Bryce Harper and Baseball History's 25 Players Fans Think Deserve to Be Hit

You can pick any pitcher in baseball history to throw this pitch.

What player, above all else, do you dislike to the point that you'd pay to watch him get plunked?

I'm not talking about disliking a player because he always performed well against your team, or that he cost your team a game with poor play.

I'm talking about guys who really get under your skin.

Maybe Bryce Harper is one of them?

It'd be a quick rush to judgement on a teenager, but hey, to each his own.

Some people, no doubt, were pleased to see the cocky youngster get plunked by Cole Hamels.

What other players would fans not mind seeing get some sweet chin music?

Lets take a look.

Cap Anson

By all accounts, Cap Anson may be the only player in the game's history to rival Ty Cobb as far as his disdain for black baseball players went.

Anson routinely refused to play when the opposing team had black players on their roster, and amazingly, due to the fact that he was one of, if not the biggest draw in the game at the time, opposing teams often would not play the black players.

In some cases, they even removed them from their teams to avoid future issues with Anson.

Josh Beckett

If ever there was a player who would be best served by not speaking, it's Josh Beckett.

First, he was in the middle of the chicken-and-beer saga that permeated Boston towards the end of last season.

Now in 2012, Beckett has proven to be a petulant child, seemingly offended that people would dare question why he was seen playing golf on a day that he was reportedly too injured to pitch.

"We get 18 off days a year," he told reporters, including Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston. "I think we deserve a little time to ourselves."

Cry us a river Josh—you pitch every fifth day.

Albert Belle

Was Albert Belle crazy?

I'm no doctor, but he definitely wasn't playing with a full deck.

Take for instance the 1991 incident when he fired a ball into the stands, hitting a fan who had been taunting Belle about his former nickname "Joey" and his past battles with alcohol.

Or in 1994, when he was caught using a corked bat. Belle made his teammate, Jason Grimsley, climb through the ventilation ducts in the ceiling until he reached the umpire's room, where he was to switch the confiscated corked bat with another and bring the evidence back to Belle.

Belle loathed the media and essentially refused to speak with them during his career, something that resulted in him not only never winning an MVP award (he had a legitimate gripe from 1995 through 1997) but to be slammed by the press whenever the chance presented itself.

Upon his retirement, the press had some choice words for Belle.

First, Bill Madden of the New York Daily News:

"

Sorry, there'll be no words of sympathy here for Albert Belle. He was a surly jerk before he got hurt and now he's a hurt surly jerk....He was no credit to the game. Belle's boorish behavior should be remembered by every member of the Baseball Writers' Association when it comes time to consider him for the Hall of Fame.

"

In response to Madden, Robert Lipsyte of the New York Times chimed in:

"

Madden is basically saying, "He was not nice to me, so let's screw him." Sportswriters anoint heroes in basically the same way you have crushes in junior high school... you've got someone like Albert Belle, who is somehow basically ungrateful for this enormous opportunity to play this game. If he's going to appear to us as a surly asshole, then we'll cover him that way. And then, of course, he's not gonna talk to us anymore—it's self-fulfilling.

 

"

Barry Bonds

While it's never been proven, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't think that Barry Bonds dabbled with performance-enhancing drugs—drugs that resulted in his record-setting numbers.

Always considered to be a surly character, many fans and historians of the game alike believe that his records—specifically the single-season and career marks for home runs—all need to have an asterisk placed next to them.

Only hit by a pitch 106 times over a 22-year career, bumping that number up to 107 would please a large number of fans.

Milton Bradley

After making a career of getting into it with umpires, Milton Bradley was convinced that there was a conspiracy against him, being perpetrated by those same umpires:

"

Unfortunately, I just think it's a lot of "Oh, you did this to my colleague," or "We're going to get him any time we can." "As soon as he gets two strikes, we're going to call whatever and see what he does. Let's try to ruin Milton Bradley."

"

After making a career out of arguments with umpires, I can't say that I blame Bradley for thinking that way, and who knows, maybe there was some truth to his claims.

Make no mistake about it—Bradley had serious anger issues that often found him in heated situations, whether it be with umpires, his teammates, his manager or even fans, as he famously flipped off the crowd in Arlington as a member of the Seattle Mariners.

The fact that he was so unpredictable and volatile probably speaks volumes as to why he was only plunked 44 times over a 12-year career, though the fact that he was often injured and sometimes suspended were likely contributing factors as well.

Jose Canseco

Considered by some to be the "godfather" of steroids, Jose Canseco was baseball's first 40/40 player, accomplishing the feat in 1988 with the Oakland A's, when he hit 42 home runs and stole 40 bases.

