Jeff Kent Booted from "Survivor"

When it was initially leaked that former big leaguer Jeff Kent was going to be competing on "Survivor" Philippines", conventional wisdom was that there would be no way any of the other 17 contestants would let the millionaire take home the million dollar prize.

But, fortunately for the 2000 National League MVP, his team was winning challenges and dude was becoming a major player in the game.

Heck, he became such a force that Katie Hanson, whom he helped vote out of the game complimented him during her exit interview.

　

"Jeff Kent was playing the game from the get go. He knew the right people he wanted to align with," the former Miss Delaware told Hall contributor Gordon Holmes. "He was, in my opinion, the dominant male force on our tribe."

Even friend of The Hall Albert Destrade, who placed third two seasons ago had an opinion.

　

"Jeff Kent's stubborn inflexible "returner's can't win" agenda was ultimately his undoing. If he aligns with Skupin and RC the previous week, he probably wins the season," the former college baseball player said. "A perfect example if why you only make decisions if they inherently improve your chances of winning."

Then, well, during Wednesday night's episode, the future Hall of Famer was sent packing...and if the Twittersphere is any indication, fans of the show weren't really upset to see him go.

 

Fittingly, Kent, who no doubt voted Republican on Tuesday, left with some harsh words toward no, not his fellow castaways...but Barack Obama.

"It's not even a freakin' million bucks, it's only about 600,000 after Obama takes it all," Kent said.  "This just sucks."

I guess when you've already got several million (he claims $60 million) in the bank, it's alright to be a little red-assed...especially when you finish tenth.

Here's Jeff Kent getting the boot. 

 

Five Baseball Players Who Should Have Their Own Reality Show

After dozens of athletes from the NBA, NFL, auto racing, the Olympics and the like making the rounds on primetime reality programming, it's about time Major League Baseball (and someone NOT named Jose Canseco) got some play in the reality show genre.

As you know by now, when the latest installment of "Survivor" premieres on CBS Wednesday night, former National League MVP Jeff Kent will be in the fold.

His involvement has been covered enough (HERE and HERE for example), so, now that the door has been opened to the baseball world...why not specualte as to who else might make a great addition to a reality show.  And who better to do it than friend of The Hall (and one of TV's greatest reality show villains), Jonny Fairplay?

 

 

Fairplay on John Kruk:  "He's not as big as he was, but he's not that small either."

 

Fairplay on Roger Clemens:  "I'm still not buying it and I know LIARS!"

 

 

Fairplay on Goose Gossage:  "What are they going to do with that mustache?"

 

 

Fairplay on Doc Gooden:  "Nevermind. Been there, done that."

 

 

Fairplay on Dale Murphy:  "The most famous Mormon baseball player and my personal favorite player ever. Do all Mormons get multiple wives? If so, sign me up!"

 

Who do you think should have a show?  Let us know in the comments below!  And feel free to follow all the antics and exploits of two-time "Survivor" contestant Jonny Fairplay on Twitter at @jonnyfairplay.

Talking "Survivor" with Jeff Kent

As you might have read here a while back, former big leaguer Jeff Kent hit the wilderness of the Philippines as one of the contestants on the latest season of "Survivor".

Good friend of this site, Gordon Holmes, had a chance to sit down with each of the castaways for this, the 25th season of the hit CBS reality show and got the 2000 National League MVP's thoughts on trying to stay incognito while in the Philippines, what makes a good "Survivor" player and, well, that mustache of his.

HOLMES:  Are you going to let people know about your career in Major League Baseball?

KENT:  I don’t plan on it. If people catch who I am I’m going to have to come clean. Hopefully they won’t know as much about me as you do and have me on their fantasy team.

HOLMES:  You made a few seasons and another time you broke my heart.

KENT:  (Laughs) I’ll downplay it as best I can, if they know. But now I’m a motorcycle dealer, I have a family with four kids. I have a working ranch. That’s kind of how I’m playing this thing. Hopefully that will be enough.

HOLMES:  Something that I think may work in your favor is; baseball players always have a hat or a helmet on. I’d definitely recognize the name Jeff Kent, but as a baseball fan, I only really recognize players from my own team.

