The point is, athletes will do anything and everything to gain a competitive advantage.

Including flop.

In stark contrast to the four examples above, all of which show the risks athletes will accept for the potential reward of victory, there are flops.

Whether you love it or hate it (surely the latter), flopping will never go away because it is one more way athletes can gain a competitive advantage. And when you’re a professional athlete, your job is to win. Even if that means deceiving the referees, and perhaps even the spirit of the rules and fair competition, you do it…”professionally.”

I was reminded of this a few minutes ago when I came across this GIF on Reddit:

And then in the comment section, I found this gem:

(Side note: Click this link and just start scrolling down. It’s the web’s random, ridiculous sense of humor at its best.)

Frankly, this is why many Americans hate soccer…or at least why they criticize it. But that’s a pretty myopic viewpoint to take. Sure, some soccer flopping – especially the video above – is egregious, oftentimes hilariously so, but flopping is hardly exclusive to soccer.

Consider this moment from the NFL earlier this year – the sport that is supposed to be America’s new national pastime that pits gladiator against gladiator on the gridiron.

Umm…I don’t know about you, but I didn’t see any Giants’ opponents anywhere near Deon Grant or the other fella who went tumbling to the turf without provocation. Hey, at least the soccer guy above was clever about it. Deon Grant’s flop – an obvious attempt to slow down the offense – was frankly just silly, especially knowing that there are multitudes of cameras rolling to catch everything happens.

Grant’s flop actually caused an outrage when it happened because we aren’t so used to seeing football players flop so blatantly and unabashedly. We are, however, used to it in the NBA, where guys like Manu Ginobili and Reggie Miller turned it into an art form.

Depending on your perspective, Chris Bosh either took the art of basketball flopping to another level of genius and theater…or committed one of the most reprehensible acts in the reprehensible history of flopping.

He sure did sell it. But since Chris Bosh is kind of a tool (though a nice, well-meaning one) he doesn’t get a pass just because he induced the charge call. Reprehensible it is.

But it’s not just tools who flop.

In the history of sports, there is perhaps no man for whom the pejorative use of the word “tool” is a less appropriate descriptor than Derek Jeter. He is confident, smooth, consistent, regal, urbane, and he provides gift baskets with autographed baseballs to his coital conquests. It is absolutely impossible to at once be a tool and someone who provides gift baskets to the women you bed. Impossible. So say what you will about Derek Jeter, but you can never, ever, ever call him a tool.

You can, however, call him a flopper. Watch this video for proof.

If Jeter didn’t flop there (he did), then that sound which was ostensibly ball hitting bat was ball hitting bone, and that’s just nasty. But it’s clear from the vid that Jeter did flop, sold it Chris Bosh-style, and was then awarded first base. There is no word on if Jeter left a gift basket for the umpire.

So there you have it. Four of the most notoriously awful flops in the history of professional sport–what’s that you say? Why did I leave out hockey? Well, that’s pretty easy.

Because, as pointed out in the original Reddit thread that inspired this post, hockey is a sport played by men like Steve Stamkos – all of 21 years old – who take pucks to the face, bleed, lose chunks of their nose…and then return to action several minutes later.

No flopping there. In fact, if you just watched the reactions, you might think that Bosh and Jeter had been injured worse than Stamkos, who skates off rather calmly.

I’m sure flopping goes on in hockey at some level, though I don’t watch enough of it to know; but when men like Steve Stamkos are playing it, I can’t imagine it happens very often.

Now the question for you, dear reader, is which of the four flops above – each representative of the worst kind of flopping in its respective sport – do you consider to be the most egregious?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

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And once you’ve answered the poll question, hop down to the comment section and remind us of other classic sports flops. There are tons of them. Let’s compile the best of the best (or worst of the worst, as the case may be) here.

As anyone who has ever written about, watched, or even just thought about sports can tell you, statistics can paint whatever picture you want them to based on how you present them. This is, of course, not just limited to sports. As the old saying goes, “there are lies, damned lies, and statistics.”

With Colby Lewis set to take the mound for the Texas Rangers in Game 6 of what has been an incredibly compelling World Series in which even the blowout treated us to an individual performance for the ages by Albert Pujols, I am intrigued by the superlative playoff statistics compiled by Lewis over the past two seasons and their power to comfort or antagonize Rangers fans, Cardinals fans, and objective bystanders alike.

It just depends on how you look at them.

Image credit: AP Photo/Brian Snyder via Bakersfield Observed

Colby Lewis’ Playoff Dominance

For Rangers fans, or those like me who predicted that the Rangers would win the series in 6 games, all they need to see to have confidence in Lewis taking the bump Wednesday night is this: a 4-1 record in 44 postseason innings over the last two years with a 2.22 ERA and a 1.075 WHIP. The Rangers are 5-2 in Lewis’ seven playoff starts in 2010 and 2011.

With stats like that, how can anyone expect anything other than Schilling-like greatness from Lewis in Game 6? I certainly am.

In fact, Lewis is the reason I picked the Rangers to win the series in 6 games. Based on his playoff track record, I felt certain that he would outduel young Jaime Garcia in their two starts. For the same reason, I felt that Chris Carpenter and his solid playoff track record would outduel C.J. Wilson and his shaky playoff history.

If all went according to my master plan, that meant Texas would take one of the two opening games in St. Louis (they did), and that St. Louis would win at least one in Texas (they did), and that if Texas could take two out of three at home (which they did), the series would go back to St. Louis with the Rangers up 3-2 and Lewis on the hill. I got the sequence a bit wrong, as the Rangers were able to win Carpenter’s start last night after dropping Game 3, but the end result and current circumstance is what I anticipated.

And now it’s up to Colby Lewis, who we should expect greatness from based on his clear emergence as a “big game pitcher”…right?

Well…maybe.

Again, it’s all in how you look at the stats.

“Regression To The Mean” and Sample Size

I am no advanced statistics buff, as you’ll soon see from the rudimentary (but still telling) statistical analysis I’m about to present. I do understand the basics though, and I know all about the irresistible power of regression toward the mean.

Regression toward the mean is defined at Wolfram MathWorld thusly:

Reversion to the mean, also called regression to the mean, is the statistical phenomenon stating that the greater the deviation of a random variate from its mean, the greater the probability that the next measured variate will deviate less far. In other words, an extreme event is likely to be followed by a less extreme event.

To put this in rudimentary baseball terms that even Joe Morgan could understand, consider the following example:

Gordon Beckham is a lifetime .249 hitter after three seasons and 1,485 major league at bats. That means that, on average, we would expect Beckham to get roughly one hit every four at bats. That is his established track record over a relatively large sample size at the major league level.

During the 2011 season, Beckham had six games in which he got three hits, either in four at bats or five depending on the game. His batting average in those extremely small sample sizes was .750 (if 3-4) or .600 (if 3-5). These are outliers. White Sox fans would love it if Beckham could do that every game, but no baseball player could. 100+ years of data collection has told us that a player hitting just .300 over any statistically significant sample size is outstanding. Hitting .600 or .750 is impossible. Even hitting .300 for Beckham over the course of a full season would be seen as a large and unexpected deviation from his already established average.

This is a very important concept to understand when it comes to discussing the playoffs, especially the notion of a “big game pitcher” or “big game player.”

The problem with playoff stats is sample size. As any fantasy baseball player knows, anyone in the Bigs can get hot for a week. Who has had their fantasy team carried by Garrett Jones for one monster week? Who parlayed Brent Morel’s hot September into playoff wins down the stretch? Did you know that Javier Vazquez went 5-0 with a 0.71 ERA and a 0.63 WHIP in five September starts this season?

In small sample sizes, anything is possible depending on who’s hot and who’s not. Especially in baseball, you cannot declare a player “clutch” or a “choker” just because he does or does not perform well in a single baseball playoff series.

