Today Total Pro Sports brings you a list of the 25 most-followed athletes on Twitter. There are some on the list you would expect, but there also a handful that will surprise you.

Did your favorite crack the top 25?

Riding for the US Postal Service team, Armstrong finished six minutes 19 seconds ahead of Germany’s Andreas Kloden.  He would win a personal best five stages, including three consecutive mountain stages and the final individual time trial in stage 19.

Lance Armstrong would go on to win his seventh consecutive Tour de France title the following year, before retiring on July 24, 2005.  He has since attempted a comeback, but could only manage a third place finish in 2009 and a 23rd place finish in 2010.  The latter stages of his career have also been marred by accusations of doping, which continue to haunt the American rider’s storied career.

Here is a look at Lance Armstrong winning Stage 17 of the 2004 Tour de France.

Notable Birthdays

Walter Payton, NFL -Born on July 25, 1954 in Columbia, Mississippi

Tony Granato, NHL – Born on July 25, 1964 (age 47) in Downers Grove, Illinois

Jon Barry, NBA – Born on July 25, 1969 (age 42) in Oakland, California

There’s only so much room in our feeble human minds to retain all the knowledge we come across as sports fans. So how do we decide what to keep and what to throw out? That’s easy. Listen to us at TPS. There is no shortage of athletes who merit remembering, but since you can’t keep them all in your pocket, keep tabs on the biggest, baddest record holders in sport. Don’t worry about tracking them down. We’ve got them right here.

9. Pete Rose
There are arguments among baseball fans as to who the consummate hitter was. Rose often gets unfairly marginalized in these conversations, as he excelled in other areas and is not often seen as a “pure hitter.” But that’s what he was. He’s got the obvious record, most hits in a career at 4,256. He’s also got all sorts of durability records like most at bats (14,053), most seasons playing more than 150 games (17), and the NL record for most consecutive seasons played. Charlie Hustle indeed.

8. Michael Phelps
Phelps owns the swimming records. He’s set more over his career than even mark Spitz did, and many still stand. 7, in fact. He’s got the 400M Individual Medley, 4X100M Freestyle Relay, 200M Butterfly, 4X200M Freestyle Relay, 100M Butterfly, 4X100M Medley Relay, and the 4X100 Freestyle Relay. And in case your TV was broken in 2008, he set some Olympic records too.
 
 
7. John Wooden
7 NCAA titles in a row. 10 total. That’s what Wooden accomplished at UCLA. Statistically, he’s the benchmark for coaches that engineer dynasties. Personally, he’s known as one of the most gracious men to ever touch a basketball, which they don’t keep records of. He had 88 consecutive victories over 3 seasons and 24 of his boys went to the NBA. Those are records that haven’t been touched in 40 years, sports fans.
 
 
6. Wayne Gretzky
Gretzky’s got 1,000 more points in both the career regular season record and career total games record (which includes playoff games). Mark Messier is runner-up in both. What’s more amazing is that his totals for both are 2,856 and 3,238, respectively. Those are the numbers that are more than a thousand points higher than anyone else in the league. That’s like saying Gretzky was 50% better than the next best guy. He also holds the record for most points in a season with 215, and most career goals with 894. The runners-up there? Lemieux and Howe. Decent company Gretzky keeps, eh?

5. Lance Armstrong
There’s only one record that one needs to know when referencing Lance Armstrong. He won 7 consecutive Tour de Frances. Sadly, the world of cycling is such that no one will hurt themselves to track down other records and the men behind them, but Armstrong was the best in one of the most grueling endurance feats for almost a decade. Not bad. And by “not bad,” I mean amazing. Especially considering the obstacles he had to overcome with his testicular cancer recovery during that period.

4. Tiger Woods
Golf is certainly not a young man’s game, but one should be familiar with Tiger’s records that he holds at this stage of his career, as it seems that he is trending towards taking many of them away from the Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus. At the age of 35, Tiger has the most victories (majors and otherwise), and is already halfway to Jack Nicklaus’ record of 6 Masters victories. We’ll see how Tiger does on the back 9, but if the front 9 is any indication, those records will be toast.

3. Cal Ripken
Ripken’s biggest claim to fame is “only” one record, but it’s not going anywhere this decade, mathematically speaking, so you might as well get familiar with it. 2,632 consecutive games started by Ripken. That’s 15 seasons without turf toe, the stomach flu, or exhaustion. And it’s not like baseball seasons are short. The current active leader? Matt Kemp of the Dodgers with 204 games. Yeah Cal, you’re safe for a while.
 
 
2. Wilt Chamberlain
While Wilt has two records that are probably very noteworthy (for very different reasons), I would like to focus on the BASKETBALL record of 100 points. In a game. All by himself. That’s more than some teams average. Wilt exhibited a level of dominance over other team that hasn’t been seen before, and may not be seen again. Nowadays, the media gets ecstatic when a star scores 50 in a game. Well Wilt did double that. And he averaged 44.8 ppg, in a season. That’s a career night for most players. Factor that in with a career record for women bedded, and that’s a hell of a career.

1. Bill Russell
Bill Russell played for 13 NBA seasons. Do you know how many times his team, the Boston Celtics, won the NBA Championship? 11. Personal achievements are one thing, but going 11-for-13 in championships is something else. That’s just being a winner, plain and simple. Other players on that era’s Celtics team near the top of the list, but none come close. He landed one shy of having twice as many rings as Air Jordan. With Phil Jackson walking away after this season, it sounds like Bill’s mark will be safe for a while.

How hard is it to find likable athletes? Harder than you would think. I’m sure there are many out there, but the best of the best usually end up making headlines off the field for all the wrong reason. To the players’ credit, the media and readers would seemingly rather read about a sex scandal or weapons charge than they would about a player’s hobbies or charitable works, but nonetheless, the guys on this list stand out as people you would want to hang out with even if they weren’t star athletes. Well, maybe not Tim Duncan, but he seems like a really nice guy anyway.

10. Tony Romo
While he was castigated in the public eye during his relationship with Jessica Simpson, all evidence points to Romo being a pretty decent guy. He handled the whole relationship with about as much poise and class as anyone can be expected to during the tabloid era, and was even able to keep his cool during TO’s temper tantrums in Dallas. He even manages to pull off the whole backwards hat/”just havin’ fun out there” attitude without being too corny about it. He’s the kind of guy you’d grab drinks with, if only to get him drunk and ask him how Jessica is in the sack.

9. Chris Paul
Carrying the weight of a team in a distressed city is a tall order for anyone, let alone a 22 year-old, but Chris Paul has been comfortable as a representative of New Orleans both on and off the court. Nowadays it looks like his future there might be up in the air, but the work he’s done in the Big Easy, along with his family values demonstrate that Paul seems to have zigged everywhere LeBron zagged, which has seemed to work out pretty well for him, especially in light of recent events.

8. Steve Nash
The fact that Nash is one of the few athletes that gets an annual request from David Letterman to appear on the Late Show (Dave apparently isn’t a fan of interviewing athletes) should tell you that not only does this guy have good character, but he’s one of the most interesting players in the NBA, equally comfortable discussing Nietzsche or banging Nelly Furtado and Elizabeth Hurley (sadly, not at the same time.) A true renaissance man.

7. Josh Hamilton
Clearly this is a guy who hasn’t always been constructed from the best moral fiber. A few years back he was robbing his family for crack money after squandering away an extremely promising baseball career, he has clearly turned his life around despite a couple high profile relapses in recent years. Even those he handled with dignity and did not skirt. He may go a little heavy on the Jesus talk every now and again, but it clearly helped him get to where he is today and away from who he was in the past, so we’re willing to cut him some slack. I’d say this is a guy you would want to grab a beer with, but…you know.

6. Dwyane Wade
Unlike a teammate that will go unnamed, Wade never seemed to interested in developing a larger-than-life persona around himself. While he clearly remains the leader of the Heat, he does so with a quiet confidence that doesn’t reek of desperation like that same unnamed teammate. He gets on the court, gets his job done, maybe has time to swing by the studio and tape a T-Mobile ad with Barkley, then goes on with his life. It shouldn’t be such a big deal that Wade remains more leader than showman, but it is something of a rarity today. As for results, he was able to lead the Heat to the 2006 title (with a little help from the refs), and we’ll see if he can do it this year with LeBron’s huge personality and, um…Chris Bosh’s nonexistent one.

