The Chronicles of “B”

Is there anyone out there who doesn’t appreciate a good underdog story??  No No No I’m not talking about the cartoon or the movie…which by the way was a very good portrayal of the original cartoon Underdog…I’m talking about that person or team who against all odds rises to the top to become a champion!

Some underdogs who have always stuck out in my mind are….boxer James Braddock the Cinderella Man who people said was washed up and was living in poverty when he took on Max Baer. Baer was much bigger and younger and some thought….invincible.  In true David and Goliath style though Braddock took down Baer and won the Heavyweight title of the world.

Many years later a young big mouthed kid from Louisville Kentucky took on another man thought to be invincible.  Sonny Liston was called names like the bear or Gorilla because of his size and the way he dispatched opponents.  But a young skinny Cassius Clay not only beat him he humiliated him not once but twice.  He truly did shock the world!

My bodybuilding heros have always been underdogs as well.  Rich Gaspari was known as the Dragon Slayer.  That’s because despite being smaller than most of his opponents he out worked them and through shear determination he out shined all the others on the stage.

My favorite though…and my all time bodybuilding idol is Frank Zane.  Here is a man who at 5′9" and around 180 lbs developed one of the best physiques ever to grace a stage.  Frank was a granite statue and one of only three men to hand Arnold a bodybuilding defeat even though Arnold was much bigger and heavier.

A 3 time Mr Olympia and in my opinion the greatest ever.  A true underdog who through shear will and determination took his body beyond what maybe even he believed it could be.

This is what I aspire to be.  Like Frank I’m being told that there is no way I’m going to be able to fulfill my dream of getting a pro card or winning a major competition.  Especially at 52.  But let me tell you this my friends….don’t ever tell me I can’t do something or that I’m told old because I will prove you wrong.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 21st, 2009 at 6:59 am and is filed under Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.