While he threw nearly everyone that he knew under the bus in his book Juiced, the funny thing is that throughout the steroid era investigations and scandals, Canseco has been the most forthright and honest, with nearly every claim that he's made either proven accurate or unable to be discredited.

If the steroids weren't enough to tick people off, he was a playboy during the heyday of his career, carrying on relationships with a number of celebrities, including a very public one with Madonna, back when she was both attractive and relevant.

Roger Clemens

Maybe it was the fact that he had no issues pitching inside during his career, or maybe it was the bat-throwing incident with Mike Piazza in the 2000 World Series.

Or perhaps it's the steroid allegations—or the claim that he lied to Congress—that turned you off to Roger Clemens.

Whatever the reason, there's no question that Clemens has garnered the ire of baseball fans for nearly 30 years—and that fans believe he deserves to get a taste of his own medicine.

Ty Cobb

If Ty Cobb were alive today, he'd probably walk around wearing a shirt that says "I Hate Everyone," because let's face it—Ty Cobb didn't care what anyone else thought.

Cobb hated everyone—minorities, opposing players, even his teammates.

Sam Crawford, Cobb's longtime teammate in Detroit, tried to put things in perspective:

"

He was still fighting the Civil War, and as far as he was concerned, we were all damn Yankees. But who knows, if he hadn't had that terrible persecution complex, he never would have been about the best ballplayer who ever lived.

"

Just hating people wasn't enough—Cobb wanted more.

So he'd sit in the dugout between innings, making sure that he was in clear view of the infield and he'd sit there and sharpen the metal spikes on the bottoms of his cleats—just a quick reminder that if you were crazy enough to try and make a play at the bag, Cobb was coming in feet first with a full head of steam.

Carl Everett

In the June 19, 2000 issue of Sports Illustrated, Tom Verducci wrote a lengthy article on Carl Everett who was then with the Boston Red Sox.

Verducci did a great job of putting Carl Everett's thoughts into one small space with this excerpt:

"

Interleague play? "Don't like it," Everett responds. "They only have it because of two teams [the New York Mets and the New York Yankees]. It's all about the money." Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter? "Not a star." The Mets, one of his former teams? "All those [management] people are hypocrites and idiots." The Atlanta Braves' starting pitchers? "You can run on them all day." Big cities? "Hate 'em. I need space." American League baseball? "Boring." Dinosaurs? "Didn't exist."

"

That's right—Carl Everett doesn't believe that the dinosaurs existed, and upon being labeled "Jurassic Carl" by Boston Globe writer Dan Shaughnessey, Everett pulled out a label of his own, forever sticking Shaughnessey with the moniker of "CHB—Curly Haired Boyfriend," implying that Shaughnessey and fellow columnist Gordon Edes had an intimate relationship.

He would go at it with anyone—reporters, opposing players, umpires, even his own manager.

Really, all people wanted was for Everett to keep quiet and play ball, because he was a heck of a hitter in his prime.

Instead, he continued to run his mouth, got suspended for butting heads with an umpire and essentially wore out his welcome in the major leagues.

Ozzie Guillen

The most controversial and entertaining manager in baseball, Ozzie Guillen waited until after his playing days were over to start running his mouth.

He's got an opinion on everything and, without being able to control himself, has put his foot in his mouth countless times.

From questioning the sexuality of a columnist to proclaiming his love for and admiration of a brutal tyrant who directly impacted a large segment of the South Florida population, Ozzie simply can't help himself.

Amazingly, Guillen was only hit seven times over the course of his 16-year playing career.

Without question, there are a number of people who would like to see that number increase significantly.

Bryce Harper

I don't know that people necessarily wanted to see Bryce Harper get hit by a pitch, but to be sure there are those among us who do not like Harper's cocky attitude.

A brash youngster, Philadelphia Phillies starter Cole Hamels admitted to throwing at Harper:

"That's something I grew up watching, that's kind of what happened. So I'm just trying to continue the old baseball because I think some people are kind of getting away from it. I remember when I was a rookie the strike zone was really, really small and you didn't say anything because that's the way baseball is...But I think unfortunately the league's protecting certain players and making it not that old-school, prestigious way of baseball...It's just, "Welcome to the big leagues.""

I've got no problem with what Hamels did, as pitching inside is part of the game.

Some have a problem with it, and that's fine.

Jeff Kent

To say that Jeff Kent had an abrasive personality would be an understatement.

He seemingly never connected with any of his coaches or teammates, regardless of whether it was in Cleveland, Houston, New York, San Francisco or Toronto.

