The Hot Button: Who’s the biggest dud in local sports?
Megaton dud Eddie Haas pulls Gene Garber. (AJC photo by Calvin Cruce)
Again, I have you folks to thank — or blame, as the case may be — for this entry. This tangent arose on Saturday’s live chat off the Falcons’ defensive collapse, and I thought it would make a nice Hot Button. (Or Cold Button, as the case may be.)
The question: Who’s the biggest dud in local sports?
Parameters: It has to be someone currently employed locally. Meaning: No Len Barker, no Aundray Bruce, no Eddie Haas, no Ron Jirsa, no Bruce Pickens, no Jeff Francoeur, no J.R. Rider, no Jeff George, no Priest Lauderdale, no Ray Goff, no Corky Miller, no Marion Campbell, no Peerless Price, no Damian Rhodes, no Bill Lewis, no Albie Lopez, no Robert Fick, no Shelden Williams, no Jimmy Williams, no Bobby Petrino, no Dan Kolb, no Steve Broussard, no Adam Keefe, no Brad Komminsk, no Reggie Kelly … enough already!
I’ve taken the liberty of nominating one deserving — or undeserving, as the case may be — candidate from each local entity. (Caveat: No college players will be considered. It’d be mean to label an amateur a flop, especially with so many alleged pros from which to choose.) And here we go. Feel free to comment/disagree/amplify/moan.
Greg Norton, Braves slugger: I don’t think I need to outline the argument for/against him. And if I did, I’m not apt to do it any better than I did it in this post earlier today.
Jamaal Anderson, Falcons defensive end: First-round draft pick (No. 8 overall) has two sacks in two seasons. On the bright side, he had two more sacks in Year 2 than in Year 1, so the graph is pointing upward. Started as a rookie. Probably won’t start as a third-year man. Was drafted as a DE. Has been tried at defensive tackle. Best position would seem the bench.
Mike Woodson, Hawks coach: He makes the list because each local sporting concern must have a representative. Also because he’s still more than a hundred games under .500 as a head coach. Also because he just groused to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports about not having been offered a contract extension. But Woody did a good job last season and wouldn’t be included had not Speedy Claxton been shipped to Golden State, which was downright thoughtless of Rick Sund.
Don Waddell, Thrashers GM: Ten years on the job, two winning seasons, one playoff appearance, no playoff victories. But he has had a nice offseason, and if he persuades Ilya Kovalchuk to stay we’ll be throwing roses at the Teflon Don, as opposed to the usual rotten tomatoes.
Loading ...Willie Martinez, Georgia defensive coordinator: His players were in position; they just didn’t make the tackles. But seriously, folks … here’s the reason Unslick Willie is substandard.
Paul Hewitt, Georgia Tech basketball coach: Took the Jackets to the 2004 national championship game by winning five riveting NCAA games in 17 days. Has won one NCAA game since. Has missed the Big Dance three times in the past four years. Has had a losing record three of the past four seasons. Just saw his program lose two scholarships for failure to meet NCAA academic progress standards.
Me, I’d say the overall choice comes down to expectations, meaning money. Norton is stealing earning $800,000. Martinez makes $325,000, or $1 per missed tackle. Anderson earns — wrong word, I know — $3.8 million. Which would seem to make him the winner/loser. Except:
Though Hewitt’s annual pay packet is only (only!) $1.375 million, Tech would owe him $7.175 million were it to fire him today. That makes him the biggest underachiever in local sports. But I say that knowing, seven months from now, we might well believe he’s the best bargain around. Because the Jackets should be really good next season.
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259 comments Add your comment
Waleska Dawg
September 3rd, 2009
12:30 pm
Biggest dud in Atlanta Sports? Mr. Terence Moore
AlternateReality
September 3rd, 2009
12:32 pm
Why hasn’t Bad News jumped on to nominate Matt Ryan, with Dimitroff a close second?
Have I missed something?
