What's with the waffles?

If you live in Toronto (or even if you don’t) you may have seen a headline or overheard a conversation about the Toronto Maple Leafs and waffles. What’s the connection? Well, lately people have begun tossing waffles onto the ice at Leafs games to protest their poor play (they are currently the worst team in their division and the third last team in the league). And last night during yet another loss, one fan was ejected from the game, banned from all future Leafs, Raptors, Marlies and TFC games, and charged by the police with mischief, all for throwing some eggos.

I think it all began a few weeks ago when one fed-up fan threw waffles on the ice after a 4-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. The man (who asked not to be identified) was later interviewed by a Toronto newspaper where he explained that he wanted the Leafs to “wake up and eat some breakfast.”

One Leaf player shot back “I don’t appreciate it…. Throw a filet, throw a T-bone. Spend some money.” It seems like he didn’t quite get the symbolism of the waffles. Besides, after dropping $400 plus on a couple of tickets, most people probably can’t afford to be wasting expensive cuts of meat and may feel like they have already spent enough on this team.


As for last night’s waffle-tosser – his tickets were a gift. But with the legal fees he’ll be paying, it looks like the Leafs have still found yet another way to bleed their fans dry.

The little wide receiver that could

After a couple of controversial Hump Day Hotties, we’ve gone with a more traditional pick today: NFL wide receiver Wesley Welker. Today’s hottie is not only, well, a hottie, but also a lesson in tenacity and perseverance.

Welker was a promising high-school athlete and was even named the Oklahoma Player of the Year as a senior. He thought the universities would come knocking on his door, but at just 5’9” he was on the small side. Turned out not many were willing to take a chance on him and give him a scholarship. In fact, Texas Tech was the only school to extend an offer, and then only after another player backed out.

Despite a great college career, Welker’s size came back to haunt him once again and he remained undrafted after graduation (he has a degree in Management). He ended up signing with the San Diego Chargers, but was cut from the team during the first week of his first season. He was then picked up by the Miami Dolphins, where he played for three seasons – sometimes enduring rumors that he would be released from the team.

In 2007 he was traded to the New England Patriots, and that’s when his career really took off. Since joining the Patriots Welker has been selected for the Pro Bowl – the NFL’s all-star game – every single year. The voting ended for this year’s Pro Bowl (taking place in Hawaii on January 30) on Monday and the selected players will be announced on live television on December 28th, so we’ll soon see if Welker has made it four in a row. Also, his team currently has 12 wins and just 2 loses with only 2 more games to play, so they are well-positioned heading into the playoffs.

So next time you’re feeling under appreciated at work or like you just can’t get a break, think of this cutie and his struggles to make it big. Or you can just think about him whenever, cause that’s fun too.

Sweet, sweet fantasy (with guest blogger K Web)

My brother has always been a much bigger football fan than me. I’m not sure what it is about it that he loves so much, but I suspect it has something to do with the all-day nature of the game and built-in lounging opportunities that it provides. Below, my big brother and first guide to the weird world of professional sports shares some thoughts on the phenomenon known as Fantasy Football, a virtual competition that has 18 million participants in the U.S. alone and that is probably responsible for as many wasted hours of life as reality TV or Facebook. But let’s let a fan explain its appeal, shall we?

Fantasy Football. Maybe you’ve heard of it? Maybe someone you know plays? But what is it?

Well, Fantasy Football is many things: a game, an obsession, a waste of time. Yes, it is all of the above, but, what you may not know is that it is actually very emotional.

What? Emotional? Well, yes!

You see, Fantasy Football is an online game hosted through various websites (ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS, etc.) where players (otherwise known as General Managers or GMs) sign up to form a league. Once a league is formed, a draft takes place before the season starts with GMs selecting players, just like in a real sports league. The teams then compete against each other throughout the year. Various statistical categories like touchdowns, passing yards, and rushing yards are added together to form a final score. The team with the most points at the end of every week (you guessed it) wins!

But unlike other pools where people pick players to form a team and there are no changes throughout the year, in Fantasy, a team is in constant flux. GMs can add players to their team, drop players, and even make trades.

And this is where it gets interesting because a GM, like a young mother, will nurture and build his (or her) team. One guy isn’t doing so great? Drop him! Another guy is hot… Pick him up! Like a guy on someone else’s team? Make a trade! In this way, GMs live through success and failure just like a real team, and just like a parent watching little Jimmy play soccer. If your team sucks, you’re an idiot for making the wrong moves, and people in your league will let you know about it. If your team wins, you’re a genius for making all the right decisions, and you bask in glory.

