The bad boys

In my history of covering MLS games, I've only had one player tell me to get out of the locker room - Dema Kovalenko. I wasn't even talking to him, by the way. I'd walked in to the visitors locker room at the Home Depot Center with a gaggle of other LA reporters eager to interview Freddy Adu, because he'd just scored the game-winning goal. Though I grabbed a couple of Freddy sound bites, I was really there to interview DC United's Christian Gomez.

Christian had been in the league for a while already, but I hadn't seen much press on him and thought his perspective would make for an interesting QnA. I checked with the team's press officer, Doug Hicks, about talking to Christian and he told me to go ahead and find him in the locker room.

Past the crowd around Freddy, Christian stood by himself, so I started to cross over to talk to him.

"Hey!" a voice startled me, and I glanced over. Dema glared at me. "You can't be here," he said. "Get out."

Almost as an involuntary reaction, I looked down to where my media credential hung around my neck. Didn't he realize I was a reporter, doing my job? I stopped for just a second, holding my recorder, then decided there was no point in arguing with Dema. I walked up to Christian, we chatted for a bit, then I left.

Maybe Dema was joking. I don't get that kind of humor, but there's all sorts of people in this world.

Which is really the point of this story. No matter what I, or some Dallas fans, for example, might think of Dema's actions at times, he definitely had his fans in DC, and now has some in New York as well. People cheered for Hristo Stoichkov when he was in the league.

One person's dirty player is another guy's tough, hard-nosed performer.

So some people will hate Cuauhtemoc Blanco, because he's one of those polarizing figures. I've yet to form much of an opinion. He's ignored the press in general when I've come into contact with him. I've only spoken to him once. He's definitely not very personable, but watching him from the press box, he still has some skill.

Honestly, I don't think he's worth 2 million a year, but I do think MLS got more interesting the moment it signed him. I don't think I'm alone in believing that. Bad boys fascinate many people.
Blanco certainly won't be the first one MLS has had.