100 Most Likable American Athletes (50-41)

Weeks ago, I started looking at the most likable athletes in this country following the retirements of Derek Jeter and Champ Bailey. That continues today with the latest look at some awesome American athletes. First, let's look back at what we have gone over so far...
Preview
100-91
90-81
80-71
70-61
60-51

50. Ryan Kalil

Tucson, Arizona

Current Team: Carolina Panthers

Look at this huge guy in this giant bear costume and try to tell me he isn't a likable, funny guy. He also happens to be an elite center and the highest paid at his position in NFL history. This guy is entertaining off the field and fantastic on it. This interview on NFL Network that is pictured was one of the funniest I have seen. Add in that watching him dominate the line is a thing of beauty and you can see why Kalil is so likable. He is probably the most likable offensive lineman in the game today.

49. David Price

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Current Team: Detroit Tigers

David Price is the Cy Young Award winner for 2012 and currently a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. After a long career in Tampa, he was traded to the Tigers last season. In addition to the Cy Young Award in 2012, David Price finished second in 2010. That same season, Price started the All-Star Game for the American League. He is incredibly effective and has tremendous stuff. Baseball fans everywhere love what Price brings to the table. They love that he is fan friendly and that he remains positive. He is one of the most socially friendly pitchers in the game and is very active on Twitter. Price is best liked for his swing and miss stuff. It is amazing that in just 6 full seasons, Price already has 1,139 strikeouts. That is an average of nearly 200 a season. If Price can stay healthy and pitch through the next ten years those are Hall of Fame strikeout numbers.

48. Blake Griffin

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Current Team: Los Angeles Clippers

Blake Griffin is my personal least favorite person on this list. I happen to think Griffin is incredibly overrated. However, I must admit that the guy is good and that people generally tend to like the guy. He is marketable as he has appeared in numerous commercials and he is popular. I mean the guy was elected as an all-star starter and will likely make it again as a starter. Fans absolutely love the guy and his violent dunks. I think thats why people love him. He reminds me a lot of Shawn Kemp. I loved Kemp too and he was exciting, but always a tad overrated. I see Griffin in the same light. Hopefully, he doesn't waste his talent like Kemp did though.

47. Luke Kuechly

Evandale, Ohio

Current Team: Carolina Panthers

Luke Kuechly is the best linebacker in football IMO. Most people would agree with me on that and the fact that he is incredibly likable. He was the Defensive Player of the Year last year and he was elected to his second Pro Bowl this season. Kuechly was the youngest player ever to receive Defensive Player of the Year. This guy is still just 23 years old and making one tremendous impact. It is hard not to like Kuechly and the way this guy plays the game. The future on defense in Carolina is very bright thanks to Luke Kuechly.

46. Stephen Strasburg

San Diego, California

Current Team: Washington Nationals

If Griffin is my least favorite person on this list, Stras is #2. This guy is the most overrated person in sports. He is even overrated in his own organization. Stephen Strasburg is not the Nationals best starter. The guy is not in Zimmerman's league. Look at the facts and look at the results. Stras is not as good as Zimm. He is phenomenal and one of the best power arms there is, but he is not a Top 10 starter. Zimmerman is a top 10 starter but treated as the number 2 guy on the staff. Stras tends to be overrated and loved because he hits 100 on the gun. There is reason for that and he is likable for that. However, that arm motion and ferociousness he throws with also leads to arm problems and this guy can;t seem to stay healthy. I hope I am wrong on this guy and he lights up the world. It seems to me though that this guy will never be anywhere near the hype. His hype has led to his fan support though and people absolutely love Strasburg. This guy has the charisma and the tools, but how long with that last for.

45. Allyson Felix

Los Angeles, California

Track & Field

Allyson Felix is probably the most famous female track athlete in the United States. Felix won 3 gold medals in track during the 2012 Games. Those 3 golds were the most by any female track athlete since 1988. In all, Felix has 16 gold medals internationally for the United States. 4 of those golds have come from the Olympics and 8 from World Championships. The other gold medals have come from the World Indoor Championships (1) and the World Athletics Final (3). Additionally, she has a few world records. She also happens to be a 4-time winner of the Jesse Owens Award. That award is given out by the USATF at it signifies Athlete of the Year. Interestingly, Felix is trained by the husband of Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

44. McKayla Maroney

Alisa Viejo, California

Gymnastics

McKayla Maroney is known the world over for that face after winning a silver medal in the 2012 Olympics. This not impressed face was after she was screwed out of a gold medal for a near perfect vault. The vaults that she had in this Olympics were fantastic and the entire country was amazed at what she could do in that even. Following her perfomance, there are many expecting McKayla to help lead the American team to more gold in 2016.

