MIKE TYSON JUST GAVE CONOR MCGREGOR SOME GENIUS FINANCIAL ADVICE

Iron Mike knows what it's like to lose a lot of cash.

Mike Tyson may seem like the last person on earth who should be doling out financial advice, but he’s not. There are plenty worse people. Like, say, a five-year-old. Or a twenty something with a humanities degree who lives with his parents. Tyson may have blown hundreds of millions of dollars, but actually makes him worth listening to. He’s had it all and lost it. Maybe he’s learned from his mistakes.

In fact, it seems he has. In a recent interview, Conor McGregor’s coach John Kavanaugh shared some advice that Tyson recently passed on to the UFC superstar. “If it depreciates, lease it. If it appreciates, buy it,” Tyson told McGregor, according to Kavanaugh. “Not that [Conor] listened – he bought 25 cars the next day!” the coach added.

Tyson could have used his own advice back when he was young and rich. The former heavyweight champ has reportedly squandered somewhere in the neighborhood of $300 million over the course of his life. A healthy chunk of that went to the more than 110 cars he bought.

Since then, Tyson has clearly given some thought to smart financial practices and studied the wise words of J. Paul Getty, the early 20th century industrialist who was once the richest man alive. Getty is the the one who first spoke the words that Tyson passed on to McGregor. No, Iron Mike didn't come up with it himself.

More games: friv

Mike Tyson: I ‘suck’ at tennis

Mike Tyson is stunned to have gone from the mean streets of Brownsville, Brooklyn, to the US Open’s rarefied air.

“I never thought I’d be a tennis parent,” said Tyson, who brought daughter Milan to the opening night: “In a million years, I never thought I’d be here.” He said, “We have to change our whole barometer as a parent.”

The heavyweight legend — who learned to fight in his tough neighborhood as a kid — even admitted he’s tried his hand on the court. “I suck really bad,” he said.

Mike Tyson, ‘Scream Queens’ Skyler Samuels & Others Join Prank-Comedy Pic ‘Public Disturbance’

Mike Tyson has joined the cast of Public Disturbance, a prank-comedy pic from Lionsgate toplined by the YouTube troupe the Janoskians. Also booked for the pic areScream Queens alum Skyler Samuels — who plays a female lead — Bobby Lee, Amber Stevens West, Joey Lawrence and DJ Dillon Francis have also been added to the pic, which just started production after Lionsgate inked a movie deal with the Aussie prankster trio in 2014.

Danny Lee is directing and the screenplay was written by Dan Ahdoot, Don Deleon, Paul Davidson and Tommy Honton. Hernany Perla, Jeremy Skaller and Lee are producing with AwesomenessTV’s Brian Robbins and Jina Jones.

In the movie, the Janoskians are invited to perform a stunt at a star-studded birthday bash for Alison, the daughter of a famous media mogul (Tyson). When their act gets cancelled at the last minute, the pranksters plan the ultimate heist to hijack the dull party and create the largest public disturbance of their lives.

Special Two Day Tribute For Muhammad Ali - “The Greatest” Receives Send-off Fit For A Champion

“America must never forget that when a cop and an inner city kid talk to each other, miracles can happen,” words spoken by Lonnie Ali at the public memorial service for her husband, Muhammad Ali.
The Greatness of Ali began after he had a talk with retired Louisville Police Officer Joe Martin who taught him to box. That was the start of the man known to the world as “The Greatest.”

Ali died on Friday, June 3, 2016 at the age of 74. The world watched as Muhammad Ali’s life was celebrated in his hometown of Louisville, KY June 9-10, 2016. Two services filled to capacity, a procession through the streets of Louisville was a send-off fit for the King he was.

A traditional Muslim service was held on Thursday at Freedom Hall with a capacity crowd of 14,000 attending. The procession and Interfaith Memorial Service were held on Friday.

Although Ali touched the lives of so many throughout the world, the people of Louisville knew what others did not know. The procession route included a stretch of Broadway Street. In the earlier days, after Ali won his fights, he loved to come back to Louisville. He drove a big recreational vehicle west on Broadway, sometimes very fast, fast enough that the police would pull him over. But when they looked inside and saw it was the Champ, they would just smile and tell him to slow down. It is that incident and so many others that are unique to Louisville. Ali was loved by his hometown and he always made it clear that he indeed loved his hometown.

