After all, summer is coming, sounds like the novels would make for good beach reading. (They absolutely do.) But why should you care about Dick Francis when it comes to business?

FORBES: Second Wind

What you also learn is that Dick Lugar -- the more remote the place is and the more obscure the facility is, the bigger a rock star Dick Lugar is. (Laughter.) I mean, they love him in these places.

WHITEHOUSE: The White House

So, Dick, as you prepare to leave the Senate that you love, I think I speak on behalf of everybody here and millions of people across the country to say that your legacy will endure in a safer and more secure world, and a safer and more secure America.

WHITEHOUSE: The White House

You know, she has heckled - she spent eight years heckling the Bush administration, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney and the like and so, you know, if anything, it shows a little bit of consistency, you know, in her heckler-ology.

NPR: Price Too High For Being World's Top Military Force?

But it's clear from the Washington Post series - and I think it was clear even before we saw it all pulled together in this series - that Dick Cheney was, if you will, the first among equals.

NPR: 'Washington Post' Series Focuses on Cheney

"The first comment I heard him make about Dick Clark was, 'You know, we were one of the first black acts, if not the first, on his show in Philadelphia before he went national, " she said.

CNN: Countdown: Top 10 reasons we love Dick Clark

In addition to the aforementioned Van Gaal, Robson and Hiddink, you also have the likes of Giovanni Trapattoni (Bayern), Dick Advocaat (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Cesar Menotti (Sampdoria), Luiz Felipe Scolari (Chelsea) and Carlos Bianchi (Atletico Madrid).

WSJ: Pellegrini's Background Looks Good For Soccer's Manchester City

The "rags-to-riches" catch-phrase notwithstanding, when you examine Alger's novellas, it's clear that the heroes like Ragged Dick and Tattered Tom were more concerned about social status and self-respect than about amassing great wealth.

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