Waleska Dawg
September 3rd, 2009
12:33 pm
Honorable Mention:
1. Reginald Ball
2. Saint Simons
3. Stegeman Coliseum
eyeball kid
September 3rd, 2009
12:34 pm
Not true about Terrance, he has that little gig with Jim Rome.
GT71
September 3rd, 2009
12:35 pm
You must not say anything bad about Paul Hewitt. He is a black coach and has done so much for his fellows in the ‘Black Coaches Association’ (or whatever they call it) that he hasn’t had all the time necessary to actually ‘coach’. So lay off. You know it’s simply racism to put poor old Paul so far out front. You should all be ashamed.
ChopStarter1990
September 3rd, 2009
12:36 pm
I can say that the “chop” was started in 1990. Why, because I was there with a bunch of FSU grads. We got college night seats in right field. Being recent grads, we just started the chop as a way to get on Darryl Strawberry (it was Dodgers game). Why we thought that would get on Darryl, I have no idea, but it was fun at the time.
Tech75
September 3rd, 2009
12:38 pm
Wow. So many choices that I can’t decide on only one.
It’s a dead heat:
Paul Hewitt
Bill Lewis
Chan Gailey
The Atlanta Spirit Group
Don Waddell
Jamaal Anderson
WalkerMuhDawg
September 3rd, 2009
12:40 pm
You’re just beating a dead horse here (and making me ill again thinking of what another year of this will look like.)
Richt is NOT going to fire Martinez because he wants to have staff stability … whatever that is. He wants recruits to know that the guy who recruited them will ALWAYS be there, IMO way-overestimating the care that 18 y/o kids have for their mentors. If our D stinks it up again this year, though, I’m confident that Damon will force Mark’s hand.
We can always hope.
John Smoltz
September 3rd, 2009
12:41 pm
Chipper Jones hands down.
richard cranium
September 3rd, 2009
12:41 pm
The ENTIRE UGA football program, past and present…
Over 100 years of football and only 1 National Championship that occured before the internet was created… and the fans re-live it every day of their lives.
FalconFaninMI
September 3rd, 2009
12:42 pm
I have to agree with an earlier comment – Rich McKay is an even bigger dud that Jamaal Anderson. At least the damage from Anderson is limited to one position.
That said, Paul Hewitt is a bigger dud than anyone else on the current list.
The A Bomb
September 3rd, 2009
12:43 pm
How about Aundray Bruce?
How about Eddie Haas?
How about Bobby Petrino?
How about Chuck Tanner?
How about Dan Kolb?
How about Chris Reitsma?
I would go on, but I’m starting to feel sick. . .
some sense
September 3rd, 2009
12:43 pm
Not even a contest, guys.
BugKiller and Saint Simons.
Tampa Wreck
September 3rd, 2009
12:44 pm
Let’s hope that Paul Hewitt and the Jackets have a great upcoming season and some unkowing SEC school swoops in and hires him away so we can get out from under that 7 million $$$ buyout. It is the only hope for GT basketball in the next five years!!
AlternateReality
September 3rd, 2009
12:45 pm
Ha ha ha.
I just looked at Norton’s stats on the AJC Braves roster page. There’s a little blurb there dated Jun 11. Quote – “Analysis: Norton is an alarmingly bad 4 for 41 (.098) this year”.
See, Bobby keeps running him out there because his average, now .147, continues to climb
Cuz
September 3rd, 2009
12:50 pm
The Two Idiots Marketing Group for the Ad Campaign of “Willie Martinez for Last Chance Fire Extinguishers”.
chc4
September 3rd, 2009
12:52 pm
Can’t wait to see Norton pinch hit tonight in a big spot. Sadly he’s only slightly less likely to get a hit than our other bench lefty — Kelly Johnson. Norton is so horrible.
41 38 49 38 45
September 3rd, 2009
12:53 pm
In about 4 weeks it will be Willie M. Bank on it!
Scrambled Eggs
September 3rd, 2009
12:56 pm
CMR just might be if Willie doesnt live up to his pay raise this year. CMR will have egg on his face…
Chris
September 3rd, 2009
12:59 pm
The biggest dud is Willie Martinez, Willie Martinez, Willie Martinez!!!
