After taking last year off, I'm bringing back the Outsports King of the Hard Wood competition! Our 2003-2004 defending champ is none other than Jeremy Bloom. Can he defend his title?

If you want to nominate someone, please post it here. Thanks to Jame2k3 & his baseball survivior series, the baseball division is FULL. So no baseball players is needed. I'm using the top 8 in that tourney to represent baseball.

You can pretty know that the popular hunks of sports will be in the competition.. Bloom, Brees (new to the competition), Roddick, Brady, Beckham etc.

I can tell you now that newbies to the competition include Christiano Ronaldo (Soccer), Frederic Michalek (Rugby), Despatie (Diving), and probably Tommy Skipper (Pole Vault).

So, if you have a favorite jock, nominate him.

I'm also limiting football to 8 jocks.

So, send me the Tennis hotties, figure skaters (John Zimmerman?), Divers, swimmers, ruggers, soccer players, NASCAR, golfers, curling or what not!

I think this year's competition will be fierce and highly competitive.

Our field of 64 will be made shortly after the NCAA announces their Field of 64.

Let's get those nominations in!

[ March 13, 2005, 10:43 PM: Message edited by: Mariner Duck Boy ]

Let me just reiterate Drew Brees.....


Swimming - A stud that has gone under the radar too long is Markus Rogan. He's pretty much Mr. Friendly, born is Austria and went to Stanford. He's also a very smart guy! He's probably best known for his situation with Aaron Peirsol in the Olympics after Peirsol was disqualified and Rogan was rather against taking Peirsol's gold medal (showing tremendous sportsmanship unlike someone else during the Olympics). Handsome...
And plenty hot...

And a very nice smile...


NBA - Two guys that catch my eye are Wally Szczerbiak and Nick Collison.
Nick isn't exactly Mr. Hottie, but something about him has always caught my eye. Of course this picture doesn't hurt....
And that whole 6'10" thing....


I don't think I need to show off Wally any. Although the best thing about Wally is...

..his hatred of compression shorts!

...and those awesome legs...

Diving: Alexander Despatie- definitely hard wood material

Swimming: Marcus Rogan, for sure!!!

Tennis: Xavier Malisse, Marat Safin, Bryan Brothers

Soccer: Landon Donovan

A hearty second for Drew Brees, followed by a very distant Monty Beisel of the Chiefs and Chiqui (Israel) Chirino of University of Miami's baseball team.

Since this may be the last year he's eligible, I'd like to make a hockey nomination for Stephane Desjardins, formerly of the Macon Traxx and most recently with Quebec Radio X in the NAHL.

Since I'm founder and organizer of the tourney, I always pick one darkhorse. In the 2003 tourney, the MDB darkhorse was Wes Cotton and I believe he made it to the Elite 8.

Who will be the MBD special this year (and no, it's not Joey H). I have the pick, but I'm trying to find a perfect picture of him.

....add Nicolas Kiefer from Tennis.....and might as well add Andy Roddick as well.

I can already tell you that Andy is pretty much a safe bet for a #1 seed.

I second the tennis nomination for Marat Safin. Andy Schmandy, that's what I say!

How about Stanford swimmer Andy Grant?

Andy Grant... wow eek!
Do you think he uses "it" like an extra arm to swim faster?

My number 1 vote would have to go to hottie Markus Rogan as well.

After seeing the Andy Grant pics I would probably vote him # 2.

Mike

When does swim season begin at Stanford?! eek!

This is a pic of Andy Grant from this past weekend's meet against USC. If you are interested in reading about Andy's record-breaking weekend, here is the story.

[ February 07, 2005, 10:28 AM: Message edited by: bobby78751 ]

I'll nominate a speedskater -- how about KC Boutiette -- part of the U.S.'s 1-2-3-4 place sweep in the 1500 m. world championship over the weekend.

Only one I can think of from the sports you listed is Freddie Ljungberg, who plays soccer for arsenal. He is also the current model for calvin klein underwear.

I'm going to add some black guys to the mix. NBA players: Grant Hill, Derek Anderson and Juan Dixon.

(I'm going to try and think of some hot Asian athletes, MDB, but I need a little time. )

Well, since you brought it up. My MDB pick this year is an Asian guy....I'll post his picture when I get home tonight.

Can we add Jason Taylor, Tony Gonzalez, and Donovan McNabb to the mix?

Gotta add Alex S. Gonzalez!

luvs me some Tom Brady

Asian athletes I would like to nominate:

Timmy Chang

Day Nguyen

Paul Kariya

Thanks Bobby for the pics of Andy WOW!!!!

Adam Vinatieri gets my vote.

What a hottie!

You guys are wasting your time. The winner of this award will be the adorable Alexandre Despatie:

Alexandre!

Alexandre!

Alexandre!

Alexandre!

Alexandre!

Alexandre!

But there are some wrestlers I like, too.

A very enthusiastic nomination of Ben Cohen! Rugger extraordinaire – and incredibly hot man!

Y'all can have the boys, this year, I'm going for the man...the Asian man! I submit...

Athens Olypmpics Gold Medalist (after the IOC stripped the Hungarian Adrian Annus of the Gold) & the #1 ranked hammer thrower in the world. Koji Murofushi. 6'1, 30y/o, 216# All man!

Gold

What a smile

Getty image

I have more, but I'm saving them for the competition!

Wow, mdb, that Asian hunk has been eating his Wheaties! That's prime Kobe beef. wink

Very good pick, MDB. And now I'm reminded to include American decathletes Brian Clay and Tom Pappas to the nominations list.

I think we're going to have a very strong competition this year.

Keep the suggestions coming! I am making a field of 64 and I'd say about 48 of the slots are already filled with our favorites.

We still don't have any Race Car drivers or Figure skaters nominated and we could use more Basketball players.

And are there any outstanding studs in the lesser known sports such as Volleyball/Beach Vollleyball, Cycling...Bowling?

The studs of professional bowling. It's amazing the PBA hasn't published a calendar!

Shannon Buchan of Waterloo, Iowa


Patrick Allen of Tarrytown, New York


Norm Duke of Clemont, Florida


and Peter Hernandez of Miami, Florida

Figure skating: Bian Joubert!

MDB I have some vintage Koji Murofushi pics if you need any more evidence to bolster your case. Although, I think I'm going to have to go with Marat Safin on so many levels.

OH! Lest we forget Romanian gymnast Marian Dragalescu:

Agreed, but Marian gets a .5 deduction for bad highlights.

I'm sure there's commercial succes when they release that calendar in Mars.

How about an MLS player...Like Kyle Beckerman or Joe Cannon or Landon Donovan or Chris Henderson!

G4G you made me gag!!!! I had just taken a bite out of my sandwich when the pictures of those hunks popped up. Now I have food everywhere.


So, methinks Patrick Buchan is a lock on the #1 seed in the midwest region eek!

I'm truly sorry, MDB. Let me apologize by sending you on an all-expense paid lunch with pro bowler Eugene McCune of Munster, Indiana, to make up for it.

Oh G4G, I just adore you!

I adore you back. That's why after your lunch with Eugene, you'll be enjoying a night in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with hometown hero Mika Koivuniemi!




(By the way - pro golf is apparently the whitest sport ever.)

Mika's sex appeal jumps up when you find out he was ranked No. 2 for at the end of 2004 and made $517,665 on the tour last year!

MDB, you lucky dog, you!

Basketball players? Chris Webber, Jeff Foster, Chris Mihm.......

NASCAR? Umm, I don't want to get into any debates, but they aren't 'athletes'.........

Haven't seen much on baseball posted: Jason Varitek, Brad Ausmus, Mark Prior...


Oh and I hope MIKE ALSTOTT is on the 'pre approved" list!

[ February 10, 2005, 02:12 PM: Message edited by: illini n milwaukee ]

I don't think I saw Boonie from the Mariners mentioned.

So I would say my number 1 pick still has to be Markus Rogan. Followed by Boonie.

Mike

I'm using the Elite Eight from the Baseball Survivor Thread. So, no Boonie, no Prior, no Varitek. But Ausmus..yes and he's the top ranked Baseball player since he won that "competition".

And Alstott is on the list since he is pretty much a standard mention on this board (along with Brady, Brees, Vinatieri, Carr and Urlacher)!

[ February 10, 2005, 03:36 PM: Message edited by: Mariner Duck Boy ]

Before I start, thanks MDB for Koji Murofushi. I now have a "solid" reason to watch the hammer throw. I'd also like to give a shout out to Alstott, Jeter, Javy Lopez, Alex Despatie, Marcus Rogan, Jason Taylor, Nomar, Brandon Stokley, Tom Brady, Albert Pujols, and Patrick Kerney.

And now, they who make my pants feel tighter...

Keith Brooking (my kryptonite)

Landon Donovan (and I quit playing soccer why?)

Robbie Ginepri (sans sleeveless shirt)

The Obligatory Szczerbiak Photo Montage

Scott Gomez (currently petitioning the NHL Players Union for more revealing uniforms)

Jeff Francoeur (or as I like to call him, Chipper Jones only hotter)

Ty Law (got milk?)

Brian Finneran (his pre-game stretches make my season tickets worth every penny)

Carlos \"your stock is dropping since you became a Met\" Beltran

The inevitable, scorchingly hot, indescribably sexy, testosterone oozing, all male, makes-you-want-to-get-down-on-your-knees-and-thank-God-that-you're-gay, curling team pic

He's cute but it doesn't look like he quite measures up to Chipper.

I didn't realize Keith Brooking is not married. And NO I am not making the assumption that he's gay because of that.

But if you do want to speculate, his equally hunky teammate Patrick Kerney is too... wink

Someone should start a separate Koji Murofushi thread; he's so fkg hot.

I love that Keith Brooking has a "Falcon Man of the Year" title.

Landon Donovan (and I quit playing soccer why?)

Landon Did not quit playing he is playing in Germany for Bayer!