He was known for his bragging, known to many as the “Louisville Lip” He called himself “the greatest.” When others talked about his bragging, he would often say, “It’s not bragging if you can back it up.”

The City of Louisville backed him up in a big way showing the world that he was “the Greatest” when over 100,000 people lined the streets for  20 miles to say their final goodbye to the Champ.  As the procession, that originated from A. D. Porter & Sons Funeral Home—Southeast passed, the crowd chanted “Ali, Ali.” Some began throwing flowers on the windshield of the hearse carrying their hometown hero. Children were running alongside the hearse throwing jabs in the air. People were running up to the hearse to kiss the roof.

As the cars traveled down Broadway, Hana Ali, the champ’s daughter, tweeted, “We just left the funeral home and are in the car now following our beautiful father in route to his final resting place, as his reoccurring dream is realized. When he was younger he said, ‘I used to dream that I was running down Broadway in downtown Louisville, Kentucky and all of the people were gathered in the street waving at me and clapping and cheering my name. I waved back, and then all of a sudden I just took off flying. I dreamed that dream all the time. . .’”

When the procession made it to the little pink house on Grand Avenue in west Louisville, the heart of the African American community, those waiting wanted to touch the hearse. Ali’s children lowered the windows of the limos and began shaking hands with the people.  The pink house on Grand Avenue is where Ali grew up.

One could only imagine the reaction of Ali’s Children when they saw the many thousands who lined the streets of Louisville to pay their final respects to their father.

The procession made the final leg of the journey when it made the turn into Cave Hill Cemetery where Ali was buried. Thousands of rose petals lay at the entrance as spectators lined the entrance as Ali was taken to his final resting place. It was a scene that Louisville will never see again.

The Public Memorial Service at the KFC YUM Center was filled to capacity with 15,000 people attending.  Celebrities came to say their final goodbyes including former President Bill Clinton, Sen. Orrin Hatch, both speakers on the program.  Others include director Spike Lee, former NFL great Jim Brown, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Whoopi Goldberg, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, boxing greats Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis and soccer star David Beckham and others. Unable to attend because of his daughter’s graduation, President Barack Obama sent Valerie Jarrett as his representative. Minister Louis Farrakhan, Boxing Promoter Don King and Civil Rights Leader Jesse Jackson were also in attendance.

The three-hour interfaith service featured speakers from various religious denominations. The service began with prayers from the Quran from Ali’s Muslim faith and the moderator was an imam from Memphis.  Two rabbis, a catholic priest, the leaders of two Indian tribes and a Baptist minister were all on the program.

The first speaker, Rev. Kevin W. Cosby, senior pastor of St. Stephen Church in Louisville referred to Ali as a “silver-tongued poet” who led African Americans to a new identity. Bring the crowd to the feet, he said, “Before James Brown said I’m Black and I’m proud, Muhammad Ali said, I’m Black and I’m pretty.”

Cosby said Ali “dared to love black people at a time black people had difficulty loving themselves... And he loved us all and we loved him because we knew he loved us, whether. . .you lived in the penthouse or the projects. . .or came from Morehouse or no house.”

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, a friend to Ali for 28 years, said Ali was truly the Greatest. “He moved with agility and punched with Herculean strength. He was an extraordinary fighter and a committed Civil Rights leader.” Hatch also called Ali “an effective emissary of Islam.” He said Ali showed us all the path of greatness.

Hatch said Ali was humble. He said Ali told him “God gave me this condition (Parkinson’s) to remind me always that I am human and that only He is the greatest.”

Lonnie Ali, also a Louisville native and Ali’s wife for 30 years, gave a moving tribute to her husband. She said, “He wanted us to use his life and his death as a teaching moment for young people and the world.” She said Ali “may have challenged the government, but he never ran from it, or from America.”

Rabbi Michael Lerner, based in Berkeley, said the way to honor Ali was to be Muhammad Ali today. He brought the crowd to their feet as he talked about political reforms. He did not mention the Presidential candidates by name, but referring to former President Bill Clinton as the “First Man” gave the audience a clue, and they got it, judging by the applause and standing ovation.