43. Dwayne Wade

Chicago, Illinois

Current Team: Miami Heat

Dwayne Wade was arguably the most likable player in basketball before LeBron came to Miami. Unfortunately, most people thought he was done towards the tail end of LeBron's run in Miami though. It seems that Wade still has a good amount left in the tank and a lot of charm left as well. This season Wade is proving the doubters wrong as he averages 22.1 points per game. Howeverm Wade of course made his mark early on with the Heat by becoming the NBA Finals MVP in 2006. He then led the Gold Medal winning Redeem Team in scoring during the 2008 Olympics. He has been injury plagued at times during his career, but always pushes through and never complains about his ailments. Perhaps Wade is most liked for what he does off the court though. He created the Wade's World Foundation which helps at-risk youth. In private, it has been said that Wade often visits sick children and he gave one sick child, that lost his hands and feet, his jersey from the night he broke the single-season scoring record for the Heat. With Alonzo Mourning he co-founded The Athletes Relief Fund for Haiti. Wade is also an avid-supporter of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (my personal favorite charity. Another interesting note about Wade is that he wears #3 because it represents the Holy Trinity. This guy is as classy as they come. Although he has a few haters it is hard not to love D-Wade. If this was just my favorite athletes, I would have him in the Top 10, but he will do here at #43.

42. Hunter Mahan

Orange, California

PGA Tour

Hunter Mahan has 6 wins on the PGA Tour and a decent amount of success other than that. This past August is when he recorded that 6th win in the first event of the FedEx cup playoff. That win put him in 1st place in the standings, but Mahan finished 6th overall. Still, it was a great finish and great season from Mahan. He has appeared in 3 Ryder Cups for America including the Cup last year, and the victorious 2008 USA squad. Mahan has appeared in and won 4 Presidents Cups. Finally, Mahan is a part of the "Golf Boys", a PGA Tour band featuring Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, and Ben Crane. Farmers Insurance donates $1,000 for every 100,000 view of this video. Currently, it has over 7 million views. There is another followup video 2.Oh by the group which is also for charity. As you can see, Mahan is hilarious and awesome.

41. Craig Kimbrel

Huntsville, Alabama

Current Team: Atlanta Braves

Craig Kimbrel is simply the best closer in all of baseball. He is a tremendous weapon for the Atlanta Braves organization. Kimbrel set a rookie record for saves in 2011 with 46. In just 4 full seasons, Kimbrel already has 186 saves. John Smoltz was just elected into the Hall of Fame and Kimbrel just smashed his club's saves record. Sure, Smoltz only closed for a few seasons, but still. Kimbrel has been as good as you can possibly be as a closer with the Braves. Every fan of baseball respects the talent and stuff that Kimbrel has. There is absolutely nobody better at what he does. His 1st four seasons have been the stuff of legend. If this continues, Atlanta will have another pitcher heading up to Cooperstown.

-Noland

100 Best MLB Players

With all this talk about top 100 in my past few posts, I decided to start doing my own top 100 list for the 3 major sports. These lists will be based on value provided the rest of this season and into next year. For instance, Mariano Rivera is not eligible because he will not play in 2014. It is a list for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Past accomplishments factor in, but it isn't an all-time list, so a guy like Derek Jeter will not be in the top 10, eventhough he is arguably the best player of today over his career. Defense will factor in a great deal with these rankings. Finally, no players linked to steroids will be included, so no A-Rod or Braun from me

The hardest thing in all of sports is to compare position players with pitchers, but I did my best to take care of everything here.