Billy Hatcher hit .750 in the 1990 World Series en route to being named the MVP. Talk about clutch, right? He had 9 hits, four of them doubles, in 15 at bats. But how statistically significant was Hatcher’s series? It wasn’t. It was impressive, yes; but Hatcher was a career .264 hitter who caught lightning in a bottle. Just because he was magical over four October nights in 1990, would you rather have he or Alex Rodriguez (and his career .277 playoff batting average) up in a key spot in the Fall Classic needing a base hit? Say what you will about ARod, but in general I’ll take the guy who has hit .302 and mashed 629 HRs over close to 10,000 career at bats as opposed to the guy who hit .264 over 4,000+ at bats.

Why? Because baseball history has shown us that as playoff sample sizes increase, a player’s playoff stats tend to closely resemble his regular season stats. Regression to the mean.

Look at Derek Jeter, who is renowned for rising to the occasion in October.

In 1996, as a 22-year old, Jeter got 22 hits in 61 playoff at bats. That’s a .360 batting average, 0.44 points higher than he hit during the regular season. The Yankees won the World Series and Jeter was hailed as Mr. Clutch for his performance on the grand stage. In his next playoff appearance, in 1997, Jeter hit .333 (after hitting just .291 in the regular season) as the Yankees lost to the Indians. In 1998, with the Yankees back in the World Series, Captain Clutch came through again in crunch time, hitting .353 (after a .324 regular season) against the Padres to help deliver another title to the Bronx.

But an interesting thing has happened over time as Jeter has accumulated more and more playoff at bats (623 in 152 games, to be exact): playoff Jeter has started to look a lot like regular season Jeter.

Jeter’s career batting average is .313. His playoff average is .307. His OBP is a little higher during the regular season and his SLG is a little higher in the postseason.

What does this mean? It means that Jeter isn’t necessarily “clutch” come playoff time. He’s just…Jeter, a very, very good player who is really no better or worse in “big” spots than he is in “little” spots. In the playoffs Jeter tends to do what we’ve come to expect from him in the regular season.

Taken in isolation, there are small playoff sample sizes that are great as well as some that are bad (.118 BA in the 2001 ALCS, .176 in the .2007 ALDS). We’ve had the luxury of seeing the playoff highs and lows of Jeter smoothed out over time because he’s had so many opportunities. And the conclusion we can draw is that Jeter is no better or no worse in the playoffs. He’s played nearly a full season’s worth of playoff games and his overall playoff numbers (.307/.374/.465, 20 HR, 107 R, 18 SB) are pretty close to what we’d expect from a normal Jeter regular season.

This is a long, roundabout way to illustrate this, using Jeter as a general example: whether he starts off well or poorly, the more playoff games a player plays, the closer he tends to look like his regular season self. Said another way: the larger the sample size, the more a player regresses towards his mean.

So what does this mean for Colby Lewis and the Rangers Wednesday?

It might not mean a damn thing. Or it might.

Colby Lewis vs History

As I said when I previewed Game 5, anything can happen in the small sample size of a 9 inning baseball game. Colby Lewis could fail to record an out and he could throw a no-hitter, and everything in between. No one person in the world can state with any certainty what will happen. We can, however, use statistical trends to deduce what is likely to happen. And this is where looking at Colby Lewis in particular becomes so damn intriguing as it relates to Game 6.

As I mentioned above, Lewis has come to acquire the label of “big game pitcher” because of his 4-1 record and 2.22 ERA in the playoffs, and rightfully so. Legends are made/born in October, and there is something to be said for a guy who performs at his best when the stakes are the highest. But the question that must be answered for anyone trying to predict what will happen Wednesday night is this: how long can playoff Colby Lewis continue to so thoroughly outperform regular season Colby Lewis?

If we are to put our trust in the concept of regression toward the mean, the answer to that question is not one that will comfort Rangers fans.

Since he returned from Japan in 2010, Lewis has taken the mound 64 times for the Rangers during the regular season. In those 64 starts he has logged 401.1 innings and delivered a record of 26-23 with an ERA of 4.059 and a WHIP of 1.201. Those are decent but not great numbers, certainly nowhere near as dominant as his playoff numbers of 4-1, 2.22, and 1.075.

What I wondered, though, thinking back to guys like Curt Schilling and David Wells and Andy Pettitte, all legendary for being “clutch” in the playoffs, is just how unprecedented this chasm between Lewis’ regular season stats and his postseason stats may or may not be. Because certainly we should reasonably expect Lewis’ playoff numbers over time to revert closer to his personal career mean, but Rangers fans and people who predicted the Rangers in 6 don’t want to hear that. They want to keep thinking that Lewis really is a “big game pitcher” and that his outstanding playoff stats are not simply a statistical anomaly.

So I prepared the chart below, which shows the top 11 pitchers all-time for career playoff wins, compared to Colby Lewis and with Chris Carpenter thrown in just for fun. I chose these 11 pitchers to compare Lewis against because the all-time leaders in ERA were all relievers or pitchers from long, long ago whose numbers are skewed by the era in which they pitched. This list of 11 includes some of the greatest hurlers of the past three decades, all of whom have larger playoff sample sizes than pitchers from the era before them thanks to introduction of the wild card.

What I want you to focus your attention on, and what I used this chart to illustrate for myself, is the difference between these pitchers’ playoff performances and their regular season performance as compared to that of Colby Lewis.

Let’s break down the findings.

What this chart shows us is that, on average, the 11 pitchers with the most wins in MLB history (a sample size that encompasses 1,862 innings) had ERAs nearly a half run better than their regular season ERA (the -0.473 figure) and WHIPs that were 0.057 lower in the playoffs as compared to the regular season.

In general, we can make the following statement based on this data: the winningest playoff pitchers tended to perform a half earned run and a half baserunner better in the playoffs than in the regular season.

Compare that with Colby Lewis’ career playoff stats. Playoff Colby is performing nearly two earned runs better per nine innings (1.839) and 1.26 baserunners per inning better than Regular Season Colby.

Of all the pitchers on this chart, Lewis is the outlier. The closest comparables in terms of ERA are El Duque (-1.580 ERA), Dave Stewart (-1.180), and Curt Schilling (-1.230). In WHIP, three pitchers actually have bigger differences than Lewis (Schilling, Stewart, and Wells), but Lewis still obliterates the average.

It’s clear from this chart there are pitchers like Lewis who have been just okay in the regular season but who have, compared to their own track record, risen to the occasion in the playoffs. And they are names you might expect to hear if you asked a random assortment of 1,000 baseball fans to name the best postseason pitchers of the last 25 years: El Duque, Schilling, Wells, Stewart, and John Smoltz.

It’s also clear that there are incredible pitchers, sure-fire Hall of Famers, who pitched below their established norms come playoff time. Again, they are names a grizzled baseball fan would expect to be such a list: Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens, both somewhat ignominious for not quite living up to postseason expectations.

And then there are guys who proved to be pretty much the same pitcher in the playoffs as they were in the regular season: Andy Pettitte, Tom Glavine, Whitey Ford, and Catfish Hunter.

So to bring it all back full circle, here is what this chart and the concept of regression towards the mean suggests is in store for Colby Lewis: simply put, it suggests that the more playoff innings that Lewis logs, the closer his current playoff ERA (2.22) will come to resemble his regular season ERA (4.059).

If Colby Lewis truly is a “big game pitcher” in the sense that he can surpass even his own expected limits in pressure situations, then he might be able to continue to pitch better than a 4.059 clip, but more than likely the 2.22 is due to rise. How high? Who knows. But a regression, perhaps even an extreme one (unless Lewis himself proves extreme) is in order. Math dictates it*, and 1,862 innings pitched by some of the best pitchers in baseball history suggests it.

