Advent Calendar of Hotness Day 7: Kayne Lawton

Leave it to me to disappear for a while again, only to resurface when it’s time to dedicate the entire holiday season to ogling men. For today’s delicious treat, a BIG thank you to CuteSports for bringing this one to my attention this summer. I’m pretty sure I single-handedly increased traffic on Google image searches for this gent’s name because of how many times I went on and on to every girl and gay man that hey, maybe Australian Rugby should be aired over here! I will warn you though – it is Friday, and some of these are not for the faint of heart. Oh how I’ve missed posting…

Hump Day Hottie: Henrik Lundqvist

No helmet hair here. (Photo: Getty Images)

Did we seriously not have a Hump Day Hottie post on Henrik Lundqvist?!! Sorry, we must have been too busy paying attention to his fantastic goaltending. Okay, lies! We’re really all about those baby blues and how he looks in a suit. More on that in a moment.

Seriously, though, it’s been another excellent season for the Rangers’ longtime netminder: 3rd among NHL goaltenders with a smashing GAA of 1.93 and tied with Jonathan Quick and Brian Elliott for the most shutouts (8). It may not be a Vezina year for Hank (as Tortorella affectionately calls him) but if he gets a chance to hoist a certain Cup in June, well, does it really matter?

Let’s make your Wednesday. More on Handsome Henrik after the jump.

Ladies and Gentlemen…

…Roy Halladay. Do I even need to say anything else?

HI EVERYONE ROY HALLADAY THREW A NO HITTER IN HIS FIRST POSTSEASON APPEARANCE AND I HAVE LOST THE ABILITY TO USE PUNCTUATION

PS IT WAS ONLY THE SECOND ONE IN A LITTLE THING WE LIKE TO CALL HISTORY

PS NUMBAH TWO: OH AND HE THREW A PERFECT GAME THIS YEAR ALREADY.

For real, I kind of think my husband would be okay if I left him for Roy. Actually, I kind of think he might leave me for Roy. I’m not sure I blame him.

Friday Fellow: Brett Gardner

We know you’ve been missing the baseball banter. But please bear with us…we’re melllltiiiing!

The following post won’t do a damn thing to cool you down, either. So enjoy this montage of the hotness that is Yankee outfielder Brett Gardner after the jump, and then take a cold shower.

It’s almost here!

The rosters have been set. The teams have played their friendlies before making the trek to South Africa. Heck, we’ve even made it through Eurovision. (Congratulations, Germany.)

A week from now? It’s finally time. The group stage of the World Cup kicks off, and even America cares about soccer for at least five minutes. Me? I’ll be eating, sleeping and breathing international soccer until the very last second runs down.

Yes, I love soccer, but there’s just something about International play (and the World Cup in particular) that elevates the game. It turns the already rabid soccer fanbase into a bunch of flag-and-bunting-bedecked lunatics. I challenge anyone who doesn’t like or understand soccer to start watching the World Cup from the beginning. Trust me, you’ll come out at the other end swearing at the Abruzzi for being a bunch of diving whiners or being amazed at just how fast Portugal can move (Damn you, Ronaldo. Damn you to hell.) or harboring a secret love for the Orange.

And you know what else is great about the World Cup? International Eye candy. Above? Spain’s Fernando Torres.

More hotness after the jump.

Whoa, Cinderella is Hot!

So in all my basketball watching (and non-watching in protest of my Terps losing), I have noticed quite a few hotties that, until the Tourney, have been flying under the radar – specifically the boys of Northern Iowa.

Now, I try not to ogle too much seeing as this year’s seniors were born in or around 1988.  Yikes!  Babies they are.  But, hey, I’m a female, and I’ll look if I want.  You know the quote by Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused? “That’s what I love about these high school girls, man,” Matt’s character, Wooderson, waxes poetic. “I get older, they stay the same age.”  If only (most) women embraced that logic, except substitute “high school girls” for “men’s college basketball players”.

Unleash your inner cougar, or just plain ogle if you’re a youngin’, after the jump.

In Honor of Valentine’s Day… The Best Sports Bromances

H/T to Your Nation's Capital over at Japer's Rink for the image. She put all the pretty hearts around my two favorite Russians: Alex Ovechkin and Alex Semin!

Sometimes there is one person that can make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  It could be a spouse or significant other.  Sometimes it’s a crush or a close friend…and sometimes it’s a teammate.  So in honor of Valentine’s Day and teammate love, I bring you some of the best sports bromances!

Follow me after the jump to see if your favorite duo made the cut!

2010 Welcomes You… With Hotness!

2010 begins with a plea from this sports/man loving lady.  I believe in the power of intention and attraction, so let’s put our thoughts together, and will Jeremy Bloom back into the world of professional sports.

Advent Calendar of Hotness: Day 22

As we are getting closer to the day of days, the temperature is dropping, some of us are snowed in.. It’s time to heat things up around here! I present in his half-naked glory… Fredrik Ljungberg!!!

Advent Calendar of Hotness: Day 18

Luke Schenn, Maple Leafs first-round pick in the 2008 draft. I couldn’t resist a little bit of homerism, but honestly, I don’t think you’ll mind. More after the jump.

Advent Calendar of Hotness: Day 15

It’s shocking that it took me more than 5 seconds to make this pick.  How could I overlook one of the most delectable men in the NFL.  Thank God I was discussing the Dolphins this chilly December morn, jogged my memory right quick!

Here in all his beautiful glory… Jason Taylor!

Advent Calendar of Hotness – Day 2

Me? Hilariously predictable? Well, I never.

He’s one of exactly one people who can be hot while wearing those extra sleeve-under-the-sleeve things.

It’s Cliff Lee’s world, and we’re just living in it.

Look, we know Pedro’s pitching in a half an hour and Game 2 of the World Series is coming up, but we can’t help it.

We’re watching this approximately for the approximately 11,849th time today.

Oh, Cliff Lee. I would hate you so much if you weren’t pitching for my team.

Write your own caption, you want one so damn much.

Winning the NL East three years running? Smoking hot.

Hump Day Hottie: NFL Coaches Edition

A preview of things to come?

So we all know who the hot players are, but do you know who the hot coaches are?  With the new trend of hiring younger coaches, the NFL has provided us with a new crop of hotties.  Instead of the coaches reminding you of the old, creepy man who hangs around the neighborhood (Brad Childress, I’m looking at you!), now they’re more like the hot, 30-something dad that moved in down the street! Yippee!

Take a trip with me after the jump where we explore some hot NFL coaches!

Hump Day Hotties: AFC & NFC West

Some of us Ladies have been looking forward to football season, so I thought what better way to get everyone hyped than to feature a hottie from every NFL team.  Each week for the next four weeks, we’ll be featuring lesser-known hotties from an AFC and NFC division.

So far we have featured hotties from the AFC & NFC North and East. This week, follow me after the jump to get a peek at some hotties from AFC and NFC West.

2009 Swimming World Championships

(Or, a great reason to post gratuitous pictures of Ryan Lochte)

Ryan won four golds at the 2009 World Championships in Rome. His big win came in the 200 meter IM, where he broke Michael Phelps world record. He also got gold in the 400IM, two relay golds and a bronze in the 200 backstroke.

“I felt really good,” Lochte said. “Any time you win a medal or break a world record, it makes you feel special. I knew I would have to swim faster than in previous rounds, but I think I can be even quicker. I will get back in the pool as soon as possible and train even harder.”

Phelps basically retired from this event after the Olympics last summer, leaving an opening for Lochte to step up.

As they said at the end of yesterday’s broadcast, Lochte solidified himself as the second-best swimmer in the world and the US has one hell of a one-two punch.

But enough of the details – I won’t pretend you care. Follow the jump for more pictures from the World Championships

Hockey Hotties on the Rise

NHL.com has inspired me! After doing Top 10 features on the Finns, Russians and Swedes (oh my!), I thought the Ladies… could get in on the Top 10 action.  While my choices are less stats based and more looks based, I still think the following hotties are names to remember for next season.

So without further ado, here are 10 hotties on the rise.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the US Men’s National Team.

I love the smell of nationalism in the morning.

I want to paint you a little picture, readers. You see, for the last eight years or so, I’ve spent Saturday mornings waking up, rolling downstairs, and flipping on Fox Soccer to watch the day’s matches while my husband made snide comments about soccer being lame and boring.

Tonight? My husband not only voluntarily turned on the Gold Cup SemiFinals, but I’m a little concerned he may actually lose his voice screaming in support of the US Men’s National Team in the CONCACAF Gold Cup Finals on Sunday. My victory is nearly complete. As soon as he picks a Premiere League team to root for (please, Jesus, not Chelsea), I can start openly celebrating his utter conversion.

That’s beside the point, dear readers. The point is that after many, many years and many, many attempts, soccer may just be on the verge of arriving in the US. Oh, sure, it’s because the men’s team is playing incredibly well right now, but I’ll take it.

I think it’s high time the Ladies… met the US Men’s National Team. Join me, after the jump, won’t you?

Hump Day Hotties: Sports Movie Crushes

Today has officially been dubbed “Dead Day” at my work since we’re hurting for any type of live sporting event.  Some of my coworkers have suggested having a sports-themed movie day, and that got me thinking about some of my favorite sports-centric movie characters.  I polled the Ladies to see what movie characters they crushed on as teenyboppers (or as grown women – we don’t judge!).

Follow us after the jump to see our crush-worthy choices!

Hump Day Hotties: The Call-Ups

So I know we all get excited when baseball season is underway.  We love watching our hotties play and our teams do well.  For me, when my beloved Orioles start to suck again, it can be hard to devote my time to following the team.  That is why I have come to love the mid-season call-up.  Trust me, I know who the hotties are on the team, but I’m curious about those boys in the minors.  I know names and who is supposed to be good, but I don’t necessarily know their faces.  So I always look forward to a new face in the clubhouse.

After the jump, I’ve hand selected some drool-worthy hotties. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Winsome Weekend Winner: Kasey Kahne

Kasey is celebrating this post!

After a nice dinner with dad on Father’s Day, I came home, flipped through the channels and stumbled upon the end of the NASCAR race.  I was greeted with the beautiful face of Kasey Kahne, today’s big winner!  Kasey is definitely on my “To Do” list, so I was very excited at his big win at Sonoma.  I’m not a huge NASCAR fan, but because of Kasey, I’ve become a casual watcher.  I thought what better way to celebrate his big win than by sharing the beautifulness that is Kasey Kahne in a nice little post!

So enjoy some more hot pictures of Kasey after the jump! Vroom Vroom!

In Which I Have Something To Say About Stephen Strasburg

Good morning. Stephen Strasburg’s mechanics suck and he’s going to get hurt.

Definitely hyperabducts, and definitely has a timing problem. Hey, at least he wears his socks the right way. Seriously, though, observe the difference between that photo, and a photo of someone with good mechanics:

Straight line from elbow to elbow, leading foot positioned to land much more square to the place, and the ball held above the shoulder right before footstrike. Yeah, that’s what I call flawless.

So hey, Strasburg? You have a lot to learn, buddy. I mean a lot. Good luck.

The Awesomosity of Roy Halladay, Part Deux

Good morning. I think my Los Angeles time zone just kicked your ass. And hey, you can stop making fun of my headline now, because I do actually speak French.

You can also stop making fun of it because you’re going to be too in awe of what inspired it to form coherent sentences. Strap your jaw closed so you don’t drool on your keyboard, and read on past this almost totally unrelated photo of Brett Cecil.

Because I think he's unbelievably pretty and I get a lot of angry comments about not having enough hot photos. Also, I mostly like his mechanics, even though they're awfully quirky.

9 IP, 7 H, 1 BB, 14 SO, .378 WPA, 88-133 pitches-strikes. Observe.

*whimpers, flails about helplessly*

That is all.

Crane’s All-Star Picks: American League

Good morning. Please bear with me as I present you with my ESPN-implosion-inducing All-Star team.

1B (a.k.a Base the First, because I’m feeling medieval tonight): Justin Morneau (MIN). I dislike Mark Teixeira. I dislike Kevin Youkilis. I don’t care about Miguel Cabrera. Justin Morneau is both 1) Canadian, and 2) Totally hot.

Hit the jump for more.

Hump Day Hotties: Barry Zito and Tim Lincecum

Good morning. Please bear with me as I attempt to explain why I’m the worst Dodgers fan ever.

Prettiness abounds. Hit the jump for more awesomeness.

When Your Team Exceeds Expectations

How far do you have to be on the radar when you’ve won seven in a row, including two straight sweeps , won 21 of your last 26 games, exceeded pretty much everyone’s expectations, and the week’s stories about the Hottest Team in Baseball aren’t about you?

Poor Brewers.

This isn’t another one of those east coast or west coast bias complaints. I live in Milwaukee. I’ve long since come to terms with the fact that no one cares what happens here. But really, can’t a team get any respect?

In Which We Celebrate the Awesomosity of Roy Halladay

Good morning.

I was going to write a post about Barry Zito.

Then, this happened.

Nothing too unusual for Doc, who breezed through 9 innings on 103 pitches, giving up 5 hits and 1 run without walking a batter. He faced 30 hitters — 3 more than the minimum — and 72 of his pitches were in the strike zone, in sharp contrast to the MLB-average 60-ish percent of pitches thrown for strikes. In case you’re wondering, he throws an average of 67% strikes, an advantage of being a contact pitcher who stays down in the strike zone rather than a power pitcher who simply tries to blow the hitters away.

You, over there, reading this post. Are you looking for your stoicism? Well that’s too bad, because Roy Halladay took it and it’s unlikely you’ll get it back.

Pitching Mechanics 101

Constructing an efficient, injury-reducing pitching motion isn’t so much about figuring out what you’re doing right as about figuring out what you’re doing wrong. There are many, many ways to throw without putting undue stress on your arm, and there are many, many ways to throw in such a way that you’re likely to get injured. All credit to Driveline Mechanics for teaching me everything I know about this stuff.

Follow the jump to be overwhelmed by awesomeness.

1000th Post Countdown…

The Ladies are coming upon their 1000th post as a blog.  To commemorate the occasion, we are counting down 9 Ladies’ Top 11 Perfect 10s, culminating in one glorious post of a unanimous #1 overall pick.  (Because 100 perfect 10s equal 1000… see what we did there?)  Today I bring you the Ladies’ #11s…

Awww, what a cutie.

Games Mistress
Darelle Revis – Darelle’s a rookie, but between his excellent defensive play and his hotness, he’s moving into the running for my all time favorite Jet defender. (Granted, given the Jet defenses of the recent past, this is not that hard.) Also, he looks really good in green — which just makes it sad that he’s had to wear drab blue and gold the last couple of games.