Sick of showboating athletes?  Sick of ME first guys?  Sick of hearing about all the negativity in sports today?  Yeah, me too.

Not having any interesting ideas to write about, I think I'll give this a shot. Having just read mtmarinerfan's post asking where the classy athletes have gone, inspired me to write a series on the good guys.  My objective here is to take a look at the guys who made headlines for what they did on the field and the way they carried themselves off of it. 

So no talk of scandals, steriods or stupidity.  We're going to talk about the guys who clearly made a difference.  I'm going to start with David Robinson, with future write-ups including Cal Ripken, Joe Dumars, and I'll gladly take suggestions as to more guys who should get praise for the way they carried themsleves on and especially off the field or court. 

David Robinson was one of my favorite athletes to watch.  There was something different about him.  Maybe it's because he was left-handed.  Maybe it's because he has one of the best nicknames,"The Admiral". Maybe it's because he was underappreciated playing in the same generation as Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Shaquille O'Neal.  I can't really pinpoint one reason as to why David stood out to me, probably because there are so many.

Make no mistake, this guy was dominant.  So dominant that the San Antonio Spurs drafted him knowing that they would have to wait 2 years for him to play an NBA game.  ( Robinson attended the Naval Academy and honored a 2 year commitment after his graduation to the Navy) So dominant he once blocked 14 shots in one college game.  So dominant he once scored 71 points in an NBA game.  So dominant he turned around the San Antonio Spurs franchise. 

The thing I appreciate the most about David Robinson is the way he spoke.  There was no um, uh, duh, yeah, yup when he spoke.  I'm not ripping on anyone who uses those words, I've used them all today.  When you want an athlete to represent your city, you want him or her to be well spoken and be articulate.  If you remember Robinson interviews or press conferences, he was always able to get his point across and have you say to yourself " I wish more athletes spoke and acted like him."

On the court, his accomplishments are many:

• Olympic gold medals in 1992,1996 and a bronze medal in 1988 playing for U.S.A. basketball
• 2 time NBA champion for the San Antonio Spurs in 1999 and 2003
• Rookie of the Year in 1990
• Voted one of the 50 greatest players in N.B.A. history in 1996
• Recipient of the N.B.A. Sportsmanship Award in 2001
• Defensive Player of the Year in 1992
• 10 time N.B.A. All Star
• 4 time All-N.B.A. First team
• 2 time All-N.B.A. Second team
• 4 time All-N.B.A. Third team
• 4 time All N.B.A. Defensive first team
• 4 time All N.B.A. Defensive second team
• Recorded the rare quadruple double against Detroit with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assisits and 10 blocks on February 17 1994
• N.B.A. Scoring Champion in 1993-1994

For a guy who accomplished so much on and off the court, I salute David " The Admiral" Robinson as one of the good guys in sports.

( All statistics courtesy of NBA.com)