FanHouse Baseball

Olympic athletes often don't get paid to do anything other than look good. In that vein, Attractive Olympians handicaps which athletes may rake in endorsement deals after the Olympics.

Major League Baseball scouts have salivated over infielder Yulieski Gourriel ever since he joined the Cuban national team in 2003. All he's done since then is lead Cuba to Baseball World Cup championships in 2003 and 2005 (hitting 8 home runs in 11 games in the latter), a gold medal at the Athens Olympics, and a second-place finish at the World Baseball Classic.

Despite all the international travel and the millions of dollars he could make with MLB, Gourriel has so far refused to defect, even refuting an ESPN report that he had done so in 2006.

But can the man with more talent than Derek Jeter pull more talent than Derek Jeter? Let's turn it over to the populace. After the jump, weigh more evidence and vote in the FanHouse Attractive Olympian poll.

Matt Kenseth found his way to the Auto Club 500 victory lane for the second year in a row--and the second day in a row following his Stater Bros. 300 win to sweep the weekend at California Speedway.

The Busch and Cup wins are the first for the newly created Roush Fenway Racing team.

Jack Roush recently sold half of Roush Racing to the Fenway Sports Group, which also owns the Boston Red Sox, for support in marketing and sales activities. The intention is to "use FSG's experience, network of relationships, and powerful demographic base to add value to Roush Fenway Racing sponsors and help Roush Fenway Racing maintain an unsurpassed position among NASCAR teams on and off the track."

Yada yada yada ... marketing speak. But it's good marketing speak.

Hiring good drivers helps them on the track ... they definitely have that one down (see also: Kenseth, Greg Biffle).

Hiring the ones with personality and who articulate themselves well in the media is a plus (see also: Jamie McMurray, Carl Edwards).

And it won't hurt if they're young and total cuteness, either (see also: David Ragan).

The growing female fan base will not be denied. Many of them certainly pick their favorites based on other factors, too, but admit it, girls, more than likely your fav is easy on the eyes.

Speaking of the easy-on-the-eyes--and articulate--Ragan, also an RFR driver, my rookie pick placed highest again ... this week in the 17th spot.

I feel a sudden desire to become a AAA member.

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