Don’t take this the wrong way. It is not criticism or praise. It merely is description. I’m sitting here on a Friday night after dinner and this question popped into my head: In all the years you covered sports, what people you personally covered have/had the biggest egos? Here are my top ten in descending order.
Al Davis
Bill Walsh
Don Nelson
Jim Harbaugh
Reggie Jackson
Jerry Rice
Steve Young
Billy Beane
Barry Bonds
Joe Lacob
It’s possible I’ve missed someone or several someones — like Ricky Barry. But I never covered him. I didn’t do exhaustive research for this entry. I’d appreciate suggestions from you.
Jim
Bill Walsh before Barry Bonds?????
September 14th, 2012 8:44 pm
CohnZohn
Jim, Trust me, I was, and still am, crazy about Bill. We were close. Bill had a world-class ego. It’s one of the things that made him great.
September 14th, 2012 8:46 pm
Tiburon Dave
Eddie D. and Carmen have to make that list somewhere…
September 14th, 2012 8:48 pm
Jeff from Colfax
Jeff Kent?
September 14th, 2012 8:58 pm
Mugsy
It’s funny to see Joe Lacob on the list because he’s accomplished so little as an owner, and having covered the finance industry for years, I can state unequivocally that he was considered a lesser light in the VC world and never did a deal of any note or significance. Despite this, I still see him strutting around courtside like he’s a star, and perhaps BELIEVING that he is will make him one someday but I doubt it. I’ve followed Bay Area teams since the 1970′s so let me add a few additional names: Tony LaRussa, Charlie O. Finley, Billy Martin, Robert Rowell, Mike Nolan, Dave Bristol, and Joe Thomas.
September 14th, 2012 9:04 pm
Amir Talai
WOW! Didn’t take Harbaugh long! Now that’s impressive.
As to Walsh, seems like his huge ego didn’t preclude him from being a gentleman, and that’s something to respect.
September 14th, 2012 9:32 pm
Bryon
Not sure if you covered him, but Chris webber had a Huge ego. Especially as a rookie coming in from the fab 5
September 14th, 2012 9:40 pm
Frank in Minnesota
Wow…some of those names surprise me,but i think that to have a strong,healthy ego doesn’t mean your’e not a nice person….right?
September 14th, 2012 10:09 pm
Capts
Love the guy and he’s the greatest Oakland Athletic, but Ricky Henderson loves some Ricky Henderson.
September 14th, 2012 10:23 pm
Steve
Interesting list, but doesn’t Dusty Baker belong on it? If so, who would you remove? How about Tony Larussa? Did you cover Billy Martin, or was he slightly before your time?
September 14th, 2012 10:24 pm
Dennis
Interesting. I would have thought Bonds would be closer to the top than the bottom. I also thought Mike Nolan would be your list. The suit thing used to just drive me crazy. I knew we were in trouble when the whole thing with the suit started. How about Hue Jackson? He seemed pretty full of himself.
September 14th, 2012 10:28 pm
CohnZohn
Frank in Minnesota, Right
September 14th, 2012 10:53 pm
CohnZohn
Steve, Dusty is normal, does not have that kind of ego. I never felt LaRussa had that kind of ego. Billy Martin was just a creep.
September 14th, 2012 10:54 pm
CohnZohn
Dennis, I had Hue Jackson on the list but bumped him for Lacob
September 14th, 2012 10:55 pm
Zippy
Id only be speculating on the size of someone’s ego if I had never met them as you point out regarding Rick Barry. Any one who manages to get to the highest levels in any profession has an ego to match. There are varying degrees of humility people can perceive as lack of ego but who really knows unless one can sit and talk with the person.
September 14th, 2012 10:59 pm
mendozaline
One of my favorite Ricky Henderson stories:
In his first season with the Padres in 1996, Rickey was once looking for a seat on the team bus and teammate Steve Finley said, “You have tenure, sit wherever you want.” Rickey allegedly replied, “Ten years? Rickey’s been playing at least 16, 17 years.”
September 14th, 2012 11:06 pm
Mugsy
Hue Jackson — that’s one I missed but he would definitely be a deserving alternate on Lowell’s list. Good call Dennis. I still chuckle every time I think of his night-before-the-game Irish coffee ritual. And nobody can forget his Alexander Haig “I’m in charge here” impersonation after the last game of his lone season as head coach. He was certainly an original,
September 14th, 2012 11:10 pm
ga's
Jed York….lol…
September 14th, 2012 11:57 pm
Bumpkin
Gee, wonder which Bay Area sportswriter has the biggest ego?
