NFL Red Sox

FanHouse is posting the top five current athletes for America's top 25 cities with the following criteria: 1) Who would a Boston 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 | PHO | PIT | SD | SEA | STL

In years past, picking only five of the most popular athletes in Boston would have been like trying to pick out the five hottest women treading the red carpet to the Oscars: you just couldn't do it. Sadly, times have changed in Boston and it's really a two-sport town. The winter sports, glorious in long-ago times, are now rendered insignificant. But I digress, on with the winners...

5. Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boston Red Sox: A new guy new to the city but already a huge fan-favorite. The off-season hype surrounding the 103-million-dollar-man set the bar unrealistically high, but Dice-K has delivered. The mystique of coming to America from Japan combined with the mystery of the so-called "gyro-ball" has made Matsuzaka an instant legend. There is no doubt he will be a very successful major league pitcher, but his international success in Japan and in the World Baseball Classic have catapulted him into an Ichiro-like stature. The media frenzy that surrounds him is like the following Rocky Balboa had running through the streets of Philly, it's almost surreal.

4. Curt Schilling, Boston Red Sox: Nothing will ever take away the magic Schill brought to Boston in 2004 with "the bloody sock" and the post-season dramatics that ensued. At times, however, Schilling seems to do everything he can with his mouth to make people forget his ankle and his arm. If not for his weekly interviews on WEEI in Boston where he is constantly spewing unwanted political views, homophobic ideas and other stupidity, he could have been a number-one candidate for this list. But his love of blogging, online gaming, and in particular talking to the media, seemed to distract him from the game of baseball. He has done it all on the field for the Red Sox, risking not only his career but his long term health to bring the city a World Series. For that, he will always be remembered.
Sorry, No Photos

This certainly puts a new spin on that ESPN commercial with David Ortiz putting on Jorge Posada's Yankees cap. I knew the very idea of a New England sports icon wearing a Yankees hat would be repulsive to some Boston fans, but is it really front page news?

I guess so. Tom Brady walked down the street while wearing a Yankees hat. That's the front-page story in today's Boston Herald. And there's a hint of scandal in the stunning news that he's done it before:

But avid Brady Bunchers know this isn't the first time No. 12 has committed the ultimate in homer heresy. We told you way back in 2003 that Tom was sporting a Pinstripes lid when our ever-vigilant spies spotted him fueling up at a Dunkin' Donuts in Foxboro. At the time, the excuse was that it was a gesture of solidarity with then-Yankees rookie Drew Henson, who, like Tom, is a former quarterback for the University of Michigan. Of course, that lame-o rationalization has gone by the boards now that Henson has ditched MLB for the NFL to play third-string quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings

With Leather says it in stronger language than I can, but seriously. It's just a hat. It's not like he made a profane rap song or anything.

Previously at FanHouse:
Tom Brady Galpal Gisele Stops Modeling Victoria's Secret
Bridget Moynahan Talks Baby, Not Tom Brady
Shocking! Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Brady Like Hot Women
Greg Olsen's Rap Lyrics Cause a Stir in Chicago

Here is a new Vitamin Water commercial featuring David Ortiz and Brian Urlacher. They are playing badminton. They are physically intimidating the opponent. They are, in general, being sweet dudes.

Basically, I think this commercial rocks. You should watch it now.

(Via You Been Blinded, Ballhype and this other, really terrible blog.)