Being from Texas: the first yellow flag against them. There seems to be a built in arrogance emanating from a lot of Texans I meet. Yeah, I know, biggest state, big egos, blah, blah, blah…

I thought I had let go of that personal bias until George Bush, eviscerated the Constitution, tortured people, and brought this country to the brinks of endless war and financial ruin.

Sorry, am I getting political? (Write my editor and complain).

The second yellow flag hits the Cowboys’ turf because they still bitch and moan about losing to the Steelers in Super Bowls XIII AND XIV. You know what, Pittsburgh was the team of the 70’s. We beat you twice. Shut the hell up.

Third yellow flag rains down because Jerry Jones and too many Cowboy players work too damn hard to earn the name “CryBoys.”

I hope Jones continues his arrogant meddling in football matters. It almost guarantees the Cowboys will continue sucking as they have sucked for what, 12 years, now?

Sometimes I watch a replay of Super Bowl 13 just to see Staubach’s pass clang off Jackie Smith’s chest. No, not because I am cruel, but it is the play all of Texas looks at as being the turning point of the game.

Waahh!!!

Truth is, the reception would have tied the score, not given Dallas the lead. Every team in every game can point to a play or plays that turns victory into defeat. Like Ray Lewis said after the Poe Birds lost the 2008 AFC championship. “They came out and made the plays. We didn’t, simple as that.”

Did I mention the arrogance of calling Dallas “America’s Team,” Jerry Jones’ meddling, the contrived and tired Texas mystique? I did?

Perhaps hate is to weak a word.

THE OAKLAND RAIDERS

I will trash talk, in a fun way, with any fan of any team. I will never fight over any Pittsburgh team, ever. It is friggin’ sports! Have fun, have a beer, but do not forget about what is truly important in life.

The whole Raider Nation—am I mistaken or are many of them featured in those Capital One commercials—take what should be a good-natured exercise and turn it into assault and battery, or murder.

If you are dressed as Attila the Hun and you and your henchmen are gang-beating a Charger fan to death on a Sunday afternoon, you need to reflect upon the purpose of your existence. Really…

Also, until very recently, John Madden would bring up the gut-wrenching Immaculate Reception—and how he still doubted Franco’s catch—during every broadcast featuring Pittsburgh. Funny how the former Raiders’ coach never admits if Jack Tatum hadn’t acted like a bad ass and unnecessarily blasted Frenchy Fuqua, the ball game would have been over.

Then, maybe, just maybe, in the following week’s AFC Championship, the “Raidaaas” would have beaten another hate list denizen…

THE MIAMI DOLPHINS

They will always have a hallowed Hate List rank because of the bush league, annual, playground ritual of popping champagne when the NFL’s last undefeated team loses. “Nyah, Nyah, Nyah, Nyah, Nyah, we’re still the only undefeated team.”

Maybe the ‘72 Dolphins are too blitzed from the bubbly to realize how ridiculous they look—and how they diminish what in itself is a unique and great feat.

My Dad drove to my Uncle’s place in Ohio so we could watch that 1972 AFC Championship game: the hardest hitting, cleanest, most well-coached, greatest football game I’ve ever watched—and my team lost. When Shula called the fake punt that kept Miami’s game winning drive alive, I put a broomstick through my Uncle’s ceiling.

(I wasn’t drunk, honest. I simply don’t remember what I was doing with a broomstick. Everyone else in the house was drunk, so they don’t know either).

It was not until a few years ago I saw a retrospective on that game and learned Chuck Noll had instructed a player to watch for the fake. You can hear Noll yelling, “Fake!” on the sideline.

Point being, Miami made the play; Pittsburgh did not. And every time those stinkin’ Fish pop that champagne, they erode the greatness of that game and the brilliant undefeated season they capped off in the Super Bowl.

They deserve to be hated.

NEXT: The Top Two Teams I Hate Most

• January 18, 2009 -- UNBELIEVABLE! (2)
• January 16, 2009 -- NFL Playoff Picking (3)
• December 21, 2008 -- The Hate List (9)
• December 14, 2008 -- Playoff Picture Still Murky (0)
• December 3, 2008 -- A Tales of Two Cities (0)

In case you haven’t heard, Alex Rodriguez is expected to be out four months with a torn labrum in his right hip.  Now, I’m not one to wish injury on anybody, but does anyone else feel like he’s experiencing some divine comeuppance in regards to his steroid use–or at least for his flippant apology afterwards.  Hmm, maybe that’s what happens when you don’t respect your body.

It must be the day of jackass players receiving their just deserts, what with loudmouth wide receiver Terrell Owens being released by the Dallas Cowboys.  Hey, TO, how many playoff victories did you have in Dallas?  Oh, yeah, I think the answer is zero, nada, nothing.  How much drama, how many controversies?  I don’t think I have enough fingers to count such a number on.

