I believe I am not a typical New York Yankees fan. Well for one, I live in Maine, which is part of Red Sox Nation. The fact that I actually admire some players on the Boston Red Sox sets me apart even more. Then there are those guys that have called Fenway Park home that I just can’t stand. Here are five such players from the last 25 years that have just rubbed me the wrong way.
5. John Lackey: I am sure a lot of Red Sox fans will join me on this one. I actually disliked Lackey even before he donned a Boston uniform. Lackey is just such a whiner. The lack of professionalism he shows when he is on the mound makes me sick. Anytime a teammate makes an error behind him, Lackey has a look on his face like how in the world did you miss making that easy play you bum. I won’t even mention beer and fried chicken, oops I just did. I must say did enjoy watching him post a 6.41 earned run average in 2011.
4. Josh Beckett: My dislike for Beckett goes back to World Series of 2003 even before he was with the Red Sox. Beckett was with the Florida Marlins then and he shut down my Yankees winning Game 6 2-0. That shutout clinched the series for the Marlins. Three years later he would be traded to Boston and I liked him even less. He just seems so arrogant and he wears his emotions on his sleeve too much.
3. Roger Clemens: Another arrogant pitcher from Texas, but this one is delusional as well. Even though Clemens pitched six seasons for the Yankees I still never liked him. Let me just say that I wasn’t going crazy when he returned to the Yanks unlike Yankee announcer Suzyn Waldman did. He always seemed like a head case; see Mike Piazza Bat toss, and a tool. Throw on top of that his steroids use and his refusal to admit his wrongdoing and he just sinks lower in my opinion.
2. J.D. Drew: As much as I hate guys that carry on too much, I hate players that don’t care even more. I have never seen anything resembling passion from Drew. Of course not everyone can have the energy of a Dustin Pedroia, but maybe smile once in a while would be nice. He also misses way too many games. He made a cool $70 million for his five years in Boston and in that time he missed 204 games. He always had some little ache or pain that kept him out of the lineup. Rumor has it that he may retire this year, and the question becomes if a J.D. Drew retires does anybody really care?
1. Manny Ramirez: Ramirez secured his top spot on the list in 2008. That was the year that he decided to quit on the Red Sox. I can never respect a guy that would quit on his teammates, no matter what team he plays for. This was even before he failed two drug tests and bailed on the Tampa Bay Rays. Now he wants to come back and it appears that the Oakland A’s may be foolish enough to let him come in and poison their locker room. I guess desperation can cause some teams to do foolish things.
If you disagree with this list I would love to see your suggestions in the comments area.
You can follow Darren Pare on Twitter at dpare71.
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