Louisville’s own John Ramsey, a close friend of Ali for many years, talked about his experiences with the champ. He said he was present with him at an Olympic gold medal boxing match and they stood with the winner hearing the chants of U-S-A. He said Ali leaned down and whispered to him that he wanted to talk to the loser. He said he arranged for Ali to talk to the loser of the match.

“In that locker room, in the lowest of the lows, he walks in and the kid recognizes him immediately, said Ramsey. “He says, in broken English, ‘Muhammad Ali’ And Muhammad starts dancing, saying, ‘Show me what you got, man.’ And he starts throwing out jabs and the kid starts ducking and smiling and Muhammad grabs him in a bear hug, and said, ‘I loved what you did out there. You looked good. You’re going to be a champion, don’t give up.’”  Ramsey said it warmed his heart because Ali took the young kid from a very low to a very high in an instant.  He said when they were in the car leaving, he told Muhammad Ali that he really was the Greatest. Ramsey said Ali’s response was, “Tell me something I don’t know already.”

Ramsey recalled one of the quotes Ali used to say, “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” He then said, “Champ, your rent is paid in full.”

Ambassador Attallah Shabazz, daughter of the late Malcolm X, gave a very tearful tribute to Ali.  She has been a resident of Louisville for the past six years. “Having Muhammad Ali in my life somehow sustained my dad’s breath for me just a little while longer; 51 years longer until now,” she said as she fought back tears.

Speaking on behalf of President Barack Obama, Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor, said, “Ali was . . .loud and proud, an unabashedly black voice in a Jim Crow world.” She said, “Muhammad Ali was America. Muhammad Ali will always be America.” Jarrett said the world embraced Ali because he was the best of America.

Sports Commentator Bryant Gumbel said Ali “gave us levels of strength and courage we didn’t even know we had.” He said, “The world needs a champion who believes in fairness and inclusion for all... (He said) it doesn’t matter which color does the hating, it’s just plain wrong.”

Comedian Billy Crystal said Ali always referred to him as his brother. “He was funny, beautiful, the most perfect athlete you ever saw, and those were his own words...He was so much more than a fighter. He made all of our lives a little bit better than they were. He taught us that life is best when you build bridges between us, not walls. He is gone, but he will never die. He was my big brother.”

Former President Bill Clinton said Ali was not imprisoned by a disease. He recalled Ali’s carrying of the Olympic Torch. “He was going to make those last steps, no matter what it took. The flame would be lit, no matter what, the fight would be won.”

Clinton said, “In the end, besides being a lot of fun to be around, I will always think of Muhammad as a truly free man of faith.  And being a man of faith, he realized he would never be in full control of his life.  It is the choices that Muhammad Ali made that brought us all here today, in honor and in love.” He said, “We should honor him by letting our gifts go among the world as his did.”

Rev. Dr. Kevin Cosby, Pastor of St. Stephen Church in Louisville summed it up best. Talking about Ali and his importance to the Black Community, he said, “He dared to love America’s most unloved race. . .While he was the property of all people, let us never forget, he is the product of black people, and their struggle to be free.”

Who supports Donald Trump? Oh, just John Daly, Bobby Knight and Mike Tyson.

If you ever set foot in a Donald Trump casino, you would never lend a hand to a Donald Trump campaign. But we’ll get back to his gambling properties later — first, let’s look at the remarkable support he is getting from the sports world’s most contemptible characters.

Among those endorsing Trump for president:

John Daly, Mike Ditka, Lou Holtz, Richie Incognito, Bobby Knight, Terrell Owens, John Rocker, Dennis Rodman, Rex Ryan, Latrell Sprewell, Mike Tyson and Dana White.

Now, that’s a hatful of humanity, no?

P.S. I held a seance last week, and Ty Cobb phoned in his pledge of support for Trump.

A guide to sports figures’ presidential endorsements

Trump somehow has rounded up a Hall of Shame rogues’ gallery of every sports blockhead, loudmouth and ne’er-do-well east and west of Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago.