What’s it going to take to fire this man? Would someone please talk some sense into someone at UGA that can make this happen. I think CMR is a great coach but it’s obivous that he will never fire his best buddy. Willie would have been removed long ago at any other school.
Someone should get a petition together, send it to your local State rep.(if they’re a Georgia fan), send it to the governor, the president, and anyone who will listen.
This pathetic excuse for a DC has got to go!!!
Pez Hilton
September 3rd, 2009
12:59 pm
Saint Simey……..When was the last time our yeller Jackits won a conference championship? I would love to talk about it on the bluff this weekend. And….FYI……I shaved my apple sack for you this week!! Filet-o-teabag honey!
PeonDion
September 3rd, 2009
1:03 pm
WOW–back to the braves Glory days.
Mark, No mention of Jerry Glanville?
Elvis has left the building.
DawginLex
September 3rd, 2009
1:07 pm
I don’t know if this classifies as a dud but the GT baseball coach does less with more consistently. They have been on a downward spiral since Morris went to Miami.
Hewitt is a close 2nd.
Martinez is 3rd.
All three should be on the hot seat but only one of them is.
kurula
September 3rd, 2009
1:11 pm
if we are bringing money into the equation then my vote goes to waddell. and not for his salary, which i’m sure is more than he deserves, but for the total money spent on many years of crappy hockey teams. the total of those paychecks for a sub-standard product far exceeds the amount spent on any individual. second place…greg norton. simply because he gets $1,000 per strikeout and i could do that for free.
SGTBILKO
September 3rd, 2009
1:13 pm
This is tough. They are all so deserving. Gotta go with the Greg Norton/Bobby Cox combo. Without each other the Braves could be leading their division.
David
September 3rd, 2009
1:18 pm
Mark-
Is that true? The Braves’ chop was started as a salute to FSU when Deion arrived?? That’s cool.
Jake7
September 3rd, 2009
1:21 pm
Bobby Cox…….he’s OUT OF TOUCH……LONG IN THE TOOTH……..OLD SCHOOL……He’s GOT SOOOO much ENERGY……the battery is….DEAD!!!
Matt
September 3rd, 2009
1:21 pm
I agree with Waleska Dawg.
Also, Mike Woodson is really unfair. He turned the Hawks around from being debateably THE WORST team in the NBA to a perinial playoff team. There is no need to bring up his overall record.
kurula
September 3rd, 2009
1:21 pm
if i’m thinking of the all time greatest busts, i’d have to say vick. don’t get me wrong, i loved to watch him play and i still pull for him to succeed. it’s just that looking at him being a number one draft choice, and signing that giant contract, and then him going to prison, the returns never justified the investment. also, if you look at what atlanta traded to san diego, do you realize that atlanta could have drafted ladanian tomlinson AND drew brees AND still kept tim dwight?! (hey, he was a good special teams guy and the opposite of a bust. who scored the only touchdown in falcons superbowl history? tim dwight!)
Chris Broe
September 3rd, 2009
1:24 pm
The Hounds of the Baskervilles!
ChippersLoveChild
September 3rd, 2009
1:26 pm
Took the easy way out nominating Waddell for the Thrashers… how about the Atlanta Spirit Group as a whole? I’m pretty sure we can all agree on that.
Cox loser
September 3rd, 2009
1:30 pm
why THE f^%$ DOES SENILE cOX KEEP USING nORTON, hE CEARLY COST US THE GAME. hE PLACES NOROTN IN KEY SITUATIONS EVERYTIME WITH HIS STELLAR .140 ba avg? wtf why????????
...the truth
September 3rd, 2009
1:30 pm
GREG NORTON
Volman
September 3rd, 2009
1:33 pm
At least Hewitt beats UGA every year. He’s a miserable coach, but this is a poor stab at Georgia Tech.
