The Top 10 Players Who Should Change Sports For Fun And Profit

With the news this week that Cavaliers star LeBron James would be a welcome addition to the Cleveland Browns family should he choose to make the leap, it became an interesting point of discussion.

What other stars are dynamic and athletic enough to make the jump to the two-sport athlete level?

It's been done before.

Michael Jordan famously quit the Bulls after his third consecutive NBA Championship to try his hand at baseball for the Chicago White Sox. His career never advanced out of the minors, but the story remains fascinating to this very day.

Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders are famous as both played football and baseball in their careers.

LeBron teased Browns fans earlier this year with a commercial showing him in a Cleveland Browns jersey, and did it again this week with some comments to the media.

As exciting as that would be, just think of the hoopla if some of these next 10 athletes also decided it was time to suit up for a different game.

Derek Jeter to the Knicks

Derek Jeter is considered by many to be one of the best players in Yankee pintripes. Not just for the current team, but for all time. He is the reigning hits leader among shortstops, and his .317 career batting average ranks as the fifth-highest among active players.

He is a Hall of Fame shortstop who still has a few years left in the tank. But rather than be the next Cal Ripken, being moved to third before retiring, why not go across town and suit up for the beleagured Knicks.

Jeter played basketball in high school, earning an All-State honorable mention, so the skills are there. It's not that big a stretch to imagine Jeter popping down three pointers in the Garden on a Saturday night.

Just think of how drunk with joy New Yorkers would be if Jeter helped bring the Knicks back into the championship circle.

They'd probably build a statue to him in Times Square.

Chad Ochocinco to the Reds

This one is easy. Chad Ochocinco is a fast guy who likes to catch balls thrown his way.

His ego and his ability to cover large distances in a short amount of time make him a natural for center field.

The Reds current center fielder, Willy Taveras, hit .238 with one home run in 2009. That's not very good, one of the reasons the Reds failed to make the playoffs.

You have to figure Ochocinco is good for at least a .260 average, not great, but better than .238. Plus, he'll be swinging for the fences every time to showcase his new Home Run Trot, so chalk him up for a minimum of 20 homers.

His fielding skills would probably develop rather quickly as the principle of the job is the same, except he doesn't have to worry about getting blindsided by a linebacker. The only thing Chad has to worry about is the wall.

The question is, does he change his Home Run Trot every time, or just a different trot for every team?

Manny Ramirez to the Oakland Raiders

Manny Ramirez is known for hitting a lot of balls. His hits go far, go long, and he usually just trots around the bases, whether the ball clears the fence or not.

However, put him in an Oakland Raiders uniform, I think it would morph from "Manny see ball, hit ball" to "Manny see hole, hit hole, score touchdown."

Manny is obsessed with getting the big hit. Once he gets the hit, he loses interest and has to be coaxed into running the base paths. If you put his goal at the end of the play, rather than the beginning, you would see a whole new Manny.

However, the chances of Manny doing two-a-days is about as likely as Manny running out a ground ball.

Still, the chance to see "Manny being Manny" in an Oakland Raiders uniform is too juicy to pass up.

Shaquille O'Neal to the Browns

Shaq showed his football skills a few months ago when he played a flag football game with Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger a few months ago.

However, quarterback is the wrong position for Shaq. With his size and strength, the only two positions Shaq should be considered for are fullback or nose tackle.

If you give Shaq the ball, he's going to pound through most lineman. He's simply too big and strong to be brought down. If you make him the lead blocker, the hole he opens would be big enough to drive a semi through.

On the defensive side, most offensive lineman would be hard pressed to match their center of gravity to Shaq's and come up on the winning side. Shaq would probably have seven or eight sacks a game.

Since LeBron is going over to the Browns to play tight end, he may as well bring Shaq with him. The two of them definitely wouldn't make the Browns any worse than they are now. In fact, no matter what, the team probably would improve.

Joshua Cribbs to the Cleveland Indians

Since we just talked about the Browns, let's take their best playmaker and all-around athlete, Joshua Cribbs, and move him to shortstop for the Indians.