(Speaking of which, you may recall that earlier this year Ditka called Barack Obama the “worst president we’ve ever had.” Well, in 1992 when he worked for NBC, I called Ditka the “worst NFL studio analyst we’ve ever had.”)

Herschel Walker also supports Trump, but in that case, I’m assuming Trump still owes him money from his USFL days and Walker doesn’t want to bite the hand that feeds him.

Meanwhile, Mark Cuban, one bombastic businessman/reality TV star to another, is a big admirer of Trump. Cuban and Trump unmistakably share a single quality — they look in the mirror every 15 minutes and always like what they see.

It also should be noted that the Patriots’ troika of royalty, Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, all are on friendly terms with Trump; in regard to crimes against mankind, this should put Deflategate somewhat in perspective.

Trump’s outsider pitch finds audience with similar figures in sports

Trump’s hold on sports boobs and rubes even extends to the sports media. Just last week, he was endorsed by Mike Francesa, the delusional, despotic New York sports-talk radio host; Trump and Francesa first met, I believe, at a Demagogue’s Anonymous meeting in 1999.

(Disclosure: I am a registered independent and hardly ever vote for either major-party candidate in presidential elections. To put it in March Madness terms, I’m always backing Murray State.)

Anyway, without judging Trump on his politics — though I have trouble deciphering this statement he just made: “We have great relationships with many foreign countries, but they have to respect us. . . . And you know it’s a two-way street. And the two-way street means that we’re going down one side and they’re coming up the other” — I will judge him on his casinos.

They’re awful.

Frankly, if you can’t run a casino, I doubt you can run a country.

(I do remember, fondly, walking through the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City 10 years ago. Near one of the restrooms was a cigarette machine — a pack of cigarettes was $8.50, and it took quarters only. Hmm, I thought, a cigarette slot machine! And like the real slots, you’re a guaranteed loser.)

Trump’s gambling establishments have one big thing in common with the America he wants to make great again — they both operate around the clock in debt.

His casinos all have a worn-out look. They offer few amenities. They are joyless palaces of lost hope. And, eventually, they go bust.

The thing is, even though Trump is backed by a lot of tough-guy winners, like Ditka and Knight and Tyson, he traffics in massive losses. Trump casinos, Trump Airlines, Trump University — all belly up.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: When Donald Trump buys a book, he only reads Chapter 11.

Trump also bought a team — Walker’s New Jersey Generals — in the aforementioned United States Football League, and while the venture was likely to fail, he made it fail faster.

Then again, Trump must know a little something about a little something.

Why else would Couch Slouch just have gone online to buy a Success by Trump Deodorant Stick and Success by Trump Eau de Toilette Spray? Boy oh boy, the scent of Trump Fragrances — you might not have a nickel to your name, but it makes you smell like a billion bucks.

Ask The Slouch

Q. Curt Schilling is thinking about charging fans to watch Periscope broadcasts of his commentary during baseball games. You first in line for that one, Slouch? (David Decker; Indianapolis)

A. I wouldn’t pay to listen to my own commentary during baseball games. Good luck, Curt.

Q. Michael Phelps just became a dad. Any words of wisdom? (Mark Cohn; Arlington Heights, Ill.)

A. I am reminded of what Jon Stewart once said: “Fatherhood is great because you can ruin someone from scratch.”

Q. Did either of your first two marriages end in “walk-offs”? (Kendall Hayes; Woodbridge, Va.)

A. Actually, both of my ex-spouses sort of “ran off.”

Q. When Johnny Manziel moves into high-density public housing, does he automatically lose his right to vote for the next Heisman winner? (Richard Brown; Accokeek, Md.)

A. Pay the man, Shirley.

You, too, can enter the $1.25 Ask The Slouch Cash Giveaway. Just email asktheslouch@aol.com and, if your question is used, you win $1.25 in cash!

Mike Tyson Is Set to Sell His Knockout Mansion in Nevada for $1.5M

Do you think you can beat Mike Tyson? Fat chance, but you can own the champ’s home and be his neighbor—if you’re the lucky buyer of his contemporary mansion in Henderson, NV.

Listed at $1.5 million, the 5,804-square-foot home was on the market for only a day before receiving an offer. The home’s already in escrow, according to listing agent Kenneth Lowman.