I’ve been playing Fantasy Football for 7 years now. There have been times when, all alone, I’ve jumped out of my seat and run around my apartment a-hootin’ and a-hollerin’ so loud that the neighbours probably heard. Touchdown dances, complete with inappropriate gyrations, have been performed. Other times, I’ve felt sick to my stomach, unable even to plow through my usual game-day bag of Jalapeño & Cheddar Doritos.

I’ve been happily married for two years and I can honestly say Fantasy Football has been one of the biggest issues in the relationship. I need to watch my team. I’m happy when my team wins, despondent when they lose. “Hold on honey, my running back is on the field” has been a constant refrain. “It’s so nice outside, do you want to go for a walk?” “Um…don’t you know it’s Sunday?” has been a conversation had many times - that is, at least, when I have enough energy to actually form sentences instead of simply grunting. Fantasy Football is draining that way.

Of course, the best thing about Fantasy Football is it makes the games more interesting. We all know the NFL can be boring at times. Who wants to see the 4th quarter of a blowout on Monday Night? But…if you have a player in the game, and need a touchdown to win your Fantasy matchup for the week, all of a sudden that 4th quarter garbage time can become VERY interesting.

Get that touchdown dance ready – tomorrow is Sunday.

Sometimes I can't help myself

This week’s Hump Day Hottie, Alexander Ovechkin, may prove to be an unpopular choice. He does kind of resemble a caveman with his, uh, strong features and near unibrow. But last week we featured Sidney Crosby, and the two are often compared, so here we are.

Ovechkin (or Ovie) was drafted first overall in 2004, but because of the NHL lockout that year he didn’t play his first game until October 5, 2005, the same day as Crosby (Crosby went first overall in the 2005 draft). So essentially these two superstars have gone head to head, first pick against first pick, for their entire professional careers. They are two of the most exciting players in the game today, but that is pretty much where the similarities end.

Where Crosby is the typical Canadian player – private, humble, guarded, Ovechkin is loud, egotistical, and flashy.

So why does he deserve a spot here? Because he has personality. Not only is he fun to watch on the ice, but his antics, his interviews, and his music video cameos make sure everyone is paying attention off the ice as well. And hockey is a sport that could use some personality. Unlike the stars of basketball and football, hockey players are often incredibly dull, speaking in clichés and acting like they have really awful lives.

Ovie on the other hand always seems to be having fun. He is, after all, young, rich, and talented, why shouldn’t he be having fun? And that sort of enthusiasm is, I think, attractive.

And beyond that, can we all just agree that he has nice arms? Okay? Okay.

Ovie has had a tough year on the ice. At the Vancouver Olympics his Russian squad finished a disappointing 6th (apparently the Canadian organizers kept the Russian’s quarters well stocked with distractingly nubile “hospitality” staff). A few months later his team the Washington Capitals got booted out of the playoffs by heavy underdogs the Montreal Canadians.

But don’t count this Muscovite out for long. This year his team is sitting in second place in the East and he is fifth overall in points. And he’ll get another chance at Olympic glory in 2014, this time on his own turf. So Ovie is definitely one to watch.

Oh, I also really like his missing tooth.

We should probably have worked this out before the wedding...

Last Saturday the Vancouver Canucks retired former player Markus Naslund’s jersey (meaning a banner with his name and number will hang from the rafters and no other Canuck player will ever wear his number). I watched the ceremony on TV and have to say, I was moved. My husband, however, could not let me enjoy the moment and instead launched into a diatribe about how Naslund did not deserve to have his number retired and how the Canucks as an organization have lost his respect (though I’m not sure they were looking for it).

The episode reminded me of a revelation I had about ardent sports fans a few months ago when my dear friend Chris was in town. Although Chris and I disagree about many many things, our love for the Canucks always gives us something to stand together on. My husband, however, is a Montreal Canadiens fan, and while I have largely learned to tune him out when he talks about his beloved bleu, blanc et rouge or makes fun of my team like he did the other night, Chris just can’t help himself and has to get into it with him. Listening to the two argue (endlessly) that night, I came to some conclusions about the nature of fandom for certain people.

When I was little my parents owned a book called How to Win an Argument. I remember one of the things it said straight up was not to argue with people about matters of faith, because they are always holding a trump card.

Arguing about hockey with my guy (who would probably claim a level of devotion to his team similar to a religious experience) falls into the same trap. No matter what path the argument takes, he can always fall back on the “history” of the team. No team will ever be as good as the Habs or as worthy of supporting because 1) they’ve been around the longest and 2) they have won the most Stanley Cups.

Now I am not going to say that those aren’t valid reasons to love a team. But since even when my team has been around for a hundred years the Habs will have been here for 140, and since the chances of another team being able to rack up the hardware like the Habs could in the pre-expansion era is slim, those arguments are impossible to respond to. Stating a fact that you can’t argue with like “We have the most history” and then resting your case on that is akin to saying “Because I have faith” in a debate on the existence of God. Watching Chris and my husband endlessly circle around in debate with no possibility of a shared middle ground reminded me why when my husband and I talk hockey, it’s mostly to diss the Leafs. At least that sorry franchise is something everyone can agree upon.

So if you have people like this in your life, be they spouses, coworkers or friends, do your best not to engage them. It’s exhausting and only leads to marital discord/an uncomfortable work environment/a streetfight.

Finally, our first Hump Day Hottie

The other day I was watching hockey and I happened to catch Sidney Crosby’s new commercial. I must say, I was caught a little by surprise. When did he get so…hot?

In case you don’t know, Sidney Crosby is one of the NHL’s biggest young stars. He came into the league in 2005 at the tender age of 18, and won a Stanley Cup with his team the Pittsburgh Pengions just four years later. Last winter, he scored the goal gave Canada the gold medal over the U.S. at the Olympics. And he is currently leading the NHL in both goals and points (you get one point for a goal and one for an assist).

Sid the Kid, as he is known, has never been on my hot list because he seemed like, well , a kid. Not only did he have trouble growing a beard come playoff time, but he was also living at Penguins owner (and former hockey great) Mario Lemieux’s house with Mario’s family. But now that he has bought his own house, grown into his face a bit, a taken to wearing tight-fitting gear in his commercials, I may have to revise my opinion of the lad.

So I’ll put this out to the public at large - Sidney Crosby: hotsy totsy or hotsy notsy?

The Grey Cup

Last night was the 98th Grey Cup – the championship game in the CFL (Canadian Football League). It’s Canada’s version of the Super Bowl, in about the same way the Gemini awards are our version of the Oscars. And just like you will watch cross-country skiing during the Olympics, a lot of people watch the Grey Cup every year who don’t normally pay any attention to the CFL.

This year’s match did have quite a bit of drama. The same two teams that played last year – the Montreal Alouettes and the Saskatchewan Roughriders – were facing each other again. Last year the Roughriders only needed to kick a field goal to win the game. They did, but someone got confused and wandered into play when he shouldn’t have, so they got a penalty for having too many players on the field and had to redo the kick. This time they missed, handing the victory to the Alouettes.

Needless to say there was a lot of build up (as much as there ever is in Canadian football) heading into yesterday’s game. The Roughriders have been haunted by that play and desperately wanted to erase the memory with a victory, while the Alouettes were eager to prove that they were champions, rather than just a team that benefited from their opponent’s mistake.

Darian Durant

So what happened? Well, the Alouettes won on yet another heartbreaking play. With about a minute to go and the Roughriders storming down the field (a touchdown would have won them the game, a field goal would have tied it and sent it to overtime), Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant got into some trouble. With the Alouettes bearing down on him he attempted to throw the ball out of bounds, but instead threw it directly into the arms of an Alouette player. It was the only turnover of the game, and a costly one. The Alouettes were able to run down the clock and became Grey Cup champions for a second year in a row.

You may hear people talking about this game today, so now you’re prepared. But rest assured, by tomorrow all talk of the CFL will be suspended until the 2011 Grey Cup, taking place next November in Vancouver.

The Alouettes celebrate their win

Catch that?

If you happened to catch Glee last night you may have noticed Finn reference Jay Cutler, NFL quarterback. If the name sounded familiar, that’s because we featured him and his lady love Kristin Cavallari back in September. See, sports knowledge can even help come in handy while watching a show centred on singing and dancing!

Since we last talked about him and his on-field woes, Cutler has continued to have a rough season with the Chicago Bears. In fact, he was recently described as “a player who possesses all the physical tools for the position but just not enough of the mental make-up to be a consistent winner.” Hmm...sounds a little like Finn himself, don’t you think?