Kent famously got into it with another member of this list, Barry Bonds, as pictured above.

He then lied to the Giants about how he ended up with a broken wrist, initially claiming that he fell while washing his truck.

The truth, of course, is that he was out riding a motorcycle and wiped out—something that was prohibited in his contract.

Pedro Martinez

Game 3, 2003 ALCS between the Red Sox and Yankees.

Pedro Martinez hits Yankees right fielder Karim Garcia between the shoulders, resulting in the Yankees bench screaming at Pedro.

Pedro stares at Yankees catcher Jorge Posada and then points at his own head, essentially telling Posada where he's going to throw the next time Jorge comes to the plate.

When Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez comes to the plate, Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens gives him some chin music.

Manny becomes irate, the benches clear, and 72-year-old Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer runs straight for Martinez.

Pedro, the coward, throws Zimmer to the ground.

That's all you need to know about Pedro: He threw a 72-year-old man to the ground.

Carl Mays

One of the best pitchers not in the Hall of Fame, Carl Mays is best remembered for a tragic incident.

A notorious headhunter, one of the pitches Mays threw connected with the head of Ray Chapman on August 16, 1920, killing the Cleveland Indians talented shortstop.

Said to be unpopular with his own teammates, Mays never could figure out why people hated him:

"

When I first broke into baseball, I discovered that there seemed to be a feeling against me, even from the players on own team,” Mays said after a few years in the big leagues. “I always have wondered why I have encountered this antipathy from so many people wherever I have been. And I have never been able to explain it, even to myself.

"

F.C. Lane of Baseball Magazine nailed his description of the pitcher: “Mays is a strange, cynical figure who aroused more ill will, more positive resentment than any other ballplayer on record."

Mark McGwire

While Barry Bonds might be the poster boy for the steroid era, Mark McGwire's use of the drug was so evident that watching him continue to refute the claims was almost entertaining.

He continued to get bigger until 1998, when he looked like Paul Bunyan.

It wasn't until 2010 that McGwire finally manned up and admitted to using steroids on and off for more than a decade.

Joe Morgan

One of the great second basemen of all time, Joe Morgan didn't really get under people's skin until he was beamed into our homes every Sunday night on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, a practice that mercifully came to an end following the 2010 season.

Morgan came off as arrogant, cocky and demeaning towards the audience.

Oftentimes, Morgan's inability to adequately prepare for the night's game would result in periods of uncomfortable silence between he and his partner, Jon Miller, who had to scramble to pick up where Joe dropped the ball.

I don't know about you, but listening to Morgan on Sunday nights actually made me kind of angry. If there was a way to mute his microphone and only listen to Miller speak, many of us would have.

Rafael Palmeiro

Many believe that Major League Baseball purposely delayed releasing the fact that Rafael Palmeiro tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2005 so that he could reach the 3,000-hit plateau.

One of only four players to have 3,000 career hits and 500 career home runs, Palmeiro was named by Jose Canseco as a steroid abuser in Canseco's book, Juiced.

Additionally, he appeared on the Mitchell Report and was named by Jason Grimsley in the former pitcher's testimony as a steroid abuser.

Palmeiro is just another face of the steroid era that fans would like to forget, and the fact that his name is mentioned along with all-time greats like Hank Aaron and Willie Mays as a member of the 500/3000 club is upsetting to a number of fans and historians of the game.

Manny Ramirez

Reportedly on the list of players who tested positive for steroids back in 2003, Manny Ramirez has since been suspended twice for failing drug tests, first in 2009 and then again in 2011.

It was the 2011 incident that saw Manny take his bat and go home rather than face the suspension like a man, something he's dealing with now as he makes a feeble attempt at resurrecting his career at the age of 40.

Once one of the most feared hitters in the game, Ramirez had a tendency to take plays off, especially towards the end of his stay with the Boston Red Sox.

In 2008, he took a swing at teammate Kevin Youkilis during a heated exchange between the two in the Boston dugout. Later that season, he refused to play due to a sore knee, though he couldn't remember which knee it was that bothered him when asked by reporters.

All of his antics were chalked up to the fact that it was just "Manny being Manny," an excuse that rang hollower each time it was uttered.

Should Ramirez see action for the Oakland A's this season, fans may get their chance to see Manny get plunked once again.

John Rocker

While New York isn't for everyone, John Rocker took it a step further when he was interviewed for a story in Sports Illustrated that came out in January, 2000 when Rocker made a number of boneheaded comments about the city:

"

The biggest thing I don't like about New York are the foreigners. I'm not a very big fan of foreigners. You can walk an entire block in Times Square and not hear anybody speaking English. Asians and Koreans and Vietnamese and Indians and Russians and Spanish people and everything up there. How the hell did they get in this country?