Such a quick close can only come from a knockout of a home, right?

The former boxer certainly pulled no punches when he renovated the mansion, adding a 25-foot lighted waterfall in the sunken great room on the main level. Other contemporary touches include the remodeled kitchen. The house boasts five bedrooms and four updated bathrooms; the master bathroom features a floating tub, an LED-lighted rain shower, and marble throughout.

“He and his wife [Lakiha Spicer] did the remodel with selling in mind,” Lowman says, noting that they figured “if they made it contemporary and modern, it would be easier to sell.” Apparently they were right, as evidenced by the rapid offer. And if escrow were to fall through, Lowman says there are “three or more people in line” to offer contracts.

The buyer will be Tyson’s neighbor as well. The 49-year-old media personality and actor (he’s currently working on the Adult Swim’s “Mike Tyson Mysteries”) purchased a home double the size down the street last month for $2.5 million.

“They really love the neighborhood. They really just wanted more space,” Lowman explains.

Tyson bought the home in 2008 for $1.75 million. With all the updates, he’s going to take a hit on the investment. However, says Lowman, the former knockout king can weather the blow because he scored a good deal on his new digs.

Pole Position

I find the Review section of the Wall Street Journal to be must-reading. But I’m inevitably backed up because, well, who has the time? (The feeling is apparently not exclusive, considering the latest tagline for the paper is "People who don't have time make time to read the Wall Street Journal." Thecommercials, featuring various entrepreneurs, are slick and no doubt costly. But they're certainly better than those Time commercials from the 1980s, in which if you act now, you can get a free alarm clock telephone. Yes, the phone is actually connected to the radio! And remember that corny jingle?Time flies, and you are there. Time cries, and let's you share.)

In any event, I'm just catching up with the Review section, including the Weekend Confidential column by Alexandra Wolfe. I've always gained some insight into her subjects, who include inventors, actors, artists, and musicians. Donald Sutherland, for instance, was urged by his father to major in engineering at the University of Toronto. Instead, he earned a degree in English literature.

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That didn't last long. "They didn't like me, and I didn't like them," he remembers, adding that one teacher said that his voice should be an octave higher and "was unsuitable for English theater." Before long, she suggested that he leave theater and drive a truck instead. "I suggested if I were to drive a truck she should be careful walking the streets."

But, for some reason, the one passage that sticks with me comes from Wolfe's summer profile of rapper 50 Cent (né Curtis Jackson), just prior to his bankruptcy woes.

These days, Mr. Jackson lives a comfortable life in Farmington, Conn., a quiet town near Hartford…. He bought his 50,000-square-foot mansion for $4.1 million in 2003 from the boxer Mike Tyson and, since then, has tried to sell it. He listed it in 2007 for $18.5 million and later dropped the price to $10 million. He took it off the market in 2012. The house has over 20 bedrooms, a gym and a disco with stripper poles. He has two children with two former girlfriends.

Merry Christmas. May your New Year dreams come true. Even if those dreams include stripper poles in your Farmington, Conn., home.

2015: A look back at interesting people we met

We've met a lot of people (and more than a few animals) in the Green Valley News and Sahuarita Sun this year. Let us reintroduce you to a few who've left an impression.

Dinah the cat

Dinah is the official greeter at The Animal League of Green Valley and spends a lot of time ensconced in her upscale retreat with cat-sized furniture. The gorgeous feline didn’t always have it so easy. She was brought to the shelter in 2013, overweight and full of cuts — misguided attempts to remove matted fur. Today, Dinah is fit, friendly and, of course, queen over everything she sees.

Nathan Gunn

We only met him on screen, but Nathan Gunn, a Grammy Award-winning opera singer, has a solid Green Valley connection — his parents, Walter and Nancy Gunn, live here in winter. Nathan has taken the opera world by storm for his wonderful baritone and hunky good looks. Green Valley saw him on the screen at Desert Sky Cinema last January, beamed from a New York stage.

He's a fighter

It’s been 25 years, but John Russell of Green Valley remembers it like it was yesterday. Russell coached boxer Buster Douglas to one of the biggest upsets in sports history when he beat Mike Tyson in Tokyo on Feb. 11, 1990. After the fight, “I sat down on a bench and I put a towel over my head and I just broke down crying,” Russell says. “It was the pressure. It all just hit me at that time.”

