Tank McNamara hasn’t started its annual poll yet, but I figure it’s not too soon to start the nominations.
I’ll offer up Bud ‘Bowie’ Selig, for contraction - the notion that shutting down ballclubs with money problems is a more sensible solution than moving them to better markets.
Especially in the sport that is more wedded to its history than any other, the idea that folding a hundred-year-old franchise (the Twins) makes more sense than moving them back to their city of origin (Washington DC) makes no sense whatsoever.
Have to go with RTFirefly on this one. Bud Selig is an evil man. He even looks evil. I challenge someone to find a picture of him where he doesn’t look evil/possessed by demons. Can’t be done.
But yes, Bud Selig is definitely the Sports Jerk of the Year.
RAY LEWIS- Rats on his friends and gets off a murder rap, then instead of being humble acts like a complete obnoxious idiot when being introduced at the Super Bowl.
**HASIM RAHMAN **- After winning the title from Lennox Lewis, he turned down a lucrative offer from Cedric Kushner for several relatively easy title defenses for something like $100,000 in cash and a one shot deal with Lennox Lewis, then lost the title right back again. Another Don King sucker.
BRIAN BILLICK- Baltimore Ravens coach for just being an obnoxious blowhard.
DENNIS MILLER- Two seasons in, and it’s still not working, Dennis. We don;t get the joke, sorry.
MATT GEIGER - 76ERS center collects $8 million a year and sits out as soon as he stubs his toe, or gets a papercut
ERIC LINDROS- Costs the Philadelphia Flyers a trade by holding out until the last minute which city he wants to go to. Thank goodness that era of losing is over.
Zette, I’m not even sure why I should recognize the name “Chico DeBarge”, other than the fact that he’s related to El DeBarge. I guess its like a Tito Jackson thing.
VV, a lot of the Lindros fiasco can be blamed on Bob Clarke- he was the one who turned down several deals (most notably to Toronto about a year ago), banned Lindros’s father from contract talks (which would normally be OK but not here since HIS FATHER IS HIS FREAKING AGENT!!!) and fired coach Roger Neilsen claiming "We didn’t tell him to go get cancer. It’s too bad that he did. We feel sorry for him, but then he went goofy on us.”
I am going to join the Bud Selig chorus. That guy is so vile it is sickening.
I will also defend Lindros, although I don’t really care too much for him. He had every right to not play if he wasn’t going to go where he wanted. Free country and all that nonsense, right? It’s too bad for the Flyers, but it’s not like there are a bunch of angels in the front office over there. They were the ones who decided they weren’t going to play him. That fiasco was a two-way fiasco.
I’m nominating a bit of a dark horse candidate, NASCAR Winston Cup driver Jimmy Spencer. He had the unmitigated gall to actually accuse NASCAR and Dale Earnhardt Jr. of collaborating to ensure that Little E would win the Pepsi 400 at Daytona. The man lost his father in an accident at Daytona, and this jerk Spencer tries to cast doubt on hands-down the most touching moment in sports this year. He did finally try to apologize, sort of, but he still should have kept his big mouth shut.
Eric Lindros is that poor kid whose parents never let him grow up. Well, obviously not poor in the financial sense, but still. When it comes to overprotective, overbearing parents it’s hard to find better examples than Carl and Bonnie Lindros.
The worst thing that ever happened to Eric was when he refused his OHL draft assignment because he wanted to play close to home. If ever anyone needed to get out in the world and away from his parents, it was him.
BTW, I was at a Montreal Canadiens game last weekend against the Rangers, and the Quebecers still boo him every time he touches the puck.
Karl Malone stands alone. Whiny, ignorant, chokes in the big games. Does he want to be traded or not? Who gives a shit. Just shut up and play. And stop saying whatever it is that you say before each free throw. It pisses me off.