It takes all kinds of New York professional sports personalities to keep us loving and hating them so passionately. Here, for the 11th straight year, is The Post’s Best and Worst of New York Sports:

OVERRATED

Bobby Abreu, Yankees

Rotisserie numbers are helped by his sharp eye at the plate, almost as keen as his eye for the right-field wall. Stays clear of it while wearing a glove. Doesn’t clear it often enough with his bat. We’ll throw caution to the wind, unlike Bobby himself, and insist the better bang for The Boss’ buck would have continued to be Gary Sheffield.

Shaun Ellis, Jets

Big sack of cash in 2006 ($7 million, as averaged over his six-year deal) resulted in all of five sacks. Anchor of the 24th-worst run defense in the NFL. You can’t blame that all on the 3-4 and Kimo von Oehlhoffen.

Channing Frye, Knicks

Nice jump shot when it’s on. Not much else. Drafted eighth, two picks ahead of Andrew Bynum, who will be a better all-around center than Eddy Curry and wouldn’t have cost Isiah Thomas one lottery pick possibly going on two.

Rick DiPietro, Islanders

Doesn’t know when it’s best to simply hand the puck to his defensemen.

Nevertheless, franchise absurdly has been given to him for 15 years, Big

head. More often should be standing on it like he did at the Meadowlands

Thursday night. It’s been six seasons since he was the first-overall pick.

UNDER APPRECIATED

Jorge Posada, Yankees

Those sweep tags in front of the plate that have irritated Yankee fans for 10 seasons shouldn’t bury under the rug the fact that he is on pace to be one of the 10 best-hitting catchers in history.

Martin Straka, Rangers

Great hands and you can count on one of yours the number of games for which he has failed to show up in his season-and-a half as a Blueshirt.

Luke Petitgout, Giants

When the left tackle went down, so did Eli Manning’s pocket time and confidence. The season followed.

Brian Rafalski, Devils

No Scott Stevens, no Scott Niedermayer and still no easy goals in the New Jersey end. For lack of alternatives, Lou Lamoriello couldn’t afford to be timid with the money for a previously shy defenseman, but Rafalski has stepped up to be a legitimate No. 1 defenseman.

TOUGHEST

LAVERANUES COLES, JETS

Inner resolve even stronger than his opinions. Only 5-11, 183. But as he goes over the middle, so go the Jets.

JOHNNY DAMON, YANKEES

Was more hurt last season (back, broken foot, shoulder) than a Red Sox fan’s feelings when he came over to The Dark Side. But he still played 149 games and scored 115 runs.

TOM GLAVINE, METS

Been starting 25 games or more for so long, 19 consecutive seasons, it’s easy to forget that a long time ago he was a hockey player. Only Greg Maddux, not even Warren Spahn or Cy Young, has had a longer such streak of durability.

DAVID DIEHL, GIANTS

Hasn’t missed a game, nor seemingly, playing any position on the offensive line since breaking in four seasons ago. Can play anywhere, every snap, all season.

MOST PARANOID

MICHAEL STRAHAN, GIANTS

Criticized Plaxico Burress on his radio show, then challenged a woman reporter who directly asks him about it to “look him in the eye like a man.” Stopped talking to reporters from newspapers reporting his former wife’s sworn court testimony that he was unfaithful. Loves to see himself on television, can’t see himself in the mirror.

ISIAH THOMAS, KNICKS

So afraid of looking bad in front of Jim Dolan that even after having spent a staggering $67.5 million to buy out players and coaches he brought in since December 2003, insists he would do nothing differently.

ALEX RODRIGUEZ, YANKEES

Says people don’t like him because they’re jealous he’s rich, good looking and talented. Right, the same reasons everybody has always hated Derek Jeter, David Wright, Jose Reyes, Tiki Barber …

OSI UMENYIORA, GIANTS

Bright guy, dumb to no longer trust himself to the media.

FRIENDLIEST

BILLY WAGNER, METS

The Human Hot Stove. No matter whether a save was recorded or blown the night before, all gather at Billy’s locker to discuss baseball and life.

Martin BRODEUR, DEVILS

Mouth of the Goalmouth. God in Quebec, but just the affable Superstar Next Door here.

JEROME JAMES, KNICKS

Delightful guy, even more open than his acquisition is to criticism.

DAVID WRIGHT, METS

Every bachelorette in New York would like to bring him home to meet Mom. The Moms would love him even more than do the bachelorettes.

MOST EXCITING

JOSE REYES, METS

Can run all day. Lovers of the game, not just the Mets, would like to spend all day watching that, too.

JASON KIDD, NETS

Eight triple-doubles this season. The rest of the NBA has 11, nobody else more than two.

PLAXICO BURRESS, Giants

Spiderman. Offhanded about chasing down interceptors, but one-handed, there’s nobody better. Tom Coughlin should get this kind of grip on the sideline.

VINCE CARTER, NETS

Worth the price of admission, still defies the gravity of the absences of Richard Jefferson and Nenad Krstic.

