Hackett: Boston's most hated sports figures is a longer list than we first thought

The weather is perfect. The Red Sox are dominating and seemed poised to strengthen their roster at the deadline. LeBron is in the West and has poetically landed on the hated Lakers. The Celtics are negotiating with Marcus Smart, and the return of football and the Patriots is on the horizon.

Good times surround us.

However, the reaction to last week's most hated article was so profound that I had to add a little color this week so I could thoughtfully respond. The feedback -- good, bad or ugly -- defined the passion for the topic and once again proved how invested Boston sports fans truly are. I loved it. So in crafting this edition, I read all of the comments, rethought some omissions and have isolated two regrets. Additionally, I will explain some tough cuts I made and why.

Before I get into it, last week's article was my own personal list, not a supposed aggregation of everyone's opinions. That said let's get into the omissions ...

Regrets, I have a few

Rick Pitino: Shout out to John Dennis who reminded me very loudly on Twitter about Rick Pitino. I totally spaced on Slick Rick, whom like many I despised. I've been so happy with the growth and state of the Celtics for so long that I think he was subliminally expunged from my memory. But thanks to Dino the recall of his failed and miserable tenure with the Celtics has freshened. Pitino arrogantly and abruptly pushed the late, great and incomparable Red Auerbach aside which was a terrible way to start. He rid the Celtics of future 5-time All-Star and 17-year pro Chauncy Billups before ever giving him a legitimate look. And he led the Celtics to an underwhelming 102-146 record in four years. Even better, his replacement and former assistant Jim O'Brien took what was essentially the same roster to the Conference Finals one year later despite their many flaws. I'd like to personally thank Danny Ainge and the Celtics organization for removing this fraud from my mind albeit temporarily.

John McNamara: When I was brewing this idea in my head McNamara was one of the first people I thought of. I was writing his bio in my head two days prior to hitting the keyboard, then poof, it was gone. Squeezing a column into a tight deadline while prepping for vacation can do that. I'm mad at myself for this omission because McNamara would easily crack my Top 4. The surly and often sleepy McNamara mismanaged a World Series right out of the Red Sox hands. Blame Buckner if you must. When you're in the game you have to make the play. However, McNamara consistently replaced Buckner in the late innings with Dave Stapleton all season long to prevent the exact scenario that happened from happening. Buckner gave the Sox all he had, with failing knees that landed him in a pool of ice every postgame. Additionally, McNamara's lack of ability to manage his pitching staff was the real fatal flaw. The game was tied when the ball went through Buckner's legs due to the failure of the bullpen and McNamara's use of it. Rookie closer Calvin Schiraldi was gassed weeks earlier in September and McNamara didn't know what to do when it mattered most. There are several reasons people loved Joe Morgan, one of them had a lot to do with whom he replaced.

Scott Sisson: "Missin' Sisson" was nothing short of a nightmare. The 1993 rookie Patriots kicker rarely saw a kick he couldn't miss and the '93 Pats had no margin for error. Pats fans have been blessed with Adam Vinatieri, Stephen Gostkowski and even the aging Matt Bahr who saved the '94 Pats at the position. "Missin' Sisson" hit just 53.8 percent of his kicks in New England and had a great knack for missing right when the Patriots needed something to go their way. 

Tough Cuts

I received lots of great names here and each brings a legitimate reason to be on any Top 10 most hated list. The most popular omissions from the readers included Don Zimmer, Carl Crawford, Eric Gagne, Bobby Valentine and Antoine Walker. I would add Mike Torrez, Jack Clark and Pablo Sandoval as easy to-hate-candidates that I debated over. I have no issue with anyone adding any or all of these guys to the list but I'll add a little color as to why they didn't make my top 10.

Don Zimmer: For fans of the loaded Red Sox teams from the mid to late 70's believe me, I hear you. Teams with Fisk, Rice, Lynn, Evans, Burleson, Yaz, Rico Petrocelli, Butch Hobson and Louis Tiant should have won at least one. Zimmer consistently kept his starting pitchers in too long and took normal clubhouse issues way to personally. His emotions got in the way at times. The Gerbil never won it all in Boston and they probably should have, but some of that wasn't his fault. GM Haywood Sullivan never got that extra arm they really needed to get over the hump. Zimmer amassed a 411-304 record with Boston good for a .575 winning percentage which is nothing to sneeze at. Also, Zimmer got a lot of heat in Boston during his five years. It was relentless. The hate ran deep from many and it's well-documented that the very sensitive and emotional Zimmer took it to heart. I don't like bullying and developed a soft spot for Zim over time. Put him on your list if you must, I won't argue, I just won't include him on mine.

Mike Torrez: The bonus baby signing of 1978 was supposed to fill the big hole in the starting rotation the Sox so desperately needed. Tiant was aging, Bill Lee and Zimmer couldn't get along and the back half of the Sox rotation that featured middling guys like Reggie Cleveland and Tom House for years prior couldn't help. The promise of Torrez and his $1.5 million dollar contract (a big deal in 1978) never happened. In his one Red Sox playoff start, feather-weight hitter Bucky "F'in'" Dent took him deep for a three-run homer and that would remain his most famous and infamous game. I was just a young tyke at that time and like most young kids didn't have an ounce of hate inside of me. Had I been 16 at the time, he would've made the list.

Carl Crawford/Jack Clark/Pablo Sandoval: Big contracts and big expectations while delivering nothing more than performance failures are always key ingredients in the sports hate pie. Each had contracts that burdened the Red Sox and each was among the least popular to ever come to town. Every one of these guys is more than justified being on anyone's list and you'll get little argument from me. If they didn't make my Top 10, they were 11, 12 and 13.

Eric Gagne: He just flat out stunk and again, no arguments here. I just have more personal distaste for the others that I originally cited. Gagne was so bad that his performances not only became predictable but somewhat comical too. He's definitely in my Top 20, but feel free to put him wherever you want as he was an abject failure in Boston shortly after being a postseason hero just one season prior. 

Bobby Valentine: I hated him too, but find myself laughing at his clown-show like tenure more than getting angry about it. Winning the World Series just one year after he was fired underscores how overmatched he was in 2012. It didn't last long enough for me to really hate him like say Tony Eason or Jeremy Jacobs, but yeah, he was certainly hate-worthy. No arguments here.

Antoine Walker: I got a lot of feedback on Walker and understand it. He could be very erratic and frustrating with his ill-timed and brainless launching of unnecessary 3-pointers. However, to me Walker is more of a tragic case. Had he gotten the right direction from his coach when in his most formative years, or if the Celtics were smart enough to surround him with the veteran professional presence he so desperately and obviously needed, his story could have been different. Walker needed support and didn't get it. Imagine if he played for a team built by Ainge and coached by Brad Stevens or Doc in his prime. I think it would've been different for No. 8.

Redemption

John Lackey: Believe me, I strongly considered Lackey and got as much feedback on him as anybody. Lackey was a disgrace in 2011 both on the field and off and during that entire year he was easy to hate. He spoke like Barney Gumble on the Simpson's but unlike that lovable drunk, Lackey was humorless. His 6.41 ERA that year was even less funny. However, these lows are only part of Lackey's story. The other part is a story of pure redemption. He was downright dominant during the 2013 World Series run and punctuated that season of redemption on the mound in the improbable World Series clincher at Fenway Park. The whole game felt like a coronation and Lackey officially turned his profile in Boston around for good that day.