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http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/06/21/citys-best-phoenixs-top-five-athletes/
City's Best: Phoenix's Top Five Athletes
Posted Jun 21st 2007 10:00AM by Miss Gossip
Filed under: Phoenix, Featured Stories
FanHouse is posting the top five current athletes for America's top 25 cities with the following criteria: 1) Who would a Phoenix sports fan say is his/her favorite athlete? 2) Would the player's name (or face) be familiar to locals who don't follow sports?
Find your city's top five: ATL | BOS | CHA | CHI | CIN | CLE | DAL | DC | DEN | DET | HOU | IND | LA | MIA | MIL | MIN | NO | NY | SF | PHI | PHX | PIT | SD | SEA | STL
5. Shawn Marion: Oh Shawn, always the bridesmaid! It's tough enough being third banana of the Suns bunch, but being only fifth best in the city he's made his home for the past eight years has got to sting -- kind of like being passed over for this season's NBA All-Defensive Teams and all the various other crimes of underappreciation against him. Well, the "Matrix" isn't really the face of the Suns franchise, but that face sure is recognizable on the street, which is worth something in our rankings. Plus the people of Phoenix do truly love this four-time All-Star ... he has a knack for creating impressive numbers out of nothing more than hustle rebounds and a shot so ugly it could make an onion cry.
4. Matt Leinart: Most Phoenix sports fans would agree that Leinart is top five material, but only reluctantly ... because really, who actually cares about the Cards? But hey, blazing into town with a pretty face, a complete disregard for traffic laws, and a past history of doin da Heizman on [ladies] like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears is enough to buy you fourth-place street cred in Phoenix. Being the Cardinals' starting quarterback is clearly a secondary consideration.
Photos: Phoenix's Top Athletes
3. Randy Johnson: Yeah, he's really good at pitching or something, but that's not among the top 10 reasons to love Randy Johnson. The now-43-year-old has not only been around forever, but he had a big hand (literally) in the Diamondbacks' 2001 World Series. And at 6'10" with a moustache only a mullet could love, "The Big Unit" definitely gets his fair share of recognition on the street. After a two-year stint with the Yankees, Johnson was welcomed back to Phoenix earlier this year with a grand parade and the release of a dozen doves. No, no, I'm just kidding. There were no doves.
2. Amare Stoudemire: After sitting out virtually the entire 2005-06 season rehabbing from microfracture knee surgery, Stoudemire decided to retire and fulfill his lifelong dream of playing NBA Live all day from his couch. Meanwhile, the Suns front office built a robotic Amare look-alike (nicknamed "Black Jesus") who started the season with a few weeks of fake weakness before exploding for 25/12 per night. Despite the playoff suspension debacle, "STAT" never lost his spot as a fan favorite and still gives hope for a Suns' 2008 Championship. Phoenix residents can regularly catch him dining at his own downtown restaurant (favorite meal: fried chicken with mashed potatoes, hold the carrots).
1. Steve Nash: Officially a two-time MVP, Nash is a three-peater to Phoenix fans. Quite simply, "there is no one like Steve Nash." Whether it's running the most exciting offense in the NBA (my apologies to the Warriors) or giving hilarious post-game interviews, Nash never fails to entertain. Despite the balky back and the occasional Canadian temper, Nash is the face of the Suns franchise, which is the face of Phoenix. We're not talking about a random athlete who happens to be hot at the moment -- no, the sun literally doesn't shine in Phoenix until Steve Nash wakes up. Luckily that's really early in the morning because he's always hard at work on his game, even during the off-season.
Honorable Mentions:
Diana Taurasi: She and her moon-boots usually put on a great show of athleticism playing with the WNBA's Mercury. I would have put her at the five-spot but I didn't want Shawn Marion to kill himself.
Brandon Webb: A favorite among D-backs enthusiasts, but lacking the flair to dethrone "The Big Unit" at this point in time.
