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Milwaukee's worst sports villains
It's funny how a blog can grow out of a random thought.
Watching and rooting for Brett Favre to toss up a game losing interception Sunday, I asked myself if ol' No. 4 is Wisconsin's all-time sports villain?
In reality, he's probably not. Many athletes have done much worse, and talking about the subject on my weekly radio segment on 96.5 WKLH, the list grew and grew ... and got better and better.
With help from Dave, Carole and KB, as well as their passionate listeners, here are a few of the worst offenders -- and why. I'd love to hear your additions via the Talkback feature below:
- Packers' backup quarterback T.J. Rubley for the worst performance in the history of all backup quarterbacks in 1995 against the Vikings
- Brewers pitcher Julio Machado, for murdering a woman after a car accident in Venezuela
- The Bucks' Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, for punching Kent Benson and calling Milwaukee a "cow town" to get traded
- NBA guard/forward Latrell Sprewell, for choking his coach, running his boat aground and various other "party fouls" in and around town
- The Brewers' Gary Sheffield for threatening to commit errors until he got traded
- Bill Bartholomay, the guy who moved the Braves to Atlanta
- Packers backup quarterback Jim McMahon for wearing a Bears jersey to the White House photo shoot after the Packers won the Super Bowl in 1997
- Tony Mandarich, Terrell Buckley, Antone Williamson, Tractor Traylor and Ned Yost, all for sucking
- The Badgers' Don Morton, the coach brought the "Veer" offense to Wisconsin
- Packers' Mark Chmura, for allegedly doing some pretty bad things at a prom party
- Packers' Javon Walker and Mike McKenzie, for demanding trades in "spoiled brat" fashion
- Pirates' Randall Simon, for whacking our wiener
- White Sox outfielder Tony Phillips, for going behind the County Stadium bleachers to fight a heckler
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milROCKeeguy | Jan. 31, 2010 at 5:46 p.m. (report)
I'm shooting for Gilbert Arenas...when Richard Jefferson came to Milwaukee, Arenas blasted Milwaukee saying nobody ever wants to come here...well...have fun in jail idiot.
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matsfan | Jan. 30, 2010 at 8:31 a.m. (report)
Truth, Paul Molitor stayed eight years past his bad off the field behavior so that had nothing to do with him leaving; it was all financial. I want to pick Herb Kohl for meddling but reality is that the Bucks would be gone without him and the Kohl Center wouldn't exist so begrudingly admit that he is more of a hero than a villain. I guess my choice is Gary Sheffield; biggest jerk to ever wear Brewers uniform and a guy who openly admitted that he didn't try his best.
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devidia | Jan. 28, 2010 at 3:48 p.m. (report)
And how about Gary "I never wanted to be in Milwaukee in the first place" Payton? I hear he bolted straight for the airport after his last Bucks gane here.
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dukefame | Jan. 28, 2010 at 8:33 a.m. (report)
I was at that Bucks game and in some ways Benson had it coming, threw a wicked cheap shot elbow right before he got punched. I argued with a friend last weekend that Jabbar knocking out Benson may have directly doomed the Bucks for a decade after. If Benson doesn't get stuck (which pretty much ended his career), the Bucks would have had a force in the middle for the next 10+ years. In the end, they trade Benson to Detroit and get Lanier and his bad knees. If Bensons fulfills potential, the team would've had all the pieces to make several runs at the title from 1980-1985. By the way, the video of that punch is on You Tube.
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CoolerKing | Jan. 28, 2010 at 7:52 a.m. (report)
Mossy Cade.
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