Love lasts forever

On Valentine's Day, we shared Jerry and Carol Pulliam’s decades-long love story. Three weeks later, on March 5, 2015, they celebrated 70 years of marriage – a high school romance that outlasted a world war, moves around the country and a few tough UA basketball losses. It also paved the way for four beautiful daughters. Jerry and Carol, in love just as much in 2015 as they were in 1945, died within weeks of each other later in the year.

Back on course

Bob Barrette of Green Valley was looking for just the right person to build a set of custom golf clubs for. Ryland Morgan, 8, of Sahuarita was looking to get back on the course. A perfect match. A disability made it increasingly difficult for Ryland to handle standard clubs and play the game his grandfather – his biggest cheerleader – had taught him. His grandfather’s death in 2014 added to his setbacks. Barrette approached the family and went to work on a light-weight set of clubs just Ryland’s size. He promises to make Ryland’s next set of clubs, too.

Gotta dance!

Lynn Bienen has been dancing for decades and doesn't plan to stop. We met the 90-year-old Sahuarita woman last January and learned about her time with the noted Diane Davisson Dancers in Los Angeles. Bienen still takes dance lessons from Nancy Sakal in Quail Creek, and doesn't plan on stopping her lifelong love of movement. "Hearing the music and keeping up with the rhythm, it makes me feel so good,” she says.

Knows her stuff

Canoa Ranch golf pro Kris Hanson has done it all in golf and now shares her expertise with Green Valley.

She was a member of the 1983 NCAA championship-winning Texas Christian University women's golf team before spending 10 years on the pro tour. Her favorite memory as an LPGA pro was finishing 12th at the 1988 U.S. Open. "I still have goosebumps just thinking about it, because I got to live my dream."

Now this is fast

Green Valley's Rick Dorfmeyer is a speed freak. He has entered the Speed Week events at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah for seven years and holds the record for fastest aggregate speed on a motorcycle in the 650 CC division, going 194.3 mph in 2010. His goal is to build a bike that can go 212 mph — 14 mph faster than any time he's posted in seven attempts.

He's been around

In February, Green Valley News columnist Scott Dyke introduced us to Sahuarita cowboy and poet Marvin Haas. Haas regaled us with stories about faraway places like Turkmenistan and Angola, where he was a member of the Farm Credit Administration, which partnered with the U.S. government to supply agricultural supplies to underdeveloped countries. Haas picked up poetry a decade ago while living in Colorado, and enjoys writing about the desert. He has a soft spot for all things Western, having grown up in North Dakota.

Loves to ride

Longtime professional bull rider Scott Raftery retired to help take over a family horse cutting business south of Green Valley. Raftery learned the ins and outs of rodeo from his father, who was a cavalryman in the Army. Raftery went on to become the Arizona Junior Rodeo Association champion in 1971, and turned professional in 1975. He also won the bull-riding event at the Tucson Fiesta de los Vaqueros in 1982, and was the Turquoise Circuit champion that year. He said the fraternity he shared with his fellow riders was unmatched, though cutting horses with his daughter and son might be close behind.

Two great shots

English golfer John Phipps hit possibly the rarest shot in golf by sinking a double-eagle on the par-five fifth hole at Quail Creek's Roadrunner course in March. Phipps, 67, is a relative newcomer to the game, having picked it up two years ago after playing tennis growing up in Yorkshire County, England. "I really smashed it, and it was a very good shot for me because I'm not a very good golfer," he recalls. The odds of making a double-eagle are 6 million to one. That made it all the more interesting that just days later, Dave Pickering of Green Valley made the same shot — on the par-five fifth hole at Canoa Ranch. Pickering said he and his playing partners were confused because they thought the ball flew the green, and only found it in the hole after scouring the rough around the putting surface. "If you take the shot, there's always the potential for something great to happen," Pickering says. "Golf's all about potential."

Keep swinging!