* – Granted, an alternate argument could be made that Lewis’ true mean is closer to 2.22 and that his regular season ERA will someday regress towards that figure, but such an argument would be trusting a 44 inning sample over a 401.1 inning sample, so it’s not very reasonable and thus dismissed for our purposes here.

Colby Lewis and Game 6

When his career is over, it is unlikely that Colby Lewis will be considered on par with any of the pitchers in the table above. The late-blooming righty is already 31 years old and has recorded just 38 wins in his major league career, so he probably doesn’t have time to accumulate the regular season numbers all of those guys possess.

But that old cliche is a cliche for a reason: legends are made in October. With a winning start on Wednesday night, Colby Lewis certainly becomes a legend in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex. Depending on how dominant it is, he just may start to inch his way into the bottom rungs of conversations about the best playoff pitchers in MLB history, though he’d certainly need at least another 30-40 innings to legitimize his incredible first 45+ as a playoff pitcher.

I’ll restate the obvious – anything can happen in the small sample size of a 9 inning baseball game – before asking the only obvious follow-up question to this long and winding post: what is the most likely outcome of Colby Lewis’ start Wednesday night?

The answer is that, most likely, Lewis will regress towards his mean by putting up a stat line equivalent to some point in between his 2.22 playoff ERA and his 4.059 regular season era.

This suggests a 5 inning/2 run outing (3.60), a 6 inning/2 run outing (3.00), a 7 inning/2 run outing (2.57), a 7 inning/3 run outing (3.86), or an 8 inning/3 run outing (3.38). Each of those possibilities is a quality start and each would, theoretically, give the Rangers a chance to win by keeping the scoring at a reasonable level before turning it over to fearsome foursome of Feldman, Ogando, Adams, and Feliz. Of course, the Rangers scored just two runs in each of the two games in St. Louis to start the series, so unless the bats pick up that pace, none of these hypothetical Lewis stat lines would be winners.

Then again, the Rangers scored 855 runs during the regular season, good for a 5.27 per game clip. In this World Series, they are averaging just 3.8 runs per game. So if the Rangers progress from 3.8 runs towards their mean of 5.27, while Colby Lewis regresses from 2.22 runs towards his mean of 4.057, then we can reasonably expect…

…a baseball game.

We can expect a 9-inning baseball game, full of twists, and turns, and events that cannot be predicted or even explained. (And yes, that GIF represents my head exploding, which I felt about to happen the further I dizzied myself with stats, and means, and blah blah blah.)

One of the aspects I love so much about baseball is that statistics are fun to juggle and jostle, and we can gain plenty of insight into players and teams from trends over time, and we can even make predictions that prove out over large sample sizes; but at the end of the day it all comes down to what the players do on the field in those 9 isolated innings that determine the winner and loser of a single game.

In this case, Game 6 just happens to hold the potential to crown a World Series champion.

I think it will.

Statistically Insignificant World Series Game 6 Prediction

Rangers win 4-3.

Colby Lewis pitches 7 innings of 3-run ball before ceding the mound to Mike Adams and Neftali Feliz.

And Ron Washington can jiggle the jig of a champion.

What is your pick?

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* – All stats courtesy of the greatest website in the history of the Internet: baseball-reference.com

As we are entering the hottest point of the year, expect some bats to heat up.  This is usually a time when pitchers begin to feel the effects of the long season and hitters start to see the ball better than ever, and we have outlined a few of them in this week’s hitting planner.

Catcher

Just as Brian McCann establishes himself as the best options for a catcher, an oblique issue arises.  David Ross will be filling the void in the Brave’s lineup but he is no McCann.  So in his place, Victor Martinez has been the best this week.  His homerun numbers are surprisingly low for a hitter of his caliber but his average is at a career high of .317.  At this point in the season, consistency is valued greatly over random big games.

To be honest, this week is rather dry at the catcher position.  The better players are doing well and the rarely owned guys are struggling.  If there is anything that jumps out for the scoring period, it could be that Miguel Olivo is one of the better hitters on a Seattle team who got their first win a few days ago for the first time in 20 days.  Maybe he can help turn the tide?

First Base

Is Albert Pujols falling into a class of mediocre hitters?  You just cannot help to feel that way when his career batting average is a whopping .326 but this year he’s tearing it up with a .274?  Being a contract year, nobody seems to know what exactly is going on.

Whether it’s you or the Atlanta Braves, Freddie Freeman is without a doubt worth keeping for the long haul. 

Derrek Lee did have a multi-hit, run, and RBI game but he slipped back to his more accustomed ways of this year.

It may be reasonable to give Gaby Sanchez a break this week as he is nursing his hamstring back to full strength.

With a few weak pitching staffs on the schedule, owners of James Loney should have a fairly good week.  A

t 37 years old, Todd Helton is showing signs of slowing down.  He gets regular days off and perhaps this week is one that you let him rest.

Second Base

The Dan Uggla theory has proven to remain true.  When the average rises, he becomes one of the best fantasy options for 2^nd base in all of baseball.

Chase Utley’s hitting has been streaky and it seems to have a week to week pattern.  He just got off of a below average week, perhaps this one will be better.

Just because Kellly Johnson had one multi-hit game doesn’t mean his calf is ready to have him performing at an elite level.  Keep him rested for at least a few more games.   

Danny Espinosa has been experiencing a slump that’s turned a few owners away from his services.  The problems look to continue the first half of the week against the good half of Atlanta’s pitching but should turn around against the inferior Colorado staff midweek.

Don’t feel bad about leaving Darwin Barney out of the loop in terms of your team.  His useful bat has fallen into the abyss sometime ago and hasn’t been found since.

Third Base

Eduardo Nunez may be one HORRIBLE player in the field, but his hitting puts him in to the top 5 as a fantasy option while A-Rod is out.

Batting in the five spot would make one think that David Freese could be a good option with RBIs as a product but his average is what seems to keep him afloat.  At any moment he could have a break out game making managers happy for their acquisition.

Ever since his return from the DL, David Wright has been hitting out of his mind.  There is no telling when the trend may slow down but until it does, those with him on their teams should be riding high.

Some struggling players include: Chase Headley, Casey McGehee and Pedro Alvarez.  These guys could very well bounce back, this just isn’t the week.

Shortstop

It has been a very good week for shortstops, but will the trend continue?  Derek Jeter has somewhat come out of his seemingly year long slump with a couple of multi-hit games.  Also, even during a few games where he was hitless, some RBIs were still scored.

Over the last week, Cliff Pennington has been hitting .450 with a number of RBIs and extra-base hits.  Get him fast because he doesn’t look to be slowing down.

Time to note some players who have been making a name for themselves.  Jesus Guzman, Rafael Furcal and J.J. Hardy have been replacing the more notable names atop the list of best fantasy shortstop.  Each guy is offering something different to all of the managers out there.  Whether it is homeruns, RBIs, runs scored, stolen bases or batting average, fantasy points can be accumulated in various ways and there are a plethora of options out there for just about everyone.

Outfield

Justin Upton, not his brother B.J. Upton, is the number one fantasy outfielder for the week.  After being snubbed out of the Home Run Derby, he’s had a slew of multi-hit games and even had a 6 RBI game.  Clearly there is no better outfielder around, at least for now.

Guess what Desmond Jennings’ owned percentage is now after only being 1.2 last week?  It is already at 85% with only seven games played.  He just got called up from the minors so if you are looking for a slight regression to take place, that may happen this scoring period.

It was just a few years ago that Hideki Matsui was the talk of the town in New York.  As we fast-forward to 2011 he has changed coasts and seemed to fall into obscurity but this week has been good for him.  He has some favorable matchups this week so the production should continue.  Let’s see who is having a tough week. 