September 15th, 2012 1:05 am
MJ
What? No Lowell Cohn on the list…that’s an outrage.
And speaking of outrages, umm, Gary Radinch anyone? In terms of sports media, I would have to figure he and the Razor would be on the list. But it seems to be just a player/owner list. And yes, any player who speaks in the 1st person has quite the ego so Ricky should be on there.
Deion Sanders maybe?
And does Steve Young really have an ego? That to me is a shocker. He has an ego yet Montana doesn’t, or at least a greater ego than Montana’s.
September 15th, 2012 3:45 am
Werner
I am surprised that Steve Young is on the list. His public persona is quite different. I look forward to his Wednesday show on KNBR talking football for 1/2 hour. They even changed the intro for the show this year to a montage of his interception “highlights”. He is one of the few athletes I can stomach listening to being interviewed and has always seemed like a fairly grounded guy.
I have enjoyed and respected your writing for many, many years, so I was just curious why you put him on this list.
September 15th, 2012 7:27 am
Exeterfan
Randy Moss?
September 15th, 2012 7:28 am
Streetglide
Carol Migden…
September 15th, 2012 7:31 am
Tommy CostaRica
I was going to first say Ricky Henderson. Mark Ibanez used to tell me stories about what an ego maniac he was as a young kid with a huge roll of dough in his pocket. But nobody mentioned the biggest, stupidest ego of all time in bay area sports, The Great Reverend SingSong!
September 15th, 2012 7:43 am
Dennis
Not to change the subject, but along the same lines, I am changing my opinion about Sabean. I always thought he was overrated, that he benefited from the good fortune of having a great pitching staff. The Giants may not get to the World Series, but this has got to be one of his greatest seasons of putting a team together and then getting them what they needed as the season progressed. There is no way the Giants should be 7.5 games if first place at this point given all that has happened, including Linsecum’s subpar year, Melky’s suspension and the Dodgers buying everything in sight. I also think Bochy should be manger of the year. What an incredible job he is doing. Sorry, didn’t mean to change the subject. I just wanted to give Sabean and Bochy the credit they definitely deserve.
September 15th, 2012 7:45 am
Neal
Why Steve Young, seemed always polite with the media?
September 15th, 2012 7:47 am
John J Nelson
You missed #1, yourself. JJN
September 15th, 2012 7:54 am
Stan
Aaron Rowand. I posted I thought from interviews I had seen ,he was an a-hole. Even,as Krup and Kuip tried to sell him as a great team guy Arrogant and surly all the time. Randy Johnson wins my most belligerent award. I think he told Radnich gets your facts straight when asked if he had a hobby of photography(he did it a few . Just a mean guy. But,he also had an abusive childhood. His dad was a cop who never gave Randy a compliment. If Johnson threw a no hitter,his dads first words on the phone were “Why did you walk those guys?” Lesbian parents would have been better for Johnson’s mind. And he STILL would have been a great pitcher I bet.
NATIONAL?..Duane Thomas Cowboys..remember after just winning the Super Bowl, he wouldn’t speak,nooooo…he had a interpreter talk for him as he stood there..like he spoke a foreign language-lol..jeez,what a jerk.
Singletary..not a bit of humbleness…from a very religious man?..took him down. And I bet,Mike still doesn’t see the light.
Ok.more later. I got’s to eat…
September 15th, 2012 8:13 am
Ralph Bedwell
I’m not a fan of big egos in general, but you have to admit that there is an awful lot of success on that list. They can/could back it up. Should Rickey Henderson be a contender for this list?
How about a list of guys with big egos who were lousy?
September 15th, 2012 8:50 am
CohnZohn
Werner, Steve Young is a great guy and I like him very much. He also was a great quarterback with a king size ego — it’s a prerequisite for the job. Montana, strangely, did not have a large ego as far as I could tell.
September 15th, 2012 8:52 am
CohnZohn
Dennis, I wholeheartedly agree with you about Sabean and Bochy.
September 15th, 2012 8:54 am
CohnZohn
Neal, People with large egos can be polite. Bill Walsh was polite. And remember, I wrote I was not criticizing people by saying they have a large ego. I merely was describing.
