# Who's the worst player ever, in a given sport? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 30, 2006, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-player-ever-in-a-given-sport/342173 "2006-01-30T05:28:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-player-ever-in-a-given-sport/342173/41 "2006-02-03T21:14:19Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Matt Alexander was not a “designated runner” That was his main role with the A’s. 214 games, 88 PAs, 63 SBs. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-player-ever-in-a-given-sport/342173/42 "2006-02-03T21:50:29Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > At the last Olympics IIRC there was a women’s hundred-metre runner from Afghanistan or somewhere of the sort, who not only wouldn’t have finished in the top three if she’d had a twenty-yard start but who would have struggled to beat my teenage self (and I was no sprinter, let me tell you). Something like a sixteen-second time I think. [Robina Muqimyar](http://forums.yellowworld.org/archive/index.php/t-18301.html), who competed in a T-shirt and long pants, finished in 14.14 seconds. Among the factors hindering her performance was the fact she was not allowed – even after the fall of the Taliban – to train on an outdoor track, or in the company of men, in her native land. Muqimyar did finish ahead of Somalia’s Fartun Omar Abukar, who clocked 14.29 even after cutting from her own Lane 4 to the inside lane for the final 20 meters of her heat. As for baseball players whose nicknames hint at their foibles, I give you [Walter Beck](http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/beckbo01.shtml), who made his debut with the St. Louis Browns in 1924 and his final big-league appearance in 1945. He only pitched in eleven of the 22 major-league seasons represented by that span, however, as his 38-69 record and 4.30 ERA weren’t good enough to keep him in “The Show” with consistency. Beck acquired his nickname of “Boom-Boom” during his days with the Phillies. Pitching in Philadelphia’s Baker Bowl, he often allowed opposing batters to smack drive after drive off the tin walls of the stadium, and the resultant booming sounds were enough to indicate to baseball-savvy passers-by that Beck must be on the mound. ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-player-ever-in-a-given-sport/342173/43 "2006-02-03T21:55:27Z")
As a Canucks fan who all to clearly remembers the 20 years it took them to finally ice a decent team… the worst player I ever _saw_ play was a defenceman by the name of **Randy Boyd**. He brought nothing to the table… he wasn’t big or fast or tough He had no kind of shot, nor could he pass. Everytime he was on the ice, something bad happened… he’d fall over skating backwards and the other team would get a breakaway… he’d have the puck hop over his stick and the other team would get a breakaway… he’d pass the puck directly to a guy on the other team and the other team would get a breakaway. If you heard his name, usually it meant that the other team was about to score. I’ve seen Brashear and Belak, and they both suck… but they’re nothing close to Randy Boyd. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-player-ever-in-a-given-sport/342173/44 "2006-02-03T22:21:06Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > That was [Matt Alexander’s] main role with the A’s. 214 games, 88 PAs, 63 SBs. Yes, but Alexander was originally signed by the Cubs as a position player. He may have done a substantial share of pinch (or “designated”) running while with the A’s but that wasn’t his only role unlike Herb Washington who was originally a track star and was used _exclusively_ as a pinch/designated runner. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-player-ever-in-a-given-sport/342173/45 "2006-02-03T22:29:18Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > (Baserunning) was (Matt Alexander’s)main role with the A’s. 214 games, 88 PAs, 63 SBs. But Matt at least owned a fielding glove and batted occasionally, if not very well. Herb Washington apparently never had a plate appearance or a fielding play, and owned neither a bat or a fielder’s glove. Haskins was mainly a DH but did play a very few games in the outfield. ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-player-ever-in-a-given-sport/342173/46 "2006-02-03T23:00:36Z")
John Hopoate is probably the worst player in the history of Australian Rugby at least from a sportsmanship perspective. > [@](#): > > Even the uninitiated and the uninformed will have heard of John Hopoate. He is the Manly Sea Eagles player who was infamously caught on camera a few seasons back inserting his finger in the rectum of players he was tackling in order to annoy or upset them. [From here](http://www.crikey.com.au/articles/2005/03/16-0928-1590.html). ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-player-ever-in-a-given-sport/342173/47 "2006-02-03T23:08:08Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > He may have done a substantial share of pinch (or “designated”) running while with the A’s but that wasn’t his only role I didn’t say it was. There’s a reason that I listed Washington first. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-player-ever-in-a-given-sport/342173/48 "2006-02-04T00:53:34Z")
Assuming that chess is a sport of the mind, here is an unmatchable performance in tournament play. At the 1903 Monte Carlo tournament, in 26 rounds: a Colonel Moreau scored no wins, no draws and 26 losses. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-player-ever-in-a-given-sport/342173/49 "2006-02-04T01:04:41Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > The “original” Mario Mendoza was surely [Bill Bergen](http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/bergebi01.shtml), a backup catcher who played for 11 seasons from 1901 to 1911, mostly for the Brooklyn Dodgers. His lifetime batting average was .170. Only once did he top .200 for a season. A more modern day comparison would be [Ray Oyler](http://www.baseball-reference.com/o/oylerra01.shtml) , shortstop for the hapless Seattle Pilots the only years they played. He did hit a home run in the only Pilots game I ever attended. My highlight was having Boston SS Rico Petrocelli sign my Rico Petrocelli signature model baseball glove. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-player-ever-in-a-given-sport/342173/50 "2006-02-04T01:05:57Z")
I don’t know how bad he really was, compared to the above, but **Tommy Burleson** of the Seattle Supersonics wasn’t much of a ball handler. I think he was on the team (starting too) in 1979 when they won the championship, but everybody cringed, groaned, or laughed whenever he had to take the ball across the court. Good times. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-player-ever-in-a-given-sport/342173/51 "2006-02-04T03:33:32Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I don’t know how bad he really was, compared to the above, but **Tommy Burleson** of the Seattle Supersonics wasn’t much of a ball handler. > > I think he was on the team (starting too) in 1979 when they won the championship, but everybody cringed, groaned, or laughed whenever he had to take the ball across the court. Good times. 🙂 It was an easy mistake to make but Burleson was gone from the Sonics by [1979](http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SEA/1979.html) . Jack Sikma was the starting and he was pretty good. Dennis Awtrey and Tom LaGarde were the stiffs who backed him up, so Sikma, Lonnie Shelton and Paul Silas took must of the playing time at center and/or power forward. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2006, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-player-ever-in-a-given-sport/342173/52 "2006-02-20T01:11:19Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > If there is a winner, it’s Eddie. He was competing on a level playing field with the best ski jumpers in the world, and was so bad we all were actually nervous about his safety. > > Second place is probably the Jamaican Bobsled team, also from 1988, they apparently improved remarkably in the years since then, but boy were they lousy that year! Today one of the members of the 2002 Jamaican team won silver as brakeman on the two person Canadian team. Yay Lascelles Brown! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Treviathan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/838e76/32.png) [@Treviathan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treviathan)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2006, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-player-ever-in-a-given-sport/342173/53 "2006-02-20T02:17:40Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > As for the twice mentioned Bill Bergen, you have to consider that he played during the so-called “Dead Ball Era” when batting averages were lower and almost nobody hit for power. Bergen was also a catcher which, like shortstop and second base, is a position where a weak hitting player can still have a fairly lengthy career if he provides solid defense. (The best example of this is [Jim Hegan](http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/heganji01.shtml).) I’m guessing despite whatever offensive deficiencies he had, Bergen must have been a pretty good behind the plate to last 11 seasons. A few quick comments as to why Bergen was a _vastly_ worse hitter than Hegan: Batting averages actually weren’t much lower when Bergen and Hegan’s eras are compared. Over Bergen’s 11-year career, the average major league hitter hit .258, and Bergen hit .170. Over Hegan’s career, the average major league hitter hit .265 - only seven points higher - and Hegan hit .228. Also, it’s a bit misleading to say “nobody hit for power” when Bergen played. It would be more correct to say that _hardly anyone hit homeruns._ Players hit way more triples, and probably also more doubles, in Bergen’s time. While that’s not to say the two leagues had equal offensive production, it’s closer than one might expect. The average OPS during Hegan’s career was .735, while during Bergen’s it was .656. Hegan’s OPS was .639, just over 100 points lower than the average player. Bergen, on the other hand, had an OPS of .395 - over 250 points lower than average. Ultimately, this is all reflected in their relative OPS+ (which is essentially OBP and SLG added together, and then compared to the league average): Hegan’s is 74, Bergen’s is 20. How Bergen and Hegan compare as complete players would depend largely on their fielding abilities. I’d guess Bergen probably had a rifle arm - stolen bases were a much more integral part of the deadball game than during the 40s. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2006, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-player-ever-in-a-given-sport/342173/54 "2006-02-20T02:44:40Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > A more modern day comparison would be [Ray Oyler](http://www.baseball-reference.com/o/oylerra01.shtml) , shortstop for the hapless Seattle Pilots the only years they played. He did hit a home run in the only Pilots game I ever attended. My highlight was having Boston SS Rico Petrocelli sign my Rico Petrocelli signature model baseball glove. Oyler was the classic “good field, no hit” player. His biggest year was with Detroit in 1968, when he hit so badly (OBP of .212) that manager Mayo Smith had Mickey Stanley – an outfielder who had never played shortstop before – play the position in the World Series. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2006, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-player-ever-in-a-given-sport/342173/55 "2006-02-20T03:17:03Z")
The Grand National steeplechase is the biggest horse race in Britain and one of the biggest in the world. The Duc of Albuquerque is legendary for his ability to not even finish the race year after year. From The Book of Heroic Failures: "Few jockeys have been more regularly parted from their horse than the Duc of Albuquerque. In 1963, he made racing history when bookies offered odds of 66-1 against his finishing the Grand National on horseback. Dividing his time equally between the saddle and the stretcher, this Spanish aristocrat entered the National seven times with impressively consistent results. Generally he would start with the others, gallop briefly and then wake up in the ICU of the Royal Liverpool Infirmary. It was the fences that caused the trouble. In 1952, the Duc fell at the sixth fence and almost broke his neck. In 1963, it was the fourth. In 1965, his horse collapsed and in 1973 his stirrup broke. He clung on for eight fences before being sent into inevitable orbit. In 1974, he fell off during training and staff at the casualty unit were surprised to see him wheeled in before the race had even begun. Undetered, this fine man rode in the National with a broken collar bone and a leg in plaster. ‘I sat like sack of potatoes,’ he said in his faltering English, ‘and gave horse no help.’ This may explain how he came to complete the course for the only time in his splendid career." ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2006, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-player-ever-in-a-given-sport/342173/56 "2006-02-20T03:25:12Z")
I nominate the [entire Cumberland University football team of 1916](http://www.cumberland.edu/about/gotc/gamestory.html), who lost a football game 222-0 to the John Heisman-coached Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. An interesting note to that game was that it was called with 15 minutes to go. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2006, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-player-ever-in-a-given-sport/342173/57 "2006-02-21T14:36:15Z")
Having just watched the Nordic sprint event, I remembered another. Around the same year as Eddie the Eagle, wasn’t there a cross-country skier in the Olympics from somewhere like Equatorial Guinea who looked like he’d hardly ever worn a pair of skis in his life? I just remember the image of him slowly trudging along the course, long after everyone else had finished. I tried searching the Olympic database, but they only list medal winners. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2006, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-player-ever-in-a-given-sport/342173/58 "2006-02-21T15:12:21Z")
> [@Sublight](#): > > Around the same year as Eddie the Eagle, wasn’t there a cross-country skier in the Olympics from somewhere like Equatorial Guinea who looked like he’d hardly ever worn a pair of skis in his life? I just remember the image of him slowly trudging along the course, long after everyone else had finished. I dunno about 1988, but there was a Kenyan skiier, Phil Boit, in Salt Lake. The winner embraced him as he finally crossed the finish line. Great moment. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2006, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-player-ever-in-a-given-sport/342173/59 "2006-02-21T17:21:16Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > If there is a winner, it’s Eddie. He was competing on a level playing field with the best ski jumpers in the world, and was so bad we all were actually nervous about his safety. > > Second place is probably the Jamaican Bobsled team, also from 1988, they apparently improved remarkably in the years since then, but boy were they lousy that year! Both my choices, though they are not worst players ever (being olympians n’ all) but definately amongst the most heroicaly awful losers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-player-ever-in-a-given-sport/342173.md?page=2)