View 10 Athletes Who Might Not Be Douchebags 5-1

With the camera set up along the finish line, the first cyclist is about to pass through and claim the victory, but just as he is about to come within sight, you can hear the sound of a bike tumbling.  It makes its way across the finish line, but without the rider, who is rolling along behind.  He manages to just make it across the finish line before the second place rider comes in.

If you thought the bruises and scars would dampen his spirits, think again.  He looks over at the camera and asks if he has won.  Much to his delight, he has.

I wonder what emotional state is stronger.  The joy of victory, or the embarrassment of falling of your bike.  Don’t expect this guy to be sending Lance Armstrong any challenges in the near future.

“thats right i am saying it today and today only, i want kobe bryant to get number 4, spread da word”

A big change of pace for the big man.  Rather than take on his usual routine of ripping Kobe, or challanging people like Lance Armstrong on twitter, Shaq has decided to make peace with the Lakers superstar through the free social messaging utility.  Maybe for his next message he can comment on Lamar Odom’s candy addiction.

Many of you may be surprised, and some even disappointed at Shaq’s new approach to his former teammate.  I know I am.  I mean, come on now.  This isn’t time to make friends.  Its the NBA finals.  Everyone loves a bitter rivalry, even is they aren’t playing against each other. So for those of you who miss the older ways of Shaq, here is a little blast from the past.  Hey Kobe! Tell me how my ass tastes!

Shaq On Twitter: "I Want Kobe Bryant To Get Number 4"

Shaq tweeted Armstrong saying, “I challenge u to a race any time any place, it’s time someone challenged u.”  So what kind of response did he receive from Lance?  How about, “Alright Shaq, you’re on.  To quote the great Ricky Bobby, ‘Bring it on trying to bring me down.’”  In case you need some clarification, I think Lance means to say he accepts.  So now that the invitation has been sent, received and accepted, the only question is when will the big race happen?  Hopefully soon, once Shaq gets a bike and biking shorts custom made.

It is interesting to note that Shaw also tweeted Danica Patrick, challenging her to a race on wheels.  I don’t think they will be making that custom Indy car anytime soon though.

Hat Yip – [FanNation]

“Most of these boys came ready to go. You could tell. I think some of them got better as the race went on. Perhaps our team got a little tired as the race got on, always riding on the front and defending.”

The end of the Tour also marked the end of a somewhat comical week in the life of Lance Armstrong.  First he had his “one of a kind” bicycle stolen from the back of his team’s truck while he was being tested for banned substances, then he was attacked by a syringe man [Deadspin].

But don’t worry Armstrong lovers.  Your boy Lance was able to get another bike and showed syringe guy whose boss.  Just one question: What is that snow bank doing there (on the side of a bike race in California)?

Photos Via [Diabo moderno]

“Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

Twitter has grown into a real-time short messaging service that works over multiple networks and devices.  Users can follow”

Tonight former Maple Leafs Mats Sundin and the Vancouver Canucks were in town.  We couldn’t wait to check Brian Burke’s Twitter page for updates.  Trust me he is as brutally honest on Twitter as he is in interviews.  This is some of the things he had to say today,

Feb 20, 11:38 am, Can’t believe how Vancouver fans have embraced Mats Sundin. As if Toronto fans would ever welcome some ex-Canuck reject as their saviour.

Feb 20, 4:11 pm, @BryanMurray: Next time you want to trade a first round pick for a bag of crap, give me a call. I have several bags available.

Feb 20, 7:00 pm, Just saw Sundin at the Toronto airport, waiting in line for the shuttle bus. Guess he doesn’t believe in rentals.

Feb 21, 2:00 pm, Just ran into Kyle Wellwood arriving at the ACC. He seemed kind of depressed. Told him to keep his chins up.

Feb 21, 8:00pm They’re not booing. They’re saying “October through Juuuuuuuuuunnne”.

The best Twitter came on February 1st,

After the game, the Pens called and offered Crosby and Malkin for Schenn. Told them to call back when they were willing to offer fair value.

It seems a little weird that Brian Burke would publish some of these thoughts open for the world to see, but then again you are talking about Brian Burke so anything is expected.