Who was the UN-Coolest athlete of all time? (1 Viewer)

[Judge Smails]

Denny McClain was and is a huge DB

Once gave Mickey Lolich and his wife a ride to D.C. for the All Star Game. This was probably Denny’s third IIRC....first time for Mick. Denny started and got shellacked. Lolich had already been told he wouldn’t be pitching due to having started a game two days before. Anyway, McClain showers & changes, then pops his head into the dugout around the 5th or 6th inning to let his teammate know he’s leaving.

“Whaddayamean? Dude, we didn’t book a flight back to Detroit.”

”That’s not really my problem.”

That’s not the worst thing he did but certainly typifies what a selfish ##### he was.

15 years or so after he wrecked his career he stole $12 million of pension plan money from Peet Packing Co. Over 500 workers saw their retirement savings disappear. Besides directing the pension into the company operating account, he spent at least $3M on personal expenses (condo in Puerto Rico, buying airplanes.) Did quite a few years in Federal prison.

After he got out he wrote a biography called “I told you I wasn’t perfect.” Continued to make money in broadcasting. IDK if he’s still paying restitution but wish the mob had put a bullet in his head back ‘67 instead of just giving him a beat down (he couldn’t pay a gambling debt, they roughed him up enough that he missed a start with a sore foot...took a few years for the story to come out.)

Despicable human.

Great mention. Was it gambling or pure greed/evil?

 

[Judge Smails]

I already posted my picks which basically equals goofy, tall, and gangly white dudes. That's definitely uncool.

But, it seems we're getting a lot of uncool = bad people. Kobe raped a girl and paid her off to get away with it. He should literally be sitting in a prison cell right now.

Because you were there and you know what happened. 

 

[loser]

Definitely a tool in his early days. I think he actually turned into a decent guy. 

Think again.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Denny McLain was and is a huge DB

Once gave Mickey Lolich and his wife a ride to D.C. for the All Star Game. This was probably Denny’s third IIRC....first time for Mick. Denny started and got shellacked. Lolich had already been told he wouldn’t be pitching due to having started a game two days before. Anyway, McLain showers & changes, then pops his head into the dugout around the 5th or 6th inning to let his teammate know he’s leaving.

“Whaddayamean? Dude, we didn’t book a flight back to Detroit.”

”That’s not really my problem.”

That’s not the worst thing he did but certainly typifies what a selfish ##### he was.

15 years or so after he wrecked his career he stole $12 million of pension plan money from Peet Packing Co. Over 500 workers saw their retirement savings disappear. Besides directing the pension into the company operating account, he spent at least $3M on personal expenses (condo in Puerto Rico, buying airplanes.) Did quite a few years in Federal prison.

After he got out he wrote a biography called “I told you I wasn’t perfect.” Continued to make money in broadcasting. IDK if he’s still paying restitution but wish the mob had put a bullet in his head back ‘67 instead of just giving him a beat down (he couldn’t pay a gambling debt, they roughed him up enough that he missed a start with a sore foot...took a few years for the story to come out.)

Despicable human.

Great mention. Was it gambling or pure greed/evil?

We love underdogs in America. In a similar vein, we love a comeback. We’re conditioned to root for redemption.

It’s in the classics, Greek theatre, the arc of a 3 act play. In our everyday life. It’s the battle against alcoholism/addiction or coming back from getting fired or a medical condition. Initial success, circumstance/conflict, the fall, realization, redemption, reemergence.

We know it by heart before someone tells us their narrative: “Best thing ever happened to me was going to rehab/getting fired/finding out I had cancer. I beat it & came back stronger than I was before that happened.” Nod approvingly, slap on the shoulder, “that’s so awesome, man.”

Who doesn’t love a second or third chance? We have all messed up, we’re all broken, it’s the human condition, people deserve a chance at making their life right. 

McLain was a loser in 1966 when he missed six starts from his mob beat down. No one knew that story for 4 more years, though. Three suspensions in 1970, he was never the same player after that. He was an alcoholic and a compulsive gambler but no one wrote about those kind of things pre-Betty Ford.

