My Favorite Current Athletes: Outside of Baseball...

Well, as you all know, I am a huge, huge fan of baseball and it's my first love. However, I do watch quite a bit of sports and consider myself a sporting fool, first and foremost.

As we know, the pantheon of sports spans a wise spectrum of activities and interests, and today I going to share my favorite athletes in the sport of football, golf, basketball, hockey, racing and yes, even pro wrestling.

In the end, sports help being us together, entertain and perhaps most important, let us forget about our problems and live life vicariously through our heroes for a few hours.

The List:

Tiger Woods: He’s the man; he’s rich, famous, loved by all and has a model for a wife. Yes, plus he’s nothing short of a killer on the golf course. Even though he does not win every tournament he plays in, he’s always a contender and his dominance of the game is unparalleled except for the play of Jack Nicklaus.



I like this commercial, artistic, simple but effective.



Gilbert Arenas: Agent Zero. He’s sometimes quirky and eccentric, but he’s been nothing short of deadly this season and I’m lucky enough to see him in person play.



Allen Iverson: He’s got heart, game and courage. He’s probably the player who gets the most out of his size and ability. It’s too bad he had to leave Philadelphia to go the Nuggets, but was he ever the heart and soul of that team.



Alexander Ovechkin: I’m not too big into hockey, but seeing this kid is amazing on TV and twice in person is amazing. I don’t know if he’s the second coming of Gretsky, or we’ll be mentioning his name in the same breath as Super Mario or Gordie Howe, but as young as he is, he’s been nothing short of awesome. It’s nothing short of insane the shots I have seen him take – wow.



LeBron James: The King, and probably one of the best all-around players in the game already. He’s nothing short of incredible and is a beast on the floor. He’ll be one of the best of all-time in the history of the sport when all is said and done.



Annika Sorenstam: The queen of golf and probably one of the most dominant athletes of her sport. I have gotten an appreciation of golf and have taken it up in the past few years, but every time I see her on TV, she’s amazing. She’s not at all flashy, but someone who can concentrate and dominate her sport as she does deserves some props.



Reggie Bush: Even though he’s a rookie, he’s contributed to the Saints’ amazing run in the playoffs. He’s a legend on the college gridiron and I’m sure he’ll continue his legend in the NFL. He’s a talented RB and I have never seen runs like he’s accomplished by anyone else, except for Walter Payton and Jim Brown.



Steve Nash: He may not be that charismatic, but he can play the game and do it all day long.



Brian Urlacher: I just love the way he plays football – hard nosed and old school.



Ric Flair: Many people don’t consider wrestlers athletes, and in fact consider them a joke. Wrestling may be fake, juvenile and scripted, but Ric Flair did it better than anyone else. They take a beating to entertain fans, much less a stunt man would do and that’s a reality of the field, but he’s been at for nearly 4 decades now and he makes me laugh t times with his “woos” and blabbering.



Tom Brady: I’m no fan of the Patriots, but he’s just deadly and the epitome of what a quarterback should be. He’s got 3 Super Bowl rings and the respect of everyone and everything.



Sidney Crosby: See Alexander Ovechkin. He and Alex will save hockey – he’s just amazing.



Last But Not Least, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: I really don’t consider myself a fan of auto racing, but I find some of it exhilarating. Anyhow, an ex co-worker of mine got me into it, and she had Dale Earnhardt’s junior stuff all over her cube and I wondered what the big deal was with him. I knew a little about his father and his tragic death, but his son is just as good and I really like the way he carries himself and represents the sport of auto racing.



Honorable Mention: Brett Favre, Shaquille O’Neal, Danica Patrick, Tim Duncan, LaDanian Tomlinson, Ray Lewis, Temmu Salamme