Historical Figures

Great people in our past that have done extraordinary things.

Ben Franklin - The original memetician.

King Arthur - King of the Britons.

Molly Pitcher - Revolutionary War hero. Did she really exist? Yes, but she has an Arthurian Legend to her.

Sir William Wallace - Guardian of Scotland the Brave.

Joan of Ark - 19 year-old martyr that led an army to numerous military victories.

Barack Obama - Change I believe in.

Athletics

Growing up in an athletic household, being a sports fan was a must. With that in mind, athletes comprise a large portion of the list.

Will Clark - My favorite baseball player growing up. Anyone who is nicknamed "The Thrill" and "The Natural" is just awesome. A great player plagued by injuries, Mitchell & Ness just produced his 1989 San Francisco Giants jersey. Mom, Dad, you reading this?

Cal Ripken, Jr. - The Ironman.

Scott Rolen - Most underrated player ever. He'll be in Cooperstown before you know it.

Chase Utley - My boy. Chase will go down in history as the greatest 2nd baseman ever.

Manny Ramirez - Manny being Manny.

Jackie Robinson - Amazing player, civil rights hero.

Jim McMahon - The original bad boy.

Larry Bird - Couldn't run, couldn't jump, but somehow put it all together to become one of the greatest players in NBA history.

Dan Gable - Amazing wrestler and greatest coach ever, winning 15 NCAA team titles.

Cael Sanderson - Olympic Gold Medal, 4x NCAA Champion, 159-0. The best ever.

Tom Waddle - Probably my most bizarre member of the fanboy list. He did, however, break the Chicago Bears record for most receptions in a playoff game while receiving smelling salts 3 times. That, my friends, is what we call bad ass.

Musical Artists

As I grew older, I began to pay much more attention to music artists. Here are the few that have really impacted me.

Bruce Springsteen - The ultimate American rock icon. I grew up listening to his epic stories.

Eddie Vedder - My generation's Bruce Springsteen.

Ben Harper - This guy taught me how to listen to music due to his eclecticity. His ability to transcend genres is incredible.

Elvis Costello - The King lives!

Jeff Tweedy - Amazing songwriter, outstanding performer.

Henry Rollins - Punk rock icon, political and social activist. His television show is awesome in an awkward kind of way, if that makes sense.

Grace Potter - She gives the word grace a whole new meaning.

Authors and Artists

Roald Dahl - An inspiration to children's authors everywhere. His short stories are just as good as his children's novels.

Chris Van Allsburg - Great author, amazing artist.

J.K. Rowling - Her Harry Potter series captivated me like no other.

Bill Watterson - He created the greatest comic strip ever. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't know how to read.

Andy Warhol - Pop art memetician extraordinaire.

Rick Reilly - I used to look forward to his column every week in Sports Illustrated. It was the only signed weekly opinion column in the magazine's long history, appearing on the back page for 10 years. His work now dons the back page of ESPN the Magazine.

E.E. Cummings - His avant-garde style makes him a visionary.

Actors/Film Makers/Television and Radio Personalities

Mike and Mike - Every morning.

Gordon Ramsay - I can't get enough of this guy.

Daniel Day Lewis - In the last twenty years, the man has only done 12 movies. You can bet that if he's working on a film, it's going to be worth seeing.

Woody Allen - Hilarious.

Wes Anderson - White people like him.

Scarlett Johannson - Great actress? To be honest, I have no idea. I just can't stop staring at her long enough to notice.

Keira Knightley and Natalie Portman - both amazing, and they look alike, so I put them together.

Mariska Hargitay - My bizarre crush. Everyone's got one, so shut it.

Rachel Maddow - intelligence is sexy, even if she's not interested in men.

Fictional Characters

Calvin and Hobbes - Brightened my morning, every morning.

Superman - The Dark Knight? Not even comparable.

Harry Potter - Reils likes wizards. Why can't I?

Super Grover - My introduction to comedy.

Jack Bauer - The Chase Utley of law enforcement. Drug problem? No problem; the man is unstoppable!

And there is it is. As I get older, the list will continue to grow, so stop back for new additions. Yes, I know I have problems.