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It pretty much goes without saying that if you're going to be a professional athlete, being in top physical form is absolutely imperative. After all, you're going up against the best of the best, and you're expected to earn a salary of millions of dollars in doing so.

Naturally, there are plenty of athletes out there who don't quite fit the mold. Most of them are decidedly more pudgy than the rest of their contemporaries (see Molina, Bengie). Others, however, are thinner than all the rest, and it's a wonder how they're able to hold their own against the big boys.

Indeed, there are plenty of skinny guys in sports, and quite a few of them are pretty good at what they do. In honor of these individuals, we have put 25 of the best in a list, which is really the only proper way to do anything justice.

Enjoy.

Note: despite the fact that the players are indeed ranked, just know that I did so with no discernible criteria in mind. 

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Honestly, how can you not love the Birdman?

To be sure, Chris Andersen does look big, but he really doesn't have a whole lot of meat on his bones. He may stand tall at 6'10," but he weighs in at just 228 pounds, and my guess is that a good portion of that is tattoo ink and hair gel.

As I recall, the catch weight for Antonio Margarito's Welterweight bout with Manny Pacquiao was 150 pounds. Considering the fact that Margarito is nearly five inches taller then Pacman, that meant he was going to have to lose a little weight.

That being said, the sight of Margarito at the weigh-in was—and still is—pretty creepy. He looked like a skeleton, and I personally wanted to buy him a burger.

And then Pacquiao broke his face. Not exactly Antonio's best weekend.

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If I had to guess, I'd say B.J. Upton's legs account for about 60 percent of his 6'3" frame, but his 185 pounds seem to be pretty evenly distributed. That could explain why he doesn't seem to be in any hurry to bulk up any time soon.

One of these days, Upton is going to live up to the hype. That doesn't necessarily mean he has to live up to the form he showed in the 2008 playoffs, mind you. But if he continues to underachieve, the Rays probably won't be contending in the AL East any time soon.

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To be fair, Roy Oswalt isn't as skinny as when he first came up with the Houston Astros in 2001, but he's still one of the thinner players in the big leagues.

Right now, Oswalt weighs in at just over 190 pounds. That sounds a little generous to me, but there's no reason to nitpick.

I'm also not going to criticize his 7-1 record as a member of the Phillies in 2010, which came complete with an ERA of 1.74 and a WHIP of 0.90.

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There have been quite a few skinny pitchers over the years, and Clay Buchholz might just have the smoothest delivery of all of them. For example, go ahead and compare his delivery to that of fellow 190-pounder Roy Oswalt. You'll see what I mean.

Yes, Buchholz weighs the same as Oswalt, but he's also three inches taller than the Phillies hurler. And this may be neither here nor there, but my guess is that, when it's working, Buchholz's changeup can probably sink about two feet. I'm no rocket surgeon, but I'd bet his height has something to do with that.

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Tayshaun Prince is now in the eighth season of his NBA career. And you know what, I'll be damned if he's gained even a single pound since he first debuted back in 2003.

Prince is 6'9," but he weighs just 215 pounds, which is obviously pretty light for a small forward. To put that in perspective, Paul Pierce weighs 235 pounds, and LeBron James weighs 250. Both of them are also shorter than Prince.

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Even I had no idea who Martin Skrtel was before I threw him on this list, so I suppose a little introduction is necessary.

Skrtel is a native of Slovakia who currently plays in the EPL for Liverpool. He has also been a member of the Slovakian national team since 2004.

In any case, they have a whole different system over there, so the only information I could find told me that Skrtel weighs 81 kilograms. Apparently, that amounts to just over 178 pounds.

Most of that must be in his legs, because I don't know where else he could possibly be hiding a few pounds.

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It appears that skinny footballers are something of a house specialty in Slovakia. After all, in addition to Martin Skrtel, they also manufactured Marek Hamsik.

Whereas Skrtel tips the scales at 81 kilograms, Marek Hamsik weighs in at just 73. But what he lacks in weight, he makes up for in leadership, as he just so happens to be the captain of the Slovakian national team.

