Welcome to our incredibly innovative feature, The Enumerative. Because lists are awesome, plus effective time killers, in this space we'll provide a top five based loosely on something that has recently occurred in the sporting world.

Every gentleman of substance and style must in his possession have a sweater. This is a truth universally recognized, as the sweater helps maintain warmth without being overly bulky, helps form a gentleman's silhouette when fitted to the wearer, and makes one especially cuddly with the ladies on cold nights.

The sweater also has a real place in sport. As the weather turns cold, men of fortitude continue to travel into the great outdoors at their leisure, not letting the wind, rain, or bite of a cold breeze affect them. A sweater is handy for blunting the effects of the cold while also helping one make a statement that while you do want chapped nipples from being outside all the time, you also do not want to sacrifice style for comfort.

We sing the praises of the sweater as used by some of sport's finest cashmere-loving citizens below, and examine the unique ways used.

5. The Tressel Sweatervest. The formal-ish yet go-with-everything accessory that lets you know Jim Tressel wants to stay warm and preppy, but is ready at a second's notice to roll up the sleeves and do some hard work. Accessorize with an American flag pin unless you are a total commie.

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Welcome to our incredibly innovative feature, The Enumerative. Because lists are awesome, plus effective time killers, in this space we'll provide a top five based loosely on something that has recently occurred in the sporting world.

As you hopefully noticed, Tuesday is Veterans Day. With that in mind, we here at The Sporting Blog found it fitting to celebrate just a few of the great athletes of the past who courageously served our nation during wartime. Of course, this is not an exhaustive list, and in such a category, there are no top fives or top 10s. So consider these just five notable stories among the too many to count as a tribute across the generations to our brave men and women in uniform. And no, you will not find Kellen Winslow, Jr.'s name amongst these ranks:

5. Roger Staubach (NFL Hall of Famer) -- Vietnam
Roger the Dodger is probably the most famous athlete to serve in the Vietnam War. A Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback at the Naval Academy, Staubach was drafted by the Cowboys in 1964, but had to fulfill his military requirement before joining the NFL. Given his stature at the time, he certainly could have opted for a cushy Stateside assignment, but he was not that kind of dodger. Instead, he opted for a tour of duty in ‘Nam, which he served primarily in Da Nang.

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Welcome to our incredibly innovative feature, The Enumerative. Because lists are awesome, plus effective time killers, in this space we'll provide a top five based loosely on something that has recently occurred in the sporting world.

Diego Maradona was named the head coach of Argentina’s national soccer team yesterday despite having no top-level coaching experience whatsoever. But when you are Maradona, you don’t need no stinking experience, because you are a god walking the earth among mere mortals. Of course, you are a god with a stapled stomach known for bizarre political views and equally bizarre behavior and most famously known to have snorted more coke over the years than Rick James, Waylon Jennings and Stevie Nicks combined.

As recently as May of 2007 Maradona was in the hospital being treated for hepatitis and alcoholism. The man, worshipped by Argentineans, is chronically unstable. Did I mention that he passionately hates America and is pro-Iran? He’s a real catch. I imagine him up in his heavily-guarded coaching bunker at a giant coke-encrusted desk like Tony Montana before the Colombians attack. “Say hello to my lid-dle fre’n… Lionel Messi! Lionel, where are you? Bring me my bazooka!”

Anyway, Maradona’s appointment as Argentina’s coach made me think of all the other coaching jobs that could open up in his wake for some of the great sporting malcontents of the past. Here’s my wish-list for the coming year:

5. Lawrence Taylor -- Head Coach of the Giants
I know, I know, the Giants seem to be faring pretty well without LT at the helm. But that’s only temporary. I’m thinking they flame out in the second half and get destroyed in the playoffs and the fans of Big Blue start to get a little edgy. Perfect time to bring in LT, a Maradona appointment if ever there was one. Stratospheric legend? Check. No experience? Absolutely none. Completely out of his frickin’ mind? Oh yeah baby, all the way out of it.

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Welcome to our incredibly innovative feature, The Enumerative. Because lists are awesome, plus effective time killers, in this space we'll provide a top five based loosely on something that has recently occurred in the sporting world.

Today is the 5th anniversary of The Bartman Incident, and if you have to ask what that is, well, you obviously are not from Chicago. At Wrigley Field during Game Six of the 2003 NLCS against the Marlins, with the Cubs leading 3-0 in the 8th inning and leading the series 3-2, fan Steve Bartman leaned over and caught a foul ball that surely would have dropped into the waiting mitt of left-fielder Moises Alou.

The rest is, well, some very dark history for the cursed Cubs. Florida went on to score eight runs in that 8th inning and win the game, and then the series. Below is some video of Bartman getting escorted out of Wrigley that night. It’s absolutely amazing that he made it out alive.
For a decidedly unfortunate reason, Bartman is now one of the most famous fans in the history of American sports. But is he among the top five most famous? Only The Enumerative knows ..

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Welcome to our incredibly innovative feature, The Enumerative. Because lists are awesome, plus effective time killers, in this space we'll provide a top five based loosely on something that has recently occurred in the sporting world.

Vlad Guerrero’s little adventure last night trying to go first to third in the eighth inning was ugly, no doubt. How much more out could he have been, you ask? The answer is none. None more out.

Nevertheless, bad as it was, it wasn’t quite bad enough to crack this elite list, The Top Five Baserunning Gaffes in Postseason History.

5. Timo Perez Thinks Todd Zeile Went Yard -- Game 1, '00 World Series
I remember this vividly, because I had a bet going with a Mets’ manaic that Timo Perez wouldn’t score a run in the game (you just have to remember that Timo was an out-of-nowhere phenom at that point and he was scoring runs pretty much every game). Timo was on first in the top of the sixth of a scoreless game when Todd Zeile yanked one to right that certainly looked like it was gone. My Mets buddy started going ape, and I confess that I thought I was sunk. But the ball didn’t clear the fence. Instead, it popped up off the top ridge right into David Justice’s hands, who whipped around a bullet relay to Jeter, who sent it home to Posada to nail Perez at the plate. Replays showed that Timo hadn’t been running hard around the bases, taking his time instead to celebrate what he thought was a dinger. Yanks went on to win it 4-3 in 12 en route to five-game ass-slapping of their brethren from Queens.

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