100. Chris Tillman             Baltimore Orioles        SP

99. Aroldis Chapman        Cincinnati Reds           P

98. Jarrod Parker              Oakland A's               SP

97. Yoenis Cespedes        Oakland A's                OF

96. Shane Victorino           Boston Red Sox         OF

95. Mike Napoli                Boston Red Sox         1B

94. Wil Myers                   Tampa Bay Rays         OF

93. Kyle Seager                Seattle Mariners          3B

92. Hisashi Iwakuma         Seattle Mariners          SP

91. Wei Yin Chen             Baltimore Orioles         SP

90. Alex Gordon               Kansas City Royals     OF

89. Curtis Granderson       New York Yankees    OF

88. Chris Archer               Tampa Bay Rays         SP

87. Cole Hammels            Philadelphia Phillies      SP

86. Matt Wieters              Baltimore Orioles         C

85. Shelby Miller              St. Louis Cardinals       SP

84. Prince Fielder             Detroit Tigers               1B

83. Jed Lowrie                 Oakland A's                 SS

82. Michael Bourn            Cleveland Indians         OF

81. Carlos Gomez            Milwaukee Brewers      OF

80. Jayson Werth             Washington Nationals   OF

79. Ian Desmond              Washington Nationals   SS

78. Brandon Beachy         Atlanta Braves             SP

77. Joe Nathan                 Texas Rangers             CP

76. Torii Hunter                Detroit Tigers               OF

75. Chris Sale                   Chicago White Sox      SP

74. Cliff Lee                      Philadelphia Phillies      SP

73. James Loney               Tampa Bay Rays         1B

72. Anibal Sanchez            Detroit Tigers              SP

71. Matt Holiday               St. Louis Cardinals      OF

70. Yasiel Puig                  Los Angeles Dodgers  OF

69. Coco Crisp                 Oakland A's                OF

68. Brett Gardner              New York Yankees    OF

67. Andrelton Simmons     Atlanta Braves             SS

66. JJ Hardy                      Baltimore Orioles        SS

65. Ben Zobrist                 Tampa Bay Rays         IF/OF

64. Mike Minor                 Atlanta Braves             SP

63. Matt Moore                Tampa Bay Rays          SP

62. Jordan Zimmerman      Washington Nationals   SP

61. Starling Marte              Pittsburgh Pirates         OF

60. Derek Holland             Texas Rangers             SP

59. Justin Masterson          Cleveland Indians         SP

58. Jay Bruce                    Cincinnati Reds            OF

57. Dominic Brown           Philadelphia Phillies       OF

56. Pedro Alvarez             Pittsburgh Pirates          3B

55. Craig Kimbrel             Atlanta Braves              CP

54. Jose Reyes                  Toronto Blue Jays        SS

53. Brandon Phillips          Cincinnati Reds             2B

52. Joe Mauer                  Minnesota Twins            C

51. James Shields              Kansas City Royals       SP

50. Shin-Shoo Choo         Cincinnati Reds              OF

49. Julio Teheran               Atlanta Braves               SP

48. Giancarlo Stanton        Miami Marlins                OF

47. Patrick Corbin            Arizona Diamondbacks   SP

46. Justin Upton                Atlanta Braves               OF

45. Jon Lester                   Boston Red Sox             SP

44. Elvis Andrus                Texas Rangers                SS

43. Chris Johnson              Atlanta Braves                3B

42. Carlos Beltran             St. Louis Cardinals          OF

41. Allen Craig                  St. Louis Cardinals          1B

40. Stephen Strasburg       Washington Nationals      SP

39. Hyun-Jin Ryu               Los Angeles Dodgers      SP

38. Matt Harvey                New York Mets              SP

37. Troy Tulowitski            Colorado Rockies           SS

36. David Wright               New York Mets              3B

35. Bryce Harper              Washington Nationals      OF

34. Freddie Freeman         Atlanta Braves                 1B

33. Hiroki Kuroda             New York Yankees        SP

32. Jason Kipnis                Cleveland Indians            2B

31. Evan Longoria             Tampa Bay Rays             3B

30. Justin Verlander           Detroit Tigers                  SP

29. Clay Buchholz              Boston Red Sox             SP

28. Jeff Locke                    Pittsburgh Pirates            SP

27. Adrian Gonzalez           Los Angeles Dodgers      1B

26. Salvador Perez             Kansas City Royals          C

25. Jose Fernandez            Miami Marlins                  SP

24. Josh Donaldson           Oakland A's                     3B

23. Matt Carpenter            St. Louis Cardinals            IF

22. David Price                  Tampa Bay Rays              SP

