When most people think of a hater, they think of someone who loathes everyone but themselves.  But as today’s HHOF inductee proves, there are also those haters who despise themselves as much, if not more than anyone else.

George Louis Costanza (aka Art Vandelay), Circa 1953

George Louis Costanza was born in New York, and is the son of Frank and Estelle Costanza.  His father Frank was once a cook for the “Fighting 103rd” during the Korean War; he also worked as a Christian artifacts salesman, and was the co-creator of a male undergarment known as “The Bro” (or The Manssiere).  His mother Estelle was a stay at home mom who helped turn George into the neurotic, easily angered, maladjusted individual that we all know and love.  George attended John F. Kennedy High School in Long Island, where he would meet his best friend and future comedian Jerry Seinfeld.  After graduating in 1971, George was unable to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming an architect, and ended up taking a job as a real estate agent for Rick Bahr properties in New York.  In what would become a recurring trend in both his professional and personal life, things didn’t end well and he was fired after being forbidden from using his boss’s private bathroom.

After living off unemployment for a while, George worked briefly for a rest stop supply company and then got a job at Pendant Publishing with the help of his friend Elaine Benes.  After it was discovered that he had sex with the company’s cleaning lady after hours at his desk, he was promptly fired.  The loss of another job resulted in George having to move back into his parent’s house until he got back on his feet financially.  He and his friend Jerry tried their hand as writers for a sitcom, and although the pilot was filmed by NBC, the series was not picked up by the network.  During his short time with NBC, he also met a network executive named Susan Biddle Ross, who would later become his future late fiance.  One day, in what can only be described as a moment of clarity, George realized that every decision he made throughout his life had been wrong.  By denying his natural instincts and doing the opposite of whatever he thought was right, he acquired a job with the New York Yankees by telling then-owner George Steinbrenner he had turned his beloved team into, “a laughing stock, all for the glorification of your massive ego!”  During his time as the team’s assistant to the traveling secretary, George became close with Mr. Steinbrenner and was often unwillingly subjected to the boss’s maniacal and offbeat ramblings.  Despite his best efforts, which included tying the team’s championship trophy to his car and dragging it all over the parking lot, he was unable to get fired by the organization.  However, he was later traded to the Tyler Chicken Company for a fermented chicken drink and some chicken snacks for the stadium’s concession stands.

After taking on a couple of other menial jobs from which he would eventually be fired, it looked like things were starting to fall into place when NBC’s new president made a deal with George and Jerry to produce their once defunct sitcom Jerry.  Before the two moved off to California to begin production, they were offered a free trip to a destination of their choosing by way of the network’s private jet.  After settling on Paris, George, Jerry, Elaine, and Jerry’s neighbor Cosmo Kramer travelled overseas for one last hurrah.  After a minor malfunction in the air, the group was grounded in Latham, Massachusetts until the private jet was repaired and ready for takeoff.  While walking around in the small town, the four of them witnessed a local man being carjacked at gunpoint and did what most New Yorkers would do, nothing.  Well, they did something.  And by something I mean they taped the event while cracking jokes and poking fun at the heavyset victim whose life was threatened.  After the incident was reported to the police, George and his friends become the first people charged with breaking the town’s new “Good Samaritan Laws.”  After a lengthy trial, George, Jerry, Elaine and Cosmo were found guilty and sentenced to one year in the state prison.  Upon his release from prison, George would go on to make millions after inventing an iPhone application known as the “iToilet”; but then he pretty much lost it all to a messy divorce and Bernie Madoff’s ponzi scheme.  Although no one knows exactly what has become of George Costanza, it is rumored that he now works for Jenny Craig and is an avid poker player.

The director’s of Shawshank Redemption bring you a new tale of love, loss, and a renewal of the human spirit – Costanza style:

A collection of Costanza’s greatest moments

“The Andrea Doria” gives insight into George’s life story:

Bernard Jeffrey McCullough, Born October 5, 1957  Died August 9, 2008

Bernard McCullough was born in a rough neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois’s South Side, where he lived with a large extended family and was raised by his mother.  Mac was drawn to comedy early in life, and said that he was influenced by entertainers like Redd Foxx, Richard Pryor, and The Three Stooges.  His first brush with stand-up came at the age of eight when Bernie did a routine about his grandparents in front of the congregation at his church.  He also spent time working as a gopher for entertainers at the Regal Theater, which strengthened his desire to get into showbiz one day.  After losing his mother to cancer at the age of 16, Bernie began doing odd jobs and even told jokes on the Chicago subway and in local parks to try to earn money.  He moved to Tampa, Florida and worked as a furniture mover and UPS agent, but in 1977 he returned to Chicago to begin performing comedy professionally on the night club circuit.  The same year that Mac entered the comedy circuit, he married his high school sweetheart, and remained with her for the next 31 years.

At the age of 32 Bernie won the Miller Lite Comedy Search contest, and his reputation as an up and coming comedic talent soon began to spread.  In 1992, he was invited to perform a set on HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, and viewing audiences were introduced to Mac’s own unique comic stylings and boisterous demeanor.  As a result of this appearance, Bernie was cast to play a bit part in the 1992 movie Mo Money starring Damon Wayans.  As he continued to tour doing comedy, Mac had secondary roles in several other films during the 90′s that included House Party 3, Above the Rim, Friday, How to be a Player, and Life.  He was dubbed one of the Original Kings of Comedy after headlining a comedy tour and 2000 documentary of the same name.  The film was directed by Spike Lee, and featured live routines from a two night performance with Mac, Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D.L. Hughley.  Shortly after the film’s release, Bernie approached the Fox Network about doing a sitcom that was loosely based on his life and comedy act.  The Bernie Mac Show debuted on November 14, 2001 and ran for five seasons before being cancelled.  The show continues to run in syndication on FX and BET, and his character was included in TV Guide’s list of the “50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time.”  He also played a prominent role as Frank Catton in the box office hit Ocean’s Eleven, and two sequels that followed.

In 2007, Bernie Mac announced that he would retire from comedy so he could pursue his other passions and basically just enjoy his life.  That same year, he also founded The Bernie Mac Foundation to raise awareness and find a cure for sarcoidosis.  Mac was diagnosed with this autoimmune disease in 1983, which caused inflammation in tissue, and weakened his lungs throughout his life.  In August of 2008 Bernie was admitted to a hospital in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois.  After several unsuccessful treatments, Bernie Mac died on the morning of August 9th as a result of complications from pneumonia at the age of 50.  There was a public funeral held for the comedian on August 16, and over 8,000 people showed up at the House of Hope Church to pay their respects.  It’s obvious that this Hall of Fame Hater died way too young, but there’s no doubt his comedy will continue to live on in the laughs of everyone who admired his work.

“I ain’t scared of you muthafuckas!”:

Mac’s performance from The Original Kings of Comedy:

Today the Hater Hall of Fame welcomes the funniest canine puppet to ever smoke a cigar and belittle unsuspecting individuals with his razor sharp wit:  

Triumph, The Insult Comic Dog (aka comedian Robert Smigel)

Triumph’s first appearance was in 1993 on NBC’s Late Night with Conan O’Brien, where he was featured in a skit exploring the glamorous world of The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.  It didn’t take long for this Yugoslavian Mountain Hound to gain a loyal and obedient following, or get kicked out of the dog show, and soon Triumph was one of the most popular characters on Conan’s show.  He has since traveled to many different locales and events, pissing off numerous people along the way at stuffy, taken-too-seriously events like an American Idol audition and the Democratic National Convention.  Over his 126 dog year-career, Triumph has also schmoozed and sniffed the butts of various celebrities at self-aggrandizing award shows like the MTV Movie Awards and the Tony Awards.

Now for a little background on the hand inside the ass, Triumph’s creator Robert Smigel. Smigel was born in New York City on February 7, 1960, where his father Irwin Smigel worked as a dentist – he actually introduced tooth bonding, which earned him the title of “The Father of Cosmetic Dentistry.” His dad is also the founder and president of the American Society for Dental Aesthetics. Robert began his comedy career studying improv at The Players Workshop in Chicago, and by the early 80′s he was working as a member of the “All You Can Eat” comedy troupe. In 1985, Smigel was hired by Lorne Michaels as a writer for Saturday Night Live, a job which he still holds. By being a part of this iconic show for more than 25 years, Smigel holds the distinction of being the longest tenured writer in the show’s 35-year history. Most of his work, including Triumph, has taken place behind the camera throughout his career; but he did appear regularly in the “Bill Swerski’s Superfans” skits, and was one of Hub’s Gyros employees (aka the “You like-uh the juice” skit). Smigel also created the animated, sometimes controversial and always funny shorts known as TV Funhouse for SNL. It was picked up as a half-hour show on Comedy Central in 2000, but only eight episodes were aired before it was cancelled. Smigel has had some bit roles in pretty much every film starring his friend, and SNL alumni Adam Sandler as well, including: Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, Little Nicky, and You Don’t Mess With Zohan – a film in which he also served as one of executive producers. After watching as much of “Zohan” as I could handle (about 20 mins), I’m not sure Smigel would willingly admit his level of involvement with the film. But instead of dwelling on the bad, let’s relive some of the best moments from Smigel’s best friend Triumph:

Triumph waiting in line before the premiere of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones:

The second to last episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast in 2004 featuring Triumph as the guest:

A Bon Jovi concert in New Jersey:

Joseph Frank Pesci, Born February 9, 1943

Joseph Pesci was born in Newark, New Jersey, where his mother Mary worked as a part time barber, and his father Angelo was a forklift driver with General Motors and bartender. Pesci began appearing in plays in New York City at the age of five, and at age ten he was cast as a regular on a TV variety show called Star Time Kids.  According to people who were associated with the show, Pesci was a funny youngster.  They wanted to be clear, however, and said it wasn’t the way he talked, and he wasn’t funny like a clown or there to amuse anyone, he was just fuckin’ funny.  In the mid-60′s he released an album titled “Little Joe Sure Can Sing” under the stage name Joe Ritchie.  He also played guitar briefly for Joey Dee and The Starlifters, who were responsible for helping to launch the twist dance craze in 1961 with their hit song “The Peppermint Twist.”

In the 1960′s, Pesci followed in his mother’s footsteps and worked as a barber for a short time.  He would receive his first starring film role in the 1976 low budget crime film The Death Collector (also known as The Family Enforcer), was cast as debt collector/small time criminal named Joe.  The film wasn’t a box office success, and didn’t immediately lead to any more roles at the time, so he returned to the Bronx and ran a restaurant.  However, a few years later his role in The Death Collector paid career-changing dividends when he was contacted by two people who had noticed his work, director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert DeNiro.  This lead to a role as Joey LaMotta in the 1980 Academy Award-winning classic Raging Bull.  Pesci’s performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor (he lost to Timothy Hutton) and helped him win BAFTA Award for Most Outstanding Newcomer to Leading Film Roles.  The role also established a longtime friendship with DeNiro and Scorcese, which soon eventually led to one of his most famous roles in the 1990 film Goodfellas. Pesci played the role of Tommy DeVito, which was based on the life of Lucchese crime family associate Thomas “Two-Gun Tommy” DeSimone.  The film and Pesci himself earned critical acclaim, which led to him winning his first Academy Award in 1990 for Best Supporting Actor.  After appearing in several other popular franchises, including Home Alone and three of the four Lethal Weapon films. Pesci took a six year hiatus from acting, and just recently has he appeared in films like The Good Shepherd in 2006 and most recently Love Ranch.  He is still semi-retired, but Pesci has signed on to play Angelo Ruggerio in the highly-anticipated TV series Gotti: Three Generations (coming in 2013) alongside a host of other actors that includes Al Pacino and John Travolta.  Although he is semi-retired from acting, he will always be a full-time hater with his induction into the Hater Hall of Fame:

Pesci’s best moments from Goodfellas and Casino

Jim Breuer stars in The Joe Pesci Show:

John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. Born February 16, 1959

John McEnroe was born in Wiesbaden, West Germany, where his father John Patrick Sr. was stationed at the time with the U.S. Air Force.  John Sr., his wife Kay and John Jr. moved to the New York area in 1960, and McEnroe’s dad began working as an ad agent while also attending Fordham Law School at night.  He has two younger brothers, Mark and his mirror image-named sibling Patrick John, who was also a professional tennis player.  John began playing tennis when he was eight years-old in Douglaston, Queens at a nearby club, and by age nine his parents had enrolled him in the Eastern Lawn Tennis Association so he could begin playing competitively.  A few years later after playing in several national tournaments, he joined the Port Washington Tennis Academy in Long Island.  In 1977, he graduated from the prestigious Trinity school, which Forbes Magazine recently named as “the best college preparatory school in the United States.”

