The 2007 ArmchairGM Fifty -- 21 through 30

#21: Wellington Mara

For over 40 years, Wellington Mara was the owner of the New York Giants. In October of last year, he left this world, and with it, left the NFL. In his honor and memory, 80,000 Giants fans stood at Giants Stadium and gave him the standing ovation he deserved. Across the nation, millions of football fanatics did the same in their own personal way.

Mara was the benchmark by which all other professional sports owners shall forever be measured. He was instrumental in the NFL/AFL merger. With his brother Jack, Wellington did something that would change the course of professional football forevermore -- they, as the owners of the "big market" team, agreed to pool television revenues on a league-wide basis. Indeed, Wellington Mara was the father of modern-day revenue sharing in sports.

But Mara's truest impact on the game was his father-like relationship with his players. When Lawrence Taylor was enshrined in Canton, LT thanked Mara personally for helping him through his cocaine addiction. Tiki Barber and other Giants visited Mara on his death bed, as a son would his father.

In memory of Mr. Mara, and in honor of his contributions to the NFL, the league will be using a ball named "The Duke" in his honor. It's an honor well deserved.

#22 & #23: LeBron James & Sidney Crosby

Attention, readers: The face of sports is changing, and it's getting much younger. A decade ago, the leaders of our favorite leagues were grizzled vets: Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, John Elway, Mark McGwire, etc. But no longer. Welcome to the world of sports in the 21st century, where precocious youngsters can immediately step into the lineup and become instant superstars.

Nobody typifies this trend more than King James and Sid The Kid. At 22 and 19, respectively, these two have eschewed the old road to stardom (get drafted around age 20, pay your dues for a few years, slowly become a top player by your late twenties, etc.) and forged their own path, one that includes bona fide superstardom by age 16, massive endorsement deals before even being drafted, and -- unlike the many "next ones" of the nineties -- becoming arguably the best player in your sport by your 21st birthday. And they've already come to the rescue of their respective leagues as well, with James emerging as the signature star of the NBA's post-Jordan era, and Crosby becoming the savior of the post-lockout "New NHL". Talk about instant impact!

As Crosby and James grow and claim full ownership of their sports, the sky will be the limit in terms of their fame and influence. With an ever-growing media army covering them -- and with their best years far ahead of them -- it's not unrealistic to expect the young pair to have even more international influence than Jordan/Gretzky did. One thing's for sure, though: it will be an honor and a pleasure to be able to watch the two brightest young stars in sports history take their games to heights that their older predecessors could only dream of.

#24: Peter Gammons

If this were a compendium of all-time influence, Gammons' entry would be as obvious as his place in Cooperstown. Gammons redefined baseball reporting in many ways: popularizing the "notebook" style, digging for rumors, and building a still-unmatched network of front-office contacts.

And when an aneurysm almost took his life, the sports world stopped. His absence from the sports world, and most importantly, from MLB's trade deadline rumor mill, was eerily noticeable, as no one was able to fill the void left by Gammons.

Upon his return, he did not miss a beat, and with it, the rumor mill was rekindled.

#25: Michael Phelps

In March (and early April) of this year, Phelps competed in seven events at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships in Australia.

He won gold in all seven.

And set world records in five.

In doing so, Phelps has become one of, if not the greatest swimmer in competitive history, with only Mark Spitz being worthy of the same breath.

Phelps will have a chance in 2008 to not only make this list again, but to make it so no swimmer has much of a chance to ever make it again. He's been that good.

#26: Bryan Colangelo

Colangelo, who re-made the Phoenix Suns into the perpetual juggernaut that they are today, was disenchanted with the new ownership group in Phoenix and jumped ship to the Toronto Raptors.

After a 27-win season in 2006, the Raptors received the first pick in the draft, which they used to select Andrea Bargnani, the first European to ever be drafted #1 overall in the NBA Draft. Colangelo made widespread changes to the roster he inherited, trading Charlie Villanueva for T.J. Ford and packaging several players to the San Antonio Spurs for Steven A. Smith-favorite Rasho Nesterovic.

Beyond the turn-around the Raptors have made this year in the standings, Colangelo also made headlines by using the international market, signing players such as Jorge Garabosa and Anthony Parker, as well as creating a much bigger role for talented young point guard Jose Calderon. Colangelo also hired former Benneton Treviso general manager Maurizio Gherardini to be his Assistant GM and VP.

While they bowed out in the first round this year, very few Eastern Conference teams are as well-built and prepared for the future as the Raptors are, and almost all of the change has come directly from hiring Colangelo.

#27 & #28: Roger Federer & Rafael Nadal

Two sets.

That's how far Federer came from winning tennis' Grand Slam. He took the Australian Open, U.S. Open, and Wimbledon with ease. Had it not been for Rafael Nadal -- arguably the best clay court specialist in history -- Federer would have the illustrious title.

But instead, we're left with sports' best rivalry. It's a rivalry so compelling that last week, the two competed in a first-ever split-surface match; grass on one side, clay on the other.

The pair dominate men's tennis to such a degree that it's a wonder that the split-surface challenge was not previously thought up. Since the start of 2005, the two have taken 10 Grand Slam titles and 17 of 22 Masters Series championships.

Oh, and the exhibition: Nadal in a squeaker, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (10).

#29: Will Leitch

"Sports without access, favor, or discretion" is the tagline, but snark-meets-sports is the product. Leitch's Deadspin has ushered in a new era of sportswriting, combining the voyeurism that the Internet loves with the games we all know and follow. Be it pictures of athletes drunk and molesting attractive women; rumors and innuendo surrounding Chris Berman and other ESPN personalities; or simply reporting on tangentially-sports stories involving bad deeds in the men's room, Leitch is a master.

And the master has followers -- On Leather, Kissing Suzy Kolber, and other blogs have followed Leitch's lead in ushering in a new genre of sports reporting, where we care more about what happens in the locker room and after-hours than on the field itself.

#30: Dave Zirin

The author of What's My Name, Fool?' organized a group he called "Jocks 4 Justice", an informal confederacy of former athletes who act in concert to promote liberal causes.

Athletes, like Hollywood celebs, have a bully pulpit that comes with the fame and spotlight in which they live. Unlike their Hollywood brethren, however, athletes tend to let the spotlight pass over them unused for activist causes. Zirin attempted to change that.

In March, Zirin cobbled together a list of well-known names in athletic circles: Ruben "Hurricane" Carter, Etan Thomas, Jim Bouton, Bill "Spaceman" Lee, and others, to stump for the release of Gary Tyler, a Louisiana man on death row. Per Zirin and company, Tyler was simply "the wrong color in the wrong place at the wrong time."