KENT:  Well, there weren’t many white guys with mustaches walking around. I was known as one of the only guys in baseball to still have the porn-stache of the ‘80s who was still playing in the ‘90s. There is one kid here who’s wearing a whole lot of New York Yankees get-up, so hopefully he won’t catch on.

HOLMES:  Ever thought of losing the porn-stache?

KENT:  I’ve only shaved it off one time, and that was in the World Series in 2002 and we ended up losing. I was so bitter I went home and shaved my mustache. The next day I looked in the mirror and
thought, “What an ugly bastard you are.” So, I let it grow back. I haven’t shaved it since.

HOLMES:  Let me get your opinion on this, my friends at The Hall of Very Good asked me; which St. Louis Cardinal would you like to see on “Survivor”? I picked catcher Yadier Molina because I thought a catcher is perfectly suited for the game. Because he’s a catcher, he’s got to be tough, he’s used to being uncomfortable. He knows how to manage the egos of a pitching staff.

KENT:  I would say a catcher would fare well because he’s in control of the game. He’s got to control his pitcher, but he’s got to control the defense and the hitter too. Yadier’s changed over the years. He’s a pretty good kid, he was soft spoken, but now he’s more of a leader and more of a strength for that pitching staff. He’s a guy that would fare well here, but he could snap. More than me, even. I think he’s still a little immature. That’s where I’ve got him. I’ve got skills with manipulating my teammates. Because there have been plenty of teammates that you play with that you don’t like. But you’ve still got to go out there and play the game.

HOLMES:  But you have something in common with a locker room of Major League Baseball players. You’re all professional athletes who’ve made it to the pinnacle of the sport. There’s no telling who’s going to be on your tribe.

KENT:  I’m going to have to deal with different personalities, different age groups. At the end of my career, I was one of the older players. You’ve got 20-year-old players and I’ve got to communicate and deal with these guys. That’s going to be a big asset of mine to communicate with all these people with different personalities, make-ups, and egos. And with my reputation, I don’t step down, I might put my foot in my mouth.

Feel free to check out Holmes' entire interview with Kent over at Xfinity.com.  If you're a "Survivor" fan, baseball fan or both...it's pretty awesome.  Oh, and you can find out which former teammate once called Kent racist!

"Survivor: Philippines" starts Wednesday, September 26.  Below is Kent's interview with CBS.com.

 

Jeff Kent Rumored to Star on Reality Show

I admit it, gang, I'm still a fan of the show "Survivor."

So when I read the news recently that former big leaguer (and future Hall of Famer?) Jeff Kent is rumored to be a cast member this upcoming season, I was excited.  Naturally, I reached out to my normal coterie of "Survivor" experts to get their opinion on the 44-year-old Kent and his chances in the Philippines.

"It's very exciting," two-time castaway Rob Cesternino told me, "but at one point Kimbo Slice and Carrie Prejean were rumored to be on Survivor 24, so I'll wait until it's a bit more concrete."

"I think it's hilarious.  He should be a much more fun character than Jimmy Johnson or Gary Hogeboom ever were," "Survivor" podcaster (and "HOVG Heroes" contributor) Mario Lanza said.  "Wasn't he considered one of the biggest a**holes in recent baseball history?  Now we have a celebrity villain, with an evil villain mustache. I am looking forward to it."

Suffice it to say, I'm looking forward to it as well.

Kent, the National League MVP in 2000, continues the current trend of former collegiate and pro athletes on the popular CBS show. 

In the past few seasons, we've seen Steve Wright and Grant Mattos, who both spent some time in the NFL and Albert Destrade, who played collegiate baseball.

Derek Jeter..."Survivor" Fan

When the finale of "Survivor: One World" hits the air Sunday night, it's possible that the show's host, Jeff Probst, might not be the most popular guy in the room.

That is, of course, if New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter makes good on a promise he made to one of the contestants back in Spring Training.

You see, one of the shows contestants, Troy "Troyzan" Robertson is a professional photographer and before the season started, he bumped into the Yankees captain.

"He just ran up to me and said, dude I'm watching the show and it's frickin' crazy! And I was like what?" Robertson told reporters after getting voted off.  "He walks right off the field, and I was like...really?  And he was like, yeah I have my family watching it, but don't tell me what happened last night because I haven't seen it yet!"

But it didn't stop there.

"He said he wanted to go to the finale if he wasn't working.  He said I'll be there if I don't have to work," Robertson continued.  "I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he may actually want to go."