September 15th, 2012 8:54 am
CohnZohn
JJN, I never thought of myself as having a #1, big ego. But thanks.
September 15th, 2012 8:55 am
martin
You need to look in the mirror. Lowell Cohn belongs in the top 10 just behind Glenn Dickey
September 15th, 2012 10:50 am
Werner
Thanks Lowell. I suspected it was something like that. Hard to lead if you don’t have somewhat of an ego. Don’t retire on me before you mentor Grant to take over as vox populi for the bay area sports scene.
September 15th, 2012 10:52 am
Stan
Big ego but not a jerk? Joey Chestnut..man,he says he ‘s the best…but after that, he has a Joe Montana of hot dogs attitude.
Milt Kahn ch5 sports circa 1973. I wish I knew then what I know now. He was a living performance piece..called players jerks,ripped the home teams. He even got Giant manager Charlie Fox-he of the huge ego himself- to challenge him to a fight! A few times I’ve tried to find out whatever happened to him..all I found was my own posts asking about him!
Fox..Al Michaels on air as Giants TV announce lobbied to have Fox fired..what a time that was. Can you hear Krukow or Kuiper doing that?..nooooo…not for that 1 mill paycheck.
More later…
September 15th, 2012 11:41 am
Mark M
Like others have mentioned, I’m shocked Walsh was #2. But I’m even more surprised to see Harbaugh on the list at all. The guy’s been here for a relatively short run thus far. Granted, he’s had phenomenal success, and really no big failures compared with expectation. I’ll be curious to see how he deals with a tough run of luck. This will reveal much about him. Then we’ll see.
September 15th, 2012 11:44 am
Jack Hammer
No Eddie DeBartolo?
September 15th, 2012 12:59 pm
Lo Sbandato
Please to be noting, everyone on your list would be considered a success, some of them even legendary (okay, Lacob probably doesn’t fit well in either category). Does this mean success depends on egotism, or are you intentionally blocking out all the self-absorbed jerkholes who failed? I’m sure many names could be supplied by your loyal, er, regular commentators.
September 15th, 2012 1:07 pm
NeverWrong
Rice whining for the ball made him “the greatest football player of all time,” I guess. I wonder if his quarterbacks thought he was even the best player on the team, even the best receiver–or did they feel John Taylor was better, but less of a pain in the neck.
September 15th, 2012 1:36 pm
chris
it’s kind of a bummer that Lowell refers to Billy Martin as a creep all the time, although for the most part probably true. I know Lowell’s big on morality and Martin wasn’t that kind of guy.
He was a raging alcoholic, treated Glenn Burke like crap, and was dirty as a manager at times like when he ordered his Detroit pitchers in the 72 ALCS to throw at the A’s Bert Campaneris’s feet to slow down his base stealing.
Bert answered back by throwing a bat at the head of a Tiger pitcher.
But the positives that I remember about Billy was bringing A’s baseball back from near extinction in 1980 and 81 when they reached the playoffs.
This current A’s team reminds me most of that 81 Martin team because Billy won with young unknown players like todays A’s team is doing with another great manager in Bob Melvin.
And in an interview with ESPN’s Roy Firestone a few years before Billy’s death, Billy stopped Roy in the middle of the questioning to give a sign to those part of a charity he created for deaf and mentally challenged youth. He really seemed sincere when he did that.
Chronicle columnist Bruce Jenkins said it was alot of fun to cover those 81 Billy Martin A’s. Jenkins said everybody was toasting with Billy in the lockerroom and saying “lets have another” while nobody seem to care.
It all fell apart fast in 82 when the A’s and Martin self destructed and lost 100 games.
September 15th, 2012 2:48 pm
CohnZohn
I believe a big ego is an asset in competitive sports. I certainly am not criticizing the people I named for having big egos
September 15th, 2012 2:48 pm
CohnZohn
chris, in spite of what bruce jenkins wrote, billy martin was a despicable human being and bruce knows it.
September 15th, 2012 3:37 pm
Stan
Tim Hardaway. Barry Zito who considers himself a Renaissance man-lol. Lets hope Barry’s cooking and singling/songwriting get better as he ages..like his pitching has miraculously done this year.
As far as sports media..ya got Radnich,then Krueger. Look up smug in the dictionary and a picture of Tim Kawakami in his Dockers and sport coat and blue hush puppies ( I wore those too-in 1968) as his every day outfit. He’s not overtly obnoxious smug..just smug.
