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Contrary to popular belief, the great ones don't all have it -- toughness, a steeliness at the core of their being, the ability to be clutch under pressure.
In honor of all those weak "superstars" who do their best work in ad campaigns -- and, of course, those who frequently rise to the occasion (whatever the occasion might be) -- Page 2 presents its first list of Who's Soft and Who's Not.
We asked readers for some ideas, and you offered some fine pairings of your own.
| THE SOFT LIST |
| Category |
Soft |
Not Soft |
| NBA superstar |
Vince Carter |
Allen Iverson |
| NBA point guard |
Kenny Anderson |
Jason Kidd |
| Washed-up NBA star |
Penny Hardaway |
Mitch Richmond |
| NBA forward |
Vin Baker |
Robert Horry |
| Jordan sidekick |
Scottie Pippen |
Dennis Rodman |
| Jurassic Jazz vet |
Karl Malone |
John Stockton |
| NFL RB |
Ron Dayne |
Marshall Faulk |
| Retired NFL RB |
Franco Harris |
Walter Payton |
| Once-Jailed NFL RB |
O.J. Simpson |
Jim Brown |
| NFL QB |
Rob Johnson |
Brett Favre |
| Retired NFL QB |
Elvis Grbac |
Steve Young |
| NFL WR |
Michael Westbrook |
Keyshawn Johnson |
| Petulant NFL player |
Ricky Williams |
Ricky Watters |
| NFL self-promoter |
Deion Sanders |
Shannon Sharpe |
| NFL D-lineman |
Kevin Carter |
Corey Simon |
| Retired NFL dough boy |
Nate Newton |
Tony Siragusa |
| NFL pretty boy |
Jason Sehorn |
Tom Brady |
| Tough-guy NFL coach |
Jon Gruden |
Bill Cowher |
| Retired NFL coach |
Jim Mora |
Mike Ditka |
| Talk-show hothead |
Jim Everett |
Vince McMahon |
| Baseball slugger |
Manny Ramirez |
Mike Piazza |
| Big-game pitcher |
Greg Maddux |
Curt Schilling |
| Skating star |
Michelle Kwan |
Tara Lipinski |
| Anna love interest |
Enrique Iglesias |
Sergei Fedorov |
| Clubhouse cancer |
Terry Glenn |
Gary Sheffield |
| NBA GM named Jerry |
Krause |
West |
| NHL superstar |
Alexei Yashin |
Steve Yzerman |
| NHL goalie |
Felix Potvin |
Patrick Roy |
| European NHLer |
Robert Reichel |
Peter Forsberg |
| CEO |
Kenneth Lay |
"Neutron Jack" Welch |
| Wacky owner |
Dan Snyder |
Mark Cuban |
| Tiger Woods challenger |
Phil Mickelson |
Bob May |
| Golfer in major |
Greg Norman |
Vijay Singh |
| Female tennis star |
Martina Hingis |
Jennifer Capriati |
| Williams sister |
Serena |
Venus |
| Big mouth |
Bobby Riggs |
Muhammad Ali |
| Potty mouth |
Tommy Lasorda |
Lenny Dykstra |
| Skategate scapegoat |
Marie Renie Le Gougne |
Tonya Harding |
| NBA mascot |
Spike Lee (Knicks) |
Rocky (Nuggets) |
| Young Hollywood hunk |
Matt Damon |
Brad Pitt |
| Mature Hollywood hunk |
Kevin Costner |
Mel Gibson |
| Diva |
Mariah Carey |
Madonna |
| Rockers |
Creed |
Rolling Stones |
| President (D) |
Jimmy Carter |
Bill Clinton |
| President (R) |
George Bush |
George W. Bush |
| Hollywood starlet |
Winona Ryder |
Angelina Jolie |
| "Star Wars" heroine |
Queen Amidala |
Princess Leia |
| "Star Wars" hero |
Luke Skywalker |
Han Solo |
| "Star Wars" villain |
Jabba the Hutt |
Darth Vader |
| "Rocky" villain |
Ivan Drago |
Mrs. Drago |
| Young action star |
Chris Tucker |
Vin Diesel |
| Comedian |
Richard Pryor |
Sam Kinison |
| James Bond |
Timothy Dalton |
Sean Connery |
| Jack Ryan |
Ben Affleck |
Harrison Ford |
| HBO show |
"Sex in the City" |
"Six Feet Under" |
| Julia Roberts role |
"Pretty Woman" |
"Erin Brockovich" |
| Osbourne |
Jack |
Sharon |
| Mean-spirited conservative |
Chris Matthews |
Pat Buchanan |
| Wizard |
Christian Laettner |
Gandalf |
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