Top 10 Athletes: According to Vineesh

Today in sports, there are so many stand out athletes that are out to make a name for them selves, and not to live in shadows of other stars that once were in their shoes. Recently, I have been thinking about my favorite professional athletes, and those that are most dominant in their sports. Some of these athletes are known all around the world, and others are under the radar. None the less, these athletes play the game hard, and are well respected for what they do. Here are my top 10 athletes of today:

10) Albert Pujols-the most consistant hitter in baseball over the past 5 years

9) Larry Fitzgerald- best reciever in the NFL, at this point in time

8) Alexander Ovechkin- most overlooked young athlete in the world

7) Usain Bolt- fastest man ever
6) Rafeal Nadal- the changing ofthe guards became official in my eyes at the Ausie Open

5) Cristiano Ronaldo- footballer of the year

4) LeBron James-52, 9, 11 at the garden...

3) Tiger Woods- though injured, he will in 4 majors this year

2) Micheal Phelps- knows how to win, and party with college kids

1) Kobe Bryant-KOBE

What if NBAers played for the Hometown Team?

Over at Depressed Fan, they realigned the NBA rosters according to where the players are from. Everybody plays for the hometown team, no exceptions. It's a pretty cool look at how different everything would be and what cities and towns are hotspots for future NBA talent.

Here are some of the best teams and some interesting squads:

Charlotte Bobcats:

PG Chris Paul (Clemmons, NC)

SG Ray Allen (Dalzell, SC)

SF Josh Howard (Winston-Salem, NC)

PF Antawn Jamison (Charlotte, NC)/David West (Garner, NC)

C Kevin Garnett (Mauldin, SC)

This is the best team out and I can't see any reasonable way that this team wouldn't win the title. Chris Paul and KG would be unstoppable together and Allen/Howard/West is a deadly finish to the starting 5.

Chicago Bulls:

PG Derrick Rose (Chicago, IL)

SG Dwyane Wade (Oak Lawn, IL)

SF Andre Iguodala (Springfield, IL)/Wilson Chandler (Benton Harbor, MI)

PF Corey Maggette (Oak Park, IL)

C Eddy Curry (South Holland, IL)

Watching Rose, Wade, and Iguodala together would be awesome. The dunks, drives, and highlights would be unbelievable to watch.

Houston Rockets:

PG TJ Ford (Sugarland, TX)

SG Rashard Lewis (Alief, TX)/Daniel Gibson (Houston, TX)

SF Paul Millsap (Grambling, LA)

PF Kendrick Perkins (Beaumont, TX)

C Emeka Okafor (Houston, TX)

This is a solid team that would do a great job competing. But, no way Perk gets in this starting lineup.

New Jersey Nets:

PG Randy Foye (Newark, NJ)

SG J.R. Smith (Newark, NJ)

SF Al Harrington (Elizabeth, NJ)

PF Troy Murphy (Morristown, NJ)/Tim Thomas (Paterson, NJ)

C Andrew Bynum (Metuchen, NJ)

This team would be surprisingly good. Harrington and Tim Thomas would spread the floor and give Foye and Smith room to run all over the floor. Not too mention Bynum is the middle.

New Orleans Hornets:

PG Chris Duhon (Slidell, LA)

SG Monta Ellis (Jackson, MS)/Mo Williams (Jackson, MS)

SF Danny Granger (New Orleans, LA)

PF Tyrus Thomas (Baton Rogue, LA)

C Al Jefferson (Prentiss, MS)

I like this team with Mo at the point. This team is very solid and would give team nightmares with their athleticism.

Orlando Magic:

PG Damien Wilkins (Orlando, FL)

SG Vince Carter (Daytona Beach, FL)

SF Tracy McGrady (Auburndale, FL)/Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (Montverde, FL)

PF Marreese Speights (St. Petersburg, FL)

C Amare Stoudemire (Orlando, FL)

This team would suck, but watching VC, T-Mac, and Amare would be awesome.

Washington Wizards:

PG Allen Iverson (Hampton, VA)

SG Jeff Green (Hyattsville, MD)

SF Carmelo Anthony (Towson, MD)

PF Kevin Durant (Rockville, MD)/Michael Beasley (Prince George's County, MD)

C Rudy Gay (Severn, MD)

This is another team that would be better suited for the highlight reel than standings. Green should really be the PF and Durant the SG. They'd get bullied all day inside, but who cares, they'd push the fastest pace of all-time. It'd be 4 seconds or less.

Phelps Fever

I am going to make a pretty bold statement, but its one that I believe many Americans can agree with. Michael Phelps is the greatest athlete of all-time. Period. Not only the greatest swimmer, not only the greatest Olympian, but the very best athlete the world has ever seen.

11,028 athletes traveled to Beijing to compete, but none of them faced the pressure Michael Phelps encountered. Phelps didn't just handle the pressure, he thrived in it. Phelps didn't just dominate, he captivated the entire country. After the 4x100 relay, amidst the high fives and the "U-S-A" chants, I realized how special Phelps's performance was.

The most impressive feat by Phelps was his extraordinary comeback to win the 100m butterfly by just .01 seconds. To me, a legend was born at the end of that race. That was one of several dramatic finishes, and Phelps owes a lot of credit to his teammates. Something that the humble Phelps will gladly do.

As Phelps captured his eighth gold of the Beijing games, I tried to brainstorm a list of the greatest athletes of all-time. To me, Phelps sits atop that list. Heres what I came up with, in no particular order:

Tiger Woods
Babe Ruth
Jim Brown
Jim Thorpe
Mark Spitz
Michael Jordan
Muhammad Ali
Wayne Gretzky
Lance Armstrong
Jerry Rice
Pele


You can make a case for any one of these athletes, but nobody (maybe with the exception of Spitz) displayed the type of dominance Phelps just did. Of course, we are comparing apples to oranges here, and it is quite possible that there is no 1 single "best athlete of all-time". However, all things considered, I'm sticking to my guns. Michael Phelps is the greatest ever.