In each sport, there are guys who have ridden the wave of hype and expectations of greatness throughout their amateur days…leading to the anticipated end result of professional stardom.  These prima-donnas command pampering from their executive officials to ensure that they don’t leave their organizations hopeless.  These organizations normally shell out the big bucks to appease their stars with above-average talent, in hopes of giving their meal ticket an opportunity at the ultimate prize – a championship.

But under the radar, there are many athletes toiling in a sea of ineffective teammates, bad management and poor overall support.  Below is a look at some guys who would love to be in a different situation:

Stephen Jackson (Running Back – St. Louis Rams):  This guy gives no less than 100% on every on of his touches.  Jackson has so much energy for a player who is the main offensive weapon on a team that lacks consistency in that area.  Despite an erratic passing game, the 26-year-old runner from Oregon State has put up 5 straight 1000-yard rushing campaigns.  Injuries have taken some games away from him, but I’d be willing to bet that he’d play 16 games a season for a contender.

He's the only Padre that can hit.

Adrian Gonzalez (First Baseman – San Diego Padres):  Poor Adrian.  In a lineup where he has absolutely no protection, he has belted 25 home runs.  And boy do these guys suck at the plate.  They’d have better luck at getting hits in a Cheech and Chong movie.  As a team, the Padres are last in batting average (.231), last in runs (346, next closest team is 21 runs ahead of them) and 26th in ERA (4.64).  So bad hitting + bad pitching = an All-Star who is resigned to a losing atmosphere.

“I don’t think anybody in this clubhouse is OK with losing. We all want to win today. We all want to win tomorrow. We also have to understand it might take some time.”

When asked about his recent struggles, Gonzalez said:

“Look at the statistics and maybe you’d say I was struggling. If you saw all my outs, you might not say so. But a couple at-bats a game I probably go outside my zone. I’m a guy who wants to win every day. If I can have some say in the matter, I’m going to try to do it. It’s a fine line.”

Sounds like a guy who is pressing to make a difference.  Even at the expense of his own statistics.  Give him some help or give him a chance somewhere else.

Kevin Martin (Shooting Guard – Sacramento Kings):  A big-time, consistent scorer, Martin was a shocker from Coastal Carolina.  He made his presence felt off the bench during his first two seasons in the league, and continued his ascent to becoming the Kings top offensive force.  In the process, the Kings have either traded or lost Brad Miller, Ron Artest, Mike Bibby and Shareef Abdur-Rahim.  So Martin is left to hold together a roster of young, make-shift talent.

Martin is still young himself, but is approaching the prime years of his career.  He’s endured lots of criticism about his toughness, which he recently addressed:

“I’m out there playing on one leg, averaging 25 (points per game) on one leg, and you can say what you want. It’s all about winning. That’s one thing I’ve learned. If we were in a 40-win season with my same kind of stats, you could say, ‘Oh, he’s an All-Star, one of the best two-guards in the league,’ stuff like that. So it’s just a point of getting the team on the same page and getting back there to winning a lot.”

Kings fans, take note – he mentioned a 40-win season.  When that’s the bar that your best player is shooting for, that says it all.

Calvin Johnson (Wide Receiver – Detroit Lions):  Speed.  Size.  Strength.  Sticky-hands.  Calvin johnson had all the tools available for his explosion in the NFL spotlight.  And he has done nothing but impress everyone who has seen him play.  With over 1300 yards receiving last season and 12 touchdowns, Johnson sets the standard for receivers in the league. 

But here comes the reality check:  He plays for the Lions.  When it comes to a win, this organization is like En Vogue.  The Detroit Lions finished 2008 as with the NFL’s first winless season since 1976.  So, it makes his numbers look even more impressive knowing that he was buried in a losing climate throughout the season.  Johnson was a standout without a steady rapport with one quarterback.  Detroit had three inefficient quarterbacks manning the position.  For the record, the Lions’ top three quarterbacks for 2008 (Dan Orlovsky, Daunte Culpepper, Jon Kitna) combined to throw more interceptions (19) than touchdowns (17).

With their penchant for using high draft picks on wideouts, they finally got on that looks to be all that they wanted and more.  But how much more can he do to improve a team that makes more bad decisions more than Kirstie Alley at a buffet?  

Kevin Martin wishes he still had this guy as a teammate.

Dan Haren (Starting Pitcher – Arizona Diamondbacks):  You just gotta feel for Haren.  All he has done this season is lead the majors in ERA (1.96) and has a .187 batting average against him…yet he only has a 10-5 record.

Haren, an All-Star for Arizona (along with Justin Upton), has had little run support.  The D-Backs are batting .248 as a team (26th in the league).  And Haren is actually on the high side of that average (he is hitting .256 this year with 6 RBIs).  Which means he has a batting average that is higher than a few other regular position players on the team.

Maybe we should start Haren in centerfield?  Chris Young, you’d better pipe down.  You’ve got the average of a 7-year-old trying to play baseball for the first time… 

Danny Granger (Small Forward – Indiana Pacers):  Granger turned the corner last season in a big way.  He was selected to his first All-Star Game, which he had to miss due to an injury.  But based on his complete set of skills, he figures to be selected for many more.

Coming out of New Mexico, he was not expected to be a star…much less an All-Star.  But with an Indiana Pacers organization that is devoid of talent – and just made a dumb draft pick – he had to assert his offensive game if the Pacers wanted to avoid getting beat by 30 points every game.  He did that and more. 

Granger was already bringing textbook defense to the floor night after night.  Now, he’s bringing explosive offense as well.  And a great attitude.

Larry Bird, you were fortunate to lock this guy up when you did.  It kept you from doing this.