Heroes and Villains: The Players I Truly Love and the Ones I Love to Hate
by Chris Arlene, Sports Editor on November 14, 2009 in Sports
As if the Phillies losing the World Series to the Yankees last week wasn’t bad enough, I was forced to spend two full sessions of Linda Bilmes’ budgeting class examining Yankees star Alex Rodriguez’s then record 2001 free agent contract. (Though I must admit that my roommate Jay, the teaching fellow for the course and a soulless Yankees fan, made things a little better when he naturally referenced Rodriguez’s previous use of steroids by calling him “A-Roid” instead of “A-Rod.”) Notwithstanding his not so Freudian slip, the whole experience managed to add insult to injury.
In general, Jay and I spend a lot of time arguing about the value and importance of A-Rod. Is A-Rod really an athlete that can be liked; the kind of player that fans actually want to root for? This back and forth inspired me to put together a top 10 Love ‘em or Hate ‘em list. The following ten players fall into one of these two categories, and though this is my list, you may find that quite a few people will agree with my classifications. However, it is important to note that this list can ebb and flow over time, especially if someone I don’t like somehow ends up playing for one of my beloved Philadelphia teams.
Please note: I’m only considering current players, so guys like Barry Bonds (HATE!) or Charles Barkley (LOVE!) are ineligible. Also, the words “love” and “hate” are used here as they are normally used in the context of sports, so they can be thrown around lightly. Lastly, I don’t wish anyone in the “hate” category any personal misfortune, but they would definitely make the “villains” team of any MTV Good vs. Evil Celebrity Challenge that I might someday produce.
LOVE ‘EM
Shaquille O’Neal. How can you hate Shaq? In his prime, he was a dominant power on the court; he’s a reserve police officer in multiple municipalities (he’s made a citizen’s arrest); and he’s created nicknames for himself such as “The Big Aristotle” and “Wilt Chamberneezy.” His mile-wide smile and ability to give a decent interview puts him at the top of my list.
Chase Utley. The Phillies’ gritty second-baseman is the toughest player in baseball. Utlley could wind up as one of the top three players for his position ever, and he’s the only guy that can really pull off the over-greased hair thing. The guy even needed off-season hip surgery last year, but would never use his injury as an excuse for poor play. Total throwback.
Lebron James. Now that Shaq plays with him in Cleveland, the Cavaliers may be the most likeable team in the NBA. James is en route to being an all-time great; his commercials and television performances are HILARIOUS; and you can tell that his teammates genuinely like playing with him. He’s making the NBA fun again.
Chad Ochocinco. Just to stick it to the NFL, Chad legally changed his last name from Johnson to “Ochocinco.” If that doesn’t earn you a lifetime of respect, nothing will. For all of his antics, he hasn’t killed any locker rooms and he continues to perform well on the field.
Clinton Portis. As a Miami alum and feature back of the Washington Redskins, he’s got two strikes against him. But his press conference shenanigans and costumes are downright genius (check them out on YouTube right now!). It’s easy to see that he doesn’t take himself too seriously.
HATE ‘EM
Kobe Bryant. May just be the second best shooting guard ever (behind some guy named Michael Jordan), but do any of his teammates actually like him? Have you ever had a classmate or a coworker who was really smart, very hardworking, and clearly had all the tools to be a leader, but who didn’t have any people skills? The kind of person who wouldn’t hold an elevator even though they clearly saw you running for it? Kobe is the taller, richer version of that person.
Brett Favre. Though he’s performing very well so far this season for the Vikings, Favre’s annual offseason, “I’m retired…wait, no I’m not!” routine is getting old. He holds every passing record worth having, but we’ve also lost track of how many games he has lost by throwing bad interceptions. Not going to be sad when he finally decides to stay on his Mississippi farm for good.
Terrell Owens. I must admit, I ABSOLUTELY LOVED T.O. during the fall of 2004 when he had the single greatest season of any wide receiver in Eagles history. But then he started doing shirtless sit-ups outside of his house and his jerk-of-an-agent kept saying, “No comment” and it was a wrap. He’s killed three separate locker rooms and something seems karmically right about him being stuck in Buffalo.
Tony Romo. Yes he’s a Dallas Cowboy, so that’s grounds enough for hatred. Add to that the constant camera pans to whichever singer he is dating at the moment; ridiculously giddy touchdown celebrations; and the whole “Hollywood gunslinger” persona, and it’s clear why the guy who has never won a playoff game is just so easy to hate.
Alex Rodriguez. I don’t have any real beef with A-Rod, but there’s not enough space to have a “ I feel bad for A-Rod because he’s clearly insecure and self-absorbed but has absolutely no personality and makes awful decisions like hooking up with Madonna and hanging pictures of himself as a centaur around his house” category.
Comments
2 Responses to “Heroes and Villains: The Players I Truly Love and the Ones I Love to Hate”
Got something to say?
“I don’t have any real beef with A-Rod…”
But you still hate him.
Oh poor Chris, you’re the insecure one. I bet you hated all the guys who got the girl you didn’t have the nerve to even talk to.
Sad.
While I agree that at point everything you said about A-Rod was true, it has become apparent that he has really become “one of the guys.” This entire year the only headlines A-Rod made were baseball related. And with his record setting postseason performance, in which he had clutch hit after clutch hit, his value to the Yankees is undeniable. Just look at their record before and after he returned from hip surgery in May.