Favorite Sports Personalities
Posted by SBG on Friday, July 13th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
I was thinking about this Mark Cuban effort to buy the Cubs and thinking about how desperately I want this guy to own a baseball franchise. The Cubs would be perfect. Cuban's loud and obnoxious, in an Al Czervik kind of way. I love the guy like few other sports personalities in the game today. The guy wants to win and he knows that treating fans right is a surefire way to engender loyalty and profits. Mark Cuban is my kind of guy.
Of course, I'm a Bonds guy, too. He may (or hey, maybe not) have shot himself up with drugs, but he's been able to perform on the field despite intense scrutiny the likes of which few, if any, others have ever been subjected to. I'm not saying I want to have dinner with the guy, but on the field, he's all right by me.
Who are your favorite sports personalities?
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Marv Albert.
Charles Barkley.
CC Sabathia.
Manny Ramirez.
Okay, really only one of those.
Obviously, it's Captain Cheeseburger.
Well, I have to start with Kirby, since he's one of the very few of my favorites I ever actually got to meet in person. He was an incredible competitor, his love for the game showed in everything he did, and he was just one of the most exciting baseball players I ever saw. Jim Brown, because he was so much better than any running back of his time, and because I was a huge Browns fan growing up in Ohio (it almost killed me when he retired so early). Tiger Woods, because he's such a dominant player. He's helped bring golf to the masses, he's had such a great career under intense media scrutiny, and he's always been a class act. Also, he married a nordic goddess. And here's one I'll bet nobody in SBG Nation has heard of - Terry Pembroke. Terry was a defenseman for the Fort Wayne Komets when I was a much younger man, and a tougher guy you'll seldom see. He wasn't a great skater, but he had a mean slapshot from the point, was a strong forechecker, hard body checker, was always willing to sacrifice his body for the good of the team, and he always gave 110%. He was no slouch when the gloves came off, either. And he was always the last guy on the team hanging out by the exit doors of the Fort Wayne Coliseum signing autographs for kids after the games. Oh, and I can't forget Hondo. John Havlicek was my basketball hero when I was growing up, and a classier guy has never played the game of basketball.
Also, my most hated sports personality has to be evil incarnate himself, Arthur B. Modell.
on my short list: Joe Buck. Although "hate" is too strong a term. "STFU" does come to mind (frequently), however. The game is what's important, Joe. Not you.
I'll one up you with Billy Packer.
Personalities? I thought these were stat-generating robots we were talking about here.
so, ubes, what's your problem with Tom Landry?
Bud Grant. Gotta be Bud Grant.
I distinctly remember one game later in Bud's career, when some sort of infraction happened right in front of Bud on the sidelines. I have NEVER seen him do more than crack a smile or frown in disgust, but this time he was hopping up and down like a madman. An amazing sight; I wish I could remember the circumstances.
Wasn't there another situation where one of the Vikes' downfield defenders shoved a sidelines receiver right into the opposing coach, knocking him down? It was a beautiful play, and didn't get called.
I seem to remember ONCE, near the end of the Met, he allowed heaters on the sideline. Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me....
Bud was so cool. Not many NFL coaches seem to be capable of treating their players like adults and professionals AND to treat his audience with respect. Bud did.
John Gagliardi at St. John's would have to rank near the top of my list of favorite football coaching icons. John Wooden in hoops. Prepare your players, then trust them and their preparation. The players and the game are the focus, not the freakin' coach. As much as I love the style of basketball Larry Brown coaches, I hate the megalomaniacal "look at me" twist his life has taken. Greg Popovich is another on my short list of favorites.
Pete Carril is a great sports character (and coach).
for baseball personalities, I've always enjoyed Don Zimmer and Lou Pinella. Jimmy Leyland, despite his friendship with LaRussa. Gene Mauch, for the tragic figure he cut.
Favorites: Pops Mensah-Bonsu, A.J. Pierzynski, Mike Hall, Karl Hobbs, Kevin Garnett, Kent Hrbek, Agent Zero, Curtis Granderson, Pat Neshek
Least favorites: Curt Schilling, Phil Martelli, 90% of the people hired to speak on TV by ESPN or FOX, Rick Reed, the entire NFL, Coach K
That was a more extensive list than I expected. Those GW teams I watched develop obviously are close to my heart.