Last I checked, I'm pretty sure Under Armour is supposed to be a little more tight-fitting than that...

But then again, Giovanni Moreno is a skinny dude. He's nearly two meters tall, but weighs just 78 kilograms, which is barely more than 170 pounds.

To be sure, Moreno may not have much girth, but he's pretty solid midfielder. A native of Columbia, Moreno plays in Argentina for the Argentine Primera. He's also been a member of the Columbian national team since 2008, and he's scored three international goals.

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Like many people, I have my doubts about the Yankees' ability to keep pace with the Red Sox this season. However, I also think that Curtis Granderson is one of the major X-factor players that is being overlooked so far in Spring Training.

After all, despite the fact that Granderson is the skinniest guy in the Yankees' lineup at 6'1" and 185 pounds, let's not forget that he absolutely caught fire at the end of last year, hitting 14 home runs over August and September.

Still, Granderson is the kind of guy that you have to be careful with in a dog pile, especially one that includes guys as big as C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira.

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It is with much personal strife that I include Stephen Curry on this list. While I realize that many basketball pundits think he is "undersized," I actually had the pleasure of meeting him in person last month, and I can vouch that he's much bigger in real life.

But I guess as far as NBA players go, Curry is pretty small, as he measures out at 6'3" and 185 pounds. When compared to a guard like Deron Williams, who is 6'3" and 209 pounds, you can see why some might think Curry is undersized.

Nevertheless, he's a good dude, and I suggest checking out the interview I did with him.

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I don't know what it is with the Detroit Pistons, but it would appear they're not giving their players enough meal money.

Either war, in terms of overall skinniness, Rip Hamilton definitely has Prince beat. Hamilton stands at 6'7," but he weighs just 193 pounds, which basically makes him a taller, skinnier version of Steph Curry.

The latest rumor is that the Boston Celtics might be interested in acquiring Hamilton as a backup for Ray Allen and/or Paul Pierce. I hope it happens just so I can what he looks like next to Shaq and Big Baby.

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This may just be me, but I've always thought of Juan Pierre as the real life answer to Willie Mays Hayes. And in fact, I heard one rumor that he actually has to do pushups every time he hits one in the air.

Nevertheless, I'll be damned if Pierre isn't fast. He also does it all with short strides, as Pierre is just 5'11." Because of this, Pierre can't stand to have any extra pounds on him. Lucky for him, he tips the scales at just 175 pounds, making gliding across the infield quite easy.

Still, he sure as heck doesn't hit like Mays.

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I'm not so sure how well Colin Kaepernick's many skills are going to carry over into the NFL. But make no mistake, he is one of the quintessential unsung players in the history of college football, and he boasts enough records to prove his greatness.

Regardless, Kaepernick is tall (6'6") for a quarterback, but he weighs just 225 pounds. For a quick point of comparison, Ryan Mallett is also 6'6," and he pushes 240.

Of course, one suspects that Mallett would love to have Kap's mobility... or any mobility for that matter.

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Who here doesn't love watching Tim Lincecum pitch?

If you raised your hand, get out. Now.

In any case, Lincecum weighs just 163 pounds, which is pretty skinny for any man who's 5'11." Thus, it is indeed absolutely necessary for him to put each and every muscle in his body behind every pitch.

Besides, I estimate that his hair must weigh at least five pounds by now. Dude needs a haircut.

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Just to clarify, Crouch is on your right in the attached picture. And as you can see, he's a tall drink of water.

Crouch, a striker for Tottenham, is 6'7" and 70.6 kilograms, which equals around 156 pounds.

For a bit of perspective, I'm 5'10"; Crouch only has about 15 pounds on me. However, he has scored many more international goals than I have; 22 more, to be exact.

"Who the hell is Kazuto Ioka?"

Good question. As of Feb. 11, Kazutio Ioka is WBC's Strawweight champion of the world, as the little guy from Japan knocked out Oleydong Sithsamerchai at the World Memorial Hall, ending his string of six straight title defenses.

I wasn't able to track down an exact figure as far as his weight is concerned, but I'm hoping that directing your eyes to the man on the right in the attached picture is sufficient evidence that he belongs.