Mitch Moreland, Shane Victorino, John Mayberry Jr, Melky Cabrera and Andre Ethier have been struggling

I am not talking about someone who is a physical specimen like Captain America. I am also not just talking about athletes like Jim Thorpe, who might have actually been the real “Captain America.”

Instead, I am looking for an athlete who I would be proud to announce as an American athlete if someone from another country asked me who our country’s best athlete was. For example, I would take character into account (which automatically disqualifies LeBron James).

In looking for my candidate I decided to break it down by sport, picking one or more athlete(s) from each of the major three sports.

MLB

As baseball is America’s national pastime, it is easier to find my candidate here. Those who play baseball are usually great athletes who are very versatile. A player like Bo Jackson would be an easy choice, but I am looking for a current player.

In looking for one single player, one came to mind very fast. He is the captain of his team and arguably one of the greatest players in the history of the game. His name is Derek Jeter, and he is very worthy of the title of “Captain America”. It is tough to argue that he is not worthy, as he has been loyal to his team throughout his career, and he recently joined the 3,000 hit club.

Other players that I considered were: Jim Thome, Brian Wilson, and Roy Halladay. Thome is a real life Paul Bunyan, Wilson is feared by people of all ages, and Doc is simply great.

NFL

Football features the toughest athletes in America and also some of the most popular. For my choice I decided to narrow it down to a quarterback, running back, and a linebacker. It is tough to choose one single player, especially with all of the deserving guys in the NFL.

For quarterback I decided on Peyton Manning. He is one of the greatest quarterbacks of our time and he is also a great person. He has a positive image in the public, and he has never had any major character issues, unlike his brother Eli. He is very intelligent and also tough, which perfectly fits the criteria to be considered as my personal choice for “Captain America”.

At the running back position, I took my hometown running back Peyton Hillis. It can be called a personal bias, but Hillis has proven that he is one of the top running backs in the league after his performance last season. He also happens to be a monster of a man, which helps in being considered “Captain America”.

At the linebacker position, I decided that it was a tie between Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher. When something thinks about the linebacker position, those two names are the first that come to mind. Both players have experience and fear nothing.

NBA

The NBA is filled with many stars, but unlike football it is not filled with many tough, hard-nosed players. NBA players play a very physical game, but there is a much different mentality in how it is played.

For my choice in the NBA, I decided to go with players who have experience. Once again, I did not choose a single athlete, as there are worthy players in the league. I narrowed it down to three, with those being Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, and Kevin Garnett.

Kobe is going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer and will go down as one of the greatest ever to play in a Lakers uniform. Howard is a physical specimen and also has experience being a different superhero; as Superman. Garnett is a true warrior, and loves the game of basketball. He does whatever it takes to win, and is always there for his teammates.

Candidates from other sports include:

Soccer: Landon Donovan

After his goal against Algeria in last year’s World Cup, Donovan instantly became a favorite among American sports fans. He is also already known by foreign sports fans, which makes it easier to explain why he is a worthy representative of America.

NHL: Tim Thomas

It is hard not to like Tim Thomas, especially after his MVP performance in the Stanley Cup Finals. In a league filled with many foreign players, he gives Bostonians, and all Americans, a reason to enjoy the NHL.

Now it is your turn to decide. Who is your sports equivalent of “Captain America”. Leave a comment with your choice. It can be from any sport, and if you so desire, name your choice from each of the three major sports.

There is no doubt that the Yankees are the most disliked team in the history of sports (with the Miami Heat desperately trying to take over this title), but this hate should not be directed towards Derek Jeter. He is not like the others, the ones who were hated such as Roger Clemens or Jason Giambi. He has done nothing to garner this hate, with his only offense being playing for the Yankees.

If Jeter was in the news for negative reasons, as some of his teammates over the years have been, there would be reason to dislike him. This has not been the case.

Jeter understands that he is a baseball player, and that is his job. He is the ultimate professional, as his goal every year is to win a World Series title. He is “The Captain”, and he acts like one.

Jeter came into yesterday’s game needing two hits to reach number 3,000. It did not seem that it would be that easy, as the pitcher he faced was Rays’ ace David Price.

The game began and the Rays were retired 1-2-3 in the top half of the first inning. Then the stadium began to buzz. The voice of the late, great Bob Sheppard rang out, “Number 2, Derek Jeter, Number 2″ and Jeter stepped to the plate. He worked the count to 3-2 after a very close pitch that could have been a strike, and he hit a single into left field. One more was all he needed. One more hit to join the most elite club in all of sports.

The next few innings could not have gone by any more slowly for Yankee fans. The Rays added a run in the top of the second, but I doubt that many fans in attendance truly cared. Everyone in attendance could not wait until Jeter stepped up to the plate.

The bottom of the third came, and Jeter was due up second. Brett Garnder grounded out, and then came “Number 2, Derek Jeter, Number 2.” Every fan in Yankee Stadium was standing and many had their cameras out.

Jeter took the first pitch for a ball. That was followed by a strike, and then a ball. The count was 2-1 when Jeter fouled off a pitch by David Price. The crowd was just waiting to erupt, as many nearly did when his bat simply touched the ball. The count was 2-2 and Jeter took the next pitch for a ball. The count was 3-2 and Jeter fouled off the next two pitches.

It was clear that Jeter was not at the plate to walk. He wanted to get his 3,000th hit, and did not want to delay it any longer. After watching Derek Jeter throughout his career, most people would predict that his immortalizing hit would be one of his famous opposite field singles. But no, not for number 3,000. Jeter took the next pitch, a slider, and drove it into the left field seats.

This is only the second time that a player has recorded his 3,000th hit on a home run, with the other being Wade Boggs in 1999. Jeter’s home run was caught by life-long Yankee fan Christian Lopez. Lopez could have refused to give the ball to Jeter, or even demanded hundreds of thousands of dollars for the ball. However, just as Jeter is a class act, so it Lopez. All he wanted was for Jeter to get the ball, and his kindness was rewarded. Lopez received four tickets to every Yankee game for the rest of the year, a ton on Yankee memorabilia, and he also got to meet the newest “Mr. 3,000″.

After this home run occurred, there was a short celebration, but the Yankees still had a game to win. In the eighth inning, the winning run was brought in on a single by none other than Derek Jeter himself. This came in his fifth at bat of the game, and was his fifth hit of the game. That’s right, Derek Jeter went 5-5 on the day that he recorded his 3,000 hit. He now has 3,003 hits in his career, with many more to come.

Note the spelling of Derek Jeter’s name not just in the subject line, but throughout. The worst part is that she spells his first name two different ways, so she even misspelled her misspelling!

Consider this Today’s Worst:

Maris was a decent hitter, he explained, but never a great one and certainly not the person you would peg for an all-time power-hitting season.  His 61 homers in 1961 was an aberration in the same way Brady Anderson hit 50 homers in 1996 or even Barry Bonds hit 73 in 2001.  Those home run totals were so out of whack that they have almost nothing to do with the player’s past or future performance.

Think of it this way: if you see a black swan swimming amidst a flock of white swans, does that mean that there are more black swans on the way?  Or is he the only one of his kind?

Deep stuff.

With that brain buster in mind, I wanted to take a look at some MLB players who are having black swan seasons either heading into free agency or right after earning a big contract.

Should MLB executives pay the guys who are about to hit the open market based on how they have done in the past, or how they will do in the future, or a blend of both?  And which guys are rewarding or punishing the GMs who paid them the big bucks last winter?

First Year of New Contract

Jose Bautista

Bautista is on another planet at the moment.  He is coming off his huge year last year in Toronto leading the league in home runs and earning a fat new contract.  He was the leading vote getter for the All-Star game, and I cannot wait to see him in the home run derby.  After a crazy .617 slugging percentage last year, Bautista is slugging more than .680 and getting on base at a ridiculous .470 clip – Bondsian numbers, in an era of stringent steroid testing.