Your NFL news: Week 6

The big story in the NFL this week seems to be the growing concern over violent hits. The more research that is done on concussions, the scarier some of these helmet-to-helmet collisions become. There were at least three concussions on Sunday and a number of other head injuries as well. In response the NFL has announced that it will unveil new head protection rules in time for next week’s games. As usual this has led to a flurry of commentary about whether this is long overdue or an affront to football’s nature.

A sample of the reporting on each side:

“Sunday, we had the ghastly spectacle of an NFL in which it is completely forbidden to jump around happily after a touchdown -- but perfectly fine to make a sadistic helmet-to-helmet hit that can cause lifelong harm…. [E]ach year about 1 million play football, most of them high school boys. The NFL not doing everything possible to prevent head injury sets an awful example for the high school players who model themselves on what they see in the pros.” [from Gregg Easterbrook, "NFL must enforce rules, hit back"]

“I loved and was completely enthralled by every one of those violent encounters and I'm not afraid to admit it. That is the essence of this sport we all adore called football. My guess is that deep down the vast majority of people out there feel the exact same way, whether they would confess to it publicly or not.” [from Ross Tucker, "Hard hits will keep coming"]

We’ll have to wait and see what exactly the NFL proposes, and of course whether or not it does anything to protect the players.

James Harrison, fined $75,000 for a violent hit on Sunday

Dunta Robinson, was fined $50,000 for his hit 

Brandon Meriweather was also fined $50,000 this week

Jenn Sterger

Finally, to follow-up on last week’s story, Brett Favre had a meeting today with the head of NFL security. Not sure what exactly they discussed, but apparently the woman at the centre of this controversy doesn’t want to cooperate with the NFL (whatever that means), so the whole thing may end there - at least as far as the NFL is concerned. His wife may not move on so easily.

You may have noticed that we did not have a Monday Man yesterday. Given that Your NFL news will be posted on Monday or Tuesday, this feature will be moved to Wednesday.

You know in your heart what's right

Major League Baseball has a bit of a unique structure. It was originally made up of two leagues: the American and the National. The National League was around first and the American League was initially its competitor. Though the leagues are now legally one entity, they still have slightly different rules. For example, in the American League there is a player whose job it is to hit for the pitcher (called the Designated Hitter) while in the National League, the pitcher has to bat.
We’re now into the second round of baseball playoffs, meaning that there are only two teams left in each league. In the American League the Texas Rangers (who knocked out our Monday Man’s team) are facing the New York Yankees. And in the National League- the Philadelphia Phillies are up against the San Francisco Giants.

xoxo Roy

The National League series is posing a bit of a conundrum for me: I hate the Phillies and always have, but a former Blue Jay (and the best pitcher in baseball), Roy Halladay, is on the Phillies and I love him. (Read more about his awesomeness here.) So what do you do when your heart is pulling you in two different directions?

I’m watching the Phillies game as I write this, and they are losing 4-3. Every time the Giants get a hit on Halladay I feel sad. And when the Phillies get a hit, I don’t. So I guess I have my answer. I love Roy more than I hate the Phillies – so GO PHILLIES GO!

Your NFL news: Week 5

What with turkey and houseguests, football was not on as much as usual in my household this weekend. My round up is correspondingly a little bare, but a story that I couldn’t avoid is the one developing around Brett Favre.



Glory days

Favre is the 41-year old quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. He’s had a long and illustrious career – highlights of which include a Super Bowl championship and a cameo in There’s Something About Mary (he was Mary’s ex-boyfriend, refresh your memory here). He’s also very married, Roman Catholic, a father and yes, even a grandfather.

Now in Tiger-esque fashion, some sleazy voicemails and texts (not to mention some –ahem– little penis shots) have been made public and the NFL is investigating. Favre had allegedly been harassing a couple of women who work for his former team the New York Jets and doesn’t know how to take no for an answer. (Incidentally, the Vikings played the Jets last night - Favre's team lost).



Favre's post-game press conference



Now as of yet there’s no hard proof that it is actually his voice on the messages (though it sounds an awful lot like him) or his body parts in the photos (and I certainly can’t vouch for their likeness). If someone is stupid enough to risk their reputation, family and endorsement deals in this way though, there’s probably a whole lot more dirty laundry waiting to be aired, and we’ll probably find out the truth eventually.

You have to wonder when these guys will learn that recordings and photographs last forever, but I guess they do hit their heads a lot. At any rate, I think we can now safely say that Mary picked the right pony with our boy Ben Stiller.

