Whom do we love and whom do we love to hate? The Post concludes its ninth-annual Best and Worst of New York Sports:
IMMATURE
1 Kevin Brown, Yankees
After 16 seasons of rage at his imperfections, achieved being a perfect jerk. When he punched the wall a month before the playoffs, it might as well have been both of Joe Torre’s hands that wound up in casts.
2 Barrett Green, Giants
For meetings and practices, linebacker was more than five minutes late to buy into Tom Coughlin’s program. Suggest trade to Jets, where he would be perfect to manage the game clock for Herm Edwards.
3 Jamal Crawford, Knicks
Throws it up until you want to throw up.
4 Penny Hardaway, Knicks
Asked for a trade? Didn’t ask for a trade? Someone’s speaking with forked tongue at fork in the road for injury-diminished star, now just a bad jump shooter who should be grateful for any minutes he gets.
5 William Joseph, Giants
No. 1 pick supposed to clog the run, instead clogging the cap.
CLASSY
1 Curtis Martin, Jets
Reads people’s needs like his blocks, instinctively doing the right thing every time.
2 Mariano Rivera, Yankees
For so little practice in failure, sure knows how to deal with it. And handled an unfortunately-public family tragedy during the playoffs with perfect grace.
3 Carlos Emmons, Giants
No waiting for him at his locker and no hidden agenda in his answers.
4 Braden Looper, Mets
His clothes, while a cut above, don’t make the man. It’s more his grace, win or lose. Maybe team’s miserable season lowered the pressure. But first year in New York proved remarkably seamless for an Oklahoma guy who had spent practically all his major-league time in baseball-apathetic South Florida.
5 Herb Williams, Knicks
This is an ultimate challenge of grace: Putting the seeming best of guys in charge of the worst of teams.
LOVED
1 Derek Jeter, Yankees
Has it all. But still obviously gives so much in the field, at the plate, on the top dugout step, and to his foundation for kids that nobody begrudges him a thing.
2 Jason Kidd, Nets
Makes life a slam dunk for teammates. All they have to do is be ready for a pass the guy guarding them cannot fathom.
3 Tino Martinez, Yankees
Happiest homecoming since Lassie’s. Might be half the player he was. But in a locker room that could stand to reach back a few years for some togetherness, he will be the same selfless, caring, teammate.
4 Trevor Ariza, Knicks
Knick fans who generally want to tell their management to take a flying leap have their hearts lifted when 43rd player drafted last June elevates.
5 Becky Hammon, Liberty
At 5-foot-6, adored by thousands of shrieking little girls for fearlessly challenging the Amazons.
HATED
1. Jim Dolan, Madison Square Garden
Representation as the taxpayers’ friend in fight against the West Side stadium is transparent, like his cluelessness about the Knicks and Rangers. Ticket prices keep going up and performance keeps going down while trust in the people allegedly building his teams stays the same.
2 Tim Thomas, Knicks
Publicly chastised his teammates for not settling score after being put out of the playoffs on an arguably dirty Jason Collins foul. They probably figured they were better off without him. Certainly fans think so.
3 Tom Coughlin, Giants
Moving clocks ahead five minutes is actually a good thing for rule-encumbered players whose days can’t end fast enough.
4 Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
It’s curious how a guy with excellent work habits, Hall of Fame level production and nary a hair publicly ever out of place seems to generate such an undercurrent of resentment. Teammates or foes, nobody dislikes Derek Jeter, so it can’t all be jealousy.
5 Kevin Mawae, Jets
After breaking his right hand, snapped left handed, like most opposition compliments to a Pro Bowl center with reputation for dirtiness.
UNDERACHIEVERS
1 Jason Giambi, Yankees
Told the truth after putting his hand on a Bible that tells of hard lessons learned by Pharaoh. Suffered everything but locusts on way to .208, 40 RBIs and place as poster boy for drug education.
2 Jose Reyes, Mets
Flash and dash that can take your breath away. And it’s safe to exhale only after checking to see whether he is limping.
3. Cliff Floyd, Mets
Heart on his sleeve and a wrap underneath, probably. In two years has strained practically everything, including Omar Minaya’s credibility with other GMs as he attempts to get them to take outfielder’s salary.
4 Sergio Galvan Roy, MetroStars
Two goals in 20 games after scoring 171 goals in eight years with Once Caldas of Colombia. Put up a number only on the team budget, necessitating sell-off of better players.