I’m avoiding those already mentioned in case your wondering…
Ever since Raddy said that ch7′s Mike Schulman looks down his nose at fellow football media..yeah,I guess he does seem egotistical.
I’m trying to think hard of a woman who shows great confidence in a good or bad way in local sports…but my egodar isn’t coming up with any “acts”. Just grounded woman in sports.
Jenna Wolff at ABC in NY would be one..but she’s not local.
more later…
September 15th, 2012 4:13 pm
Brotha Tuna
LC-
Any similarities i.y.o. between Billy Martin and Al Davis?
Also on list: Glenn Dickey, Willie Brown, & Arnold.
September 15th, 2012 6:51 pm
Dan
“Don’t let anybody tell you that a big ego is a bad thing. Tiger Woods, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and Cal Ripken Jr. have lots of ego, and so does anyone anywhere who is dedicated to taking his or her talent as far as it will go. I’ve got a big ego too … Here’s what a big ego is: pride, self-confidence, self-esteem, self-assurance. Ego is a powerful and productive engine. In fact, without a healthy ego you’ve got a big problem … Egotism is something else entirely. It’s an ego that’s been inflated like a hot-air balloon — arrogance that results from your own perceived skill, power or position. You become increasingly self-important, self-centered, and selfish, just as a hot-air balloon gets pumped with lots of hot air until it turns into some big, ponderous entity that’s slow, vulnerable, and easily destroyed.” — Bill Walsh, “The Score Takes Care of Itself.”
September 15th, 2012 6:55 pm
CohnZohn
Brotha Tuna, Al Davis had a much larger vision of life than Billy Martin.
September 15th, 2012 7:42 pm
Neal
Hugh Jackman talking in third person, what a dope, I would add Mike the Rev Singletary, he was on a sports show and said he will be one of the greatest coaches of all time.Yea that happened.
September 15th, 2012 11:02 pm
Jeff McMullin
Lowell: Lumping you in with Glenn Dickey was mean spirited and wrong. I don’t see that stuff in you at all–and Ira, Glenn, and you have been my go-to guys in Bay Area reporting (for different reasons). Imagine Dickey waxing philosophical??!!
Another great Rickey anecdote from Mendozaline.
And a top 3 ego list without Rick Barry? for shame
September 16th, 2012 7:38 am
Stan
Even Bill Walsh couldn’t name a woman with a big ego.
September 16th, 2012 8:22 am
Neal
Lowell,
Other than Hugh Jackson, you got to go with Mike Singletary, I remember listenning to Ralph and Tom on KNBR , and he said that head coaching was what he was meant to do, and he will be one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game. What nonsense.Talking about two bozo’s that were incompetent.
September 16th, 2012 8:59 am
chris
Lowell, I totally agree that Bruce knows about the dark side of Billy Martin. I’m sure he saw it many times while covering the A’s then.
I was quoting Bruce from an ESPN documentary on Billy, where they were celebrating the 80-81 seasons when Billy was working his magic as a manager.
The documentary did go into Billy’s dark side as well, mentioning he was juggling two women, one in Oakland and one on road trips.
And in the miserable 1982 season, during spring training Billy would stay in his trailer drinking booze while the coaches were running the team out on the field.
The coaches had to knock on the door of the trailer to get instructions from Billy…..how pathetic is that?
I just think Bruce Jenkins and fans like myself did enjoy the magical 1981 season that Billy had with the A’s and tried not to dwell on the negative behind the scenes side of Martin.
You do tend to point out the negative sides of sports figures which I think is important and gives edge to your writing and is why I’ve enjoyed reading your columns since 1980.
And that also strengthens your case that your not a fan although sometimes I question that with your 49er coverage.
I think these days you really want to experience going to a Super Bowl with your son Grant while both covering the team so there’s probably a bit of a 49er fan in you for that reason.
September 16th, 2012 9:50 am
Stan
Neal..Jackman is the actor. And believe me Neal,I had to double check as I almost did the same thing..again.
September 16th, 2012 1:47 pm
John Sousa
Is there any difference between Randy Moss from the Raiders (MOSS 18!) and Randy Moss right now? Do you get the impression a year out of football humbled him at all? He seems to be playing well.
September 17th, 2012 4:04 pm
CohnZohn
John, He had one catch yesterday. I have not spoken to him because he mostly avoids the media.
September 17th, 2012 4:28 pm