It seems with every new Cubs baseball season comes a new player fans collectively hate. Todd Hundley is an all-time favorite. LaTroy Hawkins held that dubious distinction in the 2005 season and Jacque Jones felt fans’ ire last year. However, Jones may breathe a sigh of relief as new outfielder Cliff Floyd is on pace to be the most hated Cub of the 2007 season.
“I was excited when I heard he was coming over,” Jones said of Floyd. “I don’t have to worry as much about balls getting thrown at me from the bleachers anymore with Cliff on the opposite side of the outfield.”
In only a few games of the young season, Floyd has already irritated fans by stranding runners and limbering softly around the bases. Considering Floyd’s proneness to injury and love of fatty foods, the disdain is only expected to grow, much to the surprise of the Chicagoland native himself.
“Look, there are a lot of other guys on this team capable of being hated more than me,” Floyd said. “Cesar [Izturis] made a bunch of errors the other day; Scott Eyre and Bob Howry are pitching poorly. The way guys on this team are playing so far, I wouldn’t doubt if [Alfonso] Soriano is hated more than me.”