1985 looked like rock bottom: racketeering, intent to distribute cocaine, 23 year federal sentence, his life was toast at 41. Fast forward 3 years, conviction thrown out / reversed - nothing to do with his guilt, something wrong with the way it was prosecuted.

At this the point this guy had a history of multiple addictions (gambling, drinking, drugs) - it’s in his DNA. He’s a classic narcissist. He should not be within a country mile of having financial control of a Girl Scout cookie drive, let alone a corporation with a 110 year history.

Jack Molinas, McLain, Pete Rose, Art Schlichter - I’ll be honest, I don’t get it, that was never my vice. But gambling addiction activates the same brain pathways as drug and alcohol cravings. You don’t want to be between an addict and his fix because they’ll #### you over like they’re a sociopath to get what they need.

Thats totally on the addict. But as a society we’re a bit hard wired to enable them because we want to believe anyone can come back from adversity & become a better version of themselves.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Ryan Lochte

Antonio Brown 

Brock Osweiler

Draymond Green

Ndamukong Suh

Suh is a good one

at one of my kids flag football practices I noticed like 3 Range Rover SUV sitting there and another team trying to get lined up for a photo.  Could tell one of the girls had an issue, so looked like a Make A Wish type of thing

anyway I finally notice someone step out of one of the cars, it’s Suh.  Walks over, doesn’t even smile for the photo op, picture taken, and he’s gone.  
 

now maybe things were running late and he had somewhere to be and he did some fun stuff with the kids earlier, but what I saw really rubbed me the wrong way, always thought he was a D-bag ever since

 

[jon_mx]

Surprised no mention of Micheal Vick.

I am not sure there is anything cooler than a hick from French Link who is able to trash talk with the best of them and run circles around all of them.  Odd pick for uncool.  Plus he is a pretty good dude.  

 

[brun]

Uncool for me is someone that is profoundly awkward, uncomfortable in his own skin.
First sports star I that gave me that impression is Mark Spitz.

 

[TheWinz]

Nerd = Eddie the Eagle - https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/eddie-eagle-reveals-offered-great-13610657

DBag = Ty Cobb - hated by own teammates, even ghosts tell him to stick it

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Great mention. Was it gambling or pure greed/evil?

Bobby Layne posted the best description of Denny McClain above.

The one quote I remember went something like "He would rather cheat you out of a dollar than earn a million"

 

[Ron Swanson]

Ryan Lochte

This^^^.  Or Kermit Washington.

 

[General Malaise]

Suh is a real asssssswipe on the field, but he's also one of the most charitable athletes around.  Guy has given millions away.  Not all in fines.

 

[rockaction]

 

Was coming in to post Carlton. He's pimped the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and has been known to go and Bobby Fischer up his quotes about Israel and Judaism both.

 

[The Kansas Comet]

Bryson DeChambeau is on the fast track to make this list.

 

[RC94]

Mike Vick 

Ray Lewis

Bill Romanowski

Josh Brown (former kicker for the NYG and habitual wife beater)

 

[Bossman]

Jameis Winston

Big Ben

Cam Newton

Jeff George 

Barry Bonds

Jose Canseco

Ricky Henderson 

Steve Carlton

Daryl Strawberry

Doesn't get much more un-cool than this:

Jose Conseco

 

[shuke]

oh yeah, you're right - nerds were embarrassed by those glasses

I was thinking it was something he did/said.

He's a pretty odd dude.  Definitely not someone you'd say "hey I'd like to have a beer with that guy" about.

 

[Nipsey]

Greg Kite

Tom Kite

 

[Binky The Doormat]

He's a pretty odd dude.  Definitely not someone you'd say "hey I'd like to have a beer with that guy" about.

huh ...had not heard that

 

[matuski]

Bill Laimbeer

Bill Walton

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Greg Kite

Tom Kite

I sense a pattern here.

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

Chris Webber, Jalen Rose