The most unstable athletes of all time

The Mike Tyson, Lenny Dykstra and Aldon Smith threads got me thinking about this.

I say Ron Artest/Metta World Peace is No. 1. He has spent his entire career on the verge of total breakdown. A few other candidates: Tyson, Dykstra, Charles Haley, John Rocker, Dennis Rodman, Dock Ellis, Tonya Harding, Stephon Marbury ...

 

Re: The most unstable athletes of all-time

I worry sometimes about Rondo.

 

Re: The most unstable athletes of all-time

--Jimmy Piersall, well before much more effective ways of dealing with bipolar were created.
--Steve Durbano, a hockey riot waiting to happen
--John Denny, a pitcher who was wound tighter than any other athlete I've ever seen.

 

Delonte West

 

You talkin' to me?

 

Dennis Rodman has to be in there somewhere.

Ernie "Fats" Holmes once actually shot at a police helicopter, so I'm thinking that qualifies.

 

He was in the OP.

 

Milton Bradley
Carl Everett

 

Albert Belle...ticking time bomb.
Milton Bradley...unpredictably nutty.
Hope Solo...there's some undiagnosed mental issues there.

 

Please tell me you don't think dinosaurs are real.

 

Everett was recently arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and tampering with a witness.

 

Going old school here, but here's a vote for Rube Waddell, star pitcher for the Philadelphia A's in the first decade of the 20th century.

Supposedly, Waddell would skip starts to go fishing, would run off the field during games to chase passing fire trucks and would be so distracted he was unable to pitch if a saw a dog or a shiny object in the crowd. He drank so much he was called the "sousepaw."

It's been speculated that Waddell suffered from ADD, autism or might even have been mildly retarded. But he could really throw the ball, including 193 wins in 13 years, and 349 strikeouts in 1904.

Died at age 37 from tuberculosis.