Truth be told, it's not that easy to choose our favorite Bay Area athlete these days. We don't think it's a stretch to say that twenty years from now, some barfly isn't going to be telling some young whippersnapper about how these were the good-ole-days . Hard to believe, but it was just three years ago when we could claim to being the center of it all. The Giants were in the Series and the Raiders in the Superbowl, the A's had the Big Three and were perennial contenders, the Niners hadn't fallen off the cliff into suckitude yet, and Stanford basketball was always a Top 10 presence. And today? Try this on for size-- the most exciting team in the Bay Area is your Golden State Warriors. As in, wha?

As for athletes, this area had some serious star power wattage-- Will the Thrill and Barry; the Giambi Brothers and the Big Three; the amazing Jerry Rice; Joe and Steve. But today, the wattage is considerably dimmer. Oh yes, we still have the biggest badass in the land, the Barrisimo, but he did miss most of last season with rickety knees. And then there's his tainted legacy and our well acknowledged mixed emotions towards the Big Fella.

Which leaves us with who? Crazy Crab? So, with all that to ponder, we give you our 2005 Favorite Athlete 'Fistie to (drum roll, please): Baron Davis.