Ranking the Top Sports Stars of Reality TV –

10. Hulk Hogan – Hogan Knows Best
At 6’7 and 303 pounds, Hulk Hogan is truly a big star. Hogan was part of VH1’s Celeb-Reality programming and found success on TV when movies didn’t do so well (see Suburban Commando and Santa with Muscles). In the show, Hogan is best known for being a far-too-overbearing father who helps daughter Brooke find a career in music and wife Linda find a limit to her credit card spending.

The series premiered on July 10, 2005 with a 1.9 (cable Nielsen rating), representing the largest audience for a VH1 premiere ever.

9. Gary Hogeboom - Survivor
A former NFL quarterback, Hogeboom starred on the CBS reality TV show Survivor: Guatemala in 2005. Hogeboom was neither a phenomenal reality TV star or football star (his career highs were in 1989 with the Phoenix Cardinals with 2,591 yards passing, 14 TDs, and 19 INTs) – but he earns a spot on the list by really being the first sports ‘star’ to take a spot in a major reality show.

Hogeboom kept his past a secret and even claimed his name was Gary Hawkins and was a landscaper, for fear of instant elimination. Another contestant (Danni) who worked in sports radio recognized him immediately, but he denied this many times. He was able to convince the other contestants on the show that he was telling the truth. Hogeboom was eliminated on day 30.

8. Sugar Ray Leonard – The Contender
Sugar Ray Leonard earns the 8th spot because he was so remarkably annoying as the host (alongside Sylvester Stallone) as the host of The Contender. The two of them going back and forth in discussion was so excruciating it made you feel as though you were Rocky Balboa suffering from head damage… or that you were suffering from head damage from watching Rocky 5. Either way – Sugar Ray earns a spot on this list because he is permanently itched into my mind (good or bad).

The show ran for fifteen weeks through 2005 on NBC in the United States of America. On May 16, 2005, the series was then cancelled. The first season cost NBC $2,000,000 per episode.

7. Jesse Palmer – The Bachelor
Jesse Palmer was Bachelor #5 and proved that reality shows can pull ratings even if their ‘sports stars’ simply hold a roster spot. Jesse was far from a sports star (a 3rd string quarterback for the NY Giants) – but he drew viewers into the show. In the spring of 2004, Palmer appeared on The Bachelor television program, in which he was given his choice of eligible single women, eventually selecting Jessica Bowlin. However, as is common with relationships forged through reality television shows, Palmer’s and Bowlin’s courtship lasted for only a few months after the end of the show.

6. Dennis Rodman - Celebrity Mole Yucatan
In Celebrity Mole Yucatan, eight celebrities–Dennis Rodman, Tracey Gold, Mark Curry, Stephen Baldwin, Corbin Bernsen, Angie Everhart, Ananda Lewis, and Keshia Knight Pulliam–competed in similar games. Stephen and Corbin both returned for a second chance, but both were executed early. Supermodel Angie Everhart was eventually revealed to be the saboteur and NBA star Dennis Rodman won the US$222,000 grand prize.

5. Kordell Stewart – Pros vs. Joes
I was never a Kordell Stewart fan when he played in college or the NFL… but when he appeared on Pros vs. Joes (season II) I watched this clip on Tivo so many times it corrupted my recording. Kordell was taunted by a joe shmoe and then pummeled him so satisfyingly – enjoy:

4. Mark Philippoussis – Age of Love
Philippoussis doesn’t have much charisma… but he lucks out by starring in one of the must unintentionally funny reality shows in years – Age of Love. In the show, Mark is asked to choose between: “Cougars and Kittens” and “the 40s vs. the 20s”. It really is one of the most idiotic and poorly produced shows in years – but the unintentional comedy factor is off the charts.

Phillippoussis goes cougar hunting:

Conan’s take on Age of Love:

3. Emmitt Smith – Dancing with the Stars
Lots of sports stars tried out for Dancing with the Stars, but somehow Emmitt Smith found more fame in his dancing success than during his stellar NFL career. I still laugh when I see this routine but realize that now matter how funny it is – he makes Clyde Drexler and Evander Holyfield look downright foolish for even signing up:

2. Jose Canseco – The Surreal Life
Jose Canseco had to battle through headcases like Janice Dickinson and Omarosa – which is funny in itself. But the best part came when he had to do a book signing at their home and was continually ridiculed for steroid abuse. Surprisingly Jose maintained his cool – but the moment was priceless.

Season five (2005) played up on the show’s namesake surreality by having the house decorated with a circus/carnival theme and the cast was given circus-style taglines during the introduction: Caprice Bourret (”See Britain’s Most Beautiful Woman”), José Canseco (”Face the Fantastic Strongman”), Sandy “Pepa” Denton (”Meet the Mystical Musician”), Janice Dickinson (”Behold the World’s First Supermodel”), Carey Hart (”Witness the Death-Defying Daredevil”), Omarosa Manigault (”Fear the Ultimate Reality Villain”) and Bronson Pinchot (”Marvel at the Man from Mypos”).

1. Shaquile Oneal – Shaq’s Big Challenge
Sure – only one episode of Shaq’s Big Challenge has aired… but this is destined to be a classic. Shaq tells it as it is and scares these kids into weight loss – and for that he is not only a good citizen, but a huge reality tv star:

Jacoby Ellsbury took center field tonight for the Boston Red Sox. Ellsbury is replacing the injured Coco Crisp - who finally got very hot (Coco again has bad luck). So who is Jacoby Ellsbury?

* Height: 6′1″
* Weight: 185 lbs
* Bats: Left
* Throws: Left
* Drafted: 1st round, 2005
* College: Oregon State University
* High School: Madras High School, Madras, Oregon

Jacoby McCabe Ellsbury (born September 11, 1983, in Madras, Oregon) is a minor league baseball player who is currently the # 1 prospect in the Boston Red Sox organization and rated as the # 33 prospect for 2007 by Baseball America. He was originally drafted, but not signed, by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 23rd round of the 2002 MLB entry draft and in 2005 was drafted by Boston, 23rd overall, in the entry draft out of Oregon State University.

Jacoby participated in the Red Sox 2007 Spring Training camp in Fort Myers, FL as a non-roster invitee and was assigned to the minor league camp on March 9 after batting .250, while earning rave reviews for his fielding, in 8 games at the Major League camp . He started the 2007 season as the Double A, Portland Sea Dogs starting center fielder, and was promoted on May 4 2007 to the Triple A, Pawtucket Red Sox after batting .452 in 17 games at Portland. He has been chosen to play in the 2007 XM All-Star Futures Game, which will be held on July 8 at AT&T Park in San Francisco as part of the MLB All-Star festivities, for the United States team along with fellow Red Sox farmhand Clay Buchholz.

Jacoby is considered to be one of the top outfield prospects in baseball along with fellow Oregonian Trevor Crowe of the Cleveland Indians farm system and is projected to be in the Major Leagues by mid-2008, when he could push current Red Sox center fielder Coco Crisp for his job.

With an injury to Crisp, Jacoby had his contract purchased and received a call-up to the Red Sox on June 30, 2007 where he made his MLB debut in CF and batting 9th against the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park wearing number 46 since his number 20 from Pawtucket is taken by Kevin Youkilis.

We reported a couple hours ago that Isiah Thomas is looking even sleezier by the day… As more information comes forward, it turns out that information is available on the New York Knicks dancer that Isiah Thomas told to flirt with the refs. Her name is Petra Pope and SI has pictures of her from their pictorial on the Knicks dance squad:

Other useful information about Isiah Thomas:
Thomas, a self-proclaimed fan of popcorn who has served as the official spokesperson for National Popcorn Poppin’ Month, is a partner in the New York-based gourmet-popcorn chain Dale and Thomas Popcorn.[10] It was known as “Popcorn, Indiana”, prior to his investment. The company currently has seven stores, two in Manhattan, and one each in Teaneck, New Jersey, Long Island, Philadelphia, Minnesota and West Nyack, New York, plus online and mail-order operations.

Just as Isiah Thomas started climbing out of the doghouse with a strong 2007 NBA Draft… reports surface that Isiah paid dancers to flirt with NBA refs. And this isn’t like the Duke Lacrosse story where the sources had no credibility… the source is a former New York Knicks executive!

I guess when you have no homecourt advantage because your fans continually boo you - you have to get creative. So I will give Isiah Thomas - a creep by all reports - credit for that.

The former Knicks executive who is suing coach Isiah Thomas for sexual harassment alleged in court papers that Thomas urged a cheerleader to flirt with referees and guard Stephon Marbury cursed at her, according to newspaper reports Saturday.

Anucha Browne Sanders, a former senior vice president of marketing and business operations, filed documents to answer the Knicks’ attempt to have her lawsuit dismissed.

In the papers, which were unsealed Friday, Browne Sanders alleges cheerleader Petra Pope told her Thomas encouraged Pope to flirt with officials before a game against the Nets in 2004, the Daily News reported.

“What she told me was that Isiah asked her to go into the referees’ locker room and make them happy,” Browne Sanders testified.

There have been too many problems at amusement parks recently that make me feel somewhat comfortable with my fears about many (alright most) roller coasters. Now another roller coaster accident has happened - this one was at the Playland Amusement Park’s Mind Scrambler ride.

n accident involving a gyrating ride at an amusement park north of New York City left a young woman dead Friday night, police said.

The indoor attraction spins riders around in a darkened tent with flashing lights. It was the scene of another fatal accident on May 22, 2004, when 7-year-old Stephanie Dieudonne wriggled free of the restraining bar on one of the cars, knelt on the seat and fell soon after the ride started, according to investigators.

Friday’s accident marked the fourth fatality in as many years at the county owned Playland, a National Historic Landmark that opened in 1928.

After the Mind Scrambler accident in 2004, a 7-year-old boy was killed the following year when he climbed out of his boat ride and fell, according to investigators. A 43-year-old man drowned after wading into a lake at the park on July 4, 2006.

The park’s director and a spokesman for the county Department of Parks, Recreation & Conservation, which oversees Playland, did not immediately return telephone messages left at their offices late Friday.

The park is located on Long Island Sound about 20 miles north of the George Washington Bridge in Manhattan. Read more.

History of Playland
n the late 1800s and early 1900s, the waterfront area of Westchester County, New York along the Long Island Sound was the site of a growing collection of recreational developments, including hotels, resorts, and “amusement areas.” Local residents concerned about what a County report described as “unsavory crowds” induced the Westchester County Park Association to purchase two existing theme parks, Rye Beach and Paradise Park, and planned a local-government-sponsored amusement park in their stead.

Frank Darling, a veteran park manager with experience at Coney Island and the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, was hired to design and run the new park, called Playland. Construction commenced in September 1927 and was completed in six months. A design firm was commissioned to decorate the entire park in the Art Deco style.

The park began operation on May 26, 1928. The original design included a boardwalk, ice-skating rinks, a swimming pool, and two beaches, as well as amusement park rides, some of which are still in use.

Built in 1929, the Dragon Coaster serves as the park’s mascot and appears in the Playland logo. The Dragon Coaster is one of roughly 100 wooden roller coasters still in operation in the United States.

Playland Accidents and Issues
On June 29, 2007, Gabriela Garin, 21, from White Plains, New York. was killed while riding the Mind Scrambler at around 9:30 PM. The Mind scrambler is an indoor ride which has cars that rotate themselves while traveling in a circular path. It has been shut down for the rest of the summer.

On July 4, 2006, Won Yong Kim, 43, from Queens, New York, drowned after wading into a man-made lake in Playland. He began struggling and was removed from the lake, which is off-limits to swimmers, and was pronounced dead about an hour later at a hospital. The lake was marked with “no swimming” signs. The lake, about 40 feet deep at its center, is used by paddle boaters and kayakers. He was found to have several times the legal limit of alcohol in his system.

In May 2004, a seven-year old girl, Stephanie Dieudonné, of New Rochelle, New York, died on a ride called the Mind Scrambler when she wriggled out of a protective lap bar and knelt on the ride’s seat to wave to a friend. Her parents are suing the park. Neither parent was at the park on that day.

On August 3, 2005, a seven-year old boy from Norwalk, Connecticut, died of blunt force trauma to the head after he climbed out of a boat and got stuck in a conveyor belt on a water ride called Ye Old Mill.

The 2004 and 2005 accidents received a large amount of local press. Many have said this is due to the fact that Playland is county-owned, and thus the incidents were not “hushed up” as deaths may be when they occur at privately owned amusement parks such as Six Flags or Disneyworld, in order to avoid negative publicity.

In addition to the three most recent deaths, two others have occurred at Playland. In 1988, an 8-year-old girl choked to death on a chewing gum while she was riding the Dragon Coaster. In the 1920s, Albert Fischer, a nineteen-year old, was killed when being flung off of a ride called The Whip.

A-Rod recently professed his love for female bodybuilders who can bodyslam him with just one arm… which means that A-Rod should ditch his wife (again) and buddy up with Michelle Moroldo:

I am so relieved.

The thought of an arthritic jaw keeping Kobayashi out of the annual Nathans Hot Dog Eating Contest this July 4th had me sick to my stomach… as if I had eaten 60 hot dogs in 12 minutes.

But Kobayashi has overcome the jaw issue and is set to take the stage counter arch rival Joey Chestnut. All is right in this world and my Tivo is officially set - there isn’t much better than seeing those veins on Joey’s forehead nearly explode.

Speaking through a translator in an exclusive interview with the Times Free Press, Mr. Kobayashi said this afternoon from his New York hotel that wisdom teeth that grew improperly, coupled with years of intensive training for competitive eating, have caused jaw arthritis.

The 27-year-old said he could open his mouth the width of two fingers and faced pain when both opening and closing it, but he was intent on gobbling down a couple dozen hot dogs next week at the Nathan’s event.

Michelle Wie’s ‘collapse’ continues rapidly. Although you could argue it’s not truly a collapse because Wie is purely a hype machine who has never done anything truly significant… sort of. She has numerous records for “youngest to…” but she has not turned out to be the female Tiger Woods. Furthermore, she is hated on the LPGA because of her controversial behavior (see below) and rock star attitude / following. Well her fall continues as today she has withdrawn from the Open:

Perhaps now Michelle Wie will take some time to let her injured wrist — and her psyche — heal.

The one-time teenage phenom suffered another setback on Saturday at the U.S. Women’s Open, where she withdrew on the 10th hole after aggravating a wrist injury that kept her out for four months earlier this year and has led to some unsightly golf since her return. Read more at ESPN

So why is Michelle Wie (aka the Big Queasy) So hated?!

Poor performance in men’s events

Observers of golf have criticized Wie’s efforts to play in PGA TOUR events through sponsors’ exemptions. Wie has made only one cut in a men’s tournament, and has made no cuts on the PGA TOUR. After missing the cut at the 2007 Sony Open by 14 shots, many sports critics began to doubt whether she ever will.[31] Following Wie’s poor performance at the 2007 Sony Open in Hawaii, AP golf writer Doug Ferguson suggested that her nickname be changed from “the Big Wiesy” to a more appropriate moniker, “the Big Queasy.”

Use of exemptions

Professional golfers, fans, and media critics have remarked that allowing Wie to compete in PGA events takes away opportunities from more deserving golfers who need more playing time to attempt to earn a PGA TOUR exemption for the following season. However, a tournament sponsor has a maximum of only four completely unrestricted exemptions available, and those exemptions are often used to invite players (including amateurs) who can increase ticket sales and tournament visibility. The first four exemptions offered by a sponsor must be offered to PGA TOUR players or other competitive players.

Caddie turnover

Wie has employed at least nine caddies since her father stopped caddying for her in 2004. She created controversy when, after finishing tied for 26th at the 2006 British Open, her caddie Greg Johnston was fired over the phone by Wie’s then-agent Ross Berlin. Johnston said he was “surprised and disappointed” at the firing and at the fact that “no one named Wie gave me the news.” Wie employed several other professional caddies after Johnston, and also returned to using her father on at least once occasion as a caddie.

Inappropriate clothing

Some fans and media have commented that Wie has increasingly dressed in inappropriate clothing during golf tournaments. These criticisms began in the summer of 2004 when Wie was 14 years old and increased after Wie began wearing Nike-provided clothing in 2006.

2007 wrist injury

In the first week of February 2007, it was reported that Wie hurt her left wrist in a fall while running, though when family members acting as her spokespeople were asked by the media, they declined either to give any details on the nature of the injury, other than to report that she was wearing a hard cast, or to state what treatment was done, citing privacy. Initially, her public relations staff reported that she would be away from golf for 4 to 6 weeks but this stretched until the end of May. In response to the lack of information and prolonged absence, some golf fans and LPGA players, including Brittany Lincicome, questioned whether Wie and her parents had fabricated the injury in order to give her a reason to take a break from golf.

2007 Ginn Tribute withdrawal

Further questions were raised about the veracity of her wrist injury claim after Wie’s withdrawal from the Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika in May 2007. With a score of 14 over par after 16 holes in round one on the par 72 course, Wie was in danger of being banned from all LPGA-sponsored tournaments for the rest of the year if her score reached 88, according to the LPGA’s Rule of 88. LPGA officials were seen consulting with Wie’s parents and agent who then consulted Wie prior to her teeing off to complete the last two holes. Wie then immediately withdrew from the tournament, citing a “tweaked wrist.” She denied that the Rule of 88 had anything to do with her with withdrawal. Her playing partners, many fans, and media observers questioned whether Wie was being honest about the reason for her withdrawal. One of her playing partners Janice Moodie confirmed that Wie had indeed tweaked her wrist in Moodie’s opinion. Janice Moodie stated that she heard Wie say “Ouch!” after hitting her tee shot on the first hole, which was the group’s 10th of the day. Wie had said that was precisely when she began feeling the pain. Moodie said “She didn’t swing as hard from that point on.” As for Wie’s purported petulance, Moodie added, “She was great to play with. Very friendly and respectful.” Tournament host Annika Sorenstam criticized Wie’s withdrawal from the Ginn tournament and her subsequent appearance to practice at the LPGA Championship, saying “I just feel there’s a little bit of lack of respect and class just to kind of leave a tournament like that and come out and practice here.” Further criticism was leveled at Wie and her parents accusing them of inappropriate behavior at both the Ginn Tribute tournament and at the LPGA Championship. In response, Wie said, “I don’t really feel like I have to apologize for anything. I just have to take care of my body and move forward and only think of positive things.”

Good news San Diego Padres fans - you have added your second hot-head, crazy utility man to your roster! First Michael Barrett and now Milton Bradley. Hopefully the two play well with each other because if you thought Zambrano vs. Barrett was exciting… Milton might add even more fireworks.

Psychological issues aside (if that is possible), Milton provides the Padres with some chance at offense… something they need dearly. Their pitching staff is phenomenal, but they need to score at least a couple runs each night.

The Padres sent Oakland minor league pitcher Andrew Brown. The Athletics are giving San Diego cash to cover part of what Bradley is owed. To clear room for Bradley, San Diego designated left-handed pitcher Sean Thompson for assignment.

If you’ve watched Fox’s baseball broadcasts, you’ve surely seen their All Star game commercials featuring the San Francisco cable cars. SI.com points out how funny the commercial is considering the ‘All Stars’ they have chosen to feature:

“Andruw Jones? Barry Zito? Lance Berkman? Jason Giambi? Quite the motley crew if I’ve ever seen one. No wonder the cable cars derail into McCovey Cove at the end.”

You could add Barry Bonds in there (deserves to play in the game in my opinion - but questionable considering the public disagrees). Nomar Garciaparra even makes an appearance.