Connolly's Tap Room

No Papi, no Tex, maybe no JoeyBats and an ARod shell: Who will you boo in 2017?

By Dan Connolly

Posted on August 6, 2016

Take a seat at the bar and bring your hater hat.  I’ve got a topic for you.

It was announced Friday that New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira will retire at the end of this year. You can read my thoughts on Teixeira, who grew up in Severna Park, here.

Teixeira’s retirement will occur the same year that Boston’s David Ortiz hangs it up.

It’s an intriguing 1-2 punch since Teixeira was unofficially passed as Camden Yards Enemy No. 1 roughly in 2011 by Ortiz – it happened about the time Ortiz and former Oriole Kevin Gregg engaged in 8 seconds of a superheavyweight bout at Fenway Park.

That title, I believe, now belongs to Toronto’s Jose Bautista, whose overall dis-likability reigns supreme in plenty of baseball cities. In Baltimore, he’s probably surpassed Ortiz and has crushed Teixeira, who seemingly now is booed only out of habit at the Yards.

But here’s the rub: It’s possible that Bautista, a pending free agent, will leave the American League East at the end of 2016. And though I know your contemptuousness runs deep, not getting the opportunity to scream at Bautista nine teams a year could drop him in the Camden Yards Hate Standings.

Add in the fact that universal vitriol target Alex Rodriguez is a complete non-factor now – he’s retired too, he just doesn’t know it yet – and the Boo Birds at Camden Yards are in a precarious position for 2017.

No Big Papi. No Tex. Maybe no JoeyBats. And an ARod shell.

So what do you do? Do you retire the catcall in 2017?

Do you take out your anger on Toronto’s Josh Donaldson, who is really good, has a funky hairdo and once sorta-kinda dusted-up with Manny Machado?

Or do you have to find another villain between now and Opening Day 2017?

It’s a simple question and I want your answer now in anticipation of next season.

Tap-In Question: Who’s worthy of your hate in 2017?