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Nigel "The Leg" Gruff
Sep 15, 2013
Published in
The Athletes
The Replacements was not a great film, though it has received a solid audience through sports fans. Generally, multiple characters are developed in these ensemble sports films, but realistically the Keanu Reeves vehicle had little other players worth remembering. That is with the exception of the Welsh soccer player, Nigel “The Leg” Gruff.
His was the only one given anything remotely interesting to do (other than Falco) and we are sure many people who watched Gruff kick, wanted to break out into the well-known soccer chant of “Ole”. Still, we have a problem indicting someone into the Hall whose gambling issues made the Sentinels have to forego the Field Goal for the win. Not exactly a heroic athlete is it?
The Bullet Points:
Movie Appeared:
The Replacements (2000)
Actor:
Rhys Ifans
Position Portrayed:
Place Kicker
Played for:
Washington Sentinels
Why you should vote for him:
His character was (to us) the most interesting in the movie.
Why you should not vote for him:
Kickers? In a Hall of Fame? If Canton won’t do it, why should we?
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Nick DiAngelo
Sep 15, 2013
Published in
The Athletes
Watching Rob Lowe as a rower in Oxford Blues was…..well painful. Still, in the mid 80’s, Lowe was a teen heartthrob and garnered a lot of attention for roles like this. Actually, doesn’t this happen every decade?
The Bullet Points:
Movie Appeared:
Oxford Blues (1984)
Actor:
Rob Lowe
Why you should vote for him:
It may not have been a hit in the box office, but it did have legs.
Why you should not vote for him:
Rob Lowe frankly stunk here and was not believable as a rower. Nor did we care if he got the girl.
Neon Boudeaux
Sep 15, 2013
Published in
The Athletes
It is not that Shaquille O’Neal stunk as Neon Boudeaux in “Blue Chips”. The role called for a mumbling beast of a man who could make opponents look like small children, and Shaq could do that easily. Basically, it wasn’t a stretch for him and though he received second billing on the movie poster, he really did not have that many lines. Blue Chips was a modest success, and though it was not critically praised, little negative attention was heaped on the seven footer.
Perhaps because of this, we got Kazaam and Shaq-Fu; which were two of the worst abortions in film and video games respectively. Had we known that would have happened, perhaps the critics would have roasted the Neon character, just to prevent him from giving Hollywood another shot.
The Bullet Points:
Movie Appeared:
Blue Chips (1994)
Actor:
Shaquille O’Neal
Position Portrayed:
Centre
Played for:
Western University Dolphins
Why you should vote for him:
This was a near perfect role for Shaq.
Why you should not vote for him:
This launched Kazaam.
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Ned Braden
Sep 15, 2013
Published in
The Athletes
In some ways, Ned Braden was the least interesting character of the Charlestown Chiefs, but without his straight man persona, the film would have run the risk of getting into a territory whereby it would have been more Slap Stick than Slap Shot. Braden was not just the intellectual counter to the rest of the team, but the physical one as he refused to “goon” it up with the rest of team. As we stated, it wasn’t a fun role, but it was a necessary one.
The Bullet Points:
Movie Appeared:
Slap Shot (1977)
Actor:
Michael Ontkean
Position Portrayed:
Centre
Played for:
Charlestown Chiefs
Why you should vote for him:
This is actually a legit choice for consideration from this film.
Why you should not vote for him:
To this day, the scene of Braden stripping on the ice is still baffling.
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