21. Adam Wainwright        St. Louis Cardinals            SP

20. Jacoby Ellsbury            Boston Red Sox               OF

19. Carlos Gonzalez           Colorado Rockies             OF

18. Max Scherzer               Detroit Tigers                    SP

17. Joey Votto                   Cincinnati Reds                 1B

16. Paul Goldschmidt         Arizona Diamondbacks     1B

15. Chris Davis                  Baltimore Orioles              1B

14. Jean Segura                 Milwaukee Brewers          SS

13. Dustin Pedroia             Boston Red Sox                2B

12. Robinson Cano            New York Yankees          2B

11. Miguel Cabrera            Detroit Tigers                    3B

10. Andrew McCutchen     Pittsburgh Pirates              OF

09. Adam Jones                 Baltimore Orioles              OF

08. Yadier Molina              St.Louis Cardinals              C

07. Yu Darvish                   Texas Rangers                   SP

06. Adrian Beltre                Texas Rangers                   3B

05. Mike Trout                   Los Angeles Angels           OF

04. Manny Machado           Baltimore Orioles              3B

03. Felix Hernandez            Seattle Mariners                SP

02. Clayton Kershaw           Los Angeles Dodges         SP

01. Buster Posey                 San Francisco Giants         C

MLB Season Predictions

AL Season Predictions

AL East

1. Baltimore

2. Tampa

3. New York

4. Toronto

5. Boston

AL Central

1. Detroit

2. Kansas City

3. Chicago

4. Minnesota

5. Cleveland

AL West

1. Anaheim

2. Texas

3. Oakland

4. Seattle

5. Houston

Wild Cards: Tampa, Kansas City

MVP: Albert Pujols

Cy Young: David Price

NL Season Predictions

NL East

1. Washington

2. Atlanta

3. Philly

4. New York

5. Miami

NL Central

1. Cincy

2. Pittsburgh

3. Milwaukee

4. St. Louis

5. Chicago

NL West

1. San Fran

2. LA

3. Arizona

4. Colorado

5. San Diego

Wild Cards: LA and Atlanta

MVP: Buster Posey

Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw

ALCS: Baltimore over Anaheim

NLCS: San Fran over Washington

World Series: Baltimore over San Fran

World Series MVP: Matt Wieters

-Noland

Even With David Price Pitching the Orioles Win

The Orioles faced the best pitcher in baseball today. That's right they were up against David Price. For sure it would be a loss right? Wrong! It took extra innings and Price coming out of the game, but it happened. Baltimore 1 Tampa 0. Price pitched 8 innings and only allowed 2 hits. Another brilliant performance by the best.

How did the Orioles possibly win with Price on the hill? They got some terrific starting pitching of their own. Miguel Gonzalez was amazing. Gonzalez also gave up just 2 hits. He lasted 7 innings and lowered his ERA to 3.80. Gonzalez threw 104 pitches after it was all said and done. This performance was incredibly clutch. It sends a message to the rest of the league when you have Miguel Gonzalez dueling with David Price. Very pleased with this outing from Gonzo today.

Of course Gonzo wasn't alone. With a 1-0 victory in ten innings there were others that contributed to the shutout. By the way, this is the second consecutive shutout for the birds. 18 innings of shutout baseball. Tonights shutout was capped by Jim Johnson's 32nd save on the year. Once again, I will take Johnson over anybody. The guy is clutch.

Luis Ayala actually picked up the win in this wild game. Ayala worked the ninth inning in this victory. Troy Patton gave up a hit to his only batter and Ayala followed it with brilliance. Very impressed with how Ayala worked out of this one. Ayala's ERA now sits at 2.68. Darren O'Day worked the 8th in the victory recording a strikeout and also lowering his ERA to 2.68.

There were few offensive highlights as to be expected against Price, but other than the game winning hit, one player stood out. That player is Robert Andino. Andino managed to get on base 3 times tonight. He walked twice and also picked up a hit in the game. Mr. Smiley came through for the birds.

Now finally to how the Orioles won the game. Top of the 10th..Mark Reynolds is able to...draw a walk! Yes! Way to go Mark. Ok, so the automatic out is on base. It looks like the Orioles have a chance here. With 2 outs, Taylor Teagarden steps to the plate. All Teagarden does at that point is deliver a huge double! Teagarden at second and Reynolds scored! The Orioles lead and it is because Taylor Teagarden drove in Mark Reynolds. Are you kidding me? Anyone who didn't believe in miracles does now! Wow! Teagarden! This guy now has two HUGE extra inning game winning hits in his short time with Baltimore. Not bad for a #2 catcher who is a defensive specialist with no stick. That staff sure did look good today with Teagarden behind the dish. I like this guy!

-Noland

AL All-Star Pitchers: My Picks So Far

I forgot to do this yesterday, so I am doing it now. This is the same thing as my National League list, but with the American League. Unfortunately, the Seminoles and Orioles both lost last night, but the good news is that it allows me to focus on this. Once again the pitchers will be in order to prevent any confusion. Starters first then relievers.

AL All-Star Game Starter
David Price    Tampa Bay Rays
8-4  3.01 ERA   .248 Average Against  
I picked Price because I think he is the best pitcher in baseball and he pitches in the toughest division in baseball. He is also tied for the most wins despite not having his star 3rd baseman to back him up. The defense in Tampa is down compared to most years as well. Also think of this, if you want to win homefield, who do you want in? Most people would say Price or......

Other Starters
Justin Verlander   Detroit Tigers
6-4   2.66 ERA   .205 Average Against
As I was saying before, if you want to win the game, you want this guy or Price in. No doubt about it. I would say these two are the locks to the game. Verlander was a freak last year, and although he hasn't been quite as good this year, he's been pretty good.

Chris Sale   Chicago White Sox
8-2   2.42 ERA    .197 Average Against
The best pitcher for the 1st place White Sox has been Sale. It is amazing because all 12 of his starts in MLB have come this season, but he has been fantastic for the Sox. He should be a lock for this game.

CJ Wilson   Los Angeles Angels
7-4  2.30 ERA   .189 Average Against
If you look at the numbers and figure in that CJ Wilson was the ace on the Texas staff that went to the World Series, you can pretty much figure he will start the all-star game. I do not see any way Ron Washington doesn't pick him for the squad. Unless of course he is bitter that Wilson went to the rival Angels.

Jake Peavy  Chicago White Sox
6-2  2.91 ERA   .202 Average Against
Peavy has returned to all-star form and has looked the best he's ever looked in the AL. This guy looks to be near lock status as well. He has had a fantastic season thus far.

Yu Darvish  Texas Rangers
8-4  3.57 ERA   .238 Average Against
Look, Darvish has been great this year in a hitter's park. He plays for a 1st place team, which is perhaps the best team in baseball, and the manager's team. Plus, if this is about the fans, Darvish should be in the game. People want to see this guy pitch.

Jason Hammel  Baltimore Orioles
6-2  3.22 ERA    .238 Average Against
Hammel has been the best pitcher on a very good Orioles team. The Orioles are competitive and deserve some all-stars. I don't think 4 all-stars are too much to ask for this team. For the first time in years, they have several guys deserving. Hammel is 2 starts behind many of the other pitchers due to a knee injury, but he deserves the appearance.

Jared Weaver   Los Angeles Angels
6-1  2.61 ERA    .195 Average Against
Weaver may have to decline due to injury, but he should get the honor whether he can play or not. Make the other decision if you have to. Weaver has missed 3 starts due to injury, but has been as good as anyone in the league. The dude is filthy.

Relievers
Jim Johnson   Baltimore Orioles
19/20 Saves  1.26 ERA 1-0  .153 Average Against
I do not know if any Orioles will make it besides Johnson and Jones, but if those two don't make it, then it is a crime. Johnson has been fantastic for the 1st place O's, only missing one save opportunity. In that blown save, he stayed in for the next inning and picked up the win. The AL needs Jim Johnson.

Chris Perez  Cleveland Indians
21/22 Saves  2.49 ERA  .200 Average Against
21 saves is a lot. The Indians are in 2nd place largely because they have a competent closer. The team is only .5 back and this is one of the few no-brainers in the selection process.

Fernando Rodney  Tampa Bay Rays
18/19 Saves  1.21 ERA  .181 Average Against
Another no-brainer. Rodney has been lights out for the Rays. Has done a fantastic job.

Rafael Soriano  New York Yankees
11/12 Saves  1.93 ERA   .258 Average Against
Soriano has filled in for Rivera and done a great job. He has only blown one save and helped put the Yankees in 1st place. Before he moved to closer, he was a great setup guy and went 2-0. He will make the team.

Pedro Strop   Baltimore Orioles
3-2  1.44 ERA   3 saves   .181 Average Against
This is the least likely all-star selection, but I had to give it up for my boy Strop. He has been fantastic and us Oriole fans sure appreciate having him around. A great guy.

-Noland