As an amateur in 1977, he won the mixed open doubles at the French Open with fellow American Mary Carillo, and then made it through the qualifier to compete in his first Wimbledon.  He lost in the semifinals to Jimmy Connors, which at the time was a record performance by an amateur.  A year later he enrolled at Stanford University, and as a freshman he won both the NCAA singles and team title.  Shorty after his first year of college was over, he shed his amateur status and joined the ATP tour at the age of 19.  McEnroe would win five titles in his first year as a pro, with his most notable victory coming at the Masters Grand Prix against tennis legend Arthur Ashe.  In his second year on the tour John won his first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open, making him the youngest male winner in the tournament’s history.

It was also around this time that people began to take notice of what would become his trademark temper tantrums during matches, which where almost exclusively directed at tournament officials when he felt he was on the receiving end of a bad call.  In the finals of Wimbledon in 1980, McEnroe was booed by fans as he entered the court to play Björn Borg, which was the result of some anger he had unleashed on officials in his semifinal match.  Although he would lose the final match to Borg in five sets, it is still considered by many to be the greatest match in the tournament’s 130+ year history. The next year at Wimbledon he continued his vocal ways, and was not only fined, but also almost thrown out of the tournament for cussing at one ref, and calling another “the pits of the world.”  In case you were unaware, the English are known for taking their tennis (and pretty much everything else) too seriously, so they viewed his behavior as uncivilized and barbaric when compared to their antiquated, prim and proper society.

Since talking about the rest of McEnroe’s distinguished career would be just as boring as watching it, here are some clips that highlight the persona most people will remember about the newest Hater Hall of Fame inductee.

Christopher Julius Rock III, Born February 7, 1965

Christopher Rock was born in Andrews, South Carolina, and is the son of Julius and Rosalie Rock.  He is the oldest of four children in the family, but also had an older half-brother who sadly died from complications of alcoholism in 2006.  Shortly after he was born his parents moved to Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood, but they relocated a few years later and settled in Bedford-Stuyvesant.  His mother worked both as a teacher and social worker for the mentally handicapped, and his father was a former truck driver.  Rock’s parents were very strict on their kids, and were also big on them getting an education.  When Chris was of high school age, his parents decided to have him bused to a nearly all-white school in the largely Italian neighborhood of Bensonhurst so he could get a better education.  In his 1997 memoir Rock This!, Rock recalls how their decision ended up backfiring:

“My parents assumed I’d get a better education in a better neighborhood.  What I actually got was a worse education in a worse neighborhood.  And a whole bunch of ass-whippings.”

The bullying became worse as time wore on, and after his parents decided to pull him out of the school, Rock chose to drop out altogether.  He received his GED, then joined the wonderful workforce and held a few different soul-crushing jobs.

Rock first started doing comedy at New York City’s “Catch a Rising Star” in 1984, and he slowly began to make a name for himself due to his stand-up and bit roles in I’m Gonna Git You Sucka and the TV show Miami Vice.  One night while he was performing, fellow comedian and movie superstar Eddie Murphy caught his act.  Murphy was impressed with Rock’s comedic talent, and the two soon became friends.  Eddie also mentored Chris, and helped him get his first credited film role as “The Playboy Mansion Valet” in Beverly Hills Cop II.  In 1990, Rock caught his first big break when he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live.  Chris started at the same time as Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider and David Spade, and the five of them soon became known as the “Bad Boys of Saturday Night Live.”  Rock had some memorable moments on SNL, but left in 1993 as his frustrations with playing a limited role on the show reached a tipping point.

After a short stint on In Living Color, Rock decided to focus on a career in film.  He wrote and starred in the 1993 hip-hop mockumentary CB4, which opened at #1 in its opening weekend and grossed a total of over $ 17 million during its run at the box office.  But CB4 was panned by critics, even though many people now consider it a cult classic, and it did not result in Rock find more acting work.  So he decided to return back to his roots in stand-up, and started by filming his first HBO comedy showcase, Big Ass Jokes.  It was a minor success, but it was his 1996 special Bring the Pain that finally thrust him into the spotlight.  The show revolved around his take on controversial current events like the OJ Simpson murder case, as well as common topics like race relations and marriage.  Bring the Pain won two Emmy Awards in 1997, and his popularity increased dramatically.  HBO gave him his own series in 1997, The Chris Rock Show, which featured the writing of another up-and-coming comedian by the name of Louis CK.  He went on to release two more HBO stand-up specials in 1999 and 2004, and had feature roles in a mix of good (Lethal Weapon 4) and so-so (The Longest Yard remake) movies.  He also recently made his Broadway debut in a play titled The Motherfucker With the Hat.  Rock plays a reformed alcoholic named Ralph D who, “preaches the gospel of AA with a convert’s fervor, yet it doesn’t stop him from doing whatever he wants to whomever he wants.”  But no matter how many plays, movies, or shows Rock takes part in, I will always think of him as a gifted, controversial and thought-provoking stand-up comedian who dabbles in the art of hatin’ – and the hungry guy who wants one rib (I can’t even begin to calculate how many times I’ve uttered his lines from that movie.) All of the following clips are NSFW

An explanation concerning the difference between being rich, as opposed to wealthy:

Rock talks about the current state of rap music:

His hilarious take on the old “differences between men and women” discussion:

Today’s inductee into the Hater Hall of Fame was the proprietor of a junkyard/antique dealership in Watts, and a big fan of Ripple – as well as ”Beaujolipple”, “Cripple”, and “Champipple”:

Fred G. Sanford,  Born January 21, 1908

Frederick Sanford was born in St. Louis, Missouri and spent much of his young life there.  He married a girl named Elizabeth Winfield at a young age, and in 1946 they moved to a poor neighborhood in Los Angeles, California with their son Lamont.  His wife unexpectedly passed away a year later, and Fred soon started a junk/antique business out of his home.  Lamont eventually dropped out of high school to help out his father, and “Sanford & Son” was born.  

Fred G. Sanford is an old man who’s known for having a difficult disposition, which could be compared to another character who’s associated with junk.  He is also a terrible cook, a dreamer, a bigot, and quite the ladies man.  Despite him being prone to fake heart attacks and other various illnesses, Fred never backs down from a fight when he feels slighted.  He is always more than willing to offer “five ‘cross yo lip” or “one of these where you sneeze.”  Even though Lamont is the only family Fred has outside of a younger sister he rarely sees, he affectionately refers to his son as “big dummy” and constantly questions his intelligence.  Consequently, Lamont is the only one who does any actual work at Sanford & Son, on account of Fred’s “arthur-itis.”  The only other semblance of family that he has also happens to be his arch nemesis, his late wife’s sister “Aunt Esther.”  Esther and the rest of the family never liked Fred, and despite Lamont’s best efforts, the hatred between the two is an ongoing (and hilarious) theme.  Here are some Fred’s finer moments, including a peek into the ongoing rivalry with his sister-in-law Esther Anderson (may be a few overlapping clips, sorry).  You can read the full fictional biography of Fred Sanford here.

Links to a few of my favorite episodes of Sanford & Son:

“The Puerto Ricans are Coming”, Part I, Part II, Part III

“The Stung”, Part I, Part II, Part III

“Golden Boy”, Part I, Part II, Part III

“The Merger”, Part I, Part II, Part III

Todd Barry, Born March 26, 1964

Todd Barry’s calm demeanor, dry sense of humor, and deadpan delivery is a stark contrast from most of the previous comedians who have been inducted into the Hater Hall of Fame.  However, Barry’s comedy is dependent upon one thing that haters the world over have been using throughout the annals of history, sarcasm and a biting wit.

According to his website, Todd Barry “was born in New York City.  He moved to South Florida as a cute little boy, then moved to Manhattan as a macho little man.  He received a BA in English from the University of Florida.”  Barry began doing stand-up comedy while living in Florida in 1987, and his onstage debut took place at Coconut’s Comedy Club in North Miami Beach.  He was asked about this performance in an interview, and Barry replied, “I did five minutes of jokes about McDonald’s and circumcision.  Not sure which joke I told first or how I tied those two subjects together.”  Like a lot of other aspiring comedians, Todd eventually moved to New York and began performing at local clubs and bars.  His first televised appearance didn’t happen until 1995 (according to the all-knowing IMDB), when he was featured on an episode of HBO Comedy Showcase.

Over the next several years, Barry would go on to have several small roles, including a role in the 1997 mockumentary film Who’s the Caboose, which revolves around the story of a comedienne who is trying to pursue her dream of being on a TV show.  Todd was cast as the “Foosball Player,” so you have to assume he played an integral part in the film’s plot.  He also appeared in several TV shows over the next few years, including The Larry Sanders Show, Spin City, and a recurring role playing himself on the animated show Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist.  Although there are a lot of people who still don’t know who Todd Barry is, he’s had no problem finding work in movies and television since 2000.  This includes appearing on a few of my favorite shows, FX’s Louie and Adult Swim’s Squidbillies, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and Delocated. Perhaps his most major-yet-minor role to date came in the 2008 drama The Wrestler.  Barry played Mickey Rourke’s manager at the supermarket where he worked after semi-retiring from wrestling, and his performance as a very believable asshole was well-received.  I would hope it’s only a matter of time until Todd Barry starts to get the recognition he deserves for his outstanding comedic talent; but until then, I guess The Hater Hall of Fame will have to do.

Todd reads an unflattering “Conan fan letter”:

Todd on Late Night with David Letterman:

Barry and director Darren Aronofsky talk about the original Black Swan.

Go to Todd’s website, and be sure to check out the section titled “Receipt Museum.”

Since the season is winding down and madness of March is fast approaching, we will be inducting a former coach into the Hater Hall of Fame today.  He is currently the winningest coach in men’s Division I basketball history (a rat will have the record soon), and one of the most feared s.o.b.’s the sport has ever seen:

Robert Montgomery Knight,  Born October 25, 1940

Robert Knight was born in a small town in Ohio named Massillon.  He became involved in sports while attending Orrville High School, where he participated in both football and basketball.  His basketball playing career continued after high school when he enrolled at Ohio State University in 1958.  He was a reserve on their 1960 national championship team – a team that featured Jerry West and John Havlicek – and graduated with a degree in history and government in 1962.  After a one year coaching stint with a local high school JV team, Knight enlisted in the U.S. Army and accepted an assistant coaching position with the Westpoint Academy in 1963.  He was named the head coach at the age of 24, and ended up leading the team to 102 wins during his six seasons.

Coach Knight’s reputation as a hard-nosed motivator and rising star in the coaching ranks led to him being hired by the University of Indiana in 1971.  During his 29-year tenure at Indiana, Bobby helped the Hoosiers earn 21 NCAA tournament appearances; he also led the team to two Final Fours and three national championships.  At Indiana, Knight’s legendary temper and recurring altercations with the media, as well as his players, became a thing of legend.   Over the years, numerous controversies involving coach Knight have been made public, or caught on video.  They include, but are not limited to, the following:

1979 – During the Pan American Games in Puerto Rico, he was accused of assaulting a police officer.  Knight was convicted and sentenced to jail time, but the US was unwilling to provide extradition.

1985 – To protest a ref’s call during a game against Purdue, Knight hurls a chair across the court.  He is suspended for one game and placed on two years’ probation by the Big Ten Conference.

1988 – In an interview with Connie Chung, Knight utters the phrase, “I think that if rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it.”  Probably a poor choice of words when you’re talking about a referee continuously making bad calls in a game.

1997 – A former IU player named Neil Reed claims that Knight grabbed him by the neck in a choking manner, and the footage is later played on CNN.

2000 – IU investigates an allegation involving Knight and a university secretary.  He supposedly berated and intimidated the woman, and threw a potted plant in anger, showering her with glass and debris.

After an encounter with IU freshman Kenny Harvey in March of 2000, Bobby Knight was fired by the University of Indiana in conjunction with their new “zero tolerance policy.”  Then IU president Myles Brand had basically instituted this policy specifically for Knight’s erratic behavior.  He was hired by Texas Tech in 2001, and coached the Red Raiders for 6 years before retiring midway through the 2007-08 season.  He ended his coaching career with a record 902 wins, and only 371 losses.  He now makes his living as a broadcast analyst for ESPN, and let’s just say he was a helluva lot better coach than he is a color commentator.

Luckily for Coach Knight, there is no such thing as a zero tolerance policy at TIWIS.  So enjoy The General right here, raw & uncut.  In this first video, a brave player captures audio during one of Knight’s motivational halftime speeches (Language is NSFW):

Coach Knight lets loose on the golf course in some outtakes from an instructional DVD (Language is NSFW).

SportsCenter reveals the Top 10 Bobby Knight sound bites (Language edited):

Ricky Dene Gervais, Born June 25, 1961

Ricky Gervais was born and raised across the pond in the suburb of Whitley in Reading, Berkshire.  His father Lawrence was a soldier who emigrated to London while on foreign duty during WWII, where he reportedly met Ricky’s mom Eva during a blackout.  Gervais is the youngest of four children, and in past interviews he’s said that he always believed his conception was an accident.  He based this assumption on the 17 year age difference between him and his oldest sibling, and his mother would later confirm that Ricky’s birth was in fact unplanned.  Gervais has described his early life and upbringing as “stable and trauma free,” and once remarked that his family was “much like The Waltons, made fun of each other regularly.” – Did they have a different version of Little House on the Prairie in England?  In his parochial days, Ricky attended Whitley Park Infants and Junior Schools, and received his secondary education at Ashmead Comprehensive School.  He began attending University College London in 1979, and briefly studied biology before switching to philosophy.  While there he met his longtime girlfriend Jane Fallon, and eventually earned “upper second-class honours degree in the subject,” which I’m guessing is good, maybe?

This is usually the part where I would talk about how Gervais got his start, and elaborate on some of the things he’s accomplished in his career thus far.  However, I’m opting to glean over most of this so I can get to the main reason why Gervais was selected for the Hater Hall of Fame.  Sure, I could talk about how he was once part of an English pop duo in the early 80′s called Seona Dancing, and how their most successful single “Bitter Heart” once peaked at #70 on the UK Singles Chart.  I could also go over the story of how he met his longtime collaborator Stephen Merchant while working in radio for Xfm London.  Really, though, there are only a few things I’d like to impart about his career.  If you are a fan of the Steve Carell-led US version of The Office, but have never seen Gervais’s original incarnation, you should be ashamed of yourself.  If you’re not familiar with his show Extras on BBC or HBO, get familiar with it right now.  And finally, if you have never listened to The Ricky Gervais Show podcasts with him, Stephen Merchant, and “idiot genius” Karl Pilkington, then you can’t even imagine the comedy gold you’ve deprived yourself of up until now.  It’s probably important to note that I’m not usually a big fan of British-style humor, either.  I mean, I’m not saying their cultural idea of comedy has never been funny to me.  I enjoyed watching Benny Hill chase scantily-clad women around as a kid; but that really had nothing to do with me thinking it was funny.  I also like some of the old Monty Python sketches and movies, but a lot of their stuff is lost on me as well.  There is one thing in comedy which is universal, though, and that’s the art of the insult.  And as Gervais showcased last week as the host of the 2011 Golden Globes, Hollywood is an easy target for this type of mockery.  This is due to the fact that some actors lack qualities like humility or a sense of humor, but have an abundance of pretentiousness and an over-inflated sense of their own self-worth .

Of course, when a nobody blogger like me makes fun of celebrities, the only valid reason is because I’m just jealous and wish that I was the one who was rich and famous.  I’m not saying that wouldn’t be nice, but like Gervais, I just always feel the need to call ‘em like I see ‘em.  When you live in the public eye, whether it’s by choice or not, it’s only natural that normal people like myself will begin to form opinions based on someone’s words, actions, or body of work.  And there are those in Hollywood who become so ensconced in their own fame and fortune, they begin to think they’re beyond reproach in that respect.  That’s why we need people like Gervais, those who are on the fringe of Hollywood, but don’t care if they ever “make it” because then they might turn into the person they enjoy making fun of.  I, for one, was upset to hear that Ricky will not be asked to host the 2012 Golden Globes, because of the backlash he received from those whom he mocked and ridiculed; but then again, that just proves that Hollywood is exactly the kind of narcissistic wonderland that Gervais made it out to be.

Gervais’s Opening monologue from the Golden Globes (Notice how many strained smiles, awkward reactions, and expressions best described as disguised disgust you see):

Idiot genius Karl Pilkington talks about why he doesn’t enjoy bird sounds anymore, and how flowers have solved crimes:

This is kind of a melodramatic scene from the final episode Extras, but it involves his thoughts on being a celebrity, and shows that Gervais is more than just a funny face:

More YouTube videos with Ricky Gervais