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Joe Niekro

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Baseball Player

The Resume

    (November 7, 1944-October 27, 2006)
    Born in Martin's Ferry, Ohio
    Younger brother of Hall of Famer Phil Niekro
    Pitcher for the Chicago Cubs (1967-69), San Diego Padres (1969), Detroit Tigers (1970-72), Atlanta Braves (1973-74), Houston Astros (1975-85), New York Yankees (1985-87) and Minnesota Twins (1987-88)
    221 Wins, 204 Losses
    Career ERA 3.59
    1747 strikeouts
    All-Star and Sporting News Pitcher of the Year (1979)

Why he might be annoying:

    He led the National League in wild pitches in 1982 and 1983.
    Despite a distinguished career, he is best remembered for being caught on the mound with an emery board and sandpaper, drawing a 10 day suspension (August 3, 1987).
    Afterwords, he wrote to brother Phil, 'They've put a black mark on the Niekro name which is an insult to hard-working, God-fearing people like Mom and Dad. Momma raised no cheaters.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    He and Phil hold the joint record for most wins by a pair of brothers with 539 (221 for Joe, 318 for Phil).
    He developed a sense of humor about his suspension, appearing on 'Late Night with David Letterman,' wearing a carpenter's apron and carrying a belt sander.
    When the Twins released a bobblehead set of their 1987 World Series team, the Niekro bobblehead included a nail file in his back pocket.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 72.73% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 70 Votes: 47.14% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 21 Votes: 52.38% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 9 Votes: 44.44% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 9 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 26 Votes: 65.38% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 25 Votes: 52.00% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 33 Votes: 45.45% Annoying