Well, Robertson (and the rest of the "Survivor" cast for that matter) might just be in luck.  The Yankees are scheduled for a 1:05pm EST start Sunday against the Seattle Mariners...and the "Survivor: One World" finale doesn't start until 8:00pm EST.

Fingers.  Crossed.

Talkin' Baseball (and Survivor) with Albert Destrade

With "Survivor: One World" dominating the CBS airwaves for the next dozen weeks (or so), you can't help but be reminded of the hype surrounding this past season and one of its castaways, Brandon Hantz, nephew of the show's top villain Russell Hantz.

But it was a completely different "famous nephew" that was there in the finals and, ultimately, took home the bronze...Albert Destrade, nephew of former big leaguer Orestes Destrade.

Recently, I had a chance to talk baseball (and a little "Survivor") with the Junior Destrade.

HOVG: There have been a number of former football players (both collegiate and professional) that have found their way to “Survivor” and I’m thinking you might be one of the first with any sort of baseball pedigree. So, with that in mind…what baseball players (past or present) would you want to play “Survivor” with and why?

DESTRADE: Wow, great question. Being a diehard Braves fan, my first choice would probably be Tom Glavine. The dude has ice water in his veins. "Survivor" can be a very emotional and stressful game. You want to play with people who are good at being rational and keeping their emotions in check. Glavine would probably be my right hand man. David Eckstein would be another guy who I think would scrappy and good to have on your side. I think Brian Wilson would be my wild card pick just because having him around would be great for team challenges and also the dude might be the funniest guy in all of sports.

HOVG: And speaking of your baseball past, I read on your bio from this past season of “Survivor” that your claim to fame was hitting your first career home run off of a future first round draft pick. I’ve gotta know…can you share that story and, since I’m too lazy to search the box scores, who was it?

DESTRADE: Ha!  It was a guy by the name of Eric Beattie out of the University of Tampa. The Tigers drafted him 32nd overall or something like that. It was in 2004, my freshman year of college. The dude was just mowing us down working 92-95mph. I went up in the seventh looking dead red fastball. Got a first pitch fastball down and in and lined a ball into the trees in left. I still remember our pitching coach, who was a real hardass saying "about time Destrade" as I entered the dugout after rounding the bases.

HOVG: Much has been made of your former tribesmate Brandon and the icy relationship between him and his uncle Russell. How is the relationship between you and Orestes? Did he have any advice for you before you left for “Survivor”?

DESTRADE: My uncle Orestes and I are very close. He has always served as a mentor for me in baseball and in life. His only advice in terms of "Survivor" was that this was a tremendous opportunity for me. That I should take advantage of it and absolutely make the most of it.

HOVG: Lastly, Orestes has had a pretty successful career since leaving the game and given the fans you’ve accumulated online…is it possible that you, too, might end up with a career in television? If so (or not)…what can we expect from Albert Destrade next?

DESTRADE: The funny thing is that my uncle has done baseball broadcasting for ESPN, Fox Sports and around the world, but I actually was into broadcasting before he was! I studied broadcast communications in college and wanted to be a baseball broadcaster since a very young age. As of right now, I'm coaching baseball and absolutely loving it. I want to coach baseball until I look like a Latin version of Jack McKeon. But, between now and then I wouldn't mind sneaking in some more TV work. I'm currently in development of a television project in a collaboration with a fellow South Pacific cast member who I will leave nameless for now. But it's a project that I'm really excited about.

HOVG:  How can we keep up with you?

DESTRADE:  Fans can follow me on Twitter. @SurvivorAlbert is the handle. I will also be live tweeting during "Survivor: One World" this spring. And, be on the lookout for a new television project coming this Fall.

Survivor Almost Had "New York" Russell

You know those New Era commercials featuring Alec Baldwin and John Krasinski?  Well, as it turns out, season 22 of the CBS show "Survivor" almost had its own New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox cap feud.

Allow me to explain.

"Survivor: Redemption Island" featured returning favorite (and eventual winner) "Boston" Rob Mariano and his trademark Red Sox lid squaring off against one of the game's biggest villains Russell Hantz.

And as it turns out, Hantz had a particular item on his luxury item wishlist.