YESSS
September 3rd, 2009
1:34 pm
Yes. The chop started in Deion’s early days when he was getting a little playing time and having some success. Some of the fans started imitating the chop that they do at Florida State in support of him. And now, about 12,000 suburbanites that show up (late) to each home game mindlessly chop away for a whopping 10 seconds at a time. They don’t actually STAND-UP and do it, mind you. That would just be way over the top for an Atlanta fan.
Herschel Talker
September 3rd, 2009
1:36 pm
1. Terence Moore
2. Any Braves catcher in the 80s
3. Jeff George
NC Dawg
September 3rd, 2009
1:36 pm
Tell me more about this Eddie Haas fellow?
Jake7
September 3rd, 2009
1:36 pm
2nd Choice…..Chipper Jones….aka HOOTER BOY,IRON MAN……..This guy HAS BEEN a MAJOR bust FOR the money the BRAVES have paid him !!! We won 14 titles…ONE WORLD SERIES…..Tell me what he has done in these playoffs!!N-O-T-H-I-N-G ! That’s why BOBBY COX is MY 1st CHOICE !
Don!
September 3rd, 2009
1:38 pm
The answer for the Hawks should be Josh Childress. Anyone who would rather be playing for a second tier league in Greece instead of helping their NBA club in the playoffs is definitely a dud in my book.
Later,
Don!
YESSS
September 3rd, 2009
1:41 pm
Maybe as a tribute to some of the other Athletes in Atlanta, we could do other things instead of the Chop. Like:
We could all pick our noses and shout Jesus F’ing Christ as a tribute to Bobby Cox. He only does both of those things about 100 times every game.
Any of the following in honor of Chipper – Hooters night, Band-aid night, Copenhagen night.
For Garrett Anderson Night, we could have a simulated 90 foot dash, where if you’re faster than Garrett, you get a free….no wait, EVERYONE would be faster than Garrett.
For Greg Norton night, they could give away your choice of a Julio Iglesias or Stevie Wonder CD – both of whom could hit better, I’m sure.
Puck Headlines: NHL’s money goalies; Brashear charms NY fans | Sports News Images and Videos
September 3rd, 2009
1:42 pm
[...] • Is GM Don Waddell the biggest dud in Atlanta sports? [AJC] [...]
Mark Bradley
September 3rd, 2009
1:42 pm
I am humbled to see I’ve claimed third place in our poll by a fair margin. Me, ahead of Woody and Willie and Waddell!
Choco lott
September 3rd, 2009
1:44 pm
shards1967 – shouldn’t you be playing checkers on the porch. I’m the only one in here who remembers Dudish and I was only 13.
leland
September 3rd, 2009
1:45 pm
Dear Mr. MB–how is it that the multitudes, including professionals like personnel directors of professional football teams, might praise some prospective player (e.g., Jamaal Anderson) and draft him early, the player fail to reach his potential as laid out, and it is the player who is the failure? Your pal, Leland
YESSS
September 3rd, 2009
1:46 pm
Props to Choco lott. I love the name.
Mark Bradley
September 3rd, 2009
1:46 pm
Cuz, I think our marketing group than Michael and Elliot’s ad firm on “thirtysomething.”
Spark Madley
September 3rd, 2009
1:48 pm
DawgChasingLexus – you may be right about Tech baseball. In the last few years, they have been a hotbed of pro players.
Mark Bradley
September 3rd, 2009
1:49 pm
Because GMs don’t usually fire themselves, Leland.
YESSS
September 3rd, 2009
1:54 pm
What about worst sports venue in Atlanta? Why did they build a dome to play football in – in ATLANTA – a city renowed for its spectacular fall weather. Nothing like packing in with 70,000 other people in stagnant air and booming rap music when it’s 65 degrees with 30% humidity and light breeze outside (see Between the Hedges)
eyeball kid
September 3rd, 2009
1:58 pm
Mark,
Does Ray Tapley still work at tha AJC? I used to work for him as a stringer On Friday & Saturday nights taking info about HS football.