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Alfonso Soriano's best days are probably behind him, but he has still carved out a pretty decent Major League career ever since he became a full-time player in 2001.

Heading into the 2011 season, Soriano is sitting at 314 career home runs, and his ability to generate power using nothing more than his freakishly strong wrists has long since become legend.

It's a good thing Soriano has those wrists, however, as he doesn't really have much else. He stands at 6'1" and weighs in at 195 pounds, which must be when he's soaking wet and wearing lead shoes.

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DeSean Jackson might just be the fastest player in the NFL. But unlike most other speedsters, he has a distinct advantage in that his skinny frame makes him considerably more aerodynamic.

In addition to being just 175 pounds, Jackson also measures out at 5'10," making him one of the smaller non-kickers in the NFL. He found out firsthand this season that going over the middle is not the best idea for a guy his size, but good luck catching him in open space.

And whatever you do, don't punt the ball to him. That means you, Tom Coughlin.

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Kevin Durant isn't exactly skeleton skinny at 6'9" and 230 pounds, but he is certainly a textbook example of a so-called "lanky" player.

As you well know, much of Durant's length is in his legs and arms, not his torso. And in fact, I often times have my doubts that he even has a torso.

Oh well. Durant is still awesome.

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Like most tennis players, Rafael Nadal is in ridiculous shape. And in addition, calling a guy who weighs 188 pounds "skinny" might be a little unfair.

Nevertheless, methinks that many of those 188 pounds are in Nadal's legs and his left arm, which is notoriously bigger than his right arm.

Shoot, you can even log onto Facebook and join the "Rafael Nadal and his skinny right arm society" if you are so inclined.

Or you could marvel at his nine Grand Slam victories. Either way.

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Lance Armstong is by no means the only skinny cyclist out there. The fact of the matter is that a man just can't have too much body fat if he expects to ride a bike across an entire country.

Besides, Lance is actually heavier than he looks. He's not even 5'10," and he weighs 165 pounds. Nevertheless, I'm pretty sure you can see every muscle in his body, so I think he deserves a place on this list.

And yes, I know that Lance is technically retired for good. Let's just say that this list has a margin of error of one month.

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I'm not sure that many of you are going to be easily convinced that KG can be called "skinny." After all, he is in impeccable shape, and he has always seemed like he's got the perfect build to play the four.

Nevertheless, let's compare him to fellow 6'11" big man Dwight Howard, shall we?

Howard came into the NBA as a power forward, and he considered Garnett to be his idol. After his rookie season, however, Howard came into his sophomore campaign 20 pounds heavier, and has been playing center ever since.

At last check, Howard pushes the scales at 265 pounds, edging the 253-pound KG by 13 pounds. That may not sound like a lot, but that's 13 pounds of pure muscle we're talking about, which is why Garnett is very much at a disadvantage when he guards Howard.

Moreover, I'm not so sure KG is actually 253 pounds. I mean, if Chris Andersen is 228, I'd say KG is closer to 240.

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Don't make the mistake of thinking that DeSean Jackson has a monopoly on skinny wide receivers. Randy Moss has certainly bulked up since he came into the league in 1998 (pictured), but there's no denying that the dude used to be as skinny as a rail.

Today, Moss goes 6'4" and 210 pounds. Like Jackson, Moss has made himself quite a comfortable living thanks to his ridiculous speed, and I don't think it would be too much of a stretch at this point to say that Moss is the best deep ball receiver to ever play in the NFL.

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Ichiro is yet another one of those guys who probably hasn't gained a single pound ever since he broke into the pros. But given the fact he's one of the most consistent players in baseball history, I guess that makes sense.

Ichiro can still hit it where they ain't as well as anybody, but he's probably not going to be able to leg out as many dribblers as he used to. Thus, if anything, maybe Ichiro could stand to shed a pound or two from his 172-pound frame.

One way or another, the dude could end up being the skinniest player in Cooperstown when all is said and done.

Come to think of it, if they ever make a Skinny Hall of Fame, Ichiro could probably the very first member.

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