It’s time for yet more names to be added to the shrine known as Carl Everett’s Crazy Hall of Fame. This time around we have a veteran’s committee addition, these are people who have been long known for their antics and being batshit crazy on the field of play in their sport, and we also have the enshrinement of three college athletes, two of them being female.
Without further adieu…
The Class of 2009/2010:
It’s not often, in fact never, have we be able to say that one of the enshrinee’s to the Carl Everett Crazy Hall of Fame has run for President of the United States and has been a popular author, public speaker and sucessful business man but we can say that about former Boston Red Sox and Montreal Expos pitcher Bill Lee. Lee who is known for his support and use of marijuana claiming it made him immune to the Boston bus fumes while he jogged to Fenway, his own “Leephus” pitch, his criticism of management (he named Don Zimmer “The Gerbil”) or his offbeat politics, is just as well known for being the center piece in one of the most famous Red Sox-Yankees onfield fights as well as once threatening to the bite the ear off of an umpire during a game. And just for good measure, the late Warren Zevon once wrote a song about him called “Bill Lee”.
In November of 2009 University of New Mexico Lobos women’s soccer player Elizbeth Lambert was suspended by her school and the the Mountain West Conference,the league in which they play, for her actions during the league tournament game against Brigham Young University in which she punched players in the back, the face or in he back of their head, pulled the hair of an opponent while yanking her to the ground, kicked an opponnent while she was on the ground, pushed another to ground and had several cases in which she tripped multiple Cougar players. She was reportedly upset after being elbowed in the ribs by a BYU player and then she became a one person wrecking crew not seen since Sly Stallone in the movie “First Blood”.
On March 3, 2010 Baylor Bears freshman women’ basketball sensation Brittney Griner was ejected and suspected for two games (one by Baylor, one by the NCAA) after thowing a closed fist punch to the face of Texas Tech’s Jordan Barncastle breaking her nose in retaliation for a foul.
No sooner had the Oregon Ducks lost to Boise State in the 2009 season opener than Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount created a firestorm when he punched Broncos player Byron Hout after seemingly being provoked. Blout, who was walking off the field, was approached by Hout who grabbed him and said something prompting BSU coach Chris Peterson to restrain and yell at Hout. While this was happening Blount leveled Hout with a punch to the chin. Then while leaving the playing field he tried to enter the stands to tangle with the Boise State fans but was stopped by teammates and security. This prompted Oregon AD Mike Bellotti and head football coach Chip Kelly to suspend Blount for the entire season. He was reinstated to the team after 10 games and played sparingly in a season in which Oregon played in the Rose Bowl.
