Top 5: basketball players in the major leagues

Sporting News, The, May 13, 2005 by Stan McNeal

1 Mark Hendrickson, Devil Rays. Before he became a big-league starting pitcher-his career record is 22-25--he spent five seasons in the NBA. A 6-9 forward, he averaged 3.3 points in 114 games with four teams. Before that, he averaged double figures in scoring during all four of his seasons at Washington State.

2 Kenny Lofton, Phillies. This speedy outfielder was a speedy point guard for Arizona. He was the sixth man on the team that reached the Final Four in 1988 and started the following year when the Wildcats, ranked No. 1 during the season, reached the Sweet 16. He left as the school leader in steals.

3 Chris Young, Rangers. At 6-10, he's as tall as any player in big-league history. As a basketball player, he started every game in his two seasons at Princeton. In his second year, he led the team in scoring and rebounding and set a school record for blocked shots in a season.

4 Randy Winn, Mariners. A veteran outfielder, he earned two letters at Santa Clara during the Steve Nash era. Winn put his hoops experience to good use a few years ago when he made a halfcourt shot between quarters at a Clippers game and won a car that he gave to his mom.

5 Derrek Lee, Cubs. At 6-5, he's tall for a first baseman, but he was recruited by Dean Smith to play shooting guard at North Carolina. After the Padres made Lee their first-round pick in the 1993 draft, his basketball career was left to the playgrounds.