It's down to the final four on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars," and Olympic gymnastics champion and Season 16 competitor Aly Raisman summed it up best:

"Everyone wants to win, but at the same time it's not life or death. It's more about having fun and enjoying the experience and having a good time."

The 18-year-old Raisman, who is teamed with professional dancer Mark Ballas, is joined in the final four by Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones, singer Kellie Pickler and Disney Channel star Zendaya Coleman. The two-part finale begins Monday, with the mirror ball trophy winner crowned Tuesday.

Playbook had a few minutes with Raisman, who won two Olympic gold medals last summer, before she prepared for this week's shows.

What would winning mean to you?

"It's hard to put into words, but it would mean everything. It's been the most amazing experience of my life. I've made so many amazing friendships. I feel so lucky to be on this show. Mark and I have worked so hard together. It would mean a lot to win."

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What does an alcoholic, pill-popping alligator who returns to military service have in common with Jose Canseco?

Well, nothing. That is until Dan Ryckert, author of "Air Force Gator" and its newly released sequel, "Air Force Gator 2: Scales of Justice," stumbled upon the author, reality star, celebrity boxer and retired baseball player volunteering to write the novel's foreword.

It gets weirder.

In November 2012, Ryckert released "Gator" a book that even he claims to have "the dumbest f---ing plot." The story follows a military alligator pilot who is searching for his missing partner in the Middle East. On New Year’s Day, Ryckert put aside his work on "Air Force Gator 2" (which takes place eight years after the first book) to goof around on Twitter. He sent a tweet to Jose Canseco and called him an idiot. This was not a particularly unique moment for Ryckert, because he's sent multiple tweets through the years to the former baseball player. However on this day, for reasons we may never know, Canseco replied.

@danryckert how many copies of Air Force Gator did you sell dan?Let me know if u need help mine made the NY Times Best Seller list

— Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) January 2, 2013

 

A stunned Ryckert instantly responded, and the former outfielder replied with an unsolicited offer to write the foreword for "Gator 2". Ryckert accepted the offer, but because Canseco is known for incoherent ramblings and bizarre statements on social media, the author had no idea if he should actually believe the offer.

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Music has been part of the sports experience for more than 100 years, with marching bands and ballpark organists and blaring rock filling the air during breaks in the action. But the latest incarnation blends the human element and the latest in tech in a new way as DJs take their skills from the clubs to the stadiums.

One of the leaders of this new movement is Brooklyn Nets music supervisor J. Period, a mixtape DJ who has worked with The Roots and Common. The team hired him for more than your standard playlist of jock-jam favorites; they wanted him to create a soundtrack for games at the Barclays Center.

For his first season, J. Period created more than 150 remixes and edits of classic and new hits, each tailored to very specific game situations. A remix of Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" captures the feeling of anticipation before the players take the floor. A fresh combination of Carmina Burana with Nas' "Hate Me Now" stirs up feelings of battle, so it's well suited to bring the crowd back into the game after halftime. And an edit of Jay-Z's "U Don't Know" in the fourth quarter of a close game never fails to rouse the Brooklyn fans.

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Mike Vick is the single most dominant video game character of the past decade, and to millions of gamers growing up Xbox, the Eagles quarterback is like playing with a cheat code behind center.

These days, though, Vick is dominating a different genre; his new mobile franchise, “Mike Vick: GameTime,” is one of the top-selling sports titles for iOS.

Here’s what the greatest video game athlete since Bo Jackson had to say about his polygonal legacy, jumping into the mobile market and his recent footrace against teammate LeSean McCoy.

ESPN Playbook: Do you realize how devastating your “Madden” character has been throughout the years? You might just be the best video game athlete ever created.

Michael Vick: I realize that and acknowledge that, and I really appreciate it because it comes from the fans. It’s also a credit to everything that goes into the “Madden” game because they make it realistic. When you don’t play so good, they drop your ratings, but for the most part with me, it’s been pretty consistent with the way I’ve played and the way I’ve been in the NFL.

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It’s not too late for Cam Newton to become a big marketing star, but he’ll need a little help from his friends -- or, in this case, his teammates.

“The main thing for Cam Newton when it comes to his marketability is, first and foremost, winning,” said Doug Shabelman, president of Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing. “If they win and he does well, it’s going to come, and he will be back as one of the most-discussed and sought-after players in the league because his game is exciting, he has a winning smile and he has a good personality.”

In fact, Shabelman says Newton doesn’t have to necessarily post stellar numbers as long as the team is winning.

“Winning and being in the playoffs matters more than anything else," Shabelman said. "He could be doing average, and if his team is in the playoffs, people will still be talking about him because he’s the quarterback.”

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