People in Sports Revered in Death or Retirement Wo Were Jerks

George Brett loves to talk about shit and farts.

I also got him on the phone in the late '90s about the Pine Tar Game and he couldn't have been greater. "Before that, I was known for having hemorrhoids in the World Series. What would you rather be known for: Pine tar or hemorrhoids?"

 

That entire Orioles clubhouse, circa 1999, was the worst ever. Ripken, Mussina, Albert Belle, Will Clark, Scott Erickson, all managed by Ray Miller. It was like walking into the worst bar you can imagine where everyone is armed with a bat.

 

On the off chance there's anyone here who hasn't heard this...

 

Great minds.

 

Scott Erickson is the biggest asshole I've ever encountered in a big league clubhouse, and he pretty much laps the field. Most of the ornery guys at least have the resume to be assholes (hello, Barry) or will begrudgingly do the whole gang bang thing the first day they arrive in town (Pujols, Randy Johnson, Mark McGwire, et al). But Erickson, a league-average pitcher, was just a complete asshole. I was trying to get him for three days for some puff piece and he blew me off every time. Their PR guy could not have been friendlier, though. "He's usually great, I have no idea what got into him." Naw, he's just an asshole.

 

The only reason he wasn't the worst in that Baltimore clubhouse: Belle, and you never really had to talk to Erickson, because he did nothing of consequence.

 

The 2000 Giants were pretty awful, too. Could have had 23 Mother Teresas, and Bonds and Kent alone would have ruined it. Plus there was Willie Mays talking open shit about everybody with 50 feet of him.

 

That was me. Joe Carter is probably the biggest discrepancy I've seen between an athlete's public persona and his actual one, outside of maybe Michael Jordan.

 

It's amazing to think of the assholes and alpha males Dusty Baker's put up with over the years. Good luck in Washington, Dave Martinez. You're gonna need it.