Top Five Fridays: Hispanic Athletes

This is my regular feature called Top Five Fridays. Here I'll list some of my favorite things like, Top 5 Ways to Annoy a Michigan Fan or Top 5 Most Overrated Athletes (cough cough, Brett Favre, cough cough)..... Have no fear, we'll get to both those topics in good time. At the end there will also be a section for those that just missed the cut.

This past Monday was Cinco de Mayo. For those that think the 5th of May is Mexican Independence Day, you would be wrong. That is a common misconception amongst Americans as the actual day is September 16th. Cinco de Mayo is more a regional holiday in the state of Puebla celebrating the victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. It is celebrated throughout much of the world as a day of pride for Mexican heritage.

This year Mrs. Sizemore, her cousin (Giggles,) Giggles' boyfriend (Gabe) and O-face came over to our house for some Cinco de Drinko and we ate homemade tacos and drank way too many Coronas and margaritas for a Monday night. Mrs. Sizemore is an excellent cook. If you haven't been to her cooking blog, check it out. There will be recipes from the evening up soon...or so she says.

Anyways, in honor of Cinco de Mayo, today I present you with my...

Top 5 Favorite Hispanic Athletes to Watch

Note: I promise there will be a non-Top Five Fridays post soon, I've just been too busy.

1. Omar Vizquel
Surprised? Didn't think so.

The best all-around shortstop of all time. I know that's bold, but I'm throwing it out there.

There have certainly been better hitters at the position; Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Miguel Tejada in his era alone. Still, his .274 career average, better than average speed, ability to bunt and move runners along and his lack of strikeouts make him well above the median for the position over baseball's history. Of the top defensive shortstops already in the Hall of Fame, only Luis Aparicio and Pee Wee Reese were better hitters. Phil Rizzuto would be in the conversation.

Only one shortstop really compares defensively, and that's Ozzie Smith. The Wizard had a slightly better range and more speed, but I'll take Omar's glove and arm. Most people would take Ozzie, but I'll take Omar if for nothing else than how fun it was to watch him in Cleveland. Bare handed plays, diving stops in the hole, leaping over sliding base runners to turn a double play, flipping the ball with his glove...and he made it all look so incredibly easy.

On top of that, he is the single biggest reason my sister starting watching baseball. I'll take it. All I could find was this highlight video from his last couple season in San Francisco. It doesn't do him justice.



2. Cuauhtémoc Blanco
It's rare for me to hate an athlete this much. Derek Jeter. Isiah Thomas. Tim Biakabutuka. Really hated him. I always thought of him as a dive artist, worst than the Italian and Portuguese national teams combined. I thought he was such a showboat every time he scored against the United States. Notice the past tense though. He signed with the Chicago Fire in the spring of 2007 and upon his arrival I immediately saw why he is a folk hero to the Mexican people. Blanco is one of those guys that you hate to play against, but when he's on your team you love him.

His famous move, the "Cuauhtémiña" (otherwise known as the Blanco Bounce) is goofy, but fun to watch. His skill on the ball leaves you holding your breath thinking that something brilliant could happen at any moment. His celebratory pose of prehistoric ruler Tlatoani Cuauhtémoc after goals is ridiculous, but crowd pleasing. Mrs. Sizemore even gave the iconic Aztec warrior pose to a group of Mexicans wearing Blanco jerseys during the Chicago Marathon last year. I'm sure they were confused why a silly white girl loved Blanco, but its not hard to figure out if you watch him play for the Fire. And as for the diving, well, he doesn't dive as much as I thought he did. Sure, he exaggerates a ton when he goes to the ground, but he absolutely gets fouled more than any soccer player I've ever seen. He has an uncanny ability to shift his body at the last second to get between the defender and the ball and usually gets hammered as a result.


3. Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro could have easily been in the number one spot, but I just couldn't stick him there having never seen him play in person. Just 23 years old, he is already considered by many to be the most dangerous attacker in the world. As it turns out, "Ronaldo" is a relatively rare name in Portugal. His father named him after Ronald Reagan. After reading bit of trivia, I immediately decided that Ronaldo is my third favorite footballer after Ryan Giggs and Brian McBride.

This video should put his brilliance into perspective for you. It doesn't even include some of the simply ridiculous goals he's put in during the current season.


4. Anthony Gonzalez
Sure, there are more accomplished Hispanic athletes out there. There are certainly even guys out there that I would pay more money to watch. But Gonzo was a Buckeye and the season that he and Ted Ginn, Jr. put together with Troy Smith as the Heisman winning quarterback was my favorite to watch. It all came to a crashing halt in the BCS title match with Florida, but for 12 weeks in the fall of 2006, I was on the edge of my seat expecting something brilliant with every snap. He's a hard worker, great route runner and has very deceptive speed. By deceptive, I mean that you wouldn't think it by looking at him, but he can flat out fly.

It all started in the 2005 Michigan game when Gonzalez made the miraculous catch after the mad scramble by Smith on the final drive. It carried over into 2006 when most opponents decided to focus more of their attention on the track star, Ginn. A-Gone made them pay for it and parlayed his success into a first round draft pick with the Indianapolis Colts. With Marvin Harrison getting older and his questionable personal decisions putting him into the law's eye, Gonzalez could be the guy that steps into a huge role receiving passes from Peyton Manning. Meanwhile, Ginn is with the fledgling Dolphins and Smith is with a pathetic Ravens offense and not even being given a chance to show what he's capable of. Looks like the second half of the 7-Eleven duo is the one who will remain "always open."

In fact, because he's a Buckeye, here are two videos:




5. Manny Ramirez
Simply put, Manny Ramirez is the best all-around hitter the game of baseball has seen since Ted Williams. Power, average, patience, driving the ball to the opposite field, runners in scoring position, game on the line, regular season or playoffs....all of it. It was a sad day in Cleveland when he left for the Boston Red Sox as a free agent in 2000. It was probably the first real step of the eventual rebuilding project that would begin in 2002. We ad a good idea that he would bolt when his contract was up, but everyone thought it would be for the New York Yankees, his hometown team.

By now, you've all heard the expression, "Manny being Manny." Ramirez makes some pretty bone-headed plays in the outfield and while running the bases. He's aloof. But whatever it is that causes these mental lapses, attention deficit disorder or just plain stupidity, it's also what makes him such a great hitter. That is, at least, if you ask me.

I feel like when Manny is at the plate, he's so ADD that he completely forgets what he did yesterday. He forgets about his last at bat. I'm sure he probably doesn't even remember what the last pitch was half the time. See ball. Hit ball. It's that simple. Sure, he has a tremendous swing and I'm positive that he spends plenty of time in the batting cages. But in "clutch" situations, he isn't thinking about how the pitcher is approaching him at the plate, he's just seeing a pitch and trying to drive it.

And because he left the Tribe for greener pastures, and by green I mean a crap load of money, he doesn't get a video. My apologies to Mrs. Sizemore and all you silly Sawx fans. Just be glad one of your boys made my list.

"Juuuuust a bit outside. He tried the corner and missed."

Pedro Martinez - Before Ronaldo and Blanco came into my life, Pedro would have been on there. My two favorite Pedro quotes of all time are the following:

"I don't believe in damn curses. Wake up the damn Bambino and have me face him. Maybe I'll drill him in the ass..."

"They beat me. They're that good right now. They're that hot. I just tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddy."

Roberto Alomar - See my Top 5 Favorite Cleveland Indians post for an explanation.
Oscar De La Hoya - I'm not a huge boxing fan, but this guy is the poo. Not only is he one of the greatest non-heavyweight fighters of all time, but he is a 25% owner of the Houston Dynamo of MLS. Also, according to his website, he is NOT the uncle of Daisy De La Hoya from VH1's Rock of Love 2 with Bret Michaels.