Much to be thankful for

October is not only the start of hockey season, but also the month that baseball playoffs begin. The playoffs got started last week and there has been no shortage of drama thus far. One of the most exciting series to watch right now is the one taking place between the Texas Rangers and the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rangers seemed to have the series under control after they won the first two games. But the Rays didn’t give up and came back to win the next two. So they are now tied 2-2, and since the first round of the playoffs is a best of five series, whichever team wins the next game will advance.

One player who has been a big part of the Rays comeback is first baseman Carlos Peña. Born in the Dominican Republic in 1978, he moved with his parents and three younger siblings to the US when he was nine years old.

He grew up in Cape Cod and then attended Northeastern University where he studied electrical engineering. In 1998 he was drafted by the Texas Rangers (the team he is now facing in the playoffs). He bounced around from team to team for quite awhile and spent a good deal of time in the minor leagues before having a breakout season in 2007. That year he was named the Comeback Player of the Year by his fellow players, and donated the $20,000 prize money to underprivileged Dominican youth.

He’s since signed a three year, $24-million contract with the Rays. He’s also continued his charity work, acting as a spokesperson for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and getting involved in relief efforts after the earthquake in Haiti.

Peña’s attitude towards his success (and his great smile!) made him a natural choice to feature this holiday Monday. When his club was behind two games to nothing Peña called a meeting and urged his teammates to relax and remember how much they had to be thankful for already. “This is a ballcub of guys that love to play baseball and have gone through many difficulties to get to this point, so all of us appreciate where we're at,” said Peña. “[This is] what I dreamed of as a kid…. To be able to live the dream, I'm just extremely grateful.”

It's always nice to see an athlete who appreciates all that he has. And in a few weeks - if everything goes well - he may have a World Series championship to add to his list of blessings. But first he has to get through tomorrow with a victory. Good luck to Peña and the Rays, and Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

 

The start of another hockey season

Henrik Sedin is named the Canucks'
new captain in a ceremony before the game

Last night my team, the Vancouver Canucks, played their first game of the year against the Los Angeles Kings. I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks and was trying to think of a way to describe the feeling of anticipation that opening night invariably brings.

Remember how you used to feel as a child when the new school year started? You had your brand new pencils and school clothes all ready to go, and everything felt so fresh and full of possibilities. As we get older we tend to lose that – jobs continue day after day and seasons slide into one another and everything can just kind of blur together.

Becoming a sports fan is one way to recapture that September feeling. The beginning of a new season for your team gives you that fresh start that we all crave so much. You look at the schedule and see limitless potential for your team. Injuries, heartbreaking losses and losing streaks have yet to happen. And a new season washes away the pain of the year before – yes, the Chicago Blackhawks threw my Canucks out of the playoffs last year and went on to win the Stanley Cup, but that doesn’t matter today. All that matters now is what happens in the weeks and months to come – and ultimately what happens next April. A fresh start, another chance, the opportunity to write a new story…that’s what we all looked for at the start of each school year. And that’s what keeps sports fans coming back for more year after year.

Anze Kopitar scores in a shoot out on his team's way to
victory. Kopitar had returned to the game with a few less
teeth after being hit with a stick in the mouth earlier on. 

The Canucks lost last night. In sports as in life you quickly learn that there is no such thing as a perfect year. A new haircut or a new defenseman is not a magic pill. There will be ups and downs. But I still believe that come next summer I will be looking back at a truly great year. Yes, this will be a year to remember.

Your NFL news: Week 4

Today we start a new feature: Your NFL news. Every week I'll be posting about a couple of interesting or noteworthy things that happened in the NFL so that you can participate in the watercooler conversation if you so choose. First up, Week 4.


Cutler and Cavallari

Remember Jay Cutler, the Chicago Bears’ quarterback who is dating Kristin Cavallari? Well, he had a rough game on Sunday, when his team lost for the first time this season to the New York Giants. Kristin’s new man was sacked (meaning he was tackled while trying to throw the ball) a record 10 times and he left the game with a concussion. Apparently it’s not serious (is it possible for a head injury to not be serious?) and he’ll be back playing next week when his team meets the Carolina Panthers.



