Sox & Dawgs established Carl Everett’s Crazy Hall of Fame in 2007 and its members are, like any Hall of Fame, in rarified air. Only this air lacks a lot of common sense and is full of batshit crazy. In fact that along with the incident happening on or in relation to the field of play is the only way to get into this Hall. We don’t induct folks based on off the field incidents like spousal abuse, DUI, dog fighting, etc.
In the five years since the Hall was established it has 14 Charter Members and 44 Regular Members.
It is with great humility that we present to you Carl Everett’s Crazy Hall of Fame, the Class of 2012.
Here is year’s class:
Manny Ramirez
In July 2005 Boston Red Sox left fielder Manny Ramirez wasn’t on the field as Wade Miller was prepared to deliver a pitch when low and behold Manny pops out of the door of Fenway’s fabled Green Monster. So Miller throws the pitch and Tampa Bay outfielder Joey Gathright doesn’t swing, but on the next pitch he singles to left field in front of Ramirez who throws to home a tad late and wide.
After the game Miller admitted to not checking to see if Ramirez was in the field and as he said, “why would I check?”
So what was Manny doing behind the door? “I (urinated) in a cup,” said Ramirez.
The joys of Manny being Manny.
Greg Pankewicz
In the third period of a CHL hockey game in February 2011, between the Colorado Eagles and the Mississippi River Kings, a Colorado player was tackled hard to the ice during an altercation by an official.
Greg Pankewicz, Colorado’s assistant coach, became irate at officials for the takedown, which led to the player getting injured. So after screaming and throwing stuff on the ice, Pankewicz took to stripping, reminiscent of a scene from the movie “Slap Shot”.
While in slap shot it was an on ice player who did the strip tease, Pankewicz started taking his clothes off on the bench and throwing them onto the ice. After methodically taking off his three-piece suits, shirt, tie and loafers and chucking it all on the ice he was sent to the dressing room.
He was suspended for the remainder of the regular season (14 games) for his action and was allowed to return during the playoffs.
Ndamukong Suh
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh was ejected from a NFL game on Thanksgiving Day for stomping and kicking Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith after it appeared that the Lions had stopped the Packers on an important third down play. The resulting penalty gave Green Bay a first down, which led to a touchdown and a win.
Suh was suspended by the NFL following in the incident for two games.
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Andrew Bynum
Los Angeles Lakers forward Andrew Bynum was ejected and suspended from a playoff game on May 8, 2011 against the Dallas Mavericks after a dirty foul on guard J.J. Barea. With the Mavs up by 30 points late in the game Barea drove the lane for a lay up when Bynum threw a blatant elbow to his ribs. Barea landed hard and the referee immediately called a flagrant foul and ejected Bynum from the game.
Two games earlier in the series, Barea had been clothes lined by the Lakers Ron Artest who got suspended for the following game. Artest, a Charter Member of the Hall, is now ironically known as “Metta World Peace”.
Bynum was suspended originally for five games at the beginning of the next season but had it reduced to four on appeal.
Sal Alosi
In December 2010, New York Jets strength and conditioning coach Sal Alosi was fined $25,000 by the Jets and suspended for the remainder of the season for tripping Miami Dolphins player Nolan Carroll as the player ran along the Jets sideline during a game.
The Jets later accepted Alosi resignation after finding out he routinely instructed the inactive players to form a wall so as to potentially impede the progress of opposing players.
The Jets were also fined $100,000 by the NFL. Alosi was recently hired to the strength and conditioning coach for the UCLA Football team by new head coach Jim Mora Jr. starting with the 2012 season where he will teach his technique to college students.
New England Whalers/Minnesota Fighting Saints, the Brawl in the Mall
The “Brawl in the Mall” between the New England Whalers and Minnesota Fighting Saints in Game 2 of the 1975 WHA Playoffs started when Fighting Saints coach Harry Neale decided to shake things up by putting Bill Butters on the ice with fellow bruisers Jack Carlson and Curt Brackenberry. Shortly after taking the ice, Minnesota’s Butters hit New England’s Larry Pleau with a cheap shot from behind, starting a full fledged donnybrook that caused a delay that lasted 32 minutes. The melee itself had 189 minutes in penalties and featured a heavyweight battle between Carlson, of “Slap Shot” movie fame, and Whalers enforcer Nick Fotiu, a former Golden Gloves champion, that started on the ice and continued in the penalty boxes. Even the two goalies, John Garrett and Al Smith, got into it. Not sure there ever was or has been a brawl like it.
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