The 2009 NFL Draft…of Hotness!

With the NFL Draft happening this past weekend, I couldn’t help but notice the smorgasbord of hotties available to the 32 NFL teams.  So what better way to commemorate the unofficial start of the 2009 NFL season than with the inaugural Ladies… NFL Draft of Hotness.  Obviously our pool of eligible draft picks are all the lovely gentlemen who entered the 2009 NFL Draft.  Not all of the selections were drafted, but they were too dreamy to just leave in the dust.  So without further ado…

With the first pick in the 2009 NFL Draft of Hotness, the Ladies… select…

UPDATED Announcement: Welcome your new Ladies…!

If you follow us on Twitter, you’ve gotten a pretty good idea of things that would not be announced on this site. Now, at long last, it’s time to let you in on what WILL be announced.

We have chosen our new Ladies…! We got a ton of great applications, and it wasn’t easy to choose. Thanks to everyone who applied, and please keep your eyes open to future Ladies… opportunities – we heart all of you! In no particular order, here’s  a bit about each of our new writers.

***UPDATE*** Due to a slight technical difficulty (in my brain), we neglected to include ALL of the new Ladies… in this here post. In addition to the warm welcome you’ve already given our 7 other newcomers, please take a moment to get to know the awesome CuteSports.

Reminder: Apply NOW!

Some Ellsbury.

Quick note: Remember that we are looking for new Ladies…, and we’ll stop taking applications at 6:00 eastern time this evening. So get on it!

This Is The End

Well, I guess we all knew this was coming. Nothing lasts forever, not even the oogling of hot athletes doing what they and we love most. Actually, that will last forever. I mean, can you just stop admiring Grady Sizemore’s smile of Rafael Nadal’s ass? No? Well, we can’t either. It’s just the writing of it that will stop.

So I have the unlucky task of breaking the news. It’s with a heavy heart that I say that some of our ladies will be leaving Ladies… Don’t fret though, because Miss Minda and Games Mistress will be continuing on and keeping up the Ladies… standard. For right now some of us would like to say a last word to all of you. Hit the jump for our last words.

Mid-Classic update

Korea's 1B, Kim Tae-kyun celebates after kicking Japan into 2nd place in Pool A. (AP Photo)

In case you haven’t given up your school/work/social life to follow the World Baseball Classic, here’s what’s up. Remember that it’s double elimination, so all you Dutchmen (and women) still have hope.

POOL A
China: OUT. Lost 4-0 to Japan and 14-0 to Korea, but beat Chinese Taipei once.

Chinese Taipei: OUT. Lost 9-0 to Korea and 4-1 to China.

Japan: IN. Beat China 4-0, beat Korea 14-2, lost to Korea 1-0

Korea: IN. Beat China 14-0, beat Chinese Taipei 9-0, Lost to Japan 14-2, beat Japan 1-0.

World Baseball Classic Preview: Look, Europeans!

Bejing 2008 it ain't.

And so, with Tommy Lasorda flipping on a light switch (no, seriously), the World Baseball Classic officially got underway yesterday morning. Of course, other than Group A no one has actually played yet, so there’s still plenty of time for previews. Today, we’ll be looking at the European representatives : Italy and the Netherlands. These are the teams that got invited because you can’t have a “World” anything without global participation, even if that particular part of the world doesn’t really have a shot at ever winning. (This is probably how Europe feels about the US participating in the World Cup.) Moving on!

World Baseball Classic Preview: Group A is for Asia

We're happy too, guys.

Happy Spring! Yes, the sidewalks in my neighborhood still haven’t been completely shoveled and I’ve developed a cold from the crappy weather, but I get to talk about baseball in an actual competition sense again, so for me it’s spring time.  Specifically, it’s time for the second World Baseball Classic (can something be three years old and considered a classic?) and Minda, Metschick, and I will be previewing all the participating teams.  Today I’ll be looking at Group A: China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, and Korea.  They’ll be kicking off play very early tomorrow morning, so if you want to get up at 4:30 (et), here’s a helpful cheat sheet.

Another Year, Another Vacation

Much like last year, the Ladies have decided to celebrate their second anniversary by taking a little time off.  We’ll be back in time to cover March Madness and the World Baseball Classic and all the other fun (and pretty) things the sports world has to offer once it stops being 15 freaking degrees outside.  Until then, go somewhere warm!

NHL All-Star Niklas Backstrom

 

Yes, it’s blatant homerism … but at its best, because I’m here to take you through a photo journey of Minnesota Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom – the only player from my home team to make it to the NHL All-Star game coming up.

Australian Open Hotties

I watch tennis 4 times a year. Wimbledon, US Open, French Open, Australian Open. Well, it’s Australian Open time and the tennis hotties are out in force.  This is a photo-post as it has snowed here in Chapel Hill and (thank the sweet baby Jesus) North Carolinians don’t know how to drive in the snow, classes are cancelled, and I’m going to go play! Enjoy :)

Pat White

White Pat White led the West Virginia Mountaineers to a win in the Meineke Car Care Bowl on Saturday, December 27, 2008, he made history.

Get Out There And Play

Winter sports, and the hotties that go with them, are often overlooked. So I thought I’d share just a few with you at this time of year.

Hot Stove Hotties

"Kbai!"

Each week this Hot Stove season, we’ll look at some done deals and juicy rumors involving our favorite MLB hotties, and the occasional not-really-a-hottie, but still worth talking about.

This was Winter Meetings week, and both New York teams made big moves. On Wednesday morning, the Yankees signed C.C. Sabathia to a seven-year deal that will bring him 37.5 million Baconators (or $161 million). Later, they signed free agent starter A.J. Burnett for five years/$82.5 million.

The Mets made a few moves to bolster their bullpen (Merry Christmas, Metsy!), including signing Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez for  $37 million over three years, with an option for a 4th year.

LOTS more moves (complete with diagrams!)…after the jump!

Introducing … Lewis Hamilton

While I was reading People magazine at work the other day, I saw a blurb about Lewis Hamilton that caught my eye, along with his photo. Perhaps the picture I have provided is what grabbed your attention as well? A little more looking and I learned that Lewis Hamilton achieved noteriety this year as the youngest formula one champion ever, all while rising above the racism expressed by some of those in Spain where he finished fifth in the Brazilian Grand Prix. Oh, and he managed to make a lot of money and goofed around with girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger of The Pussycat Dolls. I realize I may be hopelessly late to the party on this one, but for those of you who already have been englightened, or for those of you like me who are just meeting Mr. Hamilton, I’ll show you more, after the break…

Hot Stove Hottie timeout: Farewell to Mad Dog

Normally at this time we’d be covering the things that went on in the MLB markets in the past week, but this week we’ll stand aside to tip our caps to one of the most brilliant pitchers our generation has seen or will ever see. Winter meetings are going on right now, and you can get all kinds of updates from MLB Trade Rumors, as well as great updates directly from Vegas from Will Carroll, John Perrotto, and Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus.

Now, on to the very sad business of Greg Maddux announcing his retirement today.

The Mad Dog in his Braves days

Sports Decor at Christmas

At my house, we have this out every year at Christmas. We also have Minnesota Twins and Vikings ornaments on our tree. But I recognize that we have not even touched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to obsessive sports fan holiday decorations. I wondered who has…

Friday Football Foodie – The Sunday After Thanksgiving

Okay, this should have been up on Friday. But I figured who wants to eat much the day after Thanksgiving? Instead, I’m here to show you today how to make a patty melt and vanilla ice cream shake. Warning – you will need an ice cream maker for this … but you still have time to ask for one for Christmas, right? If you’re like me, and not feeling very well because you’re still recovering from the first winter cold of the season, you’ll get your sweetie to make these dishes. And be patient when you click to view on – the pics take a bit of time to load, but are well worth it.

The Injury Report

There is nothing worse for an athlete, a team, or a sports fan than injuries. They can cripple the player, ruin the team’s season, and crush a fan’s fantasy team dreams. Sometimes the team can come back from the loss of a key player and still put together a great season. A back-up can finally move off the bench and into the limelight and show the world, “hey, I don’t suck after all!”.  Then again, sometimes it forces your star player to wear ridiculous face-gear during the ACC Tournament. No matter how good the player or team is, injury is the one thing you can never plan for. You’ve just got to hope that they’ll heal quickly or that the team can survive without them. So here is a rundown of some of the players currently riding the pine-pony while nursing a variety of owies. Get well soon boys!

Thanksgiving Bowling and Charity

I go bowling with my family the day after Thanksgiving, but I didn’t realize what a wide-spread traidition it is. Apparently, turkey and bowling just go together. (Except for this poor turkey, who you’ll see with the bowling ball that killed it after the break.) So, I thought that in preparation for the big day later this week, I’d provide you some unique bowling shots and some stories about the Turkey Bowls and charitable giving going on. You know, to get you in the spirit of things a bit early.

America the Beautiful: Hockey Players Edition

USA! USA! USA!

I was watching the Minnesota Wild/Columbus Blue Jackets game on Saturday night, and the announcer commented that defenseman Eric Reitz was the only United States born player for the Wild (incidentally, the Blue Jackets only have two U.S. players on their roster). So I stopped to think, and realized just how few U.S. born players there are in the NHL. I hadn’t really considered it, but when pressed I couldn’t come up with many U.S. born players for any team off the top of my head. So I started checking, and found this article from about a year ago.

Hot Stove Hotties

Each week this Hot Stove season, we’ll look at some done deals and juicy rumors involving our favorite MLB hotties. If you want a comprehensive rundown of rumors, go to MLBTR. If you want the pretty, stay right here! [Ed. note: Starting next week, this will happen on Mondays instead of Thursdays. Just so ya know.]

Matt Holliday was the big story this week, after getting traded to Oakland on Monday for hottie reliever Huston Street, outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, and LHP Greg Smith. More about this deal (including plenty of visual aids), and the other stories of the week after the jump.

Will moving to a pitcher's park in Oakland hurt Matt Holliday?

Looks, Talent – These Brothers Have it All

While watching the Minnesota Wild play against the Canadiens recently, the commentator reminded me that the Wild’s Mikko Koivu has a brother Saku who plays for Montreal. Both brothers are captains this year. I already know Mikko is very cute, so I wondered what his brother looks like. Well, here he is. That got me to thinking … how many other brother hotties are there in professional sports that are good looking? You’ll see my top pics after the break.

Finally!

NBA basketball is back. And you know what that means: silly NBA videos!

And this is why, ladies and gentlemen, I am so in love with Steve Nash.

More NBA news and silliness from the first week of action after the jump.

Hot Stove hotties

The instant the World Series ended, MLB general managers started to barter and bicker to build up their teams. Each Thursday this Hot Stove season, we’ll look at some done deals and juicy rumors involving our favorite MLB hotties. If you want a comprehensive rundown of rumors, go to MLBTR. If you want the pretty, stay right here!

Where will Jake Peavy end up? Find out the options after the jump!

Your Vote Counts

While we all should get out to vote today, and I’m sure we’ll all be relieved to be done with the television advertisements, polls, signs and flyers, I’m here to remind you that there is another vote that must be cast. The Major League Baseball 2008 This Year In Baseball Awards. Cast your vote here. Follow me after the break to see who I’m rooting for.

Your 2008 Cure For A 1930s Depression

Baseball flourished during the Depression. It was cheap to play, it was fun at any skill level and it required no elaborate playing field or equipment.

As we gear up for the 2008 World Series, I get nostalgic for the idea of baseball as the great American pastime. But I started to think about all the people cutting back, trying to find ways to save money in this worsening present-day economy. So I started to wonder, what was baseball like during the Great Depression? And what does that say about us as a society?

Massive NBA Preview Part II: Southeast and Southwest

We now interrupt your previously scheduled 100 Hotties entertainment to bring you some even more previously scheduled entertainment. This is the second part of the Massive NBA Preview in Pictures: two divisions per week, ten teams every Friday until the season starts at the end of this month. What teams will be good, what teams will do badly, and what hotties you should keep an eye out for: this preview answers all your questions. The divisions are chosen mostly by which teams I have enough pictures for by Friday. This week: the Southeast division, featuring the Heat, the Magic, the and the Wizards, and the Southwest division, featuring the Hornets, Rockets and Spurs.

How will the Hawks do this season? More importantly, how much hotter can Al Horford possibly get?

1000th Post Countdown … The No. 10 Spot

No, that’s not like a G-spot. And it’s not Dudley Moore chasing Bo Derek, either. Follow me after the jump to check out the Ladies…’ #10 picks for their hottest sports players.

Hump Day Hottie: Cole Hamels, Part 2

With the NLCS starting tomorrow I thought it was appropriate to feature a hottie on one of the last four teams in. Who better than Phillies ace Cole Hamels. I know, he’s been a HDH before. But that doesn’t mean he can’t be one again. And the way he’s been pitching (and looking hot along the way) he kinda deserves this. So we salute you Cole, for being our only two time hump day hottie. At least so far.

Adrian Peterson vs. Reggie Bush

I’m watching Monday Night Football. I’m trying to focus my energy on rooting for the Minnesota Vikings, to get them to a 2-3 W-L record instead of letting the New Orleans Saints go over .500. Understandably, the national sports media seems to be focusing on the match-up between Adrian Peterson and Reggie Bush. The more pics they put up, the less I seem to hear about the game, the players, the stats, the strategy. All I see is this…