Heinously Hideous Hair Fashions and the Heat's Power of 3

All football fans remember Brazil's Ronaldo in the last edition of the FIFA World cup when he sported an Amazon Indian inspired haircut. Then there was USA's Alexi Lalas' long locks and Colombian Carlos Valderrama's ridiculous frizzy hairdo. This year's edition had many footballers making their marks in the world's greatest football stage by having, quite literally, some hair-raising moments.

The German pitches have been transformed by players sporting a variety of hairstyles, parading their own brand of hair fashion statements. The most common sight among the top guns of football are the clean, shaven heads but there are other who chose otherwise. Perhaps in their hurry to go to Germany, these superstars forgot to visit their barbers.

Mexico's midfielder Gerardo Torrado, (no, not Gerardo Frasco) is causing a hairy riot with his tangled locks, which could disable a few crimping irons. Japan's center-half Yuji Nakazawa has that castaway look atop his head. No wonder he's called "Bomberhead". Argentina gets their strength from the long haired duo of Hernan Crespo and Juan Sorin. Spain's curly Carlos Puyol, in his excitement to be named in the national squad, most probably forgot to pack a comb, a very essential item for today's well-groomed defensive linemen.

Italian playmaker and heartthrob Francesco Totti used to prowl the training fields with a mane that rivals that of a lion but when the tournament started, like a true Roman gladiator, put the sword to the beast and came out with a much cleaner and sharper look.

Going punk is the name of the game for Serbia and Montenego's Mateja Kezman and the Czech Republic's Jaromir Blazek by sporting Sex Pistols-style mohicans. Ecuador's Luis Saritama has a hairstyle which is a cross between Steven Seagal and Chuck Norris' 1980's inspired mullets. England's Rio Ferdinand is going Studio 54 with his afro-fuelled disco revival top.

In the "dyed-in-the-wool" category, Japan's Junichi Inamoto, Korea's Lee Chun-Soo, Ivory Coast's Arouna Kone, and Spain's Santiago Canizares are challenging each other's bleach-blonde hairdos. But Serbia and Montenegro's Danijel Ljuboja stood out among the "recently dyed" with his badger-inspired central stripe running on his head.

The FIFA World Cup has given us an array of dazzling dribbles, heroically crazy defenses, and spectacular goals. But fans of the most beautiful game in the planet don't come just for the technical wizardry of the world's footballing elite, they also come to see the astonishingly tragicomic fashion statements of their idols. And it all adds to the fun and excitement of the FIFA World Cup.

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The three straight games that Miami won over Dallas had only one constant number - 3. Number 3 gave life to an almost cold Heat, where number 32 was relegated to a support role, and where the rest of the team was almost non-existent.

Surpassing Bob Pettit's 19 free throws made way back in 1958, Dwayne Wade took 25 foul shots and set an NBA Finals record of 21 free throws made in a 101-100 victory and a 3-2 series lead. The Mavericks, as a team, also attempted 25 and made 21.

Humble enough to admit that the Heat is Shaq's team, it is actually Wade who is carrying the team to victory, with Shaq dangerously threatening to steal victory away with his constant misses, converting only 2 of 12 attempts that Pat Riley took him out in overtime to prevent him from going to line. Wade is also humble enough to be Shaq's little brother which was not, and could never be in Kobe Bryant's case.

With Shaq's gimpy knees, Dwayne Wade took charge, became unshakeable, cool under pressure. A fallaway jumpshot, a drive thru the Dallas defense, a rebound in heavy traffic, a steal in the open floor - there is that kind of amazing basketball energy that has kept Miami breathing in the finals.

Scoring 42, 36 and 43 consecutive points, Wade made Miami the second team to win the middle three games since the 2-3-2 format was instituted in 1985. And if Miami would like to be in the history books, every one must step up.

I'm hoping for a Miami win so that future Hall of Famers Gary Payton and Alonzo Mourning can retire contentedly happy by having achieved the ultimate prize in their playing career, which was not the case of retired greats Karl Malone, John Stockton, Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing.

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