Black Swan? Absolutely.

At the moment, this is the textbook (uh, my friend’s dad) definition of a black swan season.  This season sticks out like crazy, and there is no indication from his track record that Bautista’s production will continue. But on the other hand, he could be a case of a player who found his power later in his career. Hey, there are exceptions to every rule.

Bautista seems like a good guy and certainly no one wants him to lose it, except of course for the pitchers who have to face him every day. The average and OBP will have to come down at some point, and the league may figure him out one day. So for now, he is a black swan.

Adam Dunn

Dunn has been the picture of consistency for his entire career: his HR totals from age 24-30 are 46, 40, 40, 40, 40, 38, 38.  That’s while playing for three different teams, with home and away splits of 193/168 in HRs and .901/.878 in OPS.  The Chicago White Sox looked at Dunn hitting free agency at age 31 and figured they were in line for a slash line of about .250/.375/.510, with 35-40 homers.  Pretty outstanding numbers and more than worth the $66 million they gave him.

Of course, Dunn is hitting .165/.301/.302 at the moment, with just 7 homers and more than 100 strikeouts in less than 250 at-bats.  He is on pace for a historically bad season – maybe the worst hitting season ever.

Black Swan? Probably.

There is very little historical comparison for a such a dependable guy suddenly losing it all.  The black swan has struck twice this year for power hitters – Dan Uggla is having a similarly miserable time down in Atlanta coming off a big contract.  Of course, Dunn has a much better track record than Uggla.  Tom Verducci speculated that Dunn is feeling the pressure from his first big time contract but for Ozzie Guillen’s sake, Dunn had better work his demons out fast.

Derek Jeter

This contract looked bad from the minute the ink dried, and Jeter has not disappointed the legions of Yankee haters by posting the worst season of his career. No matter how much you hate the Yankees, it is hard to hate Derek Jeter.  Yes, he dates hotter women than you.  Yes, he is a remarkably overrated defender.  But he is so much less insufferable than Alex Rodriguez and Paul O’Neill and Roger Clemens and a host of other Yankee jerks from the last two decades.

Black Swan? Sadly, no.

The cruel nature of baseball is that a superstar’s decline is rarely sudden – it occurs over several seasons.  Fans watch players decay before their eyes, as in the case of Ken Griffey Jr and Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams.  Jeter is almost certainly in the twilight of his career, but we all must suffer the agony (or glee) of watching him lose it all before our eyes to the tune of at least two more years and $33 million.

Adrian Gonzalez

Can you believe that the Red Sox are paying just $5.5 million for Gonzalez’s .352/.407/.593 right now?  And that they locked him up for about $21 million a year through his age 38 season, AKA the same age the Yankees will be paying A-Rod $25 million, with $60 million more to go?

This was a classic case of paying for a blend of past results and future performance, a luxury afforded only to teams who can afford the luxury tax.  If you have the money and prospects to get a consistent guy like Gonzalez, you do it every time.

Black Swan? No way.

In fact, he may get even better over the next 3 or 4 years before beginning a decline.  This was a classic case of right player, right team, and right ballpark – similar to the rival Yankees getting Mark Teixeira a few years back, and the exact opposite of the Mets signing Mo Vaughn at age 34 for $40+ million.  Not that I’m bitter or anything.

Looking for a New Contract

CC Sabathia

Pitching is definitely harder to predict than hitting.  Pitchers have black swan seasons all the time: Eric Gagne was unhittable for two or three years, then absolutely disappeared.  Cliff Lee was a struggling journeyman, then suddenly figured it out and won a Cy Young.  But Lee’s former teammate CC is the one about to hit the free agent market, at an advanced age and looking for big bucks. (Note: this is assuming Sabathia exercises the option to terminate his contract early)

Black Swan? As it stands, no.

CC is a guy who won 17 games at age 20, albeit with a high ERA and walk total.  Since then, the wins have pinballed around but the important stats like walk total, innings pitched, and strikeouts have stayed consistent or improved.  He is in the middle of his prime, but his whole career sort of looks like a prime if you go by the numbers.  There is really no indication that CC will lose it in the next few years except for his age and the 2,000+ innings under his considerable belt.

Jose Reyes

This weekend during the Subway Series, Reyes tweaked his hammy, and it looks like he may miss some time.  But that does not take away from the crazy good season Reyes is putting together. Maybe the most telling stat is that he is slugging .527 with only three homers, thanks to his 15 triples.  Of course, this comes after two seasons where Reyes played in only 169 out of a possible 324 games, hit around .280, and barely got on base.  Those two down years followed four outstanding years where Reyes played almost every game possible.   You simply never know how Reyes’ body will hold up.

Black Swan? Nope.

Reyes has put it all together before and he’ll do it again, for whomever gives him Monopoly money next year.  The problem for a seven year deal with a guy who spends his life running full speed, diving into bases head first, and having guys crash into his legs at second base is, not surprisingly, health.  With Reyes, you pay for past results with the understanding that he is one bad turn at second away from the disabled list.

Prince Fielder

Maybe the toughest to predict on this whole list.  Fielder has had a pretty terrific career so far, and his career OPS of .927 is a testament to the way he can flat out hit.  This season has been even better than his last, and it comes as Prince makes a contract push with agent Scott Boras allegedly looking for a $200 million contract for his client.

Of course, his weight is comfortably in the three bills (he is listed at 275, which is like listing David Eckstein at 7’3″) and he plays the field in a way that makes you think he forgot to wipe the burger grease off his hands.  A poor body and bad defensive skills lead one to believe he will have a breakdown at some point in the near future, especially if he lets his body go even further after earning a big contract.

Black Swan? Most pundits would say yes, but I say no – power hitting just runs in the family.

Papa Cecil hit 51 homers at age 26, but son Prince eclipsed 50 at age 23 and is well on his way again this year.  Dad’s last big home run year was at age 32, but Prince is already a better all-around hitter than his father was, and given that he is rarely injured, there’s no reason to believe he is headed for any sort of breakdown.  Just keep him away from the post game spread.

Albert Pujols

The best hitter in the game is struggling through a rare off-year, not at all the way you would expect Pujols to respond with his next contract set to break the bank this winter.  Of course, an off-year Pujols is still slugging .500 with 17 homers before hitting the disabled list last month.

Black Swan? Oh yeah.

Look, even Babe Ruth lost a whole season to Chlamydia once.  Pujols is allowed to have a down year thanks to some accumulated injuries.  Remember, this is a guy who played a whole season with a torn elbow and still mashed the ball.  If anyone is poised for a rebound, it’s him, and he will get paid accordingly.

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* – Adam Dunn photo credit: Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images via SI.com

This is mainly due to the fact that I am a fan of the Cleveland Indians and shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera. He is having the best season of his career, both on offense and on defense, and clearly has been better than Jeter this year.

Cabrera has an average of .291 with 14 home runs and 49 RBI. He also makes a nightly appearance on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight due to his unbelievable defensive plays. On the other hand, Jeter has an average of .260 with 2 home runs and 20 RBI. He is just coming off of the DL tonight and has only played in 62 games due to the injury, while Cabrera has played in all 82 games this season for the Indians.

Asdrubal definitely deserves the starting nod this season based on his play, but Jeter has earned it based on his career. He is only 6 hits away from 3,000, and is one of baseball’s living legends. He is going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer, and he deserves to be at baseball’s midseason showcase.

It is fine for players to be selected based on status, even if that seems to defeat the purpose of All-Star Games, which are meant to include the best players in the game, based on performance. This system is flawed in every sport, not just baseball. Fans will always vote for the popular player over the one who may be having a better season but is relatively unknown. This was seen last year as Joey Votto, who went on to win the NL MVP, was not originally voted in to the All-Star Game. Instead, he had to win the final vote that comes after the initial voting process.

