Favorite Athletes

Top Five: Albert Pujols, LeBron James, T.J. Oshie, Tiger Woods, Alexander Ovechkin. Pujols and Oshie are St. Louis boys; if you can't respect what the other three do in their respective sports, you're not a sports fan.

Favorite Sports Teams

St. Louis Cardinals, Blues and Rams. University of Illinois Fighting Illini. Pretty standard for a kid growing up in southern Illinois.

Favorite Coaches

Tony LaRussa. Period. As a Cardinals fan I have been spoiled getting to watch him manage for almost 13 years now.

All Time Sports Moment

Adam Wainwright freezing Carlos Beltran with a 0-2 curveball in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS. I know they went on to win the World Series, but I'm not sure any moment in the championship was as nerve-racking as that at-bat.

Most Memorable Game Attended

I was a freshman at the University of Illinois when they beat No. 1 Wake Forest at Assembly Hall. My roommate and I skipped class and waited all day in the cold just to make sure we'd get good seats. That team was seconds away from an unbeaten season. Unforgettable.

Most Unbreakable Sports Record

Cal Ripken, Jr.'s consecutive games played streak. Most guys don't play for 16 seasons, let alone everyday for 16 seasons. I can't see anyone ever approaching that again.

Ruth or Mays?

I didn't get to see either one play, but Ruth. To be able to pitch and hit at the highest level is special.

Jordan or Russell?

Jordan.

Gretzky or Orr?

The Great One.

Pele or Maradona?

Pele.

Federer or Sampras?

Federer. He dominated that sport to the point that it got boring to watch.

Tiger or Nicklaus?

Tiger.

ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12 or SEC?

A resounding Big 10. And yes, that is a heavily biased answer.