In March, sports reporter Christopher Boan played a round of golf with Green Valley's Dick Pomo, who hosts a tournament for blind golfers from across the country. Boan tried his hand playing with a blindfold and a special pair of goggles that replicate macular degeneration. Pomo, 73, has been totally blind for 13 years, and plays with the help of longtime coach Clark Lambert.

If he builds it

Tubac legend Herb Wisdom has spent the better part of a decade building a ball park. Wisdom estimates he's spent close to $30,000 of his own money on the park, and said he's committed to helping the children in Tubac have a safe place to play. Wisdom began working on the field three years ago, and has received several donations, including a $3,500 check from American Legion Madera Post 131 in Green Valley. "Growing up here, we never had a park," Wisdom recalls. "So we always had to go on the road, and even today kids have to go to Nogales, to Rio Rico or to Tucson to play, because we don't have a park. I want to change that."

Loves the commute

Ruperto Del Angel loves to bike, and Pima County loves him. In 2015, he was named Pima County Bicycle Commuter of the Year. He rides his bike from Elephant Head to the Continental Road Safeway where he works. Del Angel has made the commute for 14 years, traveling 14 miles each way through all types of weather, and carries an extra inner tube and pump in case of a flat tire. "My body feels good when it's riding a bicycle," he says. "I enjoy doing it, so I just keep going, and I'm doing well because of it."

Raising a winner

Rose Estes bred several prized stallions during her career, including Saluter, who won six straight Virginia Gold Cup steeplechase races from 1994-99. Estes got into the horse business after becoming an avid fox hunter in the early 1980s in Loudoun County, Virginia. She launched her breeding career in 1986 with a few horses, but struck it big when Saluter was born in 1988. "I pretty much lived in the barn, and the night Saluter was born I was staying in our tack room," Estes recalls. "It was really cool because it was the first time that my parents had ever seen a newborn foal or had ever witnessed anything like that."

Just one more!

Green Valley golfer Jack Lutz, who has eagled or hit a hole-in-one on 17 of the 18 holes at Desert Hills Golf Club, is still gunning for the last one.

Lutz, 91 when we met him last year, picked up the game as a school teacher in California nearly 50 years ago. He still plays at least four times a week. He's hit 11 holes-in-one in his career, and had a simple explanation for his success: "L-U-C-K. Luck." He says the only thing that haunts him is the lone hole he's never beat, the par-three third. "Everyone, it seems, in this whole club has a hole-in-one on that hole expect for me," he said. "Even my wife has a hole-in-one on that hole."

He's No. 1

He says he's not as good today as he was five years ago, but 95-year-old Tudor ApMadoc still plays tennis every chance he gets. At one point, he was ranked No. 1 by the United States Tennis Association in the 90-year-old age group. Now, he has aged out of USTA-sanctioned events and doesn't play competitively. He picked up the game after serving in the Army during World War II and still calls it fun. "That's what matters,” he says.

Carving genius

Jack Blossfield has crafted more than 100 walking sticks out of yucca wood, and gives them to friends and family as gifts. Each is unique, but each also includes the image of a kokopelli. Blossfield says he struggles to produce the quantity he did in his younger days because his fingers aren't as nimble.

Historically accurate

Bobb Vann has painted portraits out of his Tubac studio for 20 years. Vann, trained at the Philadelphia College of Art, works to depict an accurate image of what life was like for African-Americans throughout history, including the Buffalo Soldiers who fought for the Army in the mid-19th century. Vann's work has been featured in galleries across the country, and says he enjoys painting pictures that are historical in nature. "I want to be honest in my work and I want to paint images that are historically factual and represent life as it was and still is," he says.

He's got the ring

World Series champ and Sahuarita resident George Vukovich played Major League Baseball with the Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians before finishing his career in Japan. He doesn't hold back when recounting the memories. Vukovich was a collegiate All-American with Southern Illinois University before moving to the majors, where he won a World Series ring during his rookie year in 1980. He was traded, and describes going from a perennial contender to the so-so Indians: "From the penthouse to the outhouse." He went on to win two championships in Japan with the Seibu Lions, but it never proved to be an enjoyable experience. "It was not a good fit," he recalls. "I hated them and they hated me. Tokyo is a hard place to get around." Vukovich still gives batting lessons to kids in town.