Cities' Most Hated Hometown Sports Figures

*Most of these are fairly recent, so don't get offended.

Seattle - Howard Schultz

Schultz is the man who sold the SuperSonics to Clay Bennett in Oklahoma City, where you know they became the Thunder. Seattle fans can only imagine what could have been. After purchasing the Sonics in 2001, Schultz had the beloved Gary Payton traded away after a feud. He got into a negotiating battle with Rashard Lewis (who was actually good back then), and soon after requested public funding for a new arena. When the city wouldn't give public funding, he became irate and threatened to sell or move the team, and sell the team he did. Clay Bennett is also one of Seattle's most hated figures, as in 2006 he said he wanted to keep the franchise in Seattle. Now head of the NBA's relocation committee, he could help make amends one day if he helps land a new team.


San Diego - Ryan Leaf

Being arguably the biggest bust in NFL history will do that do a guy.  On draft day, he proclaimed, "I'm looking forward to a 15-year career, a couple of trips to the Super Bowl and a parade through downtown San Diego." Not so fast big guy. The player who went before him, Peyton Manning, would live that dream, with the parade of course being through Indy instead. San Diego still hasn't gotten theirs.


Cleveland - LeBron James

Although they'd take him back in a heartbeat.


Chicago - Steve Bartman

Poor guy. I'm sure you know the story. I still find it ridiculous how Chicago continues to blame one foul ball for their entire 103-year World Series drought. When the incident happened, the Cubs were up 3-0 in the game. The eight runs allowed in that inning were not Bartman's doing. Nonetheless, Bartman eclipses the likes of a fallen Sammy Sosa, Carlos Zambrano, David Terrell, and others.


Boston - Bobby Valentine

Boston is in love with their Red Sox. And even though he whined a bit at the end, they are in love with Kevin Youkilis. They didn't appreciate how Bobby V threw him under the bus, or half of his other players so far as well. Boston is impatient with the Red Sox as a whole right now, but Valentine was never around for any of the success that made many of the players so beloved. He is a symbol of failure in the city.


New York - Alex Rodriguez

I'm sure we could go back in time and find someone more hated than A-Rod in New York, but the bottom line is people simply don't like the guy. Ask any Yankees fan: they love Jeter, love Mo, love Cano and Swisher and the rest of the bunch, but can't stand A-Rod. The contract and admitted steroid use don't help his case. Or the fact that he's only had one halfway decent postseason, 2009. And as the next six years go by and he continues to put up mediocre seasons like this one while eating up 30 million a year, it's not going to get any prettier.


Philadelphia - Terrell Owens

Being a diehard Eagles fan, I don't want to say anything about this. We really don't like J.D. Drew or Scott Rolen, either - Drew because he was drafted number one overall by the Phillies in 1997 and refused to sign and re-entered the draft the next year, and Rolen because he demanded to be traded away.


Miami - No one because they have like two legitimate sports fans.


St. Louis - Albert Pujols

Many still love him, but most can't forgive him. Illinois' most beloved athlete for a decade chose to leave a better fan base and just as good of a chance to win another World Series because the Cardinals couldn't offer him as much money as the Angels could. I'm sure the Cardinals' faithful delighted in his April swoon, and are happy his 10-year contract isn't crippling their franchise.


Washington - Albert Haynesworth

Probably the worst free agent signing in NFL history. An All-Pro in 2007 and 2008, Haynesworth was highly coveted heading into free agency. The Redskins, notorious for overpaying players, made their worst move yet, snatching Haynesworth for seven years, $100 million. All downhill from there. Haynesworth had an endless list of fighting teammates, a stomping incident, and exhibited all-around poor play. His ineffectiveness can be partially attributed to the fact that he didn't feel like getting into anything close to playing shape for the '09 season. 


Pittsburgh - Barry Bonds

Terry Bradhaw's backup Cliff Stoudt is also despised in the Burgh, but Barry Bonds is the undisputed number one. First of all, everyone outside of San Francisco hates Bonds. Who likes a cheater? But it's personal in Pittsburgh, because after failing to advance the Bucs to the World Series in his seven years there, he left for more money in San Francisco (which is the only city in the U.S. where he'd be welcomed today).

Top 25 Baseball Players (1-10)

Don't get this list confused with fantasy rankings. This is simply my rankings for who I believe are the most skilled MLB players heading into the 2012 season. All aspects of the game are taken into account, which could lower the ranking of DHs, bad defensive players, etc. Position value matters as well (center field over first base, etc.)

The top ten will be written in today's post, and the next fifteen will be in tomorrow's.

1) Justin Verlander, P, Detroit Tigers

It's rather difficult to measure pitchers against hitters when valuing players. But in 2011, he dominated the game unlike any other. When a pitcher wins the MVP Award, he deserves it. Verlander's stats last year -- 2.40 ERA, 24-5, 250 K, 251 IP -- make him unmatched by anyone else in baseball, pitcher or batter. Many of the game's greatest hitters left their at-bats against him looking dazed and confused.


2) Matt Kemp, CF, Los Angeles Dodgers

This guy is the definition of a five-tool player. He doesn't just hit for power and average, but he gets on base, too, posting an OBP of .399. And once he's on, he'll steal on you: he swiped 40 bags last year. He's become one of the best home run hitters in the game, something hardly seen out of a centerfielder. And he plays the position exceptionally. Simply put, he does it all.


3) Ryan Braun, LF, Milwaukee Brewers

This ranking disregards the PED allegations, as nothing has been proven yet. The 2011 NL MVP winner had what I thought was the second-best season among NL players, just slightly behind Matt Kemp. When the news came that Braun was the winner, I thought he deserved it, but Kemp's numbers were just a bit more impressive. Braun did do his damage in eleven less games than Kemp (150 to 161), which could justify Braun taking MVP honors.


