Patrick Mahomes

Patrick, for those who do not care about sports, played QB for Texas Tech and then went to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he became a sensation the minute he earned the starting job. He once threw a now-infamous no-look pass, for example, which is a real challenge in a football game. Anyway, here he is while still in college, throwing out the first pitch at a Rangers game (I think). I like his sneaks. Oh, and he was also a baseball player in college for a few years, thanks to genetics...

Pat Mahomes #23: 1999

His father, Pat, played in the majors. He is also HANDSOME.

Astros v Cubs: 2002

Pat Mahomes I spent some time on a few teams, notably here the Cubs, which means Bex Porter would have been a fan.

2017

Back to Pat II. (By the way I'm not being glib; he does refer to himself as Patrick Mahomes II rather than Junior.) He is here demonstrating that helmets do a lot of things, one of which is hide awkward throwing facial expressions. I sympathize with this. When I am doing taekwondo, my face kind of mirrors whatever my body is doing. If I am turning or twisting a bo or something, my mouth goes all scrunchy, my eyebrows are twitchy... never watch yourself on video, is the moral of that story.

Cool shoes definitely mitigate the exertion expressions. I am never mad at gold cleats.

2017

"What, you think these might be the wrong shoe? A boring shoe? Well. STRAP IN."

2018

He sat his rookie season and then took the helm in 2018, so really, he's been in the league for three active playing seasons and is already a massive star. And yet I don't know what else he was wearing on this day because the red tasseled slippers were the focus. Honestly, I appreciate this; we're often wishing for more shoe close-ups. Just not ONLY those.

2018

It took some doing, but I figured out that these were an adidas collaboration with Pharrell, and the "Hu" was meant to be an elemental-looking representation of the word "human" and also to reference color, and some shoes had it on there in other languages. They had come out about a week before this presser.

2018

Well THOSE are festive.

2018

These are from the same Pharrell collection. The laces strap to the plastic framing on the shoe, I guess? I am fascinated.

They DID get him here in his Mets jersey, in honor of his father.

2019

These are like a Michael Jackson's red leather jacket, in footwear form.

This photo just made me laugh. I'm sure he was walking totally normally, but in this one frozen frame, it looks like he's rushing out of there because he is going to BURST if he does not use the bathroom.

2018

Those are very cool.

2019

Those shoes are fine, but I was just happy to see a funky jacket. It's great.

2020

Ah, a fierce cleat.

2021

And we end with a DIFFERENT snazzy red shoe. Also... I'm sure those are big sunglasses tucked under his mask, but doesn't it look like he's walking while blindfolded?!? I was confused for longer than I'd care to admit.

1985: Patrick Ewing

Any post about sporting Patricks would be empty without Knicks legend Patrick Ewing. I once got into an argument with a kid who was wearing Ewing sneakers, because I said, "Oh, cool, Patrick Ewing sneakers," and he fully yelled at me, "IT'S PRONOUNCED E-WING." It is not, friend.

He played college ball at Georgetown -- one of the first freshman ever to start and succeed -- and went to the NCAA final game three out of his four years (I think they lost in the Final Four round the other year; their first time, he lost to North Carolina on some late Michael Jordan magic, which is a respectable way to go out). This is him blocking a shot, and it's amazing how dominant he was.

In case you think basketball is a less punishing sport, here is this shot of Patrick icing basically his ENTIRE BODY on the bench. He is like an iced mummy.

Patrick Roy

With apologies to the many other hockey Patricks -- Sharp, Kane, Patrice Bergeron, the list goes on -- I decided to rep them with goalie Patrick Roy, who returned with that mullet in front of a massive screen showing his own face. He kind of looks like Will Forte. It's a shame Will Forte never got to play Patrick Roy in the movie of this photograph.

Padraig Harrington

I told you I'd work in Padraig! He's celebrating a win at St. Andrews here. I hope he's about to drink out of that.

As interesting photos go, this is what I've got: He's getting his neck adjusted in the middle of a golf round. I have sincerely never seen that before.

1998: Danica Patrick

I wish I'd had my act together enough to do a whole fashion slideshow of Danica, just because there's a lot there. But I actually like keeping it to sports. This early shot of her in her racing uniform almost makes her look like she's going up into space.

2007

Not, in fact, space. I have never followed racing beyond checking in on the Indy 500 (and trying to imagine how on EARTH they guzzle that milk at the end of a long sweaty race without throwing up). It doesn't FEEL like there are many women who've hit the track since Danica; is that accurate? Is it still predominantly male?

2017

Naturally I did also find a pair of shoes. Aspen Dental must have been THRILLED with this photo.

Paddy Naismith, 1930

There are some boxing Paddys, and loads of Irish footballers. But this is Paddy Naismith, "a stage and screen actress, a racing driver, a Labour party office holder and campaigner, a pilot, and Britain’s first air-hostess," per this random bio with an irritating headline. She'd acted first and then apparently took up racing because she enjoyed driving, and thought it was asinine that anyone believed women couldn't be as good at it as men.

Paddy Naismith - British motorcycle racer

She also had these AMAZING goggles with wipers and a head fan. I want these RIGHT NOW.

1928

Before she raced, she had an exhibition car with a bar in the back. Obviously that is... not conducive to great driving. But get this: "The car had its own cocktail bar, a scent spray disguised as a bunch of roses, a needlework basket, a seat that turned into a bed, a box for cigarettes and an automatic lighter." She was also a redhead, so Chastain, call your agent.

Pat Tillman

And of course, there's Pat Tillman, who was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan after leaving his NFL career in its prime to serve in the military. The Pat Tillman Foundation supports those in active service, veterans, and their spouses as they strive toward educational and community-oriented goals. You can donate here.

An Array of Sporting Patricks Includes One Fascinating Paddy

And one Mahomes and MANY of his shoes.