If They Had To, Most Athletes Could Shoot You Where You Stand

You know, we love sports. (News, we know.) But you know what would make us love sports more? If more players were armed.

The Boston Globe, attempting to corner the market on Newspaper Exposes On Athletes Who Are Packing Heat, unleashes a huge report today on the incredibly high number of players who carry concealed weapons. The lead focuses on Shaquille O'Neal, who has several concealed gun permits, if just so he's properly packing when joining cops in invading the homes of families who don't own child porn.

Our favorite section, though, is the extended graphic — with mugshots! — listing all the players who have concealed weapon permits. So many great names on this list: Edgerrin James, Fred Taylor, Daunte Culpepper, Paul Pierce, Vince Carter, Stephen Jackson (!), among others. Our favorite name? The Yankees' Carl Pavano. We are absolutely certain that his gun does, in fact, not work.

Many Players Regard Firearm As A Necessity [Boston.com] Professional Athletes Who Own Guns [Boston.com] Hey, Look, It's Shaq! And ... Uh, OK, That's A Semiautomatic Rifle [Deadspin]