4) Albert Pujols, 1B, Los Angeles Angels

I'm confident that Pujols' 2012 will be better than his 2011, where he batted a career-low .299. It was the first season of Pujols' career where he failed to reach 100 RBI (he had 99). A telling sign that he'll be back to his normal self is the fact that he hit .355 in September and .353 in October. The $250 million man plays exceptional first base and even steals a few bags. He was 9/10 in swipe attempts last year and has 39 in his last three seasons.


5) Clayton Kershaw, P, Los Angeles Dodgers

Looking for an eventual first-ballot Hall of Famer? If he stays healthy like former prodigy Mark Prior couldn't, Kershaw is your guy. This guy could have, like, a dozen Cy Youngs by the time his career is finished. He's simply incredible. He actually posted a lower ERA than Verlander; that being said, he faced easier hitters. But still, this 23-year-old (yes, he's only 23!) has the makings of an all-time great.


6) Miguel Cabrera, 3B, Detroit Tigers

In my mind, Miggy is the current best hitter in the game. He certainly was last year: he batted .344 with a .448 OBP. What Cabrera should really do if he wants to improve is drop weight and focus on his defense, where he is now a liability at third with Prince Fielder's arrival. Despite a far better year at the plate last year, Cabrera is ranked behind Albert because their defensive ability isn't comparable.


7) Jose Bautista, RF, Toronto Blue Jays

97 home runs in the last two seasons, and by all accounts, steroid free? Impressive. As we put the steroid era behind us, these types of numbers will be unheard of in the coming years. Bautista upped his average 42 points from 2010 last season, batting .302, and he also drew a league-leading 132 walks. As a result, he reached base 45% of the time. While he isn't the fastest guy, he possesses a cannon from right field.


8) Jacoby Ellsbury, CF, Boston Red Sox

Similarly to Jose Bautista, no one was prepared for the 32 home runs Ellsbury slammed last year. He'd he only twenty in his entire career before that, suggesting a decline for the coming season. That being said, he's a five-tooler who definitely has the ability to put up MVP-type numbers. The injuries slowed him down on the bases a bit (39 steals last year, but caught 15 times; as opposed to '09, where he swiped 70 whilst being caught just 12 times), but he can still run with the best of them. And he makes center look effortless.


9) Robinson Cano, 2B, New York Yankees

Cano has put together a number of very good seasons up to this point in his career. But he still hasn't produced that MVP, breakout year everyone's expecting. He's been praised with having the prettiest swing out of any MLB player, and has turned himself into the most dangerous bat in the potent Yankee lineup. A 3000-hit career is certainly a possibility. He has a shortstop's arm at second base coupled with exceptional range. If there was a complaint about Cano, it would be his lackadaisical effort when running out ground balls.


10) Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, Boston Red Sox

Having protection in the lineup did wonders for Gonzo last year, as he hit a career-best .338. His power numbers should be up a little this coming year from last season's 27. He fields his position well, and committed just four errors from the corner.


11-25 tomorrow. Including Troy Tulowitzki, Roy Halladay, Joey Votto, Prince Fielder, Cliff Lee, Justin Upton, and others.

"Angel" in the Infield

Money was at the forefront of Albert Pujols' mind when he signed his mega-deal to play for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim this morning. Who can blame him? He's provided St. Louis with over a decade full of memories and has two World Series titles to show for it. But still....

Pujols' shiny new $254 million dollar deal pays him approximately $0.79 a second, $47 a minute, and $2851 an hour for the next decade. Only Alex Rodriguez' current $275 million dollar payday with the Yanks rolled in more cash than this agreement.

You have to questions Pujols' motives on signing this deal. Apparently the Cardinals offered him $210 million for the ten years, which was probably more than they could afford. In the end, though, the slugger chose to put money ahead of a stronger St. Louis fan base and his legacy.

Saying he wanted to remain a Cardinal for life as recently as this past season, Pujols exhibited having a short memory, not to mention being unable to resist an additional hefty wad of cash. To open up negotiations prior to last season with the Cardinals, he and agent Dan Lozano put A-Rod's deal as a baseline, saying he'd test free agency if the Cards didn't match that number. The bottom line in this whole thing is this: all Albert Pujols cared about was money.

He cared about money so much that he was willing to play for the Marlins, Cubs, Angels, or anyone else that could beat the Cardinals $210 million. What he didn't seem to care about is the city of St. Louis, one of the finest sports cities in the country with some of the greatest fans out there. He would have been willing to play in front of seven Marlins fans a night over a packed Busch Stadium chanting his name every at-bat. The fans in St. Louis thought he had at least a bit of compassion for them, but his eyes were only focused on the green.

And honestly, though, when you are making somewhere around that asinine amount of money, is there even a noticeable difference between $210 and $275? In my mind both would just seem unlimited.

Pujols didn't seem to do his homework regarding the money either. This article from CBS shows that Pujols would actually have a larger net worth in St. Louis, because of LA's living costs, etc. It also goes on to mention how in LA, Albert will be second-rate to not only the Lakers, but the Dodgers as well. Who else does St. Louis have to cheer for, the 2-55 Rams?

Through it all, though, the Cardinals probably ended up better off in the long run anyway. There's no way the Angels will get the bang for their buck they intended eight years from now on a 41-year-old Pujols. Watching Big Al's pursuit of Hank Aaron's home run record (I'm not counting Bonds' of course) will be a special, but if he does in fact go on to pass Bonds, the event will seem like it should have taken place under the Arch.

There is the other side to this: that Pujols owed nothing to St. Lou because of what he had already given them and that whole deal. It's just rather difficult to side with the greedy athlete over the diehard, respectable fans of St. Louis.