Sports fans have say on ‘most despised’

1. Robert Irsay: No need to rehash the ugly story of what he did here. His own mother called him “the devil on earth” in Sports Illustrated. What more does anyone need to know?

2. Peter Angelos: He is in the process of single handedly destroying a beloved franchise in what was once a superb baseball town. The fans? outrage is quickly turning into apathy, which is far more deadly than anger. Pete must go.

3. Washington snobs: This is not aimed at the majority of folks who live in the D.C. area, just the dishonest, duplicitous, Baltimore-bashing hypocrites who judge us by a much harsher standard than the one by which they judge themselves. The kind of people who screamed bloody murder when Angelos attempted to block the move of the Expos to D.C., yet fully supported the efforts of Jack Kent Cooke to keep Baltimore out of the NFL.

4. Abe Pollin: When relocating the Baltimore Bullets to Landover, he swore he wasn?t abandoning Balitmore because the team would be called the “Capital Bullets” and Charm City was part of the national capital area. That transparent lie lasted exactly one season. He then came crawling back to play a few games a year when D.C attendance was nothing to write home about.

5. Paul Tagliabue: Worked hard to replace franchises in cities that lost them due to relocation, except Baltimore. His attitude toward the fans here was nothing short of callous disdain and active hostility, and to this day many of us have no idea what we did to deserve such treatment.

? Don Brizendine, Baltimore

Dear Mr. Gallo,

1. Robert Irsay: Is there anyone who DOESN?T know what he did?

2. Paul Tagliabue: Museums for Baltimore, NFL teams for everyone else.

3. Peter Angelos: Does he really believe anyone can manage the Orioles?

4. Glenn Davis: Great trade from yesteryear.

5. John Elway: Would rather play baseball than play for Irsay (although I couldn?t really blame him).

? Rob Crockett, Glen Burnie

Jon:

Here?s my take on your question pertaining to the five most despised sports figures in Baltimore history:

1. Bob Irsay: Still despised by Baltimoreans years after his death. He was and always will be the “measuring rod” by which others are assessed.

2. Joe Thomas: He was Irsay?s henchman and could cast an evil eye with the best of them. He?s a detested man.

3. Peter Angelos: He?s trying his level best to climb to the top of the heap. He is single handedly responsible for the transition of Baltimore back to a football town.

4. Albert Belle: He had the audacity at his press conference after signing with the Orioles to say he followed the Birds as a child. Talk about a suck-up.

5. Abe Pollin: He took the beloved Bullets from Baltimore and settled in a wasteland known as Landover. The city has never recovered from this blow and will probably never call an NBA team its own again.

? Patrick R. Lynch, Baltimore

Dear Jon/Matt:

Here are my top five:

1. Bob Irsay: His monster ego clashed with the massive psyche of then-Baltimore Mayor William Donald Schaefer. The city lost! Irsay moved his team, the Baltimore Colts, in 1984, to Indianapolis. If the local fans could have gotten a hold of Irsay, he would have ended up in the middle of the harbor submerged under one of those 50-ton Mayflower Transit Co. trucks.

2. Joe Thomas, Irsay?s general manager: In 1972, he benched the legend himself, quarterback John Unitas. Thomas became “Public Enemy No. 1.”

3. Abe Pollin: He is still deeply disliked to this day by some diehard pro basketball fans in town. He took the Baltimore Bullets team to Washington, D.C., in 1973.

4. Abe Watner: He once owned an NFL franchise in 1950. The Colts finished last and Watner, for $50,000, sold the team back to the NFL. The Statute of Limitations will run out on despising Watner in 2050!

5. Marty Domres: John Unitas? replacement at quarterback, in 1972. Fans hated him with a passion. Nobody could replace their idol, Unitas. NOBODY!

? William Hughes, Baltimore