Players I Could Not Root For If They Were An Oriole

[warrior21]

You are right, I can't not assume that. I actually intended to add that if this was an attempt by you at a sarcastic comeback of your own, then hats off.

I guess this is just another example of emotions being absent from technology.

[JayThomas]

I'm taking it the way you meant it, per your post above. Great effort putting together comprehensive teams. It means you probably had to reach a little to deep into the stack, but whatever. Nice effort.

I do take exception to Derek Jeter on here. We as Orioles fans may dislike him, but on the whole he is a really stand-up guy, great in the community up here, and a helluva ballplayer. Really, he's the closest thing we have to Cal out there playing today. My real only objection to him is how much over-hyped he is because of single plays, and how over-rated he is in terms of awards that are voted on, like gold gloves.

Thanks for putting this together. (And) I'm with you - I just plain don't want to ever see Swisher in the orange and black.

[Capn Vivi]

I would have a hard time rooting for Yunel Escobar.

[warrior21]

I'm taking it the way you meant it, per your post above. Great effort putting together comprehensive teams. It means you probably had to reach a little to deep into the stack, but whatever. Nice effort.

I do take exception to Derek Jeter on here. We as Orioles fans may dislike him, but on the whole he is a really stand-up guy, great in the community up here, and a helluva ballplayer. Really, he's the closest thing we have to Cal out there playing today. My real only objection to him is how much over-hyped he is because of single plays, and how over-rated he is in terms of awards that are voted on, like gold gloves.

Thanks for putting this together. (And) I'm with you - I just plain don't want to ever see Swisher in the orange and black.

Thanks Jay. I agree about Jeter, for him, it simply comes back to the uniform, though the diving over the plate and the success against the O's factors in as well. But he is a blue-chip ball player, outstanding respect for the game as well as a stand up ambassador for baseball. Well deserving of the first ballot hall of fame he will get. He's on the list because there aren't any other AL SS that stand out to me. Aviles would be one, and he's only on the list because I can't stand his batting stance. Trivial, I know.

I used to dislike Jeter more, but the man plays the right way.

[realfan4life]

With all this speculation (misguided and off-base as it may be) about the Orioles considering Swisher, Youkilis, or others, it got me thinking. I absolutely, positively could not fathom wanting to see them play in an Orioles' uniform. So with that in mind, I started making a list of all the players I can't stand watching. I then thought about making a 25-man roster of all the players I can't stand watching. I then thought about an AL and NL roster, and so I present to you my AL and NL All-Annoying Teams. One player for each position, plus a legitimately comprised bench (IF, 4th OF, UTIL, Backup C), a starting rotation and bullpen. Call me a cynic. I don't care. And I don't care if they would help us win. I still can't stand them.

Most of these players I just can't stand because of the teams they've played for, the way they play, or their attitudes. Others just slightly annoy me, but I needed to fill out the roster. League was determined by their 2012 team or if they have changed leagues so far this winter, they are listed on the new league's roster.

Who could you not root for if they were an Oriole?

AL

C AJ Pierzynski

1B Mark Teixeira

2B Dustin Pedroia

SS Derek Jeter

3B Kevin Youkilis

LF Rajai Davis

CF Coco Crisp

RF Jose Bautista

DH David Ortiz

Bench

Nick Swisher

Jonny Gomes

Mike Aviles

John Buck

P CC Sabathia

P Ryan Dempster

P John Lackey

P Clay Buchholz

P Ricky Romero

RP Joba Chamberlain

RP Kevin Gregg

RP Bobby Jenks

RP Vicente Padilla

RP Alfredo Aceves

RP Jose Valverde

RP Fernando Rodney

NL

C Yadier Molina

1B Adam LaRoche

2B Danny Espinosa

SS Jimmy Rollins

3B Hanley Ramirez

LF Bryce Harper

CF Nyjer Morgan

RF Hunter Pence

DH Soriano Alfonso

Bench

Michael Morse

Placido Polanco

Jayson Werth

Russell Martin

P Josh Beckett

P Yovanni Gallardo

P AJ Burnett

P Cole Hamels

P Carlos Zambrano

RP John Axford

RP Tyler Clippard

RP Todd Coffey

RP Brian Fuentes

RP Jon Rauch

RP Drew Storen

RP Jonathan Papelbon

As a die hard Oriole fan, I must say that I have to totally agree with just about every player you have listed. You are to be commended for your efforts on this one my friend.