Legends of the game will continue to be selected to All-Star Games, not matter what sport they play in. It is the right thing to do, even though it leaves some fans miffed that players having great seasons are overlooked for players who may not be as good now but who have had greater careers.

Asdrubal Cabrera will get his chance to start in future All-Star Games, so there is nothing wrong with taking a backseat to one of the greatest shortstops in the history of the game. Plus, he will be in the game at the end, so he will have a chance to make an impact late in the game.

Oh, and you’re usually the first one in line when it comes to getting the best looking women. (Sorry non-captains, that’s just how it goes.)

Inspired by our current affiliation with the Captain Morgan BracketMaster Challenge, we decided to put Erica, the official MSF Morganette, to work by having her determine who would be on her list of the sexiest captains of all-time.

We, of course, are quite certain that Erica (pictured right; click here for full-size) is the sexiest of the 32 lovely ladies competing in the BracketMaster Challenge. We are also certain that you should help us out and help yourself out by clicking here to vote for Erica. You can also text “EricaV” to 44686. Either way…vote! The first round ends March 2nd and we need to help Erica move on the next round.

Once you’re done voting for Erica, there is just one more vote to cast: your vote for who is the sexiest captain of all-time. And Erica is here to help. Check out the famous captains below and Erica’s descriptions of them. Ladies, feel free to fantasize about being these captains’ first mate. Dudes, read Erica’s takes about what makes these captains sexy – you might be able to learn a thing or two that can help you become a sexy captain yourself.

And since this is a sports blog, of course we lead off the athlete currently most associated with the iconic nickname The Captain.

The Captain (Derek Jeter Edition) [via]

Erica’s take: One word: baseball pants. Anyone who can rock baseball pants and play ball is sexy in my book.

Unfortunately, The Captain is already spoken for. As many of you probably know, Jeter already has his first mate, and it is someone quite famous and well known. See:

That’s right. “Captain Clicks” Jimmy Traina from the Hot Clicks blog at SI.com. What, did you think I was referring to her?

Moving on now to other captains…

Captain Kirk [via]

Erica’s take: Who knew the Priceline.com Negotiator could be so suave… Beam me up Captain Kirk!

Captain Picard [via]

Erica’s take: Nothing gets me more excited  than a slick bald head.

Captain America [via]

Erica’s take: Look at that physique! Captain America is human perfection. His body is flawless and gorgeous. Boys, take notes.

Captain Jack Sparrow [via]

Erica’s take: His mischievousness and wit make him irresistible. Who doesn’t love a bad boy? I am mesmerized by his dark eyeliner and treacherous personality. He can hold me hostage any day!

Captain Hook [via]

Erica’s take: Captain Hook is quite the stud. His hand was eaten by a crocodile and now he has a hook for a hand. To top it off he rocks a handle bar mustache. Clearly, women adore him because he’s a stud.

Captain Han Solo [via]

Erica’s take: If I were Princess Leia, I’d be all over my man. Han Solo has the charm and devilish good looks that drive women wild. He’s got skills with his light saber and his first mate is a Wookie. What more do you need?

Captain John Smith [via]

Erica’s take: I like a man that isn’t afraid to discover new worlds…

Cap’n Crunch [via]

Erica’s take: This Captain can “Make it Happen”. When I wake up, he makes sure I get a well balanced breakfast. His sweetness and generosity make him very sexy.

Captain Ahab [via]

Erica’s take: Captain Ahab’s sexy Quaker beard and passion for revenge make him attractive. Not to mention, he has a harpoon…

Captain Kangaroo [via]

Erica’s take: Captain Kangaroo has got impeccable fashion sense. A man that knows how to dress well and have a good time is very sexy.

Captain Munnerlyn [via]

Erica’s take: Like men in baseball pants, men that rock their football pants and can play ball are super sexy. It makes sports more enjoyable than they already are…

And the overall sexiest captain, according to Erica, is……

Captain Morgan, of course!

Erica’s take: with his charisma, commanding presence, and ridiculously good-looks he defines “sexy”. We have all been to his legendary parties and he truly knows how to bring out the inner Captain in us all.  One can only dream to be apart of his entourage and I am very fortunate to be apart of his elite band of Morganettes.

Now the question is: who do you think is the sexiest captain of all-time. Vote below and drop a comment to tell us why.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Busts always damage hopes of a championship, whether it’s: the usual suspects (guys like Jimmy Rollins, who always seem to let down their owners; the one-year wonder (guys like Ben Zobrist, who only seemed destined for great things; or the power hitter who goes into the huge slump (think Carlos Peña).

This year, there are several players who fantasy owners should stay away from.  These are just a few of them (click here for the complete list):

Catcher- John Buck, Florida Marlins

Buck’s 20 homers last year were second among catchers to only Brian McCann.  However, Buck should be nowhere near the top of fantasy catcher rankings this year.

A career .243 hitter, even after a breakout .281 last year, Buck has never been a reliable option for fantasy owners.  Now after a very good year by catcher standards, Buck should still not be trusted to be more than a backup in fantasy this year.

First Base- Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox

Konerko had a rebound year after in 2010 three subpar years by his own standards.  However, the White Sox first baseman will be 35 before next season begins.  Almost all of his offensive numbers were much higher than any of the last four years.

Even with the addition of Adam Dunn to the lineup, it is difficult to see an aging Konerko putting up numbers like he did last year.  Konerko will be one of the players that many people will reach for, but do not be fooled:  Konerko is not someone that should be taken in the early rounds.

Shortstop- Derek Jeter, New York Yankees

Yes, age can actually catch up to even the great Yankee captain.

Jeter showed little power last year and figures to keep declining.  He is going to hit decently, although his batting champion days are over.  Jeter is no longer a top shortstop for fantasy purposes.

If not for the reputation and opinion of Jeter by most people, he would not even make this list because he is already coming off one of his worst offensive seasons.  At age 37 by June, it is not time to once again believe that you can count on Jeter.

There are many other shortstops who will produce better numbers than Jeter this year.  Only go to the Yankee legend if you are in need of runs, where he should still be a big producer.

Outfield- Jayson Werth, Washington Nationals

Werth will not have an awful season, but there is no way he matches the numbers he has put up in recent years.  The Nationals’ new right fielder is coming from the second best offense in the National League to the now Dunn-less Nationals.

Werth no longer has the advantage of hitting behind the likes of Utley and Howard, who always seemed to be on base for Werth to knock in.  Werth’s RBI numbers and runs scored will definitely drop.  He is still worth a roster spot, but do not reach to get him as you might if he were in that Phillies lineup.

This is only a part of Ryan’s list of possible busts for the 2011 fantasy baseball season. Head over to MSF Fantasy Sports to see the complete list of fantasy baseball 2011 busts. Commenting is turned off here, but feel free to ask questions over at MSF Fantasy Sports.

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* – Derek Jeter photo credit: Halip/Getty via NY Daily News

The controversy wasn’t about the team on Chicago’s south side, however; rather, it had to do with the team that plays its home games on the city’s northern end, which just happens to not have a manager lined up for next year, and which also just happens to be Girardi’s former stomping grounds.

As we were when LeBron was making his Decision, and when Brett Favre was trying to decide whether or not to retire, MSF was there with our camera to capture the most important moments:

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It’s been a rough season for Cubs fans, and the best bit of news from 2010 may have come this weekend. Obviously Girardi isn’t going to make any decisions about his future while his Yankees are angling for a second straight World Series title, but he’s already got people like Mike Lupica riled up that he could have one eye focused on the Midwest:

And while Joe Girardi didn’t say on Friday in Chicago that he is leaving after this season, he sure didn’t say that he wanted to be the manager of the New York Yankees as long as they will have him. Girardi did not say that he will be wearing No. 29 next season in New York if the Yankees win him another World Series this season.