I won’t be shedding a tear for either of them.

• July 19, 2009 -- A-Roid Strikes Again (3)
• May 15, 2009 -- Drugs, Sports and Society (1)
• March 9, 2009 -- The Hate List: 3/9/09 – NFL Teams (16)
• February 26, 2009 -- Around the Horn, Sort of (5)
• February 18, 2009 -- Cinderella Story, Part 2… Who’s to Blame? (12)

Last week, I‘m in a sports bar the Flyers are losing a hockey game, the Steelers rallying against the Cowboys and the Yankees paying another mediocre player 80 million bucks. Mmm…Flyer, Cowboys, Yankees, I hate them all. Being a nostalgic guy, I started reviewing my personal sports hate list and it’s muti-decade evolution.

It dawned on me; I can’t be the only guy in America who maintains and regularly updates a such a list? Or can I?

Not a difficult task. Just ask yourself ‘Who do I Hate?’. There is no wrong answer, but like any legitimate endeavor—there are rules…

1.) The Hater must have a logical basis for his or her hate.

For example, you can’t hate the Denver Bronco’s just for wearing hideous uniforms but you can hate them if you once lived there and endured the very overrated “Orange Crush” defense.—they didn’t appreciate me calling them the Orange Slush—and because their hideous uniforms remind you of Mr. Ed on steroids.

2.) The Hater must prove undying loyalty and love for one particular team or city.

For example, if a hater hails from Boston and calls himself a Patsy fan, he must defend Bellidick and the Cheaters vociferously. Patriot haters know New England’s success of the last decade will forever be tainted and their rise on the Universal Hate Barometer—located atop a rowhouse in Philadelphia, where else?—eclipses that of the “Raidas” during the ‘70’s and the Cryboys for, oh, the last 40 years. The Cowboys, in fact, are the only team never to fall on the UHB. Probably a safe bet that status will never change given the UHB’s home

3.) The Hater cannot be a Yankees or Notre Dame fan.

If you are so much of a loser to root for teams with built in advantages for winning you cannot legitimately hate those of us who root for teams that struggle for years or decades in between seasons of success.

4.) The Hater cannot love a natural or otherwise determined rival of her beloved team.

There is no fence sitting in Hateball. If you love the Clippers, you cannot have a soft spot in your heart for the Lakers. If you love the Flyers you cannot think the Penguin’s logo is cute because it reminds you of Tennessee Tuxedo.

So, who do you hate?

Next week… the beginning of my Hate List.

• November 7, 2008 -- Are NFL Payrolls Inversely Proportional to On-Field Success? (0)
• January 12, 2009 -- Divisional Round Dish (0)
• April 29, 2009 -- The Hate List: 4/29/09 – My Top Two Most Hated Sports Teams (11)
• March 9, 2009 -- The Hate List: 3/9/09 – NFL Teams (16)
• February 14, 2009 -- The Hate List: 2/14/09 (4)

City (Francise) #2 – Dallas Cowboys: Earlier this week, Dallas placed Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones back on their 53-man roster after the NFL ended the troubled cornerback’s umpteenth suspension, thus enabling him to play in this weekend’s game against Pittsburgh.

What’s wrong with this picture?

New York has has taken the noble stance, punishing one of their stars in a way that could adversely affect the team.  Dallas and the NFL, on the other hand, have once again given Pacman Jones an (almost) free pass.  Yes, he was suspended, but how many times does he have to make an egregious error in judgment (let alone be involved in criminal acts) before somebody draws the line and says, “Enough is enough! You’re out of the league, permanently.”  After all, Dallas signed Jones this season fully aware of his maligned history.  Burress’s recent transgressions have been more of a surprise.

I applaud New York for acting in this manner.  For far too long franchises in all of the major sports (and, for that matter, universities in college sports) have been willing to look past off the field problems as long as the player in question performed come game time. Teams only meted out suspensions when their own team rules were broken.  More severe situations were left to the leagues and associations to handle, and sometimes not even then.

However, we’re slowly starting to see those look the other way attitudes change.  Earlier this week, the University of Connecticut suspended Andre Dixon after the running back was hit with a drunken-driving charge.  And the Dallas Stars have claimed (truthfully or not, we’ll never know) that they would have punished Sean Avery for his derogatory comments if the NHL hadn’t done so first.

It’s time for college and pro athletes alike to be held accountable for their actions.  Finally, some teams are doing so.

• December 1, 2008 -- December (0)
• April 29, 2009 -- The Hate List: 4/29/09 – My Top Two Most Hated Sports Teams (11)
• January 12, 2009 -- Divisional Round Dish (0)
• December 14, 2008 -- Playoff Picture Still Murky (0)
• May 9, 2009 -- Reply to “Open Letter to Brett Favre” (1)