Speaking of the Carolina Panthers, one of their players, DeAngelo Williams, was one of those responsible for all the pink – pink gloves, pink shoes, pink hats - you may have noticed if you caught any of the games this weekend. No, the players didn’t call each other before the game and coordinate outfits junior high style; the NFL is actually honoring Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October. The NFL’s participation was championed by Williams, who lost three aunts to the disease and whose mother is a breast cancer survivor. Doing good must have given him some good karma: he scored his first touchdown of the season on Sunday.



Speaking of karma, Michael Vick – you know the guy, the one who went to jail a few year ago for his role in a dog fighting ring – got squished between two opponents and had to leave the game with a rib injury. He's damaged some cartilage and will find even basic things like breathing quite painful until it heals. No word yet on when exactly he will return as quarterback to his team the Philadelphia Eagles, but it sounds like it may be a while.

Vick getting sandwiched

So there you have it: three little tidbits to get you through a football conversation. So much happens every week that there's no point trying to keep up with it all, but this will keep you going - at least 'til next week.

Starin' at Darren

Today's Monday Man is Darren McFadden, a 6'2", 210-pound running back. The 23-year old was born in Little Rock, and after playing football for the University of Arkansas was drafted fourth overall by the Oakland Raiders in 2008, who promptly signed him to a $60.1 million contract.

McFadden had a rough road to the NFL. The tenth of twelve children, he grew up in one of the most gang-ridden neighbourhoods in the country (it was once featured in the HBO documentary Gang War: Banging in Little Rock). In fact, one of his brothers was in the Crips, while another belonged to the rival Bloods. His mother was addicted to crack (her supplier was another one of her children) and has said "Drugs were a way of life for us." 

McFadden credits sports for keeping him clean and out of gangs in high school, but he did have some difficulties in college, including some arrests and injuries in bar fights and several paternity suits before his 21st birthday. Those who know him, however, insist he's a gentle soul who loves making people laugh.

Since starting his professional career McFadden has had some ups and downs on the field, but this year he was off to the best start of his career. Before yesterday's game against the Houston Texans he was one of the leading rushers in the NFL, meaning he had been playing very well indeed. Unfortunately he injured his hamstring in the game and there's no word yet on how long he'll be out. He's listed as day-to-day, so hopefully he'll be back lighting up our TV screens by next weekend. Until then, enjoy the pictures!

Bye-bye Cito

This afternoon the Toronto Blue Jays are playing their last game of the season on the road against the Minnesota Twins.  Not only is it the end of another year for the Jays, but it is also the last game for their manager (or coach) Cito Gaston, who's retiring after today's game.


Cito Gaston



Cito is a big deal in Toronto, having led the Jays to two World Series championships in 1992 and 1993.  He left the team in 1997, but was brought back in 2008. 



Alex Anthopoulos



Since I didn't grow up in Toronto and wasn't a baseball fan in the early 90s when the Jays were dominating, I don't have the hero-worship for Cito that many people have and tend to be a little more critical of him than others I know.  Despite my reservations, he is leaving the Jays in a better position than he found them.  As the announcers during today's game mentioned, he's also a big enough name and well-respected enough that he can bring other good baseball people to the Jays organization. 

 

I have no idea right now who will be the Jays next manager.  Our GM, Alex Anthopoulos, seems to be content to take his time with this decision and keep his cards close to his chest.  Anthopoulos certainly has a lot of work to do in the off-season.  As for Gaston's winter plans?  The Jays gave him four first-class tickets anywhere in the world as a farewell.  Not a bad parting gift, huh?

Another reason to ♥ NY



The first-ever football player to be featured as our Monday Man is Mark Sanchez, a third-generation Mexican-American from California. 

This 23-year old is doing well in his second season in the NFL.  He is the quarterback for the New York Jets, and they've won 2 of their 3 games so far, including a victory yesterday over the Miami Dolphins. Before being drafted by the Jets, Mark played football for the University of Southern California where he earned a degree in Communications.

Off the field Mark does charity work with inner-city kids, and has become quite the hero to the Hispanic community.  In order to better communicate with his many Spanish-speaking fans, Sanchez - who is not a native-speaker - studied the language at university.



Mark at the Tonys



He's also a big musical theatre fan (yes, you read that right).  He was even a presenter at the 2010 Tony awards, where he introduced a number from the show Memphis.  It was at the awards that he confirmed that he and Jamie-Lynn Sigler of Sopranos and Entourage fame are an item.  Apparently the two like to go the baseball games and Broadway shows - the best of both worlds in my opinion!

Enjoy the photos below.... I told you there were some things to love about football!



Blue Steel?



Having a Baywatch moment