I always wonder how rappers get there names, and  then I immediately think to myself if I was rapper what would mine be? Of course I'd be named after great athletes like Slava Medvedenko, Mark Madsen, or Mike Penberthy. Which is kind of how Busta Rhymes got his name...from Oklahoma Sooner George "Buster" Rhymes. Buster grew up in Liberty City, which is a real city in Miami and not the fictional city in Gran ...

  Former random MLB outfielder/first baseman Eric Valent is from La Mirada, CA, which is actually Spanish for “The View” or “The Glance” whichever you prefer.  Valent stayed in Cali for college and went to UCLA on teams stacked with Troy Glaus, Eric Byrnes, Chase Utley, and Garrett Atkins. Valent was actually one of the most promising out of the all-star bunch; he helped them to a College World Series ...

  Former Pitcher John Patterson grew up in West Orange, Texas a city that ranks #5th for the worst place to live to avoid a natural disaster, and ranks #183rd  best place to live in 2005. J-Patt was a big-time prospect after he was named a USA Today High School All-American, and was drafted 5th overall in the 1996 MLB Draft to the Montreal Expos. However the Expos lost his draft rights after not sendin ...

Joseph Casey Shaw, the former 6-11 center, was born in Lebanon, Ohio; the city was actually recognized by USA Today with their piece on the “Ten Great Places to Browse for Antiques”.  Anyway, after High School Shaw went to play basketball at the University of Toledo  where he averaged double digits in points every season for the Rockets. His freshman year, Shaw put up 10.2 ppg and 6.7 rpg. He followed that ...

Larry Bigbie was born in Hobart, Indiana which is actually pronounced Hobert believe it or not.  Bigbie, a big 6-4 outfielder, was drafted 21st overall in the 1999 MLB Draft. He somehow only spent 2 years in the minors before being called up and I have no idea why (Wait yes I do, the Orioles aren't good/Steroids). After showing no power and hitting under .300 in the minors, he was called up in June 2001. At ...

Before there was God's Gift Achiuwa, there was God Shammgod. God played High School basketball at La Salle Academy in Manhattan, where he was obviously omnipotent and dominant. God made the McDonald's All-American Team with star caliber players like Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Vince Carter, Chauncy Billups, Kevin Garnett, Antawn Jamison, Stephon Marbury, Paul Pierce, and...Jelani McCoy? He attended Providence Coll ...

Damian Rolls is a former utility man (in the baseball sense, not in the monopoly sense) from Manhattan, Kansas. In 1996 Rolls was drafted out of high school 23rd overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers. A few years later  after not making it to the big show, Rolls was claimed by the Kansas City Royals after the rule 5 Draft, but was then quickly traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays where the prospect would finally ...