TOP TEN- 7-24-06

Everybody has a Top 10. NS is no different. But rather than focus just on college football or Major League Baseball, we’ve decided to throw every sport –PBA, golf, pie-eating- into the same pool and simply fish out the best athletes/teams each Monday. Let the debating commence…

1. Floyd Landis- Excuse moi, Monsieur Landis! Floyd overcomes hype, a bum hip and scorching heat to become just the third American to win the Tour de France.
2. Tiger Woods- With his late father caddying from above, Woods has a masterful weekend at Royal Liverpool and wins his 11^th major, tying him for second all-time with Walter Hagen.
3. New York Mets- The talk of the town isn’t wearing pinstripes in ‘06. Need proof? The hard-hitting Mets passed the two-million mark at Shea Stadium on Monday evening.
4. Detroit Tigers- The White Sox have the second-most wins in the Majors and they’re still nearly seven games back in the AL Central!
5. Los Angeles Sparks- Lisa Leslie, Chamique Holdsclaw and Co. (20-6) are making this basketball stuff look a lot easier than it really is.
6. Chicago White Sox- One of the league’s most consistent teams gets even better if rumors of Alfonso Soriano suiting up prove true.
7. St. Louis Cardinals- They’re keeping the Reds at bay with a healthy blend of Pujols (32 HR, 85 RBI) and pitching (Jason Marquis, Chris Carpenter).
8. Boston Red Sox- The Yanks and Blue Jays are being held at bay by Big Papi (33 HR, 94 RBI) and big arms (Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett).
9. Team USA Basketball- Don’t know about you, but the prospects of a newly-signed LeBron, D-Wade and Chris Bosh on the same team sounds really, really interesting.
10. Larry Johnson- A near-unanimous choice for top pick in Fantasy Football drafts, this Kansas City running back is ready to prove he’s even better than all the buzz would indicate.

Almost Made The Cut: James Blake (won the RCA Championship), Minnesota Twins (9-1 over their last 10 games), Atlanta Braves (7-2 road trip; homers in 23 straight games)

Three WORST: Chicago Cubs (loses on the field and loss of Derek Lee in the lineup), ESPN Mobile ($25 million in loses w/cellphone campaign), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (43^rd place at Pocono)