So how do you answer the age old question: If you could be anyone else in the World, who would you be?
Well truth be told, I’m fairly happy with my own life. I love my wife, have some great friends, have a good job and have a lot of fun. So things are good. But if you did force me to pick a person to switch places with, we’d have to lay down some groundrules first.
A. No females. I love women, but I don’t think I’m ready to try to be one.
B. No old dudes. I’m in my 30’s, and that feels old enough.
C. Nobody that’s married. I’m already happily married, but there’s no way I could pull that off twice. Plus, the allure of the singles scene beckons every married guy like the Sirens song.
D. Nobody that’s not either really cool, rich or famous. C’mon, it’s a game…I’m not trying to save the World (sorry Al Gore). If I’m going to trade in my life, then rest assured I’m going to take a spin in the fastlane with my new life.
So with those guidelines in-place, here’s my top 10 list of People I Would Switch Lives With:
1. Tiger Woods
#1 spot and I pick a guy who’s married AND has a bun in the oven. I know, I’m already breaking my own rules. I must be crazy right? But actually this just shows you what a bad ass Tiger is. He’s the greatest golfer in the history of the sport (sorry Jack). He’s on track to be the first Billionaire athlete. And he just turned 30. Where do I sign up because I’ll take it.
2. Justin Timberlake
At first glance this might look like a pretty poor choice. I mean he is a former Mouseketeer, and was a member of a boy band. But JT has really taken things up a notch lately. After breaking both Britney Spears and Camerson Diaz’s hearts, he’s now had a string of ladies that would make any Dad proud. Scarlett Johansson loves him (enough said), Jessica Biel, the girl from Who’s The Boss…and there’s no telling how many non-famous hotties he’s scored with. And he’s famous and got mucho cashola. If Timberlake keeps this up, he’s going to take over the top spot.
3. Axl Rose
[Warning: this is a total homer pick] Okay, okay I realize Axl is probably a stretch at third. But I grew up a huge GNR fan. And there was no bigger bad ass on the planet in the late 80’s and early 90’s than Axl Fuckin Rose. If I came back as Axl, I’d immediately call up Slash and Duff and Dizzy to get the band back together. And I haven’t seen Stephanie Seymour lately, but I might call her too.
4. Tom Brady
A year ago this was a solid pick, but I’m worried now that Brady might be getting ready to settle down. He’s already knocked up one (hot) girlfriend, and he seems like he’s getting pretty serious with (super hot) girlfriend Giselle. Okay wait, on second thought - dating Giselle would be just fine with me. Plus, Brady brings in some nice coin. His occupation (NFL QB) is as good as it gets. And he’s been submitted for sainthood in New England, so he probably gets a lot of free car washes.
5. Leonardo Dicaprio
Man, now I officially suck. I’m picking another guy’s who about to get hitched. But have you seen Bar Rafaeli? Serious question. If you haven’t, please go google her now. Then come back and tell me this a bad pick. Plus, he dumped #4 (on the list) currently girlfriend. And when you’ve outgrown Giselle, then you are definitely going places in life. Plus, as each day goes by I forgot his role in Titanic even more and more.
6 (tie). Derek Jeter
So I get to make $20 Million dollars playing shortstop for the NY Yankees. My ex-girlfriend list includes Jessica Biel, Vanessa Minnillo and Jessica Alba. And I’m the toast of New York. This isn’t a hard decision.
6 (tie). Andy Roddick
So I’m a young, highly successly tennis player who gets to travel the world and be adored. My ex-girlfriend list includes Mandy Moore and Maria Sharapova (rumored). Once again, this wouldn’t be a difficult choice.
8. Joe Francis
Okay, perhaps the 2nd most controversial choice after Axl. Joe’s not loved by Mom’s across America for what he does to their daughters. But, if I’m Joe - maybe I can make Joe Francis a better person…and still keep on doing Girls Gone Wild. I mean it’s worth a shot to try, right?
9. Jake Gyllenhaal
A young, Hollywood star who’s just coming into his own. One who’s got a pretty good track record with the ladies (Kristen Dunst & Reese Witherspoon to name a couple). I get to make millions per year making a couple of movies, and then party with Lance Armstrong and Matthew McConaughey in my downtime. Sounds pretty cushy to me.
10. Adam Scott
I was influenced by Coach on this one. But I was stuck deciding between a few choices on the 10th spot, when it occurred to me that Scott is a good choice. I’m a young, successful golfer. Women at golf tournaments flock to me. And I’ve got a pretty good accent (a bonus) to boot. Sounds like a winner to me.
So that’s the top 10 list of people I’d trade lives with. But who are some of the other people I considered for the list. In no particular order, the honorable mentions:
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Kobe Bryant
I’m not a big Kobe fan, but even I’ll admit he’s got a pretty sweet life (post Colorado). I think I can handle being, arguably, the best player in the NBA.
Sergey Brin
Aka: the Google Guy. One of the founders of Google. He’s 33 and worth $16 Billion and he gets to work at a really cool place. Not a bad living if you ask me. [Note: I picked Brin over Larry Page because Sergey is a cooler name than Larry. Plus, Brin's got a better head of hair.]
Prince Harry
Why not? I could be a Prince. And the good thing is you never have to sweat the responsibility of becoming King. Plus, every chick in England wants you…and there’s bound to be at least a couple of decent looking girls in the UK (perhaps some exchange students).
Theo Epstein
If you can’t own a sports franchise, or play for one. The next best thing to do is to run one. Epstein rules over the Red Sox, like he rules over the city of Boston. As long as Dice K lives up to the hype, Theo has a pretty good gig.
LeBron James
Let’s see…the Cleveland Cavaliers, Nike, Microsoft and Sprite all line up to give me big checks. I’m the face of the NBA. I’m one of the most popular athletes in the World today. I just completed construction of my new mansion - which includes a built-in casino! Life is good for LeBron and I’d take a little taste of it.
Michael Jordan
Ten years ago MJ is #1 on the list above. It speaks volumes that a 44 year old man still makes the list. But that’s because he’s the original cool guy. Tiger, Brady, Jeter, Kobe and LeBron all owe a debt of gratitude to this guy. At his peak he was the biggest sporting figure in the World. And today he and his brand are some of the most recognized in the World. So sure he’s older, and was married with kids. He’s still the Greatest Basketball Player of All-Time. And that alone would make it worth being Jordan.
Hugh Hefner
I founded Playboy magazine. I’ve been banging Playmates for 40+ years. I am still banging (presumably) hot Playmates today. Okay, I probably don’t want to trade lives with an 80 year old, but Hef might the exception to the rule. [Note: I would require a full medical checkup for Hef prior to making this switch. If his plumbing is not in working order, then having Holly, Kendra and Bridget wouldn't do me any good...so the deal would be off.]
Carson Palmer
I’m a young, millionaire quarterback…wanted by every hot chick in Hollywood. Yes, please.
Don Trump Jr.
You’re fired! Okay, I’m not sure why this little dork made the list. But his family has a ton of money. He’s all over TV (thanks Dad). And it looks like he’s going to hold on to his hair a lot longer than his Daddy did. So I guess being Trump Jr would have some upside.
Vince Vaughn
Jennifer Anniston…enough said.
Daniel Ziff
35 year old Billionaire bachelor. I couldn’t find a picture of him online. But I figure no matter what he looks like, with a Billion plus in the bank, he can score the ladies.