Good one on Agent Zero.
Least favorites: ... Rick Reed
Umpire or scab?
...the entire NFL...
Does anyone in the NFL have a personality these days?
Does anyone in the NFL have a personality these days?
Does psychosis count as personality?
Clinton Portis is easily the most hilarious sports player today. He used to do all of his postgame interviews from the perspective of a different character.
Scab easily. Always bitching and moaning about something.
When I said NFL, I meant more of the Terrell Owens, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning OMG they're breathing!!!1!!! They rulez!!!! Let's report on Brady Quinn's progress at minicamp rather than something that actually happened in a real, live game attitude that is pervasize throughout the country. Very few NFL players (with Clinton Portis being a notable exception), actually interest me in the slightest despite the fact that I could be exposed to so many more interesting stories about them than any other athlete.
90% of the people hired to speak on TV by ESPN or FOX
Besides the commentators, I'm especially bothered by the effects folks that think every stat or camera change has to be accompanied by a flashy graphic, "swoosh" or mechanical sound, etc. Thank God that MLB games aren't viewed with the same industrial mechanic-colored glasses as NFL games are. Although that annoying talking comic baseball did have me gagging on bile a few times.
Favorites: Kirby (during his playing days), Dougie Baseball, Brad Radke (for his post-game interviews), Neshek (mostly for what he says on his blog), Shaq (seems like a genuinely fun guy, is Paul Shirley endorsed), Cuban, Ichiro, Castillo, probably some I'm forgetting
Least favorites: too many to name
Also, Manny Ramirez and Allen Iverson are two guys I find increasingly fascinating, but wouldn't necessarily categorize either as good or bad.
Castillo and Shaq are two guys who are probably on my second-tier. Ichiro is pretty entertaining, but I find Adrian Beltre fifty times more fascinating. There's just a screw loose inside Beltre's head and it causes some very interesting baseball plays (like yesterday, for example).
There's definitely something funny with Beltre. It seems like once or twice a season now, he's involved with some weird sort of argument with his teammates that people notice between innings on the field or in the dugout. And then two innings later everything is fine.
The Crusher..
Right on, Banjo. And don't forget Dick the Bruiser. Best tag team in the history of pro wrestling.
I'm a big fan of hilarious insanity. Guys like Agent Zero, Clinton Portis, Manny Ramirez, Chad Johnson, Ichiro, etc.
Art Donovan was great. Buck O'Neil was too.
Favorites:
Harmon Killebrew (nicest guy to ever sign an autograph for me), Herb, Kirby (during his career), Tony Gwynn, Mark Cuban, any screw-loose relief pitcher in the Rod Beck vein, Larry Walker, others I'm forgetting
Least favorites:
Jeter and A-Rod (too corporate and bland), Kobe (too "Generation Me"), Frank Thomas, numerous players-turned-broadcasters, Dennis Green, others I'm forgetting
Bill Russell would probably have been a favorite if I'd been alive during his career. My experience with Killer will be something I'll tell my grandkids about.
Favorites:
Matthew LeCroy
Barry Bonds
Pat Neshek
Miekeljohn Macdougal
Annette Norberg (Swedish Curler, Actuary)
Least Fave:
Jason Giambi,
the BoSox.
You know, to really decide the WGOM's favorite and least favorite players, we should set up a bracket-style tournament to deteremine who's currently our favorites. That would be an awesome idea.
Ack! I forgot John Buck! And Ozzie Guillen (he entertains me to no end. I hope the ChiSox never fire him).
And Jim Thome and Kyle Farnsworth, as depicted in the Dugout.
I loves me some Ozzie.
Reportedly Giambi is a great guy in person. But that's hearsay, so take it for what it's worth.
Pusilanimous. I haven't read yet about his testimony.
Hokme initially strikes me as an intense, yet provocative master of circumnavigating angles of persona. At once, he seems the zenith of the Angst of Sport, then even seconds later I feel as if he is Messr Nil, Senor Nada, Comrade Nikto. Yet, compared against these poseurs, I'd pick Hokme any time.
I miss Rifding Hokme.
What, do you drive every day now?
Mark Fidrych was definitely one-of-a-kind.