MOST IMMATURE

NATE ROBINSON, KNICKS

Uncontrollably gleeful at the opportunity to play the thug when J.R. Smith started punching with Mardy Collins. Even as peacemakers were gaining control, still was looking for more trouble at mid-court. Time will test the sincerity of his contrition. But he still plays the clown at practice. And it’s no coincidence that less playing time since he’s come back has resulted in more victories.

JEREMY SHOCKEY, GIANTS

The excessive amps causing all those sideline histrionics and post-game rants usually are credited as part of the package that makes him such a competitor. But they also may contribute to so many drops.

PLAXICO BURRESS, GIANTS

When he’s open and doesn’t get the ball, throws his arms around more than Leonard Bernstein ever did.

GREY RUEGAMER, GIANTS

Reserve lineman passes negative judgment on rare questions posed to him by loathsome media members. Passes gas to further show his contempt.

CLASSIEST

CARLOS DELGADO, METS

Goes deep, thinks deep and digs deep into his pocket to help the unfortunate in Puerto Rico. Reaches even more persons, both inside and outside the best clubhouse in town, than he does fences.

TOM GLAVINE, METS

Already there are 300 reasons for us to respect his honesty, diplomacy, perseverance and respect for the game and the persons around him.

ELI MANNING, Giants

If only he withstood the opposition rush as coolly as he does the media blitz. Stands in there patiently, if blandly, never showing signs of happy feet.

JAY PANDOLFO, Devils

Even the most talented and competitive stars in the NHL, chased relentlessly around the ice by the league’s Superpest, never get mad at him.

MOST HATED

Tom Coughlin, Giants

Fans are more than five minutes early to start chanting that he must go. Coach so bores players to tears with his Saturday night speeches and videos, none would have been shed had he been fired.

Carl Pavano, Yankees

Approach to rehab has been more cautious than even Derek Jeter to leap to A-Rod’s defense. Disdain was totaled even if the car wasn’t by the secret accident that set a $40 million non-pitcher back and the normally unflappable Brian Cashman off. Needs to mend fences. In so doing, probably will get splinters in his pitching hand and miss three months.

Lastings Milledge, Mets

“Know your Place Rook!” read the sign a Met posted above Milledge’s locker. Problem is, the kid already thinks that place is Cooperstown.

Marek Malik, Rangers

Poor guy doesn’t say boo, unlike fans relentlessly honoring Garden tradition: One player, usually a big defenseman who is not a punishing body-checker, always gets it.

MOST LOVED

Jose Reyes, Mets

Every stolen base pilfers another heart.

Jason Kidd, Nets

What’s not to like about a pass perfectly leading to a layup? Or about the guy who throws them?

David Lee, Knicks

Garden goes wild for sixth man with a sixth sense for which way the ball will come off the rim. Considerably warmer and fuzzier than Dennis Rodman, too.

Jeremy Shockey, Giants

Save your preaching about how his histrionics sap him of energy for someone other than a teammate or a season-ticket holder. They know his heart is in the right place.

UNDERACHIEVING

Eli Manning, Giants

Has made too many perfect and clutch throws for anyone to believe he can’t do it more often. Failure to get his footwork down is tied to the fear of going down.

Alex Rodriguez, Yankees

Vague rumors he actually drove in 121 runs last season and even hit .302 with men in scoring position were emphatically denied again when his career postseason average dropped to .153. But maybe we expect too much from an eight-hole hitter.

Eddy Curry, Knicks

All this rejoicing at his new-found consistency ignores the fact that he is averaging a modest 3.5 points per game more than he did two seasons ago in Chicago. Rebounds, blocks, and wins define the center position more than points.

Tim Carter, Giants

Twenty-two receptions in 16 games wasn’t exactly stepping up in the absence of Amani Toomer. Unlike Carter, after five seasons we’ve finally put it all together: He’s a waste of his talent.

OVERACHIEVING

Chad Pennington, Jets

Two surgeries have left his throwing arm a wet noodle. So it’s remarkable how far he took the team last year usin’ the ol’ noodle.

Mariano Rivera, Yankees

When you think about it, the probable greatest closer of all all-time has been doing it on one pitch, off a 193-pound frame, for 11-plus seasons. True, it is quite the pitch, but his durability and consistency are nevertheless astounding.

Fred Robbins, Giants

The interior of the Giants defensive line was the least of their problems. Pound for 325 pounds, this under-the-radar free-agent signing has produced as reliable a football player as exists in this town.

Jason Blake, Islanders

Undersized, undrafted, unwanted in LA. Acquired for a fifth-rounder, has become an Olympian and All-Star.

BRIGHTEST

Derek Jeter, Yankees

National Honor Society in high school. Phi Beta Kappa on the field.

Pedro Martinez, Mets

If the right shoulder never recovers from surgery, he’ll figure out how to get hitters out throwing left-handed. Clubhouse wit is as sharp as the break on his slider.

Jay Feely, Giants

Former financial adviser, perhaps future politician. Knowledgeable on both what ails the country and the locker room. So engaging, he still could have gotten himself elected dogcatcher, even after missing potential three game winners in 2005 at Seattle. Politics go to the right, unlike his kicks usually.

Pete Kendall, Jets

Wicked sense of humor not quite as dry as a reporter’s notebook following an Eric Mangini press conference. But close.