The Phoenix Suns Gorilla: Hey, he can dunk.
City's Best: Phoenix's Top Five Athletes
Posted Jun 21st 2007 10:00AM by Miss Gossip
Filed under: Phoenix, Featured Stories
FanHouse is posting the top five current athletes for America's top 25 cities with the following criteria: 1) Who would a Phoenix sports fan say is his/her favorite athlete? 2) Would the player's name (or face) be familiar to locals who don't follow sports?
Find your city's top five: ATL | BOS | CHA | CHI | CIN | CLE | DAL | DC | DEN | DET | HOU | IND | LA | MIA | MIL | MIN | NO | NY | SF | PHI | PHX | PIT | SD | SEA | STL
5. Shawn Marion: Oh Shawn, always the bridesmaid! It's tough enough being third banana of the Suns bunch, but being only fifth best in the city he's made his home for the past eight years has got to sting -- kind of like being passed over for this season's NBA All-Defensive Teams and all the various other crimes of underappreciation against him. Well, the "Matrix" isn't really the face of the Suns franchise, but that face sure is recognizable on the street, which is worth something in our rankings. Plus the people of Phoenix do truly love this four-time All-Star ... he has a knack for creating impressive numbers out of nothing more than hustle rebounds and a shot so ugly it could make an onion cry.
4. Matt Leinart: Most Phoenix sports fans would agree that Leinart is top five material, but only reluctantly ... because really, who actually cares about the Cards? But hey, blazing into town with a pretty face, a complete disregard for traffic laws, and a past history of doin da Heizman on [ladies] like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears is enough to buy you fourth-place street cred in Phoenix. Being the Cardinals' starting quarterback is clearly a secondary consideration.
Photos: Phoenix's Top Athletes
3. Randy Johnson: Yeah, he's really good at pitching or something, but that's not among the top 10 reasons to love Randy Johnson. The now-43-year-old has not only been around forever, but he had a big hand (literally) in the Diamondbacks' 2001 World Series. And at 6'10" with a moustache only a mullet could love, "The Big Unit" definitely gets his fair share of recognition on the street. After a two-year stint with the Yankees, Johnson was welcomed back to Phoenix earlier this year with a grand parade and the release of a dozen doves. No, no, I'm just kidding. There were no doves.
2. Amare Stoudemire: After sitting out virtually the entire 2005-06 season rehabbing from microfracture knee surgery, Stoudemire decided to retire and fulfill his lifelong dream of playing NBA Live all day from his couch. Meanwhile, the Suns front office built a robotic Amare look-alike (nicknamed "Black Jesus") who started the season with a few weeks of fake weakness before exploding for 25/12 per night. Despite the playoff suspension debacle, "STAT" never lost his spot as a fan favorite and still gives hope for a Suns' 2008 Championship. Phoenix residents can regularly catch him dining at his own downtown restaurant (favorite meal: fried chicken with mashed potatoes, hold the carrots).
1. Steve Nash: Officially a two-time MVP, Nash is a three-peater to Phoenix fans. Quite simply, "there is no one like Steve Nash." Whether it's running the most exciting offense in the NBA (my apologies to the Warriors) or giving hilarious post-game interviews, Nash never fails to entertain. Despite the balky back and the occasional Canadian temper, Nash is the face of the Suns franchise, which is the face of Phoenix. We're not talking about a random athlete who happens to be hot at the moment -- no, the sun literally doesn't shine in Phoenix until Steve Nash wakes up. Luckily that's really early in the morning because he's always hard at work on his game, even during the off-season.
Honorable Mentions:
Diana Taurasi: She and her moon-boots usually put on a great show of athleticism playing with the WNBA's Mercury. I would have put her at the five-spot but I didn't want Shawn Marion to kill himself.
Brandon Webb: A favorite among D-backs enthusiasts, but lacking the flair to dethrone "The Big Unit" at this point in time.
The Phoenix Suns Gorilla: Hey, he can dunk.
