The "Who's Not" Competition: Aug 10, 2007

And now for the final matchup of the first round, and the last matchup in the Stephen A. Smith Region

MANNY RAMIREZ--CREDENTIALS

RBI machine
100-plus RBIs in 11 of last 12 seasons
All Star 11 times
MVP of 2004 World Series
Helped lead Red Sox to their first World Series title in 86 years
His trade and contract demands are always the centerpiece of ESPN's obnoxious "Hot Stove League" baseball off-season coverage EVERY SINGLE YEAR. We're still waiting for him to be traded
ESPN has to use the phrase "Manny Being Manny," or a derivative of it, every time Manny or another baseball player does something outrageous

ALLEN IVERSON--CREDENTIALS

Highest per-game scoring average among active NBA players
NBA MVP in 2000-2001 season
Led team to the 2001 NBA Finals
The original "ESPN Bad Boy," only to be surpassed by the likes of Pacman Jones and Michael Vick
Numerous problems with the law
Constant run-ins with 76ers coaches, teammates, and management until they were forced to trade him to Denver
Helped lead Team USA to a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics
Partly responsible for Stephen A. Smith

REGGIE BUSH--CREDENTIALS

Heisman trophy winner
Won national championship at USC
Numerous endorsements
Helped lead the historically-bad Saints to their first NFC Championship Game
But so did Drew Brees, Deuce McAllister, Marques Colston, Jammal Brown, Will Smith and Sean Payton
Like Matt Leinart, beneficiary of the ESPN/USC Hype Machine
Considered by ESPN to be a can't-miss superstar and the guaranteed first pick in the 2006 NFL Draft
He went 2nd
ESPN already treats the #1 pick in that draft (Mario Williams) as a bona fide bust because they didn't take Reggie Bush
Deuce McAllister, not Reggie Bush, was the Saints' leading rusher
Vince Young, not Reggie Bush, was the Offensive Rookie of the Year
Vince Young, not Reggie Bush, carried his team to the BCS National Championship in the 2006 Rose Bowl. Some people also argue that Young should have won Bush's Heisman too
ESPN virtually ignores stories about his mom being given a house while he was at USC

JEFF GORDON--CREDENTIALS

Current points leader for the 2007 NASCAR season
Four-time NASCAR Winston Cup/Nextel Cup champion
Has won 79 races
Is the "golden boy" of NASCAR, like Derek Jeter in baseball and Tom Brady in football
Cornerstone of NASCAR's efforts to expand its fan base beyond the South
Has his own soft drink
Frequent fill-in for Regis
Resented by some "traditional" Southern NASCAR fans (and Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans) because of his media and marketing attention
Has a squeaky-clean public image
But he left his wife and married a supermodel
Some people argue that this image also lets him get away with aggressive (maybe even dangerous) driving. That kind of stuff is more believable when a "jerk" like Tony Stewart does it
Sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at (as he called it) "Wrigley Stadium"
Half of ESPN's over-simplified NASCAR coverage (Who will win this week's race: Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., or somebody else?)

ALEX RODRIGUEZ--CREDENTIALS

Youngest player to 500 home runs
Singed the biggest sports contract, ever
Two-time American League MVP
ESPN somehow decided that his 500th home run deserved equal billing with 756
ESPN has also decided that he will break Barry Bonds's home run record soon
Beneficiary of the ESPN/Yankees/Scott Boras Client hype machine
When he does well, he's the greatest offensive player in the history of baseball
But when he slumps (usually in the postseason), we're subjected to arrogant statements like "He's not a real Yankee" and "He hasn't 'earned his pinstripes'"
Always compared negatively to Derek Jeter, who has apparently "earned his pinstripes"
Credited by some for breaking the Red Sox Curse
Tries to slap the ball out of gloves
Yells at infielders trying to catch fly balls
The tabloid headlines with the stripper
His wife and her t-shirt
ESPN thinks crap like the last two bullet points qualify as sports news

TOM BRADY--CREDENTIALS

Three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback. Only Bradshaw and Montana have more
Two-time Super Bowl MVP
Did this in spite of being drafted in the sixth round
Won 21 straight games with the Patriots
Won 10 straight post-season games with the Patriots
Raiders fans still complaining about the Tuck Rule. The Tom Brady legend began only because of that play
ESPN's comparisons to Peyton Manning (he's better because Peyton isn't clutch and can't win it all) no longer valid
ESPN's "golden boy" of the NFL. He is to the NFL what Derek Jeter is to baseball
Dates supermodels
Does this while also fathering illegitimate children. Like Matt Leinart's, ESPN would rather not talk about this

The "Who's Not" Competition