Most Ironic Sports Names

I am an avid reader of Sports blogs and lists, but all of the other blogs out there keep posting the same 20 ridiculous sports names over and over again. Sure, Rusty Kuntz was hilarious the first time I heard it... but not so much the 50th. This is not one of those raunchy, lame Sports names lists. I have searched for the most ironic sports names out there, and this is what I found:

NASCAR

Scott Speed.

With a name like Speed, he was born to be a race car driver. Speed started his racing career on the F1 circuit but has more recently been driving Red Bull cars in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. The only way his name could be better is if his parents named him 'Racer'; get it? Speed, Racer... OK so it's lame, but not for a race-car driver.

Honorable Mention: Michael Waltrip.

Major League Baseball

Roland "Rollie" Fingers.

This Hall of Fame pitcher has easily the best name of anyone to ever take the mound, not to mention the most memorable mustache. With a name like Fingers, he was either destined to become a famous Pitcher or a not so famous Painter...

Honorable Mention: Seth Schwindenhammer.

WNBA

Sheryl Swoopes.

Swoopes was the first woman signed into the newly formed WNBA, and it was probably because her name sounds like 'nothing but net'. Regarded by most pundits as the female Michael Jordan, Swoopes holds three Olympic Gold medals.

Honorable Mention: Swin Cash.

National Football League

Mike Quick.

Quick is the perfect name for any athlete that needs to run away from his opponents as fast as he can, and this is more true in Football than most American sports. The only sports better than this for Mike would have been Track & Field... but more on that later.


Honorable Mention: Mac Speedie.

National Hockey League

Lindy Ruff.

While his first name is rather weak, his last name does justice to the type of game that Ruff played.
He gained a reputation as a player for his toughness, character and hard work on the ice. On May 10, 1980 in a playoff game against the New York Islanders, opposing goaltender Billy Smith struck Ruff with his stick as he passed in front of his net. Ruff got up, skated back to the goaltender and tackled him.

Honorable Mention: Radek Bonk.

Other

Usain Bolt.

Officially the fastest man in the World, until someone runs faster than him, Bolt was blessed with a great name to go with his blazing speed. The Jamaican sprinter set records in the 100m, 200m, and 4 X 100m relay at the 2008 Summer Games in China. Bolt was the second man to win gold in all three events, but he became the first to set World Records at a single Games.

Honorable Mention: Tiger Woods.

This is just a small list of great sports names, feel free to leave a comment with your favorite Ironic Sports names and I may include them in a later Snow on Sports post.

5 Great Red Sox Commercials

I have been a Red Sox fan since I was born in 1983, and while most of those teams were great disappointments there were plenty of great media to amuse and entertain. These are 5 great Red Sox commercials I chose.

Funny Boston Red Sox MasterCard Commercial
This is a commercial aired after the Sox won the 2004 World Series. It features a hilarious cameo from Denis Leary, a very vocal Boston sports fan.

Nike Red Sox World Series commercial - 2004
This is a cool commercial. It tracks the entire 86 years the Sox went without a World Series title. I really like this one, but it is more heart-warming than amusing.

YANKEES VS. RED SOX ESPN SPEC COMMERCIAL

This is a funny commercial focused on the Sox/Yankees rivalry that has become sports legend. I don't like the portrayal of the Sox fan much, but it is still pretty funny.

Ortiz Rocks Yankee Hat

This is a hilarious ESPN commercial featuring Jorge Posada, David Ortiz, and Wally the Green Monster.

ESPN Sportscenter Commercial - Roger Clemens Fastball

An old school ESPN commercial featuring the Rocket. This is back when people outside of Texas still liked Roger Clemens.

Leave a comment with your favorite Red Sox commercial of all time to see them with your name in an October Snow on Sports post!!!

MLB All-Star Game Festivities: Just an Idea

With the MLB All-Star Break half over, and the immense hype about the home-run derby upon us, here are a few things I believe could improve MLB's All-Star Festivities.

1. Extend the Festivities. Stuffing the All-Star Break into what amounts to nothing more than a long weekend is unnecessary. If the event was extended to encompass an entire week, with the addition of some new exciting challenges (see 2), it would give the players involved a better chance to recover from any All-Star event they participate in.
2. Add other skills events. Sure, we all know that 'chicks dig the long-ball' and all that... but given a week to schedule events, the MLB could expand on the success of the All-Star Futures and Celebrity Softball games, and even on the Home-Run Derby with events like:

• Fastest Base-Stealer. End the debate once and for all and declare the league's fastest. Bring back Henderson?
  
• Outfielder Accuracy. Let's see who can throw frozen ropes through every target. Ichiro's event?
  
• AL v. NL Double-Play Challenge. This is the only questionable addition. Involving base runners could make this a dangerous event; but not including them sounds boring. Maybe only the player from the plate tries to beat it out at first... I'm sure there is a way for this event to work.
  

These are only a few ideas that could improve on the failing success of MLB's All-Star Events. All of which could draw attention away from the steroid-tainted spectacle that is the Home-Run Derby.