Taking sports jerks to task

Judging by the catchy name jerkoftheweek.com - Adam and Steve Hofstetter's creation sounds like it's a site to go to for a laugh. However, the brothers from Queens, N.Y., have proven you can't always judge a Web site by its homepage.

Jerkoftheweek, founded in 1998, does more than just crack jokes and point fingers at the bad guys in sports. Yes, the site is amusing and humorous, but the Hofstetters take this stuff seriously.

"Our problem is with these guys, whether or not they want to be role models, they are," said Steve Hofstetter, a 22-year-old student at Columbia University who's looking for work as a sportswriter. "The jerkier their actions, the more damage they do to their sport's reputation."

So the Hostetters decided to take closer looks at their behavior.

They started with baseball players, expanded to basketball in 1999 and followed with football and hockey last year.

"We're doing it because no one really took these guys to task. An arrest is reported and it's forgotten the next day after a good pitching performance," Hofstetter said.

The Hofstetters scour the Associated Press wire every day. When they read about an offender, they assign a point value to what he is accused of doing. Naturally, there are unthinkable acts as well as acts done without thinking.

Ex-Carolina Panther Rae Carruth, acquitted of first-degree murder and serving a lesser sentence: A football Jerk points leader with 24 points.

Milwaukee relief pitcher Curtis Leskanic, signing the back of a kid's T-shirt "Kick me:" 1 Jerk point

Seattle pitcher Arthur Rhodes, acting like a child when Cleveland's Omar Vizquel asked the umpire to have Rhodes take out his diamond stud earring: 2 Jerk points.

"Wearing the jewelry was not the problem. Refusing to comply with the umpire was," Steve Hofstetter said of Rhodes, one of three Mariners who made JOW this year. (Jose Paniagua, Al Martin are the others.)

Aside from the Hofstetters' list, visitors can nominate their own JOWs. Cleveland pitcher John Rocker is the fan favorite. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has earned the most points in the past, but is having a quiet year.

"We are very careful about allegations," Hofstetter said. "We are not out to hurt anyone's reputation more than they hurt it themselves."

Gearing up for the postseason

Hey M's fans. Care to add to your wardrobe in anticipation of a Mariners-Yankees American League Championship Series? There's some pretty cool anti-Yankees T-shirts for sale on yankees-suck.com and yanks-suck.com.

If Roger Clemen's isn't your guy, whereisroger.com is your place.

Copyright 2001 Cowles Publishing Company
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