Sports Sharks
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Sports Sharks
Scott Boras
In honor of Shark Week, it's time to look at who the real sharks in sports are, starting with powerful baseball player agent Scott Boras. The ultimate shark in the murky waters of baseball player representation, Boras has most of the league's top players signed to his agency, and has negotiated some of the richest contracts in the history of sports.
Billy Beane
Beane returned the A's to respectability and revolutionized player evaluation in baseball, but Michael Lewis' profile of Beane in Moneyball put a target on his back. Beane was pictured in the book as a shark swimming with guppies.
Jupiter Hammerheads, Florida State League
The Hammerheads must be looking for a truly rare vintage because they've been down in the cellar of the Florida State league for most of the season. The Class A advanced affiliate of the Florida Marlins is a holding pen for some of the Marlin's top young prospects.
Maverick Carter
Carter is widely accepted as the adviser with the strongest personal connection to LeBron James and as having the most influence over James' personal and business decisions. A former high school teammate of James, Carter latched on and started building his own reputation by taking on a powerful role in James' career.
Willie Mosconi & Minnesota Fats
Pool shark Willie Mosconi (pictured) won the World Straight Pool Championships 15 times between 1941 and 1957, and Rudolf Walter Wanderone, Jr., or Minnesota Fats as he was known, was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in 1984.
Michael Phelps
With 14 Olympic gold medals, Phelps without a doubt qualifies as a shark in the pool.
Jerry Tarkanian
Tark the Shark won 990 games in his collegiate coaching career, including the 1990 NCAA Tournament Championship, and led three different schools to 20-win seasons.
Doyle Brunson & Johnny Chan
Card shark Doyle Brunson (pictured) has taken home 10 World Series of Poker bracelets and was the first poker player to take home $1 million in tournament winnings. Johnny Chan is tied for second most WSOP bracelets with Brunson (10) behind Phil Helmuth (11).
San Jose Sharks
These Sharks played in the Cow Pavilion in their first two seasons in existence. Each time the Sharks are on the power play, the Jaws theme song is played. Recently, though, the Sharks have lacked bite in the postseason. Despite finishing at least second in their division the past five years, the Sharks have made it no further than the NHL conference finals.
William Wesley
Known more commonly as "Worldwide Wes," he is considered a major power broker in the NBA and one of the most influential personalities in the sport. His relationship with LeBron James gained him notoriety in the summer of 2010, but Wesley is also close with other past and present NBA players such as Allen Iverson, Richard Hamilton and Michael Jordan.
John Calipari
Calipari takes a bite out of the top of many recruiting classes, but with that has come questions. He is the only coach in NCAA history to have a Final Four appearance vacated at more than one school -- UMass in 1996 and Memphis in 2008.
Don King
Legendary for securing big fights through the years, King started with the "Rumble in the Jungle" in 1974. The following year, he firmly established his position as a titan in the industry, organizing the "Thrilla in Manila." But King has also been investigated for possible connections to mob boss John Gotti, and he has had several lawsuits filed against him.
Pat Riley
Riley preyed on this year's free-agent class for years, clearing up cap space in preparation for the summer of 2010. In the end, he got what he wanted: Dwayne Wade returned to South Beach, and Chris Bosh and LeBron James brought their talents there as well.
Michael Jordan
Though Jordan jumped the shark when he retired from basketball in the middle of his career to pursue professional baseball, he is by and large considered the best player in NBA history. His skill, which led the Bulls to six NBA championships, was matched by his marketability off the court.
Isiah Thomas
Thomas was a 12-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA champion with the "Bad Boy" Pistons during his playing career. As an executive and head coach, his record isn't as flattering. Thomas is only 187-223 as an NBA head coach, and he is vilified in New York after leading the Knicks into mediocrity and salary cap trouble.
Greg Norman
Norman is commonly called "The Great White Shark" or just "The Shark," alluding to his aggressive golf style. Norman has capitalized on the nickname, making his official website shark-centric and developing a multi-national corporation called Great White Shark Enterprises in 1994.