INTERCEPTED: 2009 ESPY AWARDS!

The Oscar & Grammay Awards for athletes are here! The 2009 ESPY Awards are set to air Sunday, July 19th at 9pm, with Samuel L. Jackson as host (Am I the only one who'll miss Justin Timberland?) This years awards have an overwhelming 37 categories with Michael Phelps leading the way with 4 nominations of his own. (Guess weed-gate is the thing of the past)

The ESPY Awards honor the best achievements, moments and leading athletes of the previous year. Fans determine winners through online (http://www.espys.tv/) and mobile phone voting (http://www.espn.mobi/ that has already begun and runs through July 11.

For the full list of nominees click here.

I've condensed the list to some of the more popular categories below. Voting has already begun so be sure to cast your vote for your favorite nominees. Highlighted in BOLD are XIKhai's pick to win for each category.

BEST FEMALE ATHLETE
Natalie Coughlin, Swimming, Nastia Liukin, Gymnastics, Maya Moore, NCAA, Basketball Candace Parker, WNBA, Serena Williams, Tennis *This was hard wih Serena JUST winning Wimbleton*

BEST MALE ATHLETE
Kobe Bryant, NBA LeBron James, NBA, Jimmie Johnson, Auto Racing, Michael Phelps, Swimming *Tough one*

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies, Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimming, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, Olympic Beach Volleyball *There's no way he doesn't win this*

BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE
Shawn Johnson, Olympic Gymnastics, Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays, Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls, Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

BEST RECORD BREAKING PERFORMANCE
Usain Bolt, Olympic Sprinter, Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals, Phil Jackson, Los Angeles Lakers, Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimmer *Another tough one, but I voting on the chances of the record least likely to be broken and PJ has that one hands down*

BEST TEAM
Connecticut Women’s Basketball, Los Angeles Lakers, North Carolina Men’s Basketball, Philadelphia PhilliesPittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Steelers *My Laker's bias is all up and through this post, lol*

Don't forget voting ends on July 11th so vote often!

You can read more article from XIKhai at www.xiximag.com