Biggest Villains in Braves History

[Metaphysicist]

This isn't a list of those with the most villainous impact, per se. Chris Burke broke our backs that one time, but the anger has mostly dissipated. This is a list of people who still make me angry when I think about them. Here's what I've got:

Honorable Mention: Bill Hohn/Doug Eddings. Two cartoonishly large jerks.

5. Dick Ericson - Minnesota Twins A/C guy. Admitted to manipulating the fan system at the Metrodome during the 1991 series, and specifically in Game 6. So they were blowing in went Gant's long drive just missed going out, and then blowing out when Puckett hit his walkoff.

4. Leyritz - Human garbage

3. Commissioner Eckert - We drafted and signed Tom Seaver, but he voided it based on some bullspit reasons. And then, he let other teams bid on him instead instead of just throwing him back in the draft pool. Truly unjust, and definitely franchise altering.

2. Eric Gregg - Years back, before he died but after he was "not retained," they had one of those ESPN documentary pieces about how sad his life was. It really had gotten pretty pathetic towards the end. But I couldn't muster even a teensy amount of empathy. He was worse at his job than anyone who has ever had a job doing anything.

1. Kent Hrbek - **** that guy. The biggest cheater who ever cheated. **** him right in his stupid fat face. And for good measure, **** the whole Twins organization for this middle finger to truth and justice:

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/548687/ept_sports_mlb_experts-717452517-1298057034.jpg

[zitothebrave]

Second

Also a big FU to the ump who didn't see Hrbek tackling Gant off the bag. My ass would have been suspended if I was Gant I would have decked Hrbek and the ump.

[CyYoung31]

Sam Holbrook and Joe Torre for their role in the WC game.

Bud Selig for his role in killing our national broadcast.

[cajunrevenge]

1- Yankees - I hope their team plane crashes.

2- Selig - he didn't have the balls to crush the mlbpa in 94. Nearly everything he has done has ****ed over the braves. Stealing the braves tbs money then forcing the braves to not give tbs a discounted deal leading to them not being on tbs. He added the first wild cars which ****ed us over. The second wild card has only been around 2 years and its already screwed the braves.


3- Eric Gregg - a blind person could call balls and strikes better.

4- Holbrook - what makes him such a dbag Is that he won't even admit he got it wrong. Infield flies are supposed to be called at the peak of the fly ball not a split second before the ball hits the ground. This play should be a litmus test for umps. If you think it was the right call then your not compenet enough to be a ml ump. Even the cards fan think it was a horrific call.


5- whoever decided that you van draw an arbitrary line on the outfield wall and anything that hits the line or above is a homer. The idea of a home run is that it goes over the wall. That's as clear cut as it gets. Ausmus didn't even hit it over the li ne, it hit the line. That was BS.

[DirkPiggler]

This may mean I'm a bad person, but I have this image of Eric Gregg and what his day in Hell must be like. I see him being dragged out of bed every morning at 5am and being forced to run a marathon before dining on a lunch of tofu and steamed, unseasoned vegetables. After lunch he gets to ride a bicycle 100 miles uphill. At dinner he gets what looks to him like a 72 oz. ribeye, but in reality is a giant steaming pile of dog crap obscured by his vision in much the same way as all those Hernandez pitches were three feet outside but looked like strikes.

[NinersSBChamps]

Fredi Gonzalez

[nsacpi]

The Leyritz home run was a tear in the fabric of the universe, an event that changed the flow of history.

The other events listed in the opening post were crimes of various kinds. The Leyritz home run was not a crime, which to me makes it the single most devastating on-field event to have occurred against the Braves during my time as a Braves fan.

[GovClintonTyree]

So much venom. Peace and harmony to all.

Except Holbrook. Still not over it.

[wheresmykayak]

For a couple of years, at least, I'd include Kevin Brown on this list.

He was on that infamous 97 Marlins team. And the very next year, he was on that darned Padres team that was such a thorn in our side. Granted, he didn't beat us because of a BS call or anything, but for 97-98 it seemed like he was always in our way. I remember hating his guts when I was a kid.

[mossy]

Liberty Media. AOL/Time Warner.

[Oklahomahawk]

All good choices, nice job fellas but to me NOONE could EVER top Eric Freakin' Gregg, the lowest of the low IMO. By the way I talked to a former umpire a few years back, he had retired from baseball and did speaking engagements, wrote books, etc. he was a funny guy and seemed like a pretty good guy and I told him what I thought of Gregg and he just sort of nodded and quietly agreed.

[Gary82]

Leyritz. He was the turning point in the Braves 90's dynasty.

I like to think there is a parallel universe where Andruw catches his HR and we go on to win that series.

[FreemanFan]

Kent Hrbek and the umpire who missed the play, first. That was one of the biggest missed calls in my lifetime. Sam Holbrook's outfield fly blunder was terrible, too. They're probably tied for me. Next, Joe Torre for upholding the outfield fly call. I don't get the vitriol against Leyritz, though. I'm more upset that Wohlers served up the pitch. I forgot we drafted Seaver. It would have been fun watching him in a Braves uniform.

[AUTiger7222]

The Jim Leyritz homerun. That changed the course of the Braves dynasty and set in motion what the ****ing Yankees became. You could say the Braves are still paying for that damn homerun because we haven't come close to winning a World Series since. Hell we've not even come close to winning a single World Series game since. Hell we do good just to get a single playoff win these days.