Early 90s White Sox Player Calls The Big Hurt A "Douche Bag" In New Bo Jackson Biography
Klemmer gave his take on this tidbit from an outsider's perspective. He said about what I expected, but the reason this snippet from Jeff Pearlman's new Bo Jackson biography didn't make its rounds in Chicago media or White Sox fanbase all that much is because it's old news.
Granted I was a young lad in the '90s as I was born in '88, but it was never some secret that The Big Hurt was a giant douche in his early days as an MLB STAR. I remember hearing Frank was a total prick in the clubhouse and off the field as far back as my memory goes. I idolized the guy though - legit put him on a holy pedestal - so I never really gave a shit about any of that. As I look back to all that, however, I can see why he was a douche. The dude was the greatest hitter in the game, a back-back-MVP winner, and well en route to the Hall of Fame as a YOUNG kid.
Just look at these stats from his '94 strike-shortened season:
absolutely fucking absurd season that would have gone down as one of the single greatest offensive seasons ever
as well as his career stats:
Dude wasn't just a really good hitter, he was "the" hitter for a 5 year stretch from 1990-1995:
So yeah… guy was cocky. Most people dominating their profession in their early-to-mid 20s are going to be a cocky douches, especially when they professional is one that makes you a famous public figure.
But that's no longer The Big Hurt. He's changed. I've also heard this from the majority of people that have been around him since he's retired on both a professional level and personal level as well. Don't take it from me, take it from everyone's favorite baseball personality, Ozzie Guillen:
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"I fucking love you bro!!" - Ozzie to Frank
Anyone who watches those two yuck it up on the pre/post games knows they have a great relationship, and anyone who's followed Ozzie throughout his 40ish years in the game knows that while he has a mouth, he's also a dude who doesn't lie, even if lying would be a benefit to him. Dude's as honest as they come, and probably a big part of why he's not a manager today.
So yeah… The Hurt may have been a cocky douche, sure. But most 24 year old dudes lighting the world on fire with a ton of money would be douches too. That's why I don't give too much of a shit about Bo Jackson or any other teammate calling Frank names in his book. I'd be a douche, you'd be a douche, we'd all be douches. For the most part.
Assuming Ozzie isn't going to be named manager this week, I want him and Frank to have the EXACT same vibes on the pre/post games as they have over the last handful of years. It's excellent entertainment and those guys know & love baseball as much as anyone, so long as you're not asking Ozzie about exit velocity (IYKYK)
SIDE NOTE
Or is it a side question? Idk who cares… but is it more of a jab to call someone a "douche bag" or just a flat "douche"? I tend to think it's the latter. I reserve "douche" for when I REALLY dislike someone. "Douche bag" is more for people who kinda just suck but you deal with them when you need to, but they're easy to ignore.
HELP ME OUT HERE PEOPLE and when you're done, check out our "insults draft" from a few weeks back: