Hall of Fame Personality? No. Hall of Famer? Yes.

Jeff Kent is planning to retire Thursday afternoon.  The all-time home run leader among second basemen hit seventy-four more home runs (351 as a second baseman, 377 overall) than the previous record holder, hall of famer Ryne Sandberg (282 career home runs, 277 at second base).

He was the MVP of the National League in 2000, and was a five time all-star.  Kent was the most feared hitter among second basemen once Sandberg retired, and he put together some fantastic years for San Francisco during the peak of Barry Bonds steroid induced run.

There's no question that he should get into the hall of fame one day.  After all, how could a guy that holds the record for most home runs at his predominant position not get a call to Cooperstown?  

Kent was a great hitter who hit more than twenty home runs in nine straight seasons (1997-2005).   But his surly personality and his unwillingness to back down to teammates is what he might be remembered for most.  If there's anything that keeps him out of the hall on the first few ballots, it will be his tumultuous relationship with the media.

Is it fair?  Maybe not.  Though the fact remains that the way a player is perceived by the Baseball Writers of America, those who vote for him, is immensely critical to his potential enshrinement.

Jeff Kent had his famous shouting match with Barry Bonds in the dugout, which made him look good to people that knew Bonds was a terrible clubhouse influence at times.  But it didn't help his image in the media.

Nor did his lie to media that his 2002 motorcycle crash happened because he 'fell while washing it'.  When San Francisco Chronicle writer Henry Schulman found later that he fell off his bike while doing a wheelie, when the Giants had distinctly told him and Bonds not to, he became much less friendly to the writers in which he had previously confided.

Jeff Kent was never considered one of the good guys.  And he never had enough clout to be so surly.  While former teammate Barry Bonds was smashing the single season home run record in 2001 with 73 round trippers, (granted, we now know he did that using steroids, [allegedly, ha!]) Bonds could afford to act the way he wanted around the media because at the time he wielded such immense power in the game.  Kent was softer spoken, but while he quietly racked up quality season after quality season, he never let the media in, and consequently never received any positive publicity.

Media darlings like Peyton Manning, Derek Jeter and LeBron James can do no wrong in the press.  As a result, one day their careers will be revered and celebrated, then validated by trips to the hall of fame.  In the case of Kent, he'll never have the fan fare.  He'll never have the appreciation associated with what was a great career.  Sure, he's not at the level of the three players mentioned above, but because he was never thought of as a good person, he'll never be recognized for a superb and steady seventeen year career.

So if Kent was smart, he'd smile and be cheerful in announcing his retirement.  Because if that's the last image we have of Kent as a baseball player, for his sake, it better be a positive one. 

It's Easy To Be Valuable

Just as it's difficult to be a valuable member of your team, it's equally difficult to be incredibly useless.

By useless, of course, I'm not referring to that long snapper on your team, or some 8th string kicker. No, I'm talking about a player that is either supposed to be good, was good, or the team was counting on to be good, but, for whatever reason other than horrific injury, simply didn't not perform. At all.

Peyton Manning won the league's MVP on Friday, an award most fans are well aware of.

However, there's another award that comes out around this time, an award few know about. It's the league's LVP, or Least Valuable Player. Who it is that votes on this award isn't known (though it's suspected disgruntled fantasy football players have some pull), but, for the first time ever, I'm going to release not only the winner (or, loser) of the award, but the rest of the players that got serious consideration as well.

6. LaDainain Tomlinson
Almost despite LT, the Chargers made the playoffs, which makes his useless-ness all the more upsetting. If LaDainian Tomlinson, once the league's premier back, was awful and the Chargers were 3-13, it would make those old-school fans of Tomlinson feel as if he still had "it". Sure, he's had his injuries to deal with, namely a nagging turf toe, and now a groin injury. 2008 was, without doubt, the worst season of his eight year career: career lows in yards and ypg, and the lowest TD total since his rookie year.

5. Larry Johnson
If various public complaints about a lack of carries wasn't enough, Larry Johnson gets on this list only because he acted like a felon. Not sure where LJ was raised, but I'd imagine he wasn't taught to throw drinks in women's faces in clubs when they bother you. Just a shot in the dark. Then, when he actually did play, he wasn't even close to good. At first glance, a 4.5 ypc isn't bad at all, right? Wrong. If you take out the two 60+ yard runs he had, that lofty average comes down to a more representative 3.9. That's not to mention, he had four games where he had under 40 yards.

4. Chad Johnson
Now, in fairness, Chad Javon Ocho Cinco's season is partly to blame on not having any semblance of a running game or quarterback all season. Injuries don't help either, but, it's just too hard not to want to put Ochenta y Cinco on a list like this. By far, his worst season since his rookie year. Johnson, miraculously, managed to go the entire season without a single game with even 90 yards receiving.

3. Jason Campbell
The former Auburn QB started the season like a Meatloafed bat-out-of-hell, avoiding throwing a pick in the first half of the season. Second half? Not so strong, for young Mr. Campbell. And, his team, unfortunately, felt it, big time. After leading his team to a 6-2 record without a single INT, his second half featured 6 picks, and his team fell to an eventual even 8-8.

2. David Garrard/Derek Anderson
I've never understood what people liked about the Jaguars or David Garrard, so his place on this list doesn't shock me one bit. Outside of a typically dynamic RB duo in MJD and the ancient one Freddie Taylor, this team doesn't have much in the way of skill players on the offensive side of the ball. Of course, there is Matt Jones, who is incredibly skilled, if you include amongst his skills breaking the law and not having a position. Garrard can run, but not incredibly well. His arm is pretty good, but not great, nor horribly accurate. Six of his career high 13 picks came in the fourth quarter of games this year.

In a tie for second was another QB, a really big one, almost as big as the amount of disappointment he left the city of Cleveland with. All six foot six inches of Derek Anderson was just awful this year. After breaking out last season, Anderson completely stunk the joint up. Sure, Braylon Edwards dropping nearly everything thrown his way didn't help much. But, it was summed up nicely when he was benched after a Week 8 loss to Baltimore. Final numbers of 9 TDs to 8 INts really have people rethinking who exactly is their franchise QB in Cleveland.

1. Reggie Bush
The player once decried as the future superstar running back of the NFL, just three short years ago, is now likely best known for dating a girl that made a sex tape than his on-field accomplishments. Reggie Bush wasn't expected to be a feature back for the Saints this year, but he was expected to play, and be effective in the role Sean Payton had carved out for him as a scat/receiving back. Instead, he showcased how incredibly soft he plays (often ducking out of the field of play to avoid contact), and how he'll likely do very little in the NFL. No one doubts his speed and agility and acceleration. Dude's off the hook in Madden. In real life though, he's been nothing but useless and a disappointment, especially when the number one pick that year, Super Mario Williams, is ripping apart offensive lines across the league. This year, three running backs (Adrian Peterson, Michael Turner, and DeAngelo Williams) each had better seasons (this year!) than Reggie Bush has had a career. Tough break, Saints.