Interesting "quiz" on Freep website

Yes, friends, it's been awhile with me. Slow time of year...witness the responses to 2nd's "Bad and Boring Jokes" thread.

Anyhooo, saw on the Freep's site a tab I didn't open, but noted the title of:
"Poll: the athlete you like the most while hating his/her team."

Tough question. Even a loaded one.

I'd have to give Derek Jeter as my answer.

Simple reasons, really. DJ represents everything MLB (and pro sports in general)
should represent...whilst his team represents everything it shouldn't.

Jeter is a good choice. If I can go back to players that no longer play, I would go with Chris Speilman. When he played at OSU, I despised the team, but liked how he played.

michmike wrote:

Yes, friends, it's been awhile with me. Slow time of year...witness the responses to 2nd's "Bad and Boring Jokes" thread.

Anyhooo, saw on the Freep's site a tab I didn't open, but noted the title of:
"Poll: the athlete you like the most while hating his/her team."

Tough question. Even a loaded one.

I'd have to give Derek Jeter as my answer.

Simple reasons, really. DJ represents everything MLB (and pro sports in general)
should represent...whilst his team represents everything it shouldn't.

Glad you're back mike. now if we can just figure out where the hell Willie is....

That's a good question and Jeter is a good answer. I personally don't have a definitive answer but I can give you and answer for each sport I watch.

Basketball - Howard on the Heat. Not that I watch Howard or have a jersey, I just know he's Michigan and obviously there's the Fab 5 connection but I just can't stand the Heat.

Baseball - Since I live in San Diego and have adopted the Padres as my "other" team I have also adopted their views. So it's a no-brainer, Adrian Gonzales. He's a hometown kid, All-Star, best Padre in a long time and now he plays for the west coast's version of the evil empire who just so happens to be our bitter divisional rivals.... the F*cking Dodgers.

Football - This one was also pretty easy for me. I really like Adrian Peterson's back story and he's always seemed to be a class act but I just don't care for the Vikings at all. I can't say why, I just never have.

Hockey - Nobody comes to mind right now but I can say with absolute certainty that if you would have asked me this question 10 years ago it would have been Fedorov with Anaheim. I hated that move and quickly turned on Sergei. Mostly because I thought he was being an ass for turning down the money Detroit was offering though, not because I didn't like him as a person.

Yes, let's accede to Fish's request and allow past, inactive/retired athletes as well. I'm sticking to baseball: Steve Yeager. I flat-out despised the Dodgers in the 70s (and that's not a mere sop to you, Eggo; I f*cking hated them).

But I always admired supersonic Chuck's nephew. An arm as strong as that of any catcher I've ever seen (though his anemic bat** masked it, unlike the cases of Johnny Bench, Pudge Rodriguez, etc.), a steel body that could take pounding and block the plate, excellent at blocking wild pitches.

And a great person all around. Two things: His horrific accident when Bill Russell's bat splintered while he was kneeling in the on-deck circle, a sharp piece of the bat lodging in his neck (delicate surgery saved his career as well as his life). It was from that incident that catchers began wearing those hanging chin guards.

Also...more than once, I saw a fellow catcher from an opposing team looking up for a foul ball, nearing the LA dugout, and Steve would jump up and grab him at the last minute to prevent him from slamming injuriously into the wall or railing...without trying to ruin his chances of catching the foul pop.

** - except, of course, in the 1981 World Series. COmpelling Georgy Portly to apologize to Yankee fans...hehehe!!!

michmike wrote:

Yes, friends, it's been awhile with me. Slow time of year...witness the responses to 2nd's "Bad and Boring Jokes" thread.

Excuse me? That is joe's thread (I just replied a little).

Charles Woodson, Green Bay Packers, and it isn't even close.

hailtoyourvictor wrote:

Charles Woodson, Green Bay Packers, and it isn't even close.

Don't have to worry about that anymore but Oakland sucks too.

Derek went to my high school (just a "few" years after me) and I have followed his career ever since. I met him with my then 8 year old son when he was still in the minor leagues and he could not have been nicer, chatted with us for about 10 minutes.

'shoes

Kalamazoo Central!!!