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Steve Hovley

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Baseball Player

The Resume

    (December 18, 1944- )
    Born in Ventura, California
    Outfielder with the Seattle Pilots (1969), Milwaukee Brewers (1970), Oakland A's (1970-71) and Kansas City Royals (1972-73)
    Made famous by references to him in Jim Bouton's book, 'Ball Four"

Why he might be annoying:

    He went to Stanford before playing professional baseball.
    He would read Nietzsche in the dugout during games.
    His nickname was 'Tennis Ball Head' because he refused to get a haircut.
    He never achieved his potential, which was significant.
    He would seek out art museums in the cities where his teams played.
    He ended up a plumber in Ojai, California.

Why he might not be annoying:

    His older Pilots teammates were going to force him to get a haircut when he went on a hitting streak and they left him alone.
    He was a non-conformist, and he and Bouton were kindred spirits.
    In 'Ball Four', he is a key supporting player in Bouton's story about the 1969 Seattle Pilots season.
    The Oakland A's traded him away right when they were becoming a dynasty (1971).
    As for becoming a plumber, Bouton put it best: 'Steve is one of the few people left in America who still gets pleasure and satisfaction from doing a good day’s work, apart from the title that comes with it.'
    When asked about the Pilots, Hovley said, 'The way I like to think of the Seattle Pilots is like the upside-down postage stamp. The most important one is the one they screwed up.'

Credit: BrotherGrem


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 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying