A day off today as we have a number of other things to tend to. Check back tomorrow morning when we kick off the work week with a number of updates, including the rest of the Top 11. Enjoy football the rest of the afternoon. Go Hawks!
Archive for December 7th, 2008
Beyond Seattle: Individual Power Rankings
Posted by Alex on December 7, 2008
The IPR’s are back after a one-week hiatus. Here’s your list of this week’s five most powerful people in sports. Enjoy.
5. Jack Zduriencik. The new Mariners GM extended his reach by reassigning almost everyone in the organization, revamping the front office, signing off on manager Don Wakamatsu’s field hirings, inking power hitter Russ Branyan to a deal, promoting and demoting players on a near-daily basis, and talking to the Ken Griffey, Jr. A busy week for a man faced with low expectations and an organization willing to do whatever he says it will take to win.
On a side note, which of the following individuals is the real Jack Zduriencik?
4. Manny Pacquiao. He stands 5’6″. He’s a national hero in the Philippines. He’s one of the wealthiest fighters in the world. He’s fought professionally in seven different weight classes. He will beat Oscar de la Hoya. He ran away from home as a child because his dad ate his dog. No joke. Not only is Pacman a bad-ass, but he’s the kind of bad-ass PETA could love. Pacquiao is the man.
3. Mike Leach. How far is Mike Leach willing to go to get paid? The answer: At least 2818 miles. That’s the official round trip distance between Seattle and Lubbock, Texas, which Mike Leach made earlier this week in an interview with the University of Washington athletic department. Not only was Leach willing to fly to UW to discuss the football team’s head coaching vacancy, but he just as willingly accepted a coach ticket on a plane that had a layover in Vegas. My guess is if UW had sent Leach a pair of running shoes and a backpack, he would have found his way as quickly as possible to Montlake, just so Texas Tech would pony up some cash he rightfully deserves. Whether he actually had eyes on the Washington job may never be known, but one thing is certain: Mike Leach is about to get paid.
2. University of Buffalo football team. Congratulations, Bulls! You just saved the BCS from further embarrassment by knocking off previously unbeaten Ball State University for the Mid-American Conference championship. BSU was pining for a BCS bowl bid that they likely would not have received, with an end result that would have sent fan and media criticism flying at the already-loathed BCS. Instead, Buffalo stepped up to the challenge and came away with an unprecedented win on Friday night, sparing the Bowl Championship Series brass, and stunning Ball State in the process.
1. Alex Rodriguez. Alex Rodriguez is Dominican. No, wait, he’s American. Hold on a sec, he’s Dominican again. A-Rod doesn’t know what the hell he is. So he gets to choose. That’s great. If only we could all choose our ethnic backgrounds. A-Rod wants to play for the Dominican Republic in the next World Baseball Classic. Never mind that he was born in New York, grew up in Miami, and lived a mere four years in the D.R. as a young child. Or that he represented the United States in the last WBC. Or that with each passing day, Rodriguez’s Spanish accent actually seems to get thicker. Alex wants you to believe he’s Dominican, but Alex is about as Dominican as Michael Jordan is Nigerian.
It doesn’t help that Alex Rodriguez is already the most superficial celebrity on the face of the planet. Or that he’s dating a crazy lady twice his age, with an artificial accent of her own and skin like ivory beef jerky. Or that his first wife was just as nuts as his current girlfriend. Or that he cheated on that first wife of his. Or that he plays for the Yankees. Or that he has betrayed every organization he’s ever been a part of. Or that he has more money than most of us will ever see. We don’t want him anyways. The Dominican can have him.
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