Cribbs is probably the best pure athlete on the Browns, and would make any team he was on better, no matter the sport. Cribbs has that intangible quality about him that lets him make plays others can not.

In that spirit, the Indians haven't had a good shortstop since Omar Vizquel departed earlier this decade. Cribbs definitely would have the range needed to be an effective shortstop at the big league level.

Cribbs could range from third to first without breaking a sweat. Jumping, leaping, and diving after ground balls would be a walk in the park to a guy used to returning kickoffs and the resulting pummeling that goes along with the job.

Not sure how his batting average would stack up, but he's most likely a gold glove candidate.

Kobe Bryant to the L.A. Clippers

This option isn't changing sports, but it is such a monumental move that Kobe switching L.A. teams could result in an earthquake.

On the other hand, the Clippers are so awful, it would be like starting a new career all over again for Kobe.

The fans in L.A. wouldn't know how to react if Kobe came out one day and said, "It's time for me to rejuvenate the other L.A. team. So in the best interest of the city and basketball fans everywhere, I'll be moving across town to the Clippers facility."

Ticket sales certainly would spike. Jack Nicholson might even start going to Clippers games.

This would be a bigger move than Wayne Gretzky leaving Canada, except in Canada, where they still haven't gotten over the whole Gretzky thing.

Tony Romo to the Texas Rangers

Just think, Tony Romo putting on a Rangers hat and coming out in the ninth inning to close a game.

He could be one of the only athletes to ever muff a snap at the end of a football game and give up a Walk-Off Homer.

Imagine the excitement as Romo signs with the Rangers, promising to bring his 96 mph fastball every game. Then he can walk the bases loaded and give up a grand slam.

The sheer cruelty and torture this would inflict on the fans in Texas would be fascinating to the outside observer.

(In case you hadn't figured it out, I'm not a Tony Romo fan. He's just not that good)

Dallas fans would welcome the move as it would keep Romo from trying to play in the U.S. Open every year.

Nate Robinson to the New York (Football) Giants

Nate Robinson is a two-sport athlete trapped in a one-sport world. Since there is too much overlapping between basketball and football, Robinson had to choose one sport and stick with it.

But if he could take some time to suit up for the Giants, just think what kind of player he could be. As a defensive back, he's got the mobility to run around the ends and disrupt the quarterback.

With his vertical leap (43.5 inches), he could just stand at the line and swat passes out of the air.

Robinson played for the University of Washington and had a memorable interception in the fourth quarter of the 2002 Apple Cup against the Washington State Cougars.

C'mon Nate, you know you want to do this. Get the agents together and make this deal happen!!

Tom Brady to the Boston Red Sox

Tom Brady has won three Super Bowls for the New England Patriots. Now he can help the Red Sox achieve their third World Series this century by taking the field as their new player/coach.

That's not to say the Red Sox should get rid of Terry Francona, but Brady could be one of the starting pitchers and then be a third base coach.

Like Romo, Brady probably can bring the heater. Unlike Romo, Brady also probably could complement his fastball with a nice changeup. He could be slotted as the third starter on the team.

On the sidelines, Brady can relay signals with the best in the league, and if he tells a runner to stop, not one player would dare go through his stop sign.

When Tom Brady tells you to do something, you do it. Three Super Bowl rings and two kids by two supermodels gives a man credibility.

Ichiro Suzuki to the Seattle Seahawks

Ichiro is one of the best right fielders in the major leagues. He catches just about every ball that goes into the outfield and he can throw a guy out from three miles away.

So for the Seahawks, you put him in as a punt/kick returner and then insert him into the offense for the Wildcat Package.

Ichiro looks like he has the ability to make guys miss him as he runs down the field. He probably could become an elite returner with multiple runbacks for touchdowns.

In the offense, his arm would make him a legitimate deep threat, spreading the defense out and opening up all kinds of options for the offensive coordinator.

I'm surprised nobody has thought about getting him to change sports sooner.