Girardi, in fact, was more brilliant than a politician – from either Chicago or New York – giving nuanced but always respectful answers to the questions without giving up all the leverage that he has if the Yankees win again and he is a free-agent manager coming off back-to-back Series victories.

And why wouldn’t Girardi entertain the thought, especially if his Yankees are able to win back-to-back crowns? As Lupica points out, at the very least, Girardi will use the open opportunity in Chicago as leverage for a better deal from the Yankees.

The way I see it, Girardi should head to Chicago, assuming that is where his family wants to be.

Regardless of whether the Yankees win this year or not, Girardi has already won a World Series in New York. So he has already climbed that most difficult of sports mountains – winning in New York – and no one can ever take that away from him. But just to escape the shadow of predecessor, Girardi would need to win three or perhaps even four more World Series crowns. With the Jeter-Rivera-Posada-Pettitte era coming to a close, and no obvious replacements waiting in the wings, does anyone think the Yankees are going to recapture their late-90s magic anytime soon? Maybe, but the last decade suggests it’s doubtful.

If Girardi goes to the Cubs and somehow delivers a World Series title though? He’s a legend. He’s immortal. He’s what Ozzie Guillen is on the South Side. Whatever happens during the rest of Ozzie’s tenure with the White Sox, he is the man who snapped the South Side drought and delivered a title. Doing it for the Cubs would be even more significant because they are city’s favored child and have a much greater national following. And Girardi, with his history as a Cub, understands this as well as anyone.

In New York, he’s just one of many managers who have done what’s expected of them. In Chicago, he could be the man.

Considering that the Cubs, under new ownership, will likely give Girardi a blank check and tell him to name his price…why wouldn’t he go to the Cubs?

We’ll have to wait until after the Yankees’ season ends to find out for sure, but the questions aren’t going to stop for Girardi, and with good reason. Girardi going to Chicago just makes too much sense. And if I were a Cubs fan, I’d be praying it’s what ends up happening.

Mission accomplished? Good. I thought so.

And trust me, it’s no typo.

Just for effect, I’m going to type it out again: stone-handed Darrius Heyward-Bey, he of the nine catches for 124 yards as a rookie in Oakland last year, will make more money from salary and endorsements ($21,505,000) in 2010 than Albert Pujols ($21,000,000), one of the greatest baseball players and athletes we have ever seen.

Let’s see what other fun comparisons we can make with SI.com’s annual Fortunate 50!

First off, check out the image currently adorning the SI.com home page:

Remember a few years ago when every other commercial on TV featured Peyton Manning? I remember people criticizing Peyton for over-exposing himself and being an endorsement whore. A lot of people, at least those that I talked to, were getting sick of Peyton…whereas Tiger Woods and LeBron James could do no wrong. If you were to rank overall popularity and “cred” back then, I’d have to think Peyton would have come in a distant third.

Not anymore.

In the war of attrition that is the title of “Golden Boy of Sports” (which I just made up), Peyton Manning is now clearly carrying the torch. Unfortunately, it’s a slippery slope up at the top. Let’s just hope Peyton doesn’t have any skeletons in his closet or “decisions” (or anymore Super Bowl clinching pick 6′s) that could change everything in an instant.

But I digress…

I always love perusing SI’s Fortunate 50. While I blog for table scraps in the cutthroat dining room of the Internet, people like Shaquille O’Neal get sentences like the following written after their name:

No matter where Shaq ends up next season, he is easily the all-time NBA leader in total salary: Over an 18-year career, he has earned more than $290 million.

Not a bad gig if you can get it. (Of course, being over 7 feet tall and coordinated helps.)

This year though, I found myself going WTF!? more often than usual. Here are some things that might also make you go Hmm… from this year’s Fortunate 50.

– Tiger Woods is no shock at #1, but #2 was for me: Phil Mickelson. That’s right, Lefty makes over $61 million, $52 million of which is from endorsements. Damn.

– Alex Rodriguez only makes $4 million in endorsements, the only person in the top 10 other than boxer Floyd Mayweather who doesn’t make at least $10+ million in endorsements. Must be the douche factor.

– Matthew Stafford is #11, behind only Peyton Manning in terms of NFL players. Let that sink in. A rookie QB playing for a moribund franchise that has no skins on the wall is the 11th highest paid athlete in America. For comparisons sake, C.C. Sabathia, Eli Manning, and Kevin Garnett – all proven stars who have delivered recent titles – are #’s 13, 14, and 15.

I need to stop for a quick aside here. Matthew Stafford makes more money than any QB but Peyton Manning. Darrius Heyward-Bey makes more money than Albert Pujols. The Rams Jason Smith and the Chiefs Tyson Jackson, both of whom were disappointments as rookies, along with overrated Jets QB Mark Sanchez, also made the top 50.

So…

5 out of the 50 highest grossing athletes in America were NFL rookies last year, all but two of whom were gigantic disappointments (with other two being QBs, who always justifiably get a pass in their first year).

If this doesn’t prove, beyond any reasonable doubt, that the NFL needs a rookie salary cap, I don’t know what does.

More fun with the Fortunate 50:

– Yankees fans will be pleased to know that AJ Burnett made it. He’s #50. Also representing the Yankees: ARod (#5), Jeter (#8), C.C. (#13), and Teixeira (#35). Yes, one baseball team had six of the highest earning athletes in America, with almost all of the cumulative wealth coming from their baseball contracts.

So…

11 out of the 50 highest grossing athletes in America last year were NFL rookies or New York Yankees. That’s 22%, or almost a quarter.

Let’s see if any more interesting tidbits can be gleaned from this fascinating list.

– Dale Earnhardt Jr., who I can’t recall winning anything important, is #16 and the highest ranked race car driver. Must be nice to have a last name like “Earnhardt” and be a race car driver.

– Terrell Suggs and Albert Haynesworth, two of the NFL’s most disappointing defensive players in 2009, both made the top 20.

– Jermaine O’Neal and Tracy McGrady both make more money than Carmelo Anthony and Paul Pierce.

– Vernon Wells makes more money to suck (outside a few hot months this year) than Albert Pujols makes to be the greatest hitter alive.

– DeAngelo Hall was #40. Way to go Dan Snyder.

– Consider all of the NFL defensive players I’ve already named, and then consider this: they all make more money in than high character, high motor, high productivity Cowboys LB Demarcus Ware. For once, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys are not an example of disgusting excess.

I think that’s about all I’ve got. Was there anymore else egregious that I left off? Comment below.

What’s the overall takeaway here? Well, obviously the money made by athletes is nowhere close to commensurate with performance or character. But I guess we knew that already. I just find it amusing to put it into comparative terms like I did above.

Really, what we should all be saying is “Darrius Heyward-Bey, you da man!” And then teaching our kids to be really, really, really, ridiculously fast (hands be damned) in hopes that they get drafted a) in the first round of the NFL draft and b) by the Raiders. Looks like a pretty good gig to me.

Update: I tidied this post up a bit after I first published it. I didn’t quite understand SI’s methodology correctly. The salary numbers used for NFL players are actually for the upcoming season, not last season…which to me actually makes their placement even more egregious. Anyway, I cleaned up any confusing statements.

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* – Darrius Heyward-Bey photo credit: Valley Sports Pulse

* – Albert Pujols photo credit: AP Photo/Al Behrman via ESPN.com

I proceeded to tweet that said animated GIF was “the greatest animated GIF of all-time“. Admittedly, I was exaggerating to induce click-throughs, but it did make me laugh out loud, so I knew people would like it.

Mere minutes later, World of Isaac laid down the gauntlet, saying that another animated GIF was *gasp!* better than the one I had tweeted.

I looked at his, chuckled a familiar chuckle (as I’d seen it before), and then decided to place the onus on you, my trusted MSF reader, to make the final decision.

So here we go; a face-off between two tremendous animated GIFs.

Two GIFs will enter; one will win, one will lose, but everyone who reads this post will be a champion because there will be hearty laughs had by all (except for the now beardless Jimmy Traina).

In one corner…

Animated GIF #1: Yankee Pride

And in the other corner…

Animated GIF #2: The Hansen Block

MSF readers, what say you?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

And by all means, if you think there are other animated GIFs that deserve consideration (and I’m sure there are!) provide links below.

Who knows, we’re a long way from March Madness 2011, but we might just have to get a bracket ready for Animated GIF Madness…

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[Note: As you know, I always like to credit the original source of material we use here on MSF that we didn't create.

I don't know where these GIFs came from originally. If anyone knows, or if their creators wants to claim credit, email me or drop a comment.

I'll be sure to amend the post and link to your site.]

1) No representation from either of the Central Divisions. That’s right, no White Sox, Cubs, Cardinals, Tigers, Twins, Brewers, Astros, Indians, etc. In fact, none of these teams even really came close.

2) Two straight weeks of complete immersion in the East Coast bias/obsession that can become so annoying and grating during the regular season.

3) A battle of two teams with enormous payrolls who, on a yearly basis, pluck the best players off of teams in smaller markets who cannot afford them. (And yes, I know the Cubs, and to a certain extent the White Sox, have a high payroll…but Chicago gets Milton Bradley and Alex Rios, New York and Philly get C.C. and Cliff Lee.)

With all of that being said, I’ve decided that we have done enough actual analysis of this year’s World Series. AJ wrote a great preview piece earlier this week, and that will have to suffice.

In place of the article that I was going to write about the 2009 World Series (currently tied at 1-1 if you live in The Shire and don’t get Fox or have an Internet connection) before I thought more about it and just got pissed off, I decided that we could all benefit from a couple of gratuitous photo galleries of two of the most attractive WAGs on either team.

So while there are many legit questions out there as the series heads to Philly (What’s up with ARod and Ryan Howard? Does either manager have faith in its bullpen?), we are going to tackle one that is perhaps a little less exigent as part of our usual Friday Morning Would series.

Would you rather have your favorite baseball hero date Minka Kelly or Kate Hudson?

First, the tale of the tape:

Minka Kelly v Kate Hudson

Now some visual evidence of the two.

Note: click on the thumbnails to enlarge the pictures, then click the enlarged lightbox image to return it to thumbnail size.

Minka Kelly Pictures and Video

[View with PicLens]

Fast forward to the 2:40 mark of this one, from Friday Night Lights.

Kate Hudson Pictures and Video

[View with PicLens]

Okay, so now let’s break the debate down with some analysis of their respective positives and negatives.

Minka Kelly Positives:

• She seems very quiet and down-to-earth, not someone who will draw unnecessary attention to herself.
• She’s on a sports show about Texas high school football, so she clearly understands the old phrase “sports are not a matter of life or death…they’re much more important.”
• She’s a brunette, and I’ve always been partial to brunettes.

Kate Hudson Positives:

• She grew up in a world of fame and notoriety, so the spotlight will not faze her.
• She is both worldly and still relatively young
• She has a very solid, established career and makes good money herself; hence, she doesn’t need to date a famous baseball player

And now the negatives…

Wait, am I crazy? There aren’t any negatives for either one of these lovely ladies and they both clearly have been boons for their respective boyfriends’ performances this season.

Derek Jeter hit .334 during the regular season, which is .017 points higher than his already high career batting average. He also hit more home runs (18) than he’s hit since 2005 and stole more bases (30) than he has since 2006. And, as expected, so far so good in the playoffs as well. Jeter is 15-45 (.333) and has three HRs, five RBIs, and has scored ten runs.

Alex Rodriguez also had a solid season and then exploded during the first two playoff series, which many people actually attributed to the presence of Kate Hudson in his life. Something about how it made him relax more, or this, that, or the other.

Regardless, after hitting .286 with 30 HRs and 100 RBIs during the regular season — pretty pedestrian numbers by ARod’s lofty standards — he went 14-32 in the ALDS and ALCS with five HRs and 12 RBI, many of which were of the clutch variety. He has, however, struggled so far in the World Series (0-8 with 6 Ks).

So Minka Kelly clearly helped to engineer a regular season resurgence for The Captain, while Kate Hudson helped turn Alex Rodriguez into a playoff masher…at least until the World Series started.

The question though, is would you rather have your team’s star player dating? Is it as simple as the age-old blonde v brunette debate? Are there legitimate baseball reasons to choose one or the other? Do you not care and just feel grateful that I put together the two stunning photo galleries above?

Chime in below with your answer…and then, like me, go back to lamenting the absence of a non-East Coast team in the World Series while simultaneously preparing yourself to deal with it anyway.

We are grateful that he was able to take 30+ minutes out of his afternoon to talk with us, and impressed that he was able to be so composed…what with his beloved Yankees (especially Derek and Minka) preparing for Game 1 of the 2009 World Series tonight.

But I guess when you’ve already won 27 of them and can buy your way into the playoffs every year, it’s easy to stay even keel. (Actually, more on this topic later.)

If you are not familiar with his work, Jimmy Traina runs the Hot Clicks blog on SI.com and is an editor of the always entertaining Extra Mustard section of the site, which fuses sports, pop culture, and humor. Hot Clicks is one of the most visited sports pages on a daily basis, as any publisher knows who has ever received a link from Traina.

Let’s just say it can put a strain on your server.

Use the in-page player below to listen to the podcast, or feel free to download this and all MSF podcasts for free on iTunes.

Tonight’s game — between ex-Indians CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee — provided an excellent introductory topic, as Traina offered his advice to Indians fans (watch anything else) and went against the grain from what you might assume he’d say concerning payroll discrepancies in baseball.

We also discussed the pressure of always being expected to win, whether he thinks A-Rod can ever become a “true Yankee,” what it was like to meet his hero Derek Jeter, and his thoughts on Mark Sanchez and Hotdoggate.

From there, a very informative discussion ensued regarding his role and daily duties at SI.com, how he acquired what most guys would consider to be a dream job, and how his view of the media has changed over the years — including how being on TV or in a newspaper does not necessarily mean that you know more than the average sports fan. (And yes we’re talking about you Jay Mariotti and Chip Caray.)

Finally, we rolled out a new section of the podcast that is currently going by the ultra-creative name of Five Questions. We won’t give away of the answers — you’ll have to listen to the podcast — but here are the questions so you’ll know what to look forward to:

1. In honor of Aslyum.com’s Movember promotion to raise cancer awareness, what are your top 3 non-Mattingly mustaches?
2. Who is your favorite SI swimsuit model of all-time? (Hint: she’s pictured to the right)
3. If you were told that tomorrow was going to be your final Hot Clicks, which lovely lady would get the featured spot at the top of your last hurrah post?
4. What is the best Halloween costume you’ve seen? (This answer definitely surprised (and somewhat disturbed) me.
5. Choose one of the following options: film a documentary in which you go trick or treating this weekend with either one of the Road Warriors, in full costume…or…be the fifth wheel for a double date with Derek Jeter, Minka Kelly, A-Rod and Kate Hudson.

Once again, we thank Jimmy for his time and think you’ll enjoy this latest MSF podcast offering. It is both entertaining and informative, especially if you’ve ever entertained a career in sports media or had a massive man crush on Derek Jeter.

And if you want some solid Yankees commentary during the games this week and next, follow Jimmy on Twitter, @jimmytraina, and definitely make Hot Clicks a daily stop.

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* – Jimmy Traina photo credit: SI.com

* – Derek Jeter / Minka Kelly photo credit: Brian Bahr/Getty Images via SI.com

* – Mallory Snyder photo credit: MM Agency