Royals’ Brad Keller landed on list of Chicago’s biggest sports villains
It never hurts to be include among a group with Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Lakers star LeBron James.
That’s the attitude Royals right-hander Brad Keller took when he learned NBC Sports Chicago had him listed as one of the biggest sports villains in the Windy City.
NBC Sports Chicago asked fans which of five players was most reviled in the city.
James, Rodgers and Keller are joined by Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun, who has tormented the Cubs in the past, and Predators goalie Pekka Rinne, who had a pair of shutouts in the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Blackhawks.
Rodgers, James and Braun have all been MVP winners, while Rinne has won a Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goaltender.
“I mean, that’s a highly touted group of people,” Keller said Friday in a conference call. “I’m just honored to be on the same list as all those people. Yeah, I was surprised. I didn’t realize that I was a villain in the city because of an incident. But I mean, I guess it happened and like I said I’m just honored to be a part of the group.”
The incident in question happened last year when Keller hit White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson with a pitch after Anderson celebrated a home run earlier in a game at Guaranteed Rate Field.
That led to a kerfuffle and left White Sox fans furious at Keller.
But not everyone in Chicago remains upset. While some harbor a grudge, others weren’t sure why he was on the list:
Judging by the comments, Rodgers is public enemy No. 1 among Chicago sports fans. Could it be because Rodgers has an 18-5 record against the Bears?
This story was originally published May 4, 2020 at 8:58 AM with the headline "Royals’ Brad Keller landed on list of Chicago’s biggest sports villains."
