Top 10: Spring Football guest speaker series

[Letterman]

Countless coaches bring in guest speakers to address their teams. Celebrities, former players and people who have overcome great odds to achieve their goals are among those who frequently deliver motivational speeches to teams. With that in mind:

From High on the Hilltop, the Top 10 guest speakers brought in to speak during SMU's spring workouts:

10. "Tackling: hard, but clean and fair"
Speaker: Todd Bertuzzi

9. "The team is more important than any individual player"
Speaker: Alex Rodriguez

8. "For those of you who go pro: how to negotiate"
Speaker: Justin Timberlake
(Think about it - he rips off Janet Jackson's clothes at the Super Bowl, and somehow Cameron Diaz is still with him. He has no talent, but he must be a brilliant negotiator.)

7. "Training: the all-natural way"
Speaker: Barry Bonds

6. "Film study: take advantage of all available advance information"
Speaker: Martha Stewart

5. "The principles of team play: honesty and loyalty"
Speaker: Omarosa

4. "No game is over 'til it's over"
Speaker: Derek Fisher

3. "Keeping it pure: the beauty of sports"
Speaker: the pinhead who wanted to put Spiderman webs on Major League bases

2. "The team that works together wins together"
Speaker: Larry Allen

And the #1 guest speaker brought in to speak during SMU's spring workouts:

1. "Appreciate how lucky you are to play this game"
Speakers: Archie and Eli Manning

[Water Pony]

Letterman, as always, thanks for the contribution, especially during the slow months leading up to pre-season. The Omarosa spot is terrific at #5.

[DallasDiehard]

Good call with the Larry Allen shot!

And slamming the Mannings is appropriate, too. Too bad for Peyton his dad and brother think the world revolves around them. Tarnishes the once-untouchable Manning name.

[91Stang]

It's probably safe to say that's the first reference to Todd Bertuzzi -- or any of the Canucks -- in the history of this site, right?
Pretty good list!

[LA_Mustang]

Good stuff, Letterman. Love the Bertuzzi and Omarosa entries.

[PonyFan]

Someone should send that list to the Manning house.

[PonyTales]

It will be really interesting at the Ballpark this weekend when A-Rod's in town. Sure, the fans will boo him like he committed a crime. But I'm more interested to see if a pitcher has the juevos to drill him for his "me and 24 babies" comment. If first base is open, he should get plunked every time at the plate.

Love the Top 10 lists, Letterman. Keep 'em coming.

[ponyboy]

The Manning thing wasn't arrogance on their part. It was an agreement to help San Diego save face with their fans by not drafting the guy. Phillip Rivers was San Diego's guy all along.

[SMUFan]

Rivers might have been their guy all along, and if that's the case, I'm glad they got him. I also commend the Chargers for getting their man AND the draft picks that the Giants threw in in the deal. However, it still looked awful the way the Mannings handled it. And I don't really blame Eli. If he really thought San Diego was a bad fit for him (although if a team is going to spend the #1 pick on a guy and shower him with millions of dollars, it's because that team is bad enough that he has to expect to take a beating while the team improves), that's fine. But for Archie to take the role he did in orchestrating this and then throw his son out in front of the fans and the media to defend himself looks very self-serving on Archie's part. Had Eli gone to San Diego and struggled, he would have had some time to grow into the role of team savior. If he struggles in New York, the media and fans are going to eat him up. Personally, if I was such a good player that I was going to get drafted in the top few picks (meaning I knew I was headed to a really bad team), I'd prefer to go where the weather is gorgeous year-round, the expectations are a little more realistic, the media isn't known as a bunch of under-fed cannibals and where there's a nice, clean beach nearby. This whole scenario smacks of greed by the Mannings. Whether it was Eli or Archie or Mom or some combination of all of the above, this was handled very badly. I hope Rivers and the Chargers (despite the presence of the damn Frog RB) enjoy a quick re-birth. I can't hope Manning and the Giants enjoy the same success.

Great list, by the way!