"My luxury item for Redemption Island with Rob (Mariano) was a New York Yankees baseball cap," the three-time contestant told fellow former castaway Rob Cesternino during a recent podcast interview.  "But they said no way."

There's no word as what Hantz (a Houston Astros fan, by the way) was allowed to bring to Nicaragua for the show...but the Yankees cap would have been a nice touch.

Former UT-Martin Outfielder Still Alive

As "Survivor" hits its midway point, it's time to check in with our favorite contestant...former University of Tennessee-Martin outfielder Albert Destrade.

So far, the nephew of former big leaguer Orestes Destrade is looking pretty good.

He's in the power alliance.  He's one of only four castaways to not have his name appear on the parchment.  And did you see the way dude pulled teammate Brandon Hantz up over the wall (go to the 1:15 mark) in that challenge?

Damn!

Anyway.  I knew Destrade's gameplay was impressing me...but I was curious what "Survivor" guru (and XFINITY TV blogger) Gordon Holmes had to say about the chiseled Florida native.

HOVG:  I've been rooting for Albert since Day One.  What do you think of how he's playing the game so far?

HOLMES:  How do you not love the game Albert is playing right now? As a post-merge Alpha male, he should have a huge target on his back. But, his alliance with Coach will keep him safe until Savaii is gone and it also opens up a world of opportunities once they are.

HOVG:  Alright...break it down for me.

HOLMES:  First, the guy is a freakish challenge destroyer. My big takeaway from watching the first challenge (you can watch it below!) in Samoa was watching him lift Brandon over the wall using nothing but his arms. Super impressive. 

HOVG:  And two?

HOLMES:  Second, the Upolu alliance relies on trust in Coach. The second Coach considers stabbing an Upolu member in the back the whole thing will break down. Thank Brandon and his Tribal Council hissy fits for that. If Albert can work his way into a final three with Coach, Upolu jury members (and there will have to be at least three) will feel more betrayed by Coach than they will by Albert.

HOVG:  What about how he played the Edna-Mikayla situation?

HOLMES:  Albert played the Edna vs. Mikayla Incident perfectly. He could’ve blown up the alliance by telling Brandon about Coach’s idol. Boom. They’d head into the merge without a solid direction. Instead, he realized that it’s better to keep the alliance together and let Rick make the final decision. He may have lost the battle, but the knowledge that Rick and Brandon are going to follow Coach over him may prove to be valuable later.

HOVG:  You've been writing about "Survivor" for a while now...how do you see this whole thing with Albert playing out?

HOLMES:  The season seems to be heading toward a Coach/Sophie/Albert final three. If that’s the case, and Albert manages to pick up some individual immunities on the way, it does seem entirely possible that the million-dollar check could be used to buy a new fungo bat and some Big League Chew.

You can follow Gordon Holmes and get his thoughts on the the latest season of "Survivor" over at XFINITY TV.  He can also be found on Twitter or at his personal blog.

And to tie this whole thing back to baseball...he's also a rabid fan of the 2011 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals.

Ta daaaa!

Famous Nephew Ready for "Survivor: South Pacific"

If you follow "Survivor" at all, you know that the upcoming season features a pretty famous nephew.

And no...I'm not talking about Brandon Hantz, nephew of three-time "Survivor" contestant and "Survivor" Hall of Famer Russell Hantz.

I'm talking Albert Destrade...nephew of one of the Florida Marlins original bats and former ESPN baseball analyst Orestes Destrade.  And like his uncle, Albert, too, has baseball in his blood.

The 26-year-old played for the University of Tennessee-Martin baseball team in 2007 after transferring from Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida. Sure, he batted only .213, but dude started 20 of the 30 games he played his senior year at UT Martin.

"Albert was only here a year, but from a teammate standpoint, he was well-liked," Skyhawks head baseball coach Bubba Cates said. "He was a good guy to be around. Everyone that knows Albert is excited about this opportunity for him."

But being a former ballplayer isn't the only reason I did the younger Destrade...we're both fans of "Bull Durham".  Check out his "inspiration in life" from his "Survivor: South Pacific" bio over at CBS.com.

