As TSC pointed out in the NBA thread, this thread really isn't complete without my post. I can hate with the best of them. So here is my Magnum Opus of hatred.
Baseball:
Kevin Youkilis
It's natural in sports to dislike and root against your favorite team's rivals. Most of the time it gets left on the field and a mutual respect forms. For examples of this, I can look right to Pedro Martinez and Manny Ramirez. I had to root against both of those guys with all my heart, but ultimately, I grew to like them as people and players. Kevin Youkilis does not fit that criteria. The amount of personal hate I have for this man borders on complete irrationality. I don't only wish misfortune for him on the field, but wish for misfortune for him in every aspect of life. I want him to be plagued with as much pain and suffering as possible for a human being to endure. If that means pain and suffering to his loved ones, than so be it. One of the best moments of this year was when skinny 19-year-old Rick Porcello slammed Youkilis like the little bitch I know he is.
Football:
Brett Favre
My hatred of Brett Favre was an interesting development. I've always thought and argued that he was overrated during his Green Bay years. However, I didn't really know any Green Bay fans and wasn't posting here while he was with them.
Then, he retired, un-retired, and signed with the Jets. This is where annoyance turned into hatred for me. I immediately began to tell every Jet fan I knew how bad Brett Favre really is at this point. I tried to logically explain how bad it was to have him on a team with a great defense and very good offensive line and running game. Yet they fell in love with him anyway. I got in many debates both here and irl about Favre. I was now going to root against him at all times, just waiting to tell them "I told you so."
Unfortunately, the Jets started to get rolling with Favre going 8-3. The Favre worship around here peaked in late-November after the Jets won two consecutive games on the road vs. New England and previously unbeaten Tennessee. Things were starting to look bad for me as just as many people were talking about the Jets making the Super Bowl as the Giants.
However, Favre will be Favre. The Jets went on to spectacularly blow their playoffs hopes. The final nail in their coffin was hammered in by Favre on Week 17 against their rival Miami Dolphins, and former QB Chad Pennington. Pennington was my favorite Jet while he was here and I told everyone that he was better than Favre when he was released. Nothing would vindicate me more than the Dolphins beating the Jets to make the playoffs in Week 17.
Favre delivered in glorious fashion, throwing three interceptions--including the playoff missing clincher in the final moments of the game. It was a great day to hate and bask in the failure of the hated.
Basketball:
LaMarcus Aldridge
This third case of hatred involves much, much less personal contempt for the player. In fact, I really have nothing against him at all. My only grudge with him is that he's 7' tall and his game consists of taking ******ed far jumpers like pictured above.
This ******ed tendency led me to harshly criticize him in the NBA thread last season. This led to swarming defense of him by many other posters. Normally if everyone in that thread is disagreeing with me, I'll reflect and always back off because most of them are very smart and knowledgeable. However, this was a case I was not willing to back down from.
Over time, I've been starting to get people to come around to the fact that his softness and idiocy might actually make him a bad player, despite his talent and tools. I'm confident that I will be proven right over time. I've went on to nickname him LaMarcus "Softer than a Pile of Steaming Wet Dog ****" Aldridge. It's not that catchy, but it's very fitting. I make it a point to post his +/- number in every game in which it's negative. Luckily, that has been the case often this year. He's been flat out awful and I'm enjoying it.
The day he was drafted, he was traded for Tyrus Thomas. Now Thomas is no superstar himself, but my hatred for Aldridge has led me to become a big Tyrus Thomas fan, just so the trade looks bad for Portland. That's not going so well at the moment but at least Tyrus doesn't play like a bitch. He's also still showing improvement while Aldridge hasn't done that in some time.