Breaux Greer: Possibly The Coolest Guy In Sports

I bet you've never heard of Breaux Greer, but he is one of the most fun and down-to-earth guys in the wacky world of sports. Breaux is far-and-away the best in his field - throwing a javelin - but he doesn't think it's a very big deal. How refreshing.

From the AP:

At a press conference Wednesday for the U.S. track and field championships, Greer revealed he had a cheetah's ligament recently implanted in his left knee, threw a 98 mph fastball in high school, wants to run the 1,500-meter run at this week's event and that if a thrower hasn't had some kind of surgery, they're not trying hard enough.

All that after being warned to tone down his comments.

"That's just not me," Greer said of holding his tongue. "I usually go off and say whatever comes to mind."

If Greer were a baseball, basketball, or football player, he'd be a rock star of epic proportions.

Greer, 30, may be best remembered for competing at the 2004 Olympic Games in Greece with a torn ACL. Doctors warned him not to try it, but he didn't heed their warnings. Greer had the top throw in qualifying (286-3), but his leg buckled on his first throw in the finals and he was done, finishing 12th. Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway won the competition with a throw of 283-9. He would've won had his qualifying throw counted.

So not only is he cool, he's pretty tough too.

Being Greer means being a little different. He showed up Wednesday with spiked, tinted hair and wearing a lime green shirt. He sipped coffee as hurdler Kerron Clement and sprinters Allyson Felix and Lauryn Williams sat next to him.

"Do you realize how amazing these people are?" Greer said as he glanced their way. "They're leading the world. Why am I here?"

Because no one else in the world is close to him in the javelin. Greer has the longest throw this season, more than 6 feet farther than Finland's Tero Pitkamaki's top mark (291-3).

So he's cool, tough, elite in his field, and humble? This guy is my new hero.

"A lot of people take it (track) too serious," he said. "Dude, I throw a stick. Come on. I get paid a pretty good salary to throw a stick. ... Track has led me to meet a million different people and given me tons of opportunity. I'm not stuck in a cubicle. I'm not in jail. I'm my own boss."

And to top it off, he has excellent perspective. Perhaps athletes like Pacman Jones, Terrell Owens, Stephen Jackson, and Barry Bonds could learn a thing or two from Breaux, huh?