Top Ten | Homegrown athletes from Arizona and Illinois

    After months of mud-slinging, name-calling and petty negative attacks, the day is finally here: Top Ten's take on the the Presidential election. With Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama squaring off today, we at Daily Sports wanted to throw our two cents in on the greater electoral chaos.
    So in honor of today's presidential dust up between the great senators from Illinois and Arizona, Top Ten dives headfirst into the best that each state has to offer to the greater world of sports.

10. Doug Mirabelli (Ariz.). The former famed catcher of Tim Wakefield's knuckleballs was born in Kingman, Arizona. Currently a free agent, Mirabelli has given his services to four different MLB teams and is most known for his years playing in Boston, where he was a part of both the 2004 and 2007 championship squads.

9. Sal Fasano (Ill.). Another mediocre catcher, this time from the Prairie State. Career batting average: .221. Career home runs: 47. Career moustaches: one. And it was awesome.

8. Ted Danson (Ariz.). Danson played the famous character Sam "Mayday" Malone on the TV sitcom "Cheers" from 1982 to 1993. Malone was a washed-up, but supposedly once-decent, relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox whose potentially great future was ruined by alcoholism. In real life, though, Danson grew up outside Flagstaff, Arizona and hasn't battled alcoholism, though his love affair with Whoopi Goldberg probably had the same effects.

7. Dick Butkus (Ill.). The once 6'3", 245-pound Chicago native did just about everything right in his career, garnering numerous Pro Bowl selections, NFL Player of the Century considerations and a Pro Football Hall of Fame nod. His only mistake was becoming the XFL's director of competition.

6. Henry Cejudo (Ariz.). At the age of 21, this wrestler from Phoenix, Arizona, became this summer the youngest-ever American to win an Olympic Wrestling Gold Medal. Cejudo, the son of undocumented immigrants, was able to turn a passion for wrestling into a life-changing opportunity — one on which he capitalized.

5. Rickey Henderson (Ill.). Simply put, he's the greatest of all time. Just ask him.

4. Ian Kinsler (Ariz.). The young second baseman for the Texas Rangers, born and raised near Tucson, might as well have been the "Lone Star" on his team in the second half of the season, as Home-Run Derby standout Josh Hamilton saw his star status dwindle after the break.

3. Jim Thome (Ill.). One of the most feared hitters of the past decade, the Illinois native has knocked out 541 pitches to the bleachers, ranking 14th on the all-time home runs list. Among MLB's elders, Thome is 38 years old, making him eligible as a write-in candidate in today's election if you're hankering for someone from the Prairie State not named "Barack."

2. Phil Mickelson (Ariz.). The undisputed second-best, or second-most renowned or second-highest paid golfer in the world, Phil Mickelson has had quite a career. Raised in Arizona, he attended Arizona State University on a golf scholarship and was America's top golf prospect for at least — well, actually, Tiger's always had him beat, despite being five years younger than Phil.

1. Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Ill.). Hailing from scenic East St. Louis (yes, it's still in Illinois), Joyner-Kersee is one of the all-time best in the women's heptathlon and long jump. With three gold medals to her name, she was arguably one of the best things to come out of Illinois since Honest Abe.