I'm going to go with the lead character from the movie "Bull Durham." Kevin Costner's "Crash Davis" exemplifies a lot of attributes I can relate to. He is a hero of mine because of how he goes about his business as a ballplayer. He's a life-grinder. Plus, he's colorful and full of wisdom.span>

Albert continues the current trend of former collegiate and pro athletes on the popular CBS show. Last season, contestants Steve Wright and Grant Mattos spent some time in the NFL.

When Albert is done in Samoa...he'll be heading back to his current job as head coach for Plantation (Florida) High School baseball team.

 

 

Talkin' Baseball with Gordon Holmes

Anyone who knows me (or has followed this site for any period of time) knows that I am a fan of reality television.

Wednesday...the best of best returns.

Now entering its 22nd season, "Survivor" cast members have seen and done just about everything.  This past December, five of the show's finest were heralded as members of the inaugural Hall of Fame class.  The Survivor Hall of Fame's creator, Gordon Holmes, is, incidentally, also a huge baseball fan...I recently had the chance to talk with him.

HOVG: Before we get to your beloved St. Louis Cardinals, I’ve gotta know…what possessed you to come up with the idea for the Survivor Hall of Fame?

HOLMES: Well, “Survivor” host Jeff Probst and I had done a point/counterpoint video series before “Survivor: Gabon.” One of the questions (which was stolen from ESPN’s Bill Simmons) was “Who would you put on your Mount Rushmore of ‘Survivor’?” He went with Richard Hatch, Rupert Boneham, Tina Wesson and Tom Westman. I went with Richard Hatch, Rob Cesternino, Jon “Jonny Fairplay” Dalton and Sue Hawk. A few years later I was interviewing Fairplay at the “Survivor” ten-year reunion and he brought it up. As we were debating our picks, other people started listening in and giving their two cents. It was then that I decided that this was an idea whose time had come.

HOVG: How did the Hall of Fame’s inaugural class get selected?

HOLMES: I wanted to build some checks and balances into the selection process. I knew a strict fan vote would leave us open to “Vote for Wanda” campaigns (no offense, Wanda) and a veterans committee vote would be as infuriating as the Baseball Hall of Fame process. So, 50% of the “Survivor” Hall of Fame vote comes from the fans and the other 50% comes from a selection committee made up of “Survivor” crew such as Jeff Probst and (the show's challenge producer) John Kirhoffer and “Survivor” journalists like EW’s Dalton Ross and E!’s Drusilla Moorhouse.

HOVG: Ultimately, the five that were chosen as the show’s best were its first millionaire Richard Hatch, fellow winner Parvati Shallow, two-time winner Sandra Diaz-Twine and the stars of this season’s upcoming “Survivor: Redemption Island” Russell Hantz and “Boston” Rob Mariano. Who were your five?

HOLMES: I stayed pretty close to my original Mount Rushmore picks. My thought process was to go with people who had changed the way the game is played. I went with Richard Hatch who was the brains behind the original final four voting alliance strategy. I had Rob Cesternino (even though he’s a Mets fan) for the way he popularized the whittling down of alliances as you get deeper into the game. I picked Jonny Fairplay for making the game more than something that took place on location. I think anyone who lies about their occupation owes Fairplay a royalty. Then I went with the two players whose success couldn’t be denied with Sandra Diaz-Twine and Parvati Shallow.

HOVG: There have been a number of athletes that have appeared on “Survivor”…how do you think a baseball player would fare?

HOLMES: I can see where being a baseball player would lend itself to the game. I think anyone who goes through a 162-game regular season must have some kind of stamina. Baseball is at the same time a team sport and an individual sport, just like “Survivor.”

HOVG: Is there anyone in particular you would like to see out there, forced to interact with fellow castaways for 39 days?

HOLMES: If I had to go with the player I think would do well on “Survivor,” I’d go with Yadier Molina. He’s a catcher, so he’s used to being miserable. He’s low-key, he’s not a leader, but he is a solid guy. The ladies like him. He’s kind of like “Survivor: Tocantins” winner J.T. Thomas.  However, if I was going for players based on entertainment value, sign me up for the Lenny Dykstra/Darren Daulton alliance. Those two are a producer’s dream.

HOVG: I mentioned Hatch earlier and I’ve gotta ask…if you could play "Survivor" and have a Rich Hatch-like alliance with any three of your beloved Cardinals (past or present), who would they be?