[Singleton]

My feelings towards these guys are the same I had/have towards Kevin Gregg and Garrett Atkins. I kind of enjoyed when they sucked so bad because I knew it would get them off the team. Of course I want the Orioles to win and I want any player to contribute. But if a guy Swisher were to suck, I would enjoy booing him that much more.

If he were to come and do great, I'd be happy for the team, but I still would loathe every second of watching him (not the Orioles, just him) play the game. Just like when I watched Gregg pitch...I didn't want to see him blow it, but I sure wasn't rooting for the guy.

Why would you have negative feelings towards G. Atkins before he was an Oriole? I feel the same about Kevin Gregg. He was bad but it wasn't his fault we gave him too much money. From everything I've read, he was a good teammate.

[Scrat1]

I would have a hard time rooting for Yunel Escobar.

This is the correct answer.

I know for a fact that I'd love Pedroia of he were an Oriole.

[calebelias]

I honestly dont know how Swisher gets through the day without getting punched in the face. Any day.

[OrangeJerseys]

I could never root for T-Bag.

Sent from my iPhone using ninja skills.

[24fps]

Hey - we all took a liking to Kevin Millar, didn't we?

Not all of us. I though he was kind of a clown. I also didn't care for his antics with the Red Sox during the 2007 post season.

That being said, I agree with those who object to the word "hate". That's a word that gets thrown around much too casually these days IMO.

[Aristotelian]

I disliked (never hated) Albert Belle as much as anyone. But I remember sitting in the bleachers at Yankee stadium when he delivered a 2-run single off of Mariano Rivera for an O's win. I have to admit, I was on my feet, all the more so because I knew all the Yank fans hated him even more than me. Great moment for an O's fan even if it was Albert Belle.

I would have had a tough time with Manny Ramirez also. I like our current Manny much better.

The toughest guy for me to like as an Oriole was Albert Belle. One scary dude at the plate, and I always liked it better that we did not have to face him, but I never felt good about rooting for him for some reason.

Most of the guys on the original list don't bother me to the extent that they do the poster who listed them. Some of them, in fact, I'd love to have, including Harper. But Swisher is one of those guys that is certainly annoying as the dickens while he's a Yankee. Still, I'd be happy to have him on the Orioles under a favorable contract. What bothers me most would be giving the Yankees a draft pick.

That and the fact that his OBP would likely go down when he doesn't get the Yankee Strike Zone any more.

[Saintbird]

Such a player doesn't exist for me, but Teixeira's about as close as there is to one.

I concur with this statement...

EDIT: I forgot about Yunel Escobar. I would have a tough time rooting for him.

[Border Bird]

If you have another afternoon to kill, how about making a team of those players who actually were Orioles at one point and were hard to root for. For me, Reggie and Albert have to be on that team. Both made me a little queasy when they donned the orange and black.

[from1954forever]

Why have a problem with a player just becaose he had success against the Os? That was his job. Don't have time or inclination to go thru your all to long list but of your starting position players there are some who I actually wish were Os. Pedroia, Jeter, Youk, Ortiz, Most others are who cares. My dificult to root for would be based off the field - Escobar and Ped users like ARod

[eb45]

Generally for me it's just players who have (probably) done reprehensible things, like rape or domestic violence. So Julio Lugo is the only Oriole in my lifetime I've ever not rooted for. Others would be Josh Lueke and Brett Myers.

Apart from those guys, I'll root for anyone who seems happy to be a Baltimore Oriole. If A-Rod was traded to the O's tomorrow and held a press conference talking about how glad he was to be out of New York and how he couldn't wait to play in Baltimore, he'd immediately be okay in my book. Ditto for Pedroia, and he wouldn't even need to throw the Red Sox under the bus. Teixeira would be about as close as I'd come to not rooting for a guy who I don't think is a horrible human being, but I think I could even have room in my heart for him if he enthusiastically wore the orange and black.