"

Would he ever play for a New York team?

"

I would retire first. It's the most hectic, nerve-racking city. Imagine having to take the [Number] 7 train to the ballpark, looking like you're [riding through] Beirut next to some kid with purple hair next to some queer with AIDS right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids. It's depressing.

"

Don't stop there, pal. What do you think of your division foes, the New York Mets?

"

Nowhere else in the country do people spit at you, throw bottles at you, throw quarters at you, throw batteries at you and say, "Hey, I did your mother last night -- she's a whore." I talked about what degenerates they were, and they proved me right. Just by saying something, I could make them mad enough to go home and slap their moms.

"

Need I say more?

Alex Rodriguez

There are a litany of reasons why people dislike Alex Rodriguez so much, from his failure to produce in the clutch to his ridiculous contracts (and the even more ridiculous demands that he makes along with them) to his steroid use and his perceived infidelity to his first wife.

Lest we forget the swipe that he made at the glove of Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo during Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS, a play that made him even look more ridiculous than usual.

For all those things and more, A-Rod (or A-Fraud or A-Roid as others affectionately call him) is reviled in the same way that other big-time sluggers such as Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire are—they're disingenuous and at the end of the day, nothing more than cheaters.

Under contract to the Yankees through the 2017 season, fans will have plenty of chances to see him add to the 160 times that he's been hit by a pitch.

Kenny Rogers

Prior to a game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2005, Kenny Rogers walked onto the field and shoved two cameramen, knocking a camera to the ground.

When one of the reporters started to film again, Rogers became incensed, shoving the reporter again and then kicking the camera repeatedly as it lay on the ground.

For being a jerk, Rogers was suspended for 20 games and fined $50,000.

You can see video of the incident here.

Pete Rose

It's not that people don't like Pete Rose, because generally I think people do.

I think enough time has passed from the time he was caught betting on baseball while managing has passed that, generally speaking, people just want to see him inducted into the Hall of Fame and to put an end to the saga.

But while people forgive, they don't forget, and it would be fitting for baseball's all-time hit king to get hit with a ball. Call it retribution for the fans.

Curt Schilling

Curt Schilling has a way of getting under people's skin.

He's publicly criticized his teammates, opposing players, management, baseball officials and the media, both as a player and now, as a member of the media.

Schilling, who hit 54 batters over the course of his career, was never plunked when he came to bat.

Gary Sheffield

In recent history there may not be a player who was as feared or as petulant as Gary Sheffield.

Whether it was calling the Brewers a racist organization for moving him from shortstop to third base, getting arrested with his uncle, Dwight Gooden, for brawling in Tampa, Florida, or simply bemoaning the fact that he wasn't paid enough and deserved more respect, Sheffield made a career out of stirring the pot.

Included in the Mitchell Report as a player who used steroids, Sheffield could erupt again as he becomes another member of the 500-home run club excluded from induction in the Hall of Fame due to those allegations.

Sammy Sosa

Testifying before Congress, Sammy Sosa, who spoke English quite well, suddenly forgot how to speak the language and could only answer questions in Spanish with the help of a translator.

A known cheater—he'd been caught using a corked bat—Sosa is one of the faces of the steroid era in baseball.

His name has popped up on a number of steroid-related areas, from the Mitchell Report to Jose Canseco's book.

Fans feel cheated, given the accolades and national attention that he and Mark McGwire received in 1998 as they both chased Roger Maris' single-season record of 61 home runs, being said by some to have "saved baseball."

Frank Thomas

Frank Thomas was an imposing figure, standing 6'4" and weighing 230 pounds. He can be partly blamed for the awful treatment that Dick Allen received as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Thomas only lasted 74 games with the Phillies over parts of the 1964 and 1965 seasons.

The story goes that on one occasion, Thomas got into it with Allen, who was black.

Thomas picked up a bat and swung full force at Allen's head—Allen ducked and the bat hit Allen's shoulder, injuring him.

Gene Mauch, who was the manager at the time, demanded that the team remain silent on the incident, even though almost a dozen players witnessed it.

Upon being traded to the Houston Astros in 1965, Thomas was free to tell the story as he wanted to craft it while Allen and the rest of the Phillies had to remain silent. Phillies fans saw this as a perfect opportunity to pile on a minority and serenaded Allen with the N-word.

Not only would fans like to see Thomas take a couple of pitches off his batting helmet, but some of those classy Phillies fans who berated Allen could use one up under the chin as well.