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
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
