Baseball is full of colorful characters. From the zany antics of the Loyal Order of Buffalo Heads in the 1970s to the modern day theatre that is Lou Piniella throwing a base into right field, there's no shortage of interesting characters in the Major Leagues.
More often then not, these quirky characters are embraced by fans for their unpredictable behavior and penchant for driving authority figures up the wall. However, if 15 years of careful baseball watching has taught me anything, the game is also full of people that fans love to hate for one reason or another.
The way I see it, there are three types of hated characters in baseball: the dishonest ones, the ones who leave your favorite team for greener pastures and/or more money, and the crybabies who feel they're always being hassled by the fans or the media.
The dishonest type of player is one who continually denies rumors about them that everyone knows is probably true. In this modern era of steroid allegations, the choice is obvious as to who the modern day poster child of this group is. If I have to tell you, then you obviously don't follow the game.
The greedy type of player is one who constantly complains about not earning enough money. When contract time approaches, he and his agent squeeze every penny out of the organization that is desperate to keep him because he means a lot to the team. When a player and his agent don't agree with what the GM thinks the player is worth, the player leaves for more money elsewhere. Modern day examples of these players are Johnny Damon and Torii Hunter.
Finally, there are the whiners and complainers, the ones who can't stand the fact that someone or something is more popular than they are. They're also the type of people who take any sort of criticism as a personal attack on their ability. They're not above telling off the media or the organization when this occurs. Most of the time, the manager is the biggest moaner on the team. Billy Martin is the classic example, tbut he modern day example is Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen.
Guillen's a guy who has yet to understand two facts of life in the rough and tumble city of Chicago. Number one: The White Sox, no matter how hard they try, are always going to be the second most popular baseball team in Chicago. Number two: Chicago is a passionate sports town full of fans and figureheads that are going to second guess moves the manager makes. They're also going to kick the team when they're down because they want to win. Guillen has yet to understand these two universal truths. instead of making the best of situation, he continue to hold grudges against certain members of the media and the more popular baseball team on the north side of the city.
Even though the Cubs have not won a World Series in exactly 100 years, there is still an aura about them. They've earned a reputation as a bunch of lovable losers and play in one of the most intimate and popular ballparks in the major league. A team that has those intangibles is hard to top in an American city, let alone Chicago.
6 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
JJ Stankevitz about 1 year ago
Ozzie has no room to complain about being second fiddle in the city. If the White Sox had kept winning and competing for the playoffs following the 2006 season (in which they won 90 games and broke attendance records), the Sox would at least be close to equaling the Cubs' popularity. But, because the team tanked in 2007 and now is fighting to stay above water in 2008, their popularity has dropped significantly and may end up around 2003, 2004 levels before this is all over.
Although, baseball isn't a popularity contest. As a Sox fan, I'm happy my team has won a championship in my lifetime, and no amount of popularity that the other Chicago baseball team has will take away from that.
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Chris Pennant about 1 year ago
It's not fair that the Sox "always have to play second fiddle to the Cubs." It's also incorrect to say that; the popularity of the teams goes in cycles. For a long time in the middle of the century, the Sox were not only better than the Cubs, they were also the bigger draw. The same goes for the 1970s.
I hate to say this, because everyone always makes it out to be a "bitter Sox fan," but it sounds like Cubs fan talk to say that Ozzie should shape up or ship out. Joe Cowley's column in the Friday Sun-Times was a good illustration of what most people think of Ozzie and unfortunately, it's not a question of his character. Do most people in the media honestly think of Ozzie as a nuisance? ESPN and Jay Mariotti certainly do. But since when do outside factors determine how a person should behave and act? If Manny can be Manny, why can't Ozzie just be Ozzie?
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Adam Radochonski about 1 year ago
Let's think about this...how many World Series have the White Sox won in the last 100 years compared to the Cubs? I think it's 2-0. That's how you measure on how well an organization is run.
The crap about attendance is bogus. Look at the Florida Marlins...they've won 2 championships in 15 years of existence. They don't draw as many fans, but they've won. I would consider them a much more successful franchise thatn the Cubs--end of conversation.
The greatness of an organization is based on championships and winning. End of discussion.
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Adam Radochonski about 1 year ago
Now, back to Ozzie...he speaks the truth. People just can't accept a manager that speaks how he REALLY feels and doesn't feed them bullshit. He catches flack because he's a little outrageous, but if people haven't realized that he is, they have no idea who they are dealing with.
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sports fan about 1 year ago
Everybody wants Ozzie (and Kenny Williams) fired. I hope where you work, that people want you fired, too. See how you like that.
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Dan Pieroni about 1 year ago
This is directed towards sports, who's obviously a smart-Aleck who wants to stir up trouble. I'm currently unemployed, so I don't even have a job, because society likes to hire ignorant people like you, instead of hard-working folks like myself.
I don't like Ozzie, and I refuse to call him a good manager, until he cleans up his crybaby act and shows some class towards the media. It doesn't mean I'm right, it's just my opinion. If you read carefully, I didn't even suggest that he should be fired, I merely suggested that he seek anger management, that's all.
You're obviously offended that I trashed someone you admire, but that still doesn't give you the right to insult me because you don't like what I said. If you're gonna trash at least read the whole article.
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