HOLMES: Alright, I’m not going to pick my three based on who I’d want to hang out with. (For the record, that’d be Ozzie Smith, Adam Wainwright, and Jose Oquendo). I’m going with the alliance that is going to put a million dollar check in my pocket. I’m going to start off with Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa. While I’m making good with the rest of the tribe, he’ll be off going over every possible jury combination. When he would interact with the tribe, they’d hate him because he wouldn’t take off his sunglasses under any circumstances. Next up, I’m going with former Cardinals third baseman Scott Rolen. He and LaRussa would always be at each others’ throats. This would allow me to just hang back and figure out which of the two to team with when we got to the end. The fourth person would be Cardinals mascot Fredbird. I friggin’ hate Fredbird. I’d vote his red-feathered ass out with glee. Best of all, he couldn’t talk crap about me at Ponderosa and poison the jury against me.

HOVG: Lastly, we’re days away from pitcher and catchers reporting and the Cardinals have yet to offer a contract extension to slugger Albert Pujols. What do you figure will be filled with more drama…the negotiations with the three-time MVP or “Survivor: Redemption Island”?

HOLMES: Ooof…I sure hope it’s “Redemption Island”.  I’m in the camp that says Albert has every right to pursue a monster contract. During his time in St. Louis he’s been a perfect citizen, he’s never given any less than 100%, and he’s put up with Brendan Ryan always asking for his autograph.  So, if the Cards can afford him, keep him. If they can’t, let him go. But, I’d like it to be as drama free as possible. The man played for the Cards at a discount for years. I think he’s earned the right to leave with his legend intact.  Unless he goes to the Cubs, then screw him.

HOVG: So, what can we expect next from the Survivor Hall of Fame...what are your plans?

HOLMES: For as ridiculous as the idea of a reality show hall of fame is, I’ve tried to take it very seriously. So, a lot of thought has gone into this. Every November will be “Survivor” Hall of Fame election season. We started off with a class of five, I think from here on out we’ll whittle that down to two or three. I’d hate for it to turn into something like the WWE Hall of Fame where they elect huge classes and lesser talents like Koko B. Ware sneak in.  Right now we’re working on putting together a more permanent placement on XFINITY TV rather than the blog posts it was on earlier.  I’ve been bouncing around the idea of having a spring election that would be for individual seasons or memorable inanimate objects (Bob Crowley’s fake idols get my vote). Some people have suggested voting for superlatives like “Best Looking” or “Best at Challenges” but there’s no “Best Looking Player” plaque for Willie McGee in Cooperstown, so I don’t think those are the best fit.

You can follow Gordon Holmes and get his thoughts on the the latest season of "Survivor" over at Fancast.com.  He can also be found on Twitter or at his personal blog.

The Survivor Hall of Fame can be found on Twitter as well.  Feel free to check out The Hall's interview with former "Survivor" All-Star Rob Cesternino HERE and find out who Jonny Fairplay thinks is baseball's biggest heel HERE.

Friday 5: Rob Cesternino

Yesterday, one of my favorite "Survivor" cast members shared his "All-Time Baseball Heels" .

Not to go down memory road, but another one of my favorites is the same guy that host Jeff Probst once called "the smartest player to have never won Survivor”.

Taking time out from his website Rob Has a Website, Rob “Rob C.” Cesternino re-dons his "Survivor" buff and takes on the challenge that is...the “Friday 5”.

HOVG: Alright man, you’re a New Yorker. Right out of the gate, I’ve gotta know…Mets or Yankees?

ROB C.: I've been a long-suffering Mets fan for as long as I can remember. The last few years have been pretty brutal and it looks like we're going to have to blow the whole thing up and start over again while the Yankees look like they're headed to a second straight World Series. Not fun.

HOVG: If you could play "Survivor" and have a Rich Hatch-like alliance with any three of your beloved Mets (past or present)…who would they be?

ROB C.: If I were going to start an alliance with any past Mets, first on the list would be former (and hopefully future) manager Bobby Valentine. In addition to being a strategic mastermind who was able to take a mediocre at best 2000 Mets team to a World Series, "Bobby V." was very charming and able to outsmart opponents with crazy disguises! I also am very partial to both Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez and think they do a great job calling the game and are both really interesting guys and have great baseball IQ.. And Keith, on day one, would have the greatest mustache in "Survivor" history. Unquestioned.