5 Tom Gordon, Yankees
Lights-out for almost half the season. But Yankee Stadium turned dark during World Series week after set-up man gave up eight runs in 10 1/3 postseason innings, which was barely worse than his other two playoff opportunities in Boston.
OVERACHIEVERS
1 Curtis Martin, Jets
At age 31, the oldest NFL rushing champion in history.
2 Brian Cashman, Yankees
Division III second baseman, GM of the world’s most successful baseball team by age 31, has lasted an astounding eight seasons under sport’s most notoriously irrational torturer and ax swinger, with no known compromise of integrity.
3 Lance Legree, Giants
Undrafted, undersized, and, despite position switch, undaunted when three starters in the defensive line went down. Made himself a keeper.
4 Brian Scalabrine, Nets
Clockwork Orange has put in long hours to work his way from last spot on the bench into significant minutes. Favorite TV show? “Survivor” – naturally.
5 John Wolyniec, MetroStars
Staten Island and Fordham kid, once released, refused to accept the less-than-subtle hint he should find another line of work. Head down, blinders on, bulldozed defenders to 10 goals, tied for seventh in the league.
BRIGHT
1. Jacque Vaughn, Nets
Sylvia Plath, Maya Angelou, Robert Frost and Walt Whitman are favorite writers of reserve point guard who graduated from Kansas with 3.78 GPA, almost as high as current PPG.
2 Mike Mussina, Yankees
Went to Stanford. Has curbed smart-aleck tendencies with media.
3 Jonathan Vilma, Jets
Finance major at Miami proved fast study of German, Spanish, and Creole, then came here to quickly master two particular letters of the English alphabet, X and O. Never showed a hint of being a dumb rookie at position that requires the most brainpower after quarterback.
4 Eli Manning, Giants
Six days after looking frighteningly clueless in Baltimore, he was so startlingly assured against the Steelers that only dummies still doubt whether the trade was worth it.
5 Pedro Martinez, Mets
Only that changeup is slow. Mixed repertoire toys with hitters’ heads.
GENEROUS
1. Richard Jefferson, Nets
Randomly read about a five-year-old whose wheelchair was ruined in a hit-and-run. Bought the girl, who needs a ventilator, feeding tube and hearing aid, a deluxe model with features she had been doing without. Dismayed when this act of kindness drew publicity, he then refused to talk about it.
2 Stephon Marbury, Knicks
Starbury Foundation runs a Poconos summer camp for underprivileged kids. Donated $50,000 to the Knicks’ Poetry Slam, a program encouraging kids to express themselves with the spoken word. And no bad ones should ever be uttered about his willingness to give back.
3 Jon McGraw, Jets
Named Hometown Hero for 2005 by United Way of New York City. His foundation supports children and adults who serve religious missions domestically and internationally.
4 Amani Toomer, Giants
Has traveled the world to make it a better place. Has teamed with Kurt Warner to help Tsunami victims and with his wife Yola in program that provides reconstructive surgeries for children born with cleft lips and palates.
5 Tom Glavine, Mets
Helps both emotionally and financially children who lost parents on 9/11. Involved in Georgia program to aid people who wait for transplants, hopefully for a much shorter time than the Mets continue to wait for him to say no.
COCKY
1 Stephon Marbury, Knicks
Best point guard in the NBA by acclimation. Of himself.
2 Isiah Thomas, Knicks
Marbury’s boss who defended his braggadocio, of course.
3 Pedro Martinez, Mets
Arriving too late to be Karim Garcia’s teammate, will have to settle for being Mike Piazza’s. Turns out, Jorge Posada wasn’t next, only Don Zimmer, but six interleague games with Yankees still provide opportunity to see if bygones will be bygones, while Red Sox have all season to drop hints they aren’t sorry he’s gone.
4 Eric Barton, Jets
On-field-only trash talker brought a lot of Raider with him to one of league’s least-penalized teams. After being rescued from what could have been an all-time, ill-timed penalty, should get right up in the face of anybody ripping Doug Brien.
5 Jaret Wright, Yankees
After drilling Luis Sojo, Tony Clark and Paul O’Neill, to name only three, chip off the old block (Dad, Clyde) had it knocked off his shoulder by failure and arm trouble. Reclaimed his career by becoming a quintessential Braves’ flatliner. Hope New York stirs some old juices.
