Ervin Santana went into his Wednesday start against Cleveland with a less-than-stellar 5-8 record. Things seemed to be headed down the wrong path again when an error, stolen base and wild pitch gave the Indians an unearned run in the first inning. But Santana remained calm both mentally and physically to throw the third no-hitter of the season and just the first Angels no-no since 1990.
For most panel members, Santana was an obvious choice. Athletes two through five? Not so clear. Though Yani Tseng has taken the women's golf world by storm, panel member Jeff McGregor was quick to note the success of swimmers Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps in last week's world championships. And who can ignore the competitors who literally put their limbs on the line in last week's X Games 17?
So, how did our panel do sifting through dominant pitchers and skateboard 900s? Weigh in with your comments below, and the most insightful could be featured in next week's Cross-Sport Power Ranking.
Our all-star panel: John Buccigross, Robert Flores, DJ Gallo, Dana Jacobson, Jim Basquil, Kevin Connors, Will Selva, Jeff MacGregor and Trey Wingo.