HOVG: "Survivor" has seen a number of former professional athletes (Guatemala’s Gary Hogeboom, China’s Ashley Massaro and, currently, Super Bowl winning coach Jimmy Johnson) take part. Is there a Major Leaguer that you would like to see out there? If so, who and why?

ROB C.: We may not ever see a Major League Baseball player on "Survivor" but there actually a couple of Phillies that have very close ties to "Survivor". One of the women from my season, Heidi, is now married to Cole Hamels and Shephanie LaGrossa is engaged to Kyle Kendrick! If I was going to pick any Major Leaguer to watch on "Survivor", I think the guy that would be the most entertaining to watch might be Manny Ramirez. In fact, I don't understand why Manny doesn't already have a reality show...every episode would be see TV.

HOVG: In one of your podcasts, you compared two-time "Survivor" contestant Russell Hantz to former slugger Mark McGwire. Care to explain what you meant again?

ROB C.: I certainly don't mean to imply that Russell Hantz might be using performance enhancing drugs. Russell, is similar to McGwire or any of the modern day sluggers who hit huge home runs and strike out a ton. They are all incredibly entertaining to watch, much more so than someone who always plays it safe and chokes up on the bat. But Russell, literally swings for the fences with every bold move he makes in the game. And much like hitting a baseball, that isn't necessarily the best approach to take on EVERY swing. Also, it's not always the best way to win baseball games. So while I think Russell will always be entertaining to watch as a fan, I don't think his strategy will ever work because he will always burn too many people along the way to the end to ever get the jury votes he would need to win in the end.

HOVG: Lastly, and I know it isn’t a baseball-related question…but who are you picking to win "Survivor: Nicaragua"?

ROB C.: I am loving seeing Jimmy Johnson on "Survivor" this time around but I think both he AND the Cowboys might not have what it takes to go too far this season. I really like Marty. Marty seems like he has a great understanding of the game and seems like he is savvy enough to go the distance. But in baseball terms, it's only about the top of the second inning in the game, so there's a lot of "Survivor" left to play.

Rob Cesternino appeared on two seasons of "Survivor"…Amazon (where he finished third) and All-Stars (where he finished 15th). He currently can be found online waxing poetically about "Survivor" and other reality shows and on iTunes as host of the popular “Rob Has a Podcast” podcast. He can also be found tweeting away as @robcesternino.

Jonny Fairplay's All-Time Baseball Heels

Sunday marks the return of one of the best shows on television...HBO's "Eastbound and Down". And if "Eastbound" is back, so is one of television's greatest characters...Kenny Powers.

So now...on to one of the worst segues in the history of The Hall of Very Good.

Another one of my favorite television shows of all time is "Survivor". It’s true…outside of the horrendous re-cap shows, I’ve missed only one episode.

Of the more than 300 contestants that have ever played the game, I’ve had plenty of favorites. One of which is the guy that host Jeff Probst said constructed "the greatest lie in Survivor history."

Of course, Probst was referring to two-time "Survivor" contestant and one of the game's greatest heels...Jon "Jonny Fairplay" Dalton.

And with that, here are Fairplay's Top Five All-Time Baseball Heels.

5. Albert Belle, Outfielder/Designated Hitter
Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles

4. Darryl Strawberry, Outfielder/Designated Hitter
New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees

3. John Rocker, Relief Pitcher
Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays

2. Kelly Leak (Jackie Earle Haley), Leftfield
"The Bad News Bears", "The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training" and "The Bad News Bears Go to Japan"

1. Kenny Powers (Danny McBride), Relief Pitcher
"Eastbound and Down"

"Jonny Fairplay" came in third place on "Survivor: Pearl Islands". He later appeared on "Survivor: Micronesia" (Fans vs. Favorites), and was the first contestant voted out.

Currently, you can track him down over at Geek Week, where he does a video blog re-capping the previous week's episode of "Survivor" and on Twitter as @JonnyFairplay.

As previously mentioned, Danny McBride is back as Kenny Powers this Sunday on HBO's "Eastbound and Down". You can catch all-new episodes starting at 10:30EST/9:30CST.

See how that all comes back around in the end?

***UPDATE*** I received an email from Fairplay this morning asking that I include this picture of him and President Obama. Notice the distance between the action and the Secret Service agents. Wow!