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!

 

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!

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



Huston Street is right up my alley

Our holiday Monday Man is Huston Street, a pitcher for the Colorado Rockies. This hottie is from Austin, Texas and is celebrating his 27th birthday today.

So why do we like this guy (besides the obvious, see above)? For one, he's good - he was named the American League Rookie of the Year in 2005 (there are 2 leagues in baseball, the American and the National).

He's also a romantic: when he proposed to his girlfriend 4 years ago, he did so in a room filled with 1,500 red roses. He was just 23 at the time, but said "If I've found the right person, why wait? To find someone I like more? No. That's not going to happen."

Finally, he's used the expression "the cat's meow" in an interview, which I think is pretty adorable.

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Street gave fans a bit of a scare last week when he was taken to the hospital after being hit with a ball in practice. He passed out several times en route and suffered abdominal bruising. Once, at work, I burnt my fingers taking a bagel out of the toaster oven, so I know a thing or two about workplace injuries and can sympathize. Luckily for us all he is okay and is expected back in the lineup very soon.

Street's hazing outfit - not quite my thing, but he does have nice legs under that skirt

Oh, and a little tip for any Vancouver readers - his little brother Juston currently plays ball for the Vancouver Canadians, so you might want to check out a game and see if good looks run in the family. Feel free to report back.

If this doesn't get your pulse racing...

Today's Monday Man is Mark DeRosa, a baseball player with the San Francisco Giants.


DeRosa is one of six current major league ballplayers to have attended an Ivy league school - the University of Pennsylvania - where he studied business.

[Unlike in hockey, most baseball players do go to university. Baseball players usually take longer to develop the skills they need to play at the highest level, and it's very rare to see an 18 or 19 year-old in the majors.]



DeRosa, 35, was originally drafted by the Atlanta Braves and has spent time on teams in Texas, Chicago, Cleveland and St. Louis. He was nicknamed "the Pulse" in 2008 after undergoing surgery to correct an irregular heartbeat.

Unfortunately, this fellow is taken. He is married to former model Heidi Miller. They have 2 children, Gabriella and Mark Jr.

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But he's still fun to watch!

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[Oh and by the way, A-Rod is still searching for that 600th homerun.]

Our first boy of summer

I know it will be difficult to say goodbye to our soccer Monday Men. And I know baseball will be a tough sell for many of you. So to make the transition easier and to give baseball a fair shot at capturing your attention, I searched long and hard for a baseball player who was as shameless about displaying his bod as the men of the World Cup.

So our first baseball-playing Monday Man is Rich Harden. This 29 year-old Victoria, BC native is a pitcher for the Texas Rangers, but right now he is down in the minor leagues rehabbing from a glute injury (think he needs any help with that?). Hopefully he'll be back up where we can see him before too long.

And then there were four...

We're down to just 4 teams in the World Cup. Today, Uruguay faces the Netherlands, and tomorrow Spain and Germany play. The winners of these games will go on to play in the championship game on Sunday.

Uruguay is the underdog in today's game. They only made it by Ghana because one of their players used his hands to block a sure goal in the dying seconds of extra time. Ghana then lost a heartbreaker on penalty kicks. The Uruguayan got a red card on the play, meaning he has to sit out the game today.

The Netherlands, meanwhile, is known as the best team to never win the World Cup.

In other news, a power outage yesterday prevented me from posting our Monday Man for July 5. So here he is today, Spain's Aitor Ocio. Watch for him in tomorrow's game!

A man of many talents

Ghana won their game against the United States on Saturday, assuring their place in the final 8. They are the only African nation remaining in the World Cup, and have the support of the continent behind them.

I thought I'd throw my support behind Ghana as well the best way I know how - by granting one of their players the coveted title of this week's Monday Man.

And who better to choose than their captain, Stephen Appiah. This 29 year old currently plays professional soccer in Italy, and has represented his country at the 2004 Olympics and in the 2006 World Cup.


This guy has it all: he cooks, he irons, and he runs his own foundation (called "StepApp," it promotes healthy living and health care for underprivileged Ghanaians). Also, he looks pretty nice with his shirt off.



I hope you'll join me in cheering on Stephen "Tornado" Appiah and the Black Stars (as Ghana's team is known) this Friday when they take on Uruguay.

What a cute baby!