Each Wednesday on TribLive Radio, with hosts with Ken Laird and Guy Junker, listeners vote on the "Jagoff of the Week" award. This prestigious award is given to the biggest 'Jag' in sports over the previous week. Here is an update on the Jag Champs of 2012:
*Todd Graham reigning Jagoff of the Year for 2011*
Jan 4 – Santonio Holmes, who got kicked out of the NY Jets huddle in Week 17 by his teammates
Jan 11 – Donald Fehr, for building NHLPA strength and stubborness in the last year of the NHL labor deal. Fehr denied the league's attempt at re-alignment
Jan 18 – NBC Sports hockey analysts Keith Jones and Mike Milbury for their accusations of Evgeni Malkin for a "low bridge" and "sneak attack" on Tampa's Vinny Lecavalier. Malkin merely ducked a check along the boards from Vinny and then took a sucker punch in a scrum from a frustrated Vinny
Jan 25 – Alexander Ovechkin, for his hit on Pens defenseman Zibby Michalek that resulted in Ovie's 3-game suspension for leaving his feet and giving a blow to the head. Also, Ovechkin then skipped the All Star Game since he was suspended
Feb 1 – Penguins fans who left early down 4-1 to Toronto. The Pens came back to win 5-4 in a shootout.
Feb 8 – The NY Giants fans who heckled Gisele Bundchen coming out of the Lucas Oil luxury boxes, for saying "Eli owns your husband." They narrowly beat out Gisele herself, who told those fans that Brady can't catch the ball, too.
Feb 15 – Todd Haley, for still not calling Ben Roethlisberger two weeks after being hired… narrowly beats out Ben himself for whining to reporters about it
Feb 22 – John Steigerwald, for leaving nail clippings on the windowsill and eating the Dunkin Donut with the 'P' icing in Let's Go Pens before the Ben Lovejoy Show could video it
Feb 29 – Janoris Jenkins, NFL Draft prospect who announced at the NFL Combine he had fathered 4 children under the age of 3-years old to go along with his three arrests, two for drug posession.
Mar 7 – Erik Nystrom, for his hit on Kris Letang on the previous Wednesday night… Nystrom was initially tracking the puck but instead veered off to clip Letang in the chin. The league finished second in voting for not suspending Nystrom.
Mar 14 – The Syracuse men's basketball team, who lost 7' C Fab Melo to ineligibility on the eve on the NCAA Tourney as Melo never attended classes. In addition, allegations of prior team drug use that went un-disciplined and the fiasco surrounding former assistant Bernie Fine factored in the voting.
Mar 21 – Rangers HC John Tortorella, for his hypocrisy in yelling at NJ Devils coach Pete Deboer for putting his goons out to start their game at MSG that resulted in 3 fights 3 seconds into the game. Tortorella had sent his out for the previous game in New Jersey to start, resulting in 2 fights 2 seconds in
Mar 28 – Ottawa anthem singer Measha Brueggergosman for taking 4 minutes to sing both anthems before the Pens – Sens game
April 4 – Mike Milbury, for ripping Dan Bylsma and Sidney Crosby on WIP radio in Philly the day after the Flyers played the Penguins and Bylsma was behind assistant Tony Granato as Philly coach Peter Laviolette was yelling at the Pens' bench. Milbury said Bylsma should have taken his skirt off, referenced Sid's 35th concussion, that he has a little punk in him, he's not a goody two shoes, he's the king of whining, screw him I'd hit him
*2nd award of the Year for Milbury*
April 11 – Bobby Petrino, for his marital affair with a 25-year old former Arkansas volleyball player whom he got a job within the university, and then covered up her accompanying him on his motorcycle when he wrecked.
April 18 – The Penguins entire organization, as they sat down 3-0 in their 1st Round series to the Philadelphia Flyers. In Game 1, they blew a 3-0 lead and lost in OT. In Game 2, they blew leads of 2-0, 3-1, and 5-4 in the 3rd Period. In Game 3, they melted down with a series of fights and cheap hits.
April 25 – The Penguins Penalty Kill unit, including assistant coach Tony Granato, as they allowed Philly to convert 52% of their chances in the series for a total of 12 PP goals, a team record.
