal, Madeira), better known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a professional Portuguese footballer. He plays for the English Club Manchester United F.C. and Portugal.

Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera (born June 3, 1986, in Manacor, Mallorca) is a top Spanish professional tennis player. As of July 2007, he is ranked No. 2 in the world. He is a three-time Grand Slam champion, having won three consecutive French Open singles titles (2005-07), and has twice been a runner-up at Wimbledon (2006-07). Nadal is undefeated in his career at the French, having won all 21 matches he has played en route to his three championships.

Frederick Carlton ("Carl") Lewis (born July 1, 1961) is a retired American track and field athlete who won 10 Olympic medals including 9 golds, and 10 World Championships medals, of which 8 were golds, in a career that spanned from 1979 when he first achieved a world ranking to 1996 when he last won an Olympic title and subsequently retired. He currently lives in Los Angeles and is pursuing an acting career.

Walter Ray Allen (born July 20, 1975) is an American professional basketball player for the NBA's Boston Celtics, for whom he plays shooting guard. He has also played for the Milwaukee Bucks and Seattle SuperSonics. Allen is known as one of the best jump shooters in the history of the NBA, especially from three-point range.

LeBron Raymone James (born) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association. Commonly nicknamed "King James" and "The Chosen One", the Akron, Ohio-born James was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA star while still in high school, and was named Ohio's "Mr. Basketball" three times.

John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. (born February 16, 1959 in Wiesbaden, Germany) is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. Scott Riley, writing for The Sports Network, recognized him as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles - three at Wimbledon and four at the U.S. Open. He also won nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title.

LaDainian Tomlinson is an American football player who currently plays running back for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. Tomlinson, frequently called "LT", set several records during the 2006 NFL season by scoring a league-leading 186 points through 31 touchdowns. He received additional honors by winning the NFL’s Most Valuable Player Award and the Associated Press’ Offensive Player of the Year Award.

Dirk Werner Nowitzki (born June 19 1978 in Würzburg, West Germany) is a German basketball player for the United States' National Basketball Association's (NBA) Dallas Mavericks. Standing at, Nowitzki is an all-purpose forward, able to play any position in the frontcourt (center, power forward, or small forward).

Lance Armstrong Facing testicular cancer and not yet knowing his own fate, in 1997 champion cyclist Lance Armstrong established the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a non-profit organization that inspires and empowers people affected by cancer. This marked the beginning of Lance's role as an advocate for cancer survivors and a world representative for the cancer community.

Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. (born January 31, 1947) is an American right-handed former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played in a record-tying 27 seasons for the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers, from to. Ryan still holds many major-league pitching records, some by such wide margins over previous marks that they will likely stand for many years. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in. Ryan, a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher, …

Deion Luwynn Sanders (Born:August 9, 1967 in Fort Myers, Florida) is a former National Football League cornerback, Major League Baseball outfielder, and CBS Sports commentator. In April of 2006 he became a partial owner of the Austin Wranglers, an Arena Football League team based in Austin, TX. Sanders also works for the NFL Network, appearing on the Sunday night highlights show NFL GameDay. He played for the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, …

Jackie Joyner-Kersee (born March 3, 1962) is a retired American athlete, ranked amongst the all-time greatest heptathletes. She won three gold, one silver and two bronze Olympic medals. Named after Jackie Kennedy, she currently lives in East St. Louis, Illinois. Joyner-Kersee was the first woman to score over 7,000 points in a heptathlon event (during the 1986 Goodwill Games).

Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player. Commonly nicknamed "Sir Charles" and "The Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley established himself as one of the most dominating power forwards in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected to both the All-NBA First Team and All-NBA Second Team five times, and All-NBA Third Team once.

Gary Dwayne Payton (born July 23 1968, in Oakland, California) is an American professional basketball player currently playing for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association. He is best known for his 12-year tenure with the Seattle SuperSonics. He has also played with the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Boston Celtics. Payton has played point guard for most of his career.

George Kenneth Griffey, Jr. (born November 21 1969, in Donora, Pennsylvania) is a Major League Baseball player on the Cincinnati Reds. His nicknames have been "The Natural", "The Kid", and "Junior".

Scottie Maurice Pippen (born September 25, 1965 in Hamburg, Arkansas) is a former American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and is most remembered for leading the Chicago Bulls together with Michael Jordan to six championships and being one of the best all-around players of all time.

Mia Hamm-Garciaparra (born Mariel Margaret Hamm on March 17,1972 in Selma, Alabama) is a former American soccer player. Playing for many years as a forward for the United States women's national soccer team, she scored more international goals in her career than any other player, male or female. Hamm eventually became one of the most famous women athletes in the world, an iconic symbol of women's sports, …

Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe, KBE, (born 29 September 1956 in Chiswick, London) is a politician and former top-level athlete from England. In his athletics career as a middle distance runner, Coe won the 1500 m gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984, and set eight outdoor and three indoor world records. Following his retirement from athletics, he served as a Conservative Party Member of Parliament from 1992-97, and became a life peer in 2000.

Paul Rodriguez Jr. (born on December 31 1984, in Chatsworth, California, USA), is a professional skateboarder and son of comedian Paul Rodriguez. He goes by the name "Paul Rodriguez", without the "Jr.", and is also referred to by the nickname "P-Rod", which was given to him by his older cousin George Rodriguez (G-Rod).

Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson (born November 30, 1962 in Bessemer, Alabama) is an American athlete and a former multi-sport professional. Jackson played at the highest level of sports in the United States in both American football and baseball. In football, Jackson played running back for the Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League. In baseball, Jackson played left field and designated hitter for the Kansas City Royals, the Chicago White Sox, …

Steve Roland Prefontaine (commonly referred to as Pre by runners and fans) was an American Olympic runner born in Coos Bay, Oregon. Prefontaine was primarily a long distance runner, and at one point held the American record in every running event from the 2000 meters to the 10,000 meters. Prefontaine had one leg longer than the other (a common condition that does not affect running speed), …

Julius Shareef Abdur-Rahim (born December 11, 1976 in Marietta, Georgia) is an American professional basketball player. He is a member of the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and can either play as forward or center. Abdur-Rahim was a standout player during his high school days and he left college after one year to enter the 1996 NBA Draft. In his early NBA career, Abdur-Rahim was the star of the Vancouver Grizzlies franchise for five seasons.

Anfernee Deon Hardaway (born July 18 1971, in Memphis, Tennessee), better known as Penny Hardaway, is a American NBA basketball player specializing as a point guard and shooting guard. He is currently (as of 2007) a free agent, as he was waived by the Orlando Magic in February 2006. Injuries have plagued his career and reduced his effectiveness over a decade of NBA service.

Jason Chandler Williams (born November 18 1975, in Charleston, West Virginia) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the NBA. He grew up in Belle, West Virginia, a small town less than 10 miles from Charleston, and graduated from Dupont High School (a now-defunct institution), where he played high school basketball with current NFL star Randy Moss.

Michael Schumacher (pronounced /:Media:De-Michael-Schumacher.oggsmall>(help•info</small>/, born January 3, 1969, in Hürth Hermülheim, Germany) is a former Formula One driver, and seven-time world champion. According to the official Formula One website, he is "statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen". He is the first German to win the Formula One World championship and is credited with popularising Formula One in Germany.

Ilie Năstase is a former Romanian professional tennis player and one of the top players of the 1970s. Năstase was the World No. 1 in 1973 according to the Association of Tennis Professionals computer rankings, which placed him first from August 23, 1973, to June 2, 1974.

Ronaldo de Assís Moreira is a Brazilian footballer, also known as Ronaldinho "Gaúcho" (due to him being from the Rio Grande do Sul state of Brazil), or simply and most commonly Ronaldinho. He became a naturalized Spanish citizen in January 2007. Ronaldinho, meaning "little Ronaldo", is better known in Brazil by the nickname Ronaldinho "Gaúcho", in order to distinguish him from Ronaldo (already called Ronaldinho in Brazil).

Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23 1973, in San Francisco, California) is an American All-Star professional basketball player in the NBA. After earlier tours with the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns, he is currently the New Jersey Nets starting point guard and captain. He led the Nets to two consecutive NBA Finals appearances (2002 and 2003) and is considered to be one of the best players of his generation, …