Mount Hushmore: LaTroy Hawkins (2) vs. Cade McNown (3)

Who were Chicago's most embarrassing athletes?  The guys you hated so much, you considered booing them even though they were on your team.

We'll take a look at two as we open the Mount Hushmore challenge as LaTroy Hawkins takes on Cade McNown.

LaTroy Hawkins

LaTroy Hawkins is the kind of player whose stats don't tell you the entire story of his baseball career.  Unfortunately for Hawk, the rest of the story sucks.

Hawkins signed with the Cubs before the 2004 season as he came off a monstrous year with the Minnesota Twins where he posted a 1.86 earned run average and a 1.08 WHIP in a little more than 77 innings as the ace set-up man for closer Eddie Guardado.  In 2004, Hawkins posted a 2.63 ERA.  So, why the hate?

Simply put, LaTroy Hawkins was the gas can that ignited the rallies of other teams.

In 2004, he blew X saves replacing Joe Borowski.  Now, replacing a fat, sweaty closer whose fastball topped out in the low-80s should have been a cinch.  Not for Hawkins, who single-handedly kept the 2004 Cubs out of the playoffs.  There was this game, where he gave up a pair of dingers in a loss to the eventual division champion Cardinals, this game he blew against the eventual NL Wild Card winning Astros, this game against the Mets where he gave up a game-tying home run to Victor Diaz and this game against the Reds where I went to class with the Cubs winning 2-1 and left class with the team having lose 3-2.

You would think a new year and a second chance would be good for Hawkins, who would turn that moment of good will into an Wrigley Field opening loss I traveled six hours, skipped two classes and countless other Friday night college shenanigans to watch him blow.  Things got worse in 2005, where from May 5 to May 13, he blew two saves and lost (count 'em) one, two and three games.

The highlight of Hawkins' stay in Chicago was the last day when he was shipped off for Jerome Williams and David Aardsma.

Cade McNown

You think Jay Cutler sucks?  Weren't fond of Rex Grossman?  Well, here's a piece of crap that makes Grossman look like Peyton Manning and Cutler look like Tom Brady.

Cade McClown was a clusterfuck of bad news.  Mike Ditka and other football analysts anointed him as the most pro-ready quarterback coming out of UCLA.  And UCLA has produced a pretty good pro QB once in a while.  Unfortunately for Bears fans, it wasn't McNown.

The No. 12 overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft posted a 3-12 record as Bears starter.  He was given the quarterback reigns, but because was a total dick and held out for so long, Dick Jauron found it suitable to have Shane Matthews start under center for Chicago.

Oh, that was a great move.

He eventually got the starting gig when Matthews proved to suck be injured, but would eventually pull himself out of a loss against the Rams because of his own sucktitude.

Before being traded to the Dolphins, McNown's star had fallen so far, he was battling Danny Wuerffel for third-string duties.  At least Wuerffel had a Heisman Trophy he could brag about.  McNown's only award could come here if he somehow knocks off LaTroy Hawkins.

Now, it's time for you to vote.

Who should move on to the next round?

• LaTroy Hawkins
• Cade McNown

Created on Dec 3, 2009

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poll by twiigs.com