May 2 – Roger Goodell, for too much hugging of NFL Draft picks during last Thursday night's opening round, and for waiting until after the draft to suspend 4 New Orleans Saints players for bounty-gate
May 9 – Jaromir Jagr, for saying his season in Philadelphia was the best of his career even though he has "a couple cups, awards, and things"
May 16 – Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals rookie, for throwing his bat off the runway wall and cutting himself in the eye, resulting in 10 stitches.
May 23 – John Tortorella, Rangers coach, after multiple series of giving one minute press conferences with snippy answers, as well as more bench histrionics and shouting / pointing at Devils coach Peter DeBoer.
*2nd Award of the Year*
May 30th – Mike Wallace, for his continued holdout
June 6th – Warren Sapp, for predicting the Steelers won't make the playoffs now that they lost their veterans Aaron Smith, James Farrior, and Hines Ward
June 13th – Boxing judges in Manny Pacquaio – Timothy Bradley fight… Duane Ford, CJ Ross ruled Bradley the winner despite landing almost 100 fewer punches (253 – 159)
June 20th – The hockey mom in Boston who came on the ice to break up a fight when referees weren't doing so
June 27th – Jersey woman suing 11 year old for hitting her with a baseball
July 3 (Tuesday) – Jose Tabata, for continued lollygagging over the course of the previous week that got him demoted to AAA
July 11 – ESPN, for barely acknowledging Andrew McCutchen was at-bat during the HR Derby broadcast as they interviewed Texas OF Josh Hamilton during his entire 4 HR performance
July 18 – Dez Bryant, Cowboys WR, for allegedly attacking his mother (turned into police by his mother). Bryant narrowly beat out Mark Appel, who turned down the Pirates offer of 3.8 million to go back to Stanford for his senior season
July 25 – Jose Tabata, for "checking out" in AAA games according to Indy broadcaster Will Flemming from WNDE
Aug 1 – NBC for their coverage of the Olympics with Tape Delay… including promoting the "Today Show" with coverage with footage of Olympic results that hadn't been aired yet
Aug 8 – MLB Ump Brian Gorman, who ejected PIrates manager Clint Hurdle from the Saturday game against the Reds after Gorman warned both teams upon a 2nd straight day of plunking from a Reds pitcher. The previous night, Aroldis Chapman had plunked McCutchen, and then Saturday, Mike Leake hit Josh Harrison
Aug 15 – Ochocinco… for his head butting of his new wife after being caught for infidelity… he had kept a condom receipt in his Smart car that she found
Aug 22 – Skip Bayless, for suggesting that white Washington Redskins fans will naturally pull for Kirk Cousins to succeed over RGIII
Aug 29 – Umpire Adrian Robinson, for issuing a warning for both teams as Josh Harrison was hit by a St. Louis Cardinals pitcher, this in retaliation for Harrison bowling over catcher Yadier Molina on a play at the plate.
Sep 5 – Franco Harris, for having a cardboard cutout of JoePa in his luxury suite at Beaver Stadium as well as continuous calls of NCAA Presidents to get them to refute their NCAA sanctions
Sep 12 – Brandon Phillips, for accusing Pirates pitcher Jared Hughes of a racial slur after Hughes hit him with a pitch and Phillips angrily threw the ball back at him
Sep 19 – The NHL and NHLPA collectively for yet another labor stoppage, with the league announcing that training camps set to open on Sept 21st would not be doing so.
Sep 26 – The Pirates, mired in Epic Collapse II, as they dipped 3 games under .500 while losing 2 of 3 to the lowly Houston Astros. The previous Thursday, Trib columnist Dejan Kovacevic revealed details on Navy SEALS training that development camp was undertaking, including pushing truck tires through the outfield… as well as an email from Asst GM Kyle Stark encouraging minor league managers to "be crazy and take risks like the Hells Angels".
Oct 3 – The U.S. Ryder Cup team, who at the "Miracle at Medinah" choked away a 10-6 lead entering the final day of play, allowing Europe to win 8 singles matches (with 1 tie) to take the competition outright. In 85 years of the event's competition, it was the largest blown final-day lead.