Ryan Lochte has Michael Phelps’ number when really, he should have ours.

Lochte and Phelps in Shanghai in 2011. They look so happy and non-competitive here. (Photo: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)

As if the London Games weren’t already worth watching, we can now happily set our PVRs for fantastic swimming showdowns between bjillion-time medallist Michael Phelps and our new official mascot since Pat Burrell’s retirement, Ryan Lochte. Hot-chte edged Phelps in the 400-meter individual medley Monday night at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska (what up, Miss Minda!), finishing with a time of 4:07.06. Phelps strolled in at 4:07.89. Tell me this battle isn’t going to be fun to watch! Is there a Canadian in this yet? I can honestly say I don’t care. But only this time.

ESPN’s video gallery which accompanies this story includes the feature Ryan vs. Ryan. I’m not sure what was more impressive: his workout regime or his slow-mo dive into the pool.

31 days until the 2012 Summer Games, you guys!

Annie Leibovitz has the Best Ever Life!

Ryan Lochte is ready for London. (Photo: Annie Leibovitz/Vogue)

Amirite? She’s photographed so many beautiful people in equally beautiful fashion. And surely she reads Ladies… and has noticed our affection for one Ryan Lochte, so she did this just for us. OF COURSE! Seriously, Annie, next time you shoot Ryan, call one of us. You could use an assistant, right? Yes, Annie, I’ll make Ryan wetter…

This photo is part of a spread for Vogue’s June issue in celebration of Team USA’s Olympic hopefuls, on newsstands May 22. But Vogue is crafty, and knew that by releasing these tasty photos we’d be snatching five copies apiece of this issue as soon as it makes its way to Wegmans and Shoppers Drug Mart (remember, I’m in Canada.)

Oh, but wait! There’s more!

Send in the clowns.

So if you’re following me on Twitter, you’ve discovered that I have a bit of an unhealthy obsession with figure skating. (Okay, okay, that’s like saying John Mayer has an obsession with saying spectacularly stupid things in public.)

Given that I hate most girly aspects of sports (pink anything and everything, Ladies Nights, and the existence of Alyssa Milano’s Touch line, to start) like burning, some of the other Ladies…were mildly confused when I started shrieking about toe loops and salchows. I mean, it’s figure skating, right? I should like manly things, like the biathlon and moguls. I should frown on feathers and sequins and Dick Button.

But here’s the thing. I love figure skating. I loooooooove figure skating.

Are you ready for some football?

Earlier this week, The Ladies…held their fantasy football league draft. I couldn’t make it, as I was busy shoveling fondue into my face at dinner with my lovely husband. I let the drafting system autodraft my team, and…let’s just say that I don’t suggest doing that. Somehow I have six quarterbacks (if you can call Kyle Orton a quarterback at this point, which I don’t) and one defense. The fact that said defense is Miami is making me consider spending the entirety of the season drinking heavily, because I am so screwed.

Lesson learned: Draft your fantasy football team first. Then celebrate your wedding anniversary.

Anyway, we here at The Ladies… wouldn’t be The Ladies… if we didn’t bring you a little objectfication along with your football. We decided to pick the hottest members of our own teams, and to bring some lovely photographic evidence to you. You know, because we care. Abs, sweat, and football hotness after the jump.

Hump Day Hotties: Tour de France

Well, I’m not a big cycling fan, but I figured there had to be hotties racing in this year’s Tour de France.  So, I went on a mini-mission to find some hot boys to share with you.  Did you know there are a lot of cyclists entered in this year’s race?  I decided to pick a few and let you be the judge.

Hop on your bike, and follow me after the jump!

How To Get In Shape With These Hotties

I don’t know about you guys, but I am really looking forward to vacation this summer. I mean checking and re-checking my airline seat assignments excited! Except for the fact that I’m going somewhere warm, with a waterpark, and I’m going to have to wear a swimsuit. Now, I truly do want to work out; I just wish I had the dedication. Or even just someone with a cattle prod to move me along. But I don’t. I’ve had memberships to gyms I’ve never used. I have an expensive machine in the spare room that is covered with dust. Dusting it might be the most exercise I’ve had in months. I’ve even had times I’ve planned to walk with a friend where I’ve begged off – feigning illness. I’m one of those women, ashamedly, who thinks having kids is workout enough. I need some motivation to get fit. And I think I’ve found it. Follow me to find out how to “get fit by summer,” after the jump.

Hump Day Hottie: Arizona State Wrestling

UPDATE: WRESTLING HAS BEEN REINSTATED AT ARIZONA STATE! HUZZAH!

As I have mentioned before, wrestling is my favorite sport. (The real stuff, not WWE.) An unfortunate reality in the world of wrestling is that at the college level, the sport is being decimated. 458 programs have been dropped since 1972. As a wrestling fan, I’ve written letters, bought t-shirts and donated money to try to save myriad programs, including Syracuse, Clemson, Slippery Rock, Fresno St. and Eastern Illinois. Oregon just finished their final season (damn you, Nike!) and on Tuesday, Arizona State announced that they were dropping wrestling, effective immediately. (They are also dropping men’s swimming and men’s tennis, citing economic reasons.) This breaks my heart, not just because a storied program is ending, not just because the Pac-10 is quickly dying, but also because of the hotties we’ll be missing out on. With that in mind, I bring to you the hotties of Arizona State wrestling, both present and past.

Heavyweight Quinton Pruett, formerly a Sun Devil. How cruel is the AD at ASU to deny us this?

The Other NCAA Tournament

In all the hoopla surrounding the NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament brackets (Siena Elite 8, you heard it here first!), there is another bracket that was released last night:  the NCAA Mens Wrestling Tournament, which takes place in St. Louis March 20th-22nd.  Between Iowa, Iowa State and UNI my state has 28 wrestlers competing; Iowa is missing a wrestler at 197 and UNI is missing a heavyweight.  But that’s still a lot of muscles…in spandex…rolling around….*shake* I’m back.  I’m pretty pumped about it, so here are some wrestling hotties:

Rasslin’

The Big Ten Men’s Wrestling Tournament was this weekend and while I could not be there taking awesome pictures like last time, it was exciting nonetheless.

For the conference tourney, each school gets to send one wrestler per weight class for 10 wrestlers each. The Top 7 in each weight class advance to the NCAA tourney in St. Louis in two weeks. (The top 7 seems like a lot to me, but that’s how it’s done.) Iowa is sending 9 of its 10 wrestlers to the National tourney, with only sophomore Chad Beatty not making the cut.

Overall we ended up with one champion in Brent Metcalf, one 2nd place in my wrestling boyfriend Mark Perry, four 3rd places, a 4th place and a 7th place. All in all, that’s kind of a disappointing showing by the Iowa Hawkeyes but it was still good enough